Concrete mixture measurement sensor, system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10041928-B2
Application number	US-201414760269-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 10, 2014
Priority date	Jan 11, 2013
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

A sensor measures slump and rheological characteristics of the concrete and is connected to a system that adjusts the slump by monitoring the sensor within the interior surface of a concrete mixer and controlling liquid additions. Data is analyzed by a computer processing unit to determine the slump and rheological characteristics of the concrete, liquid required to meet the slump requirements. The measurement done by the sensor is more accurate then the existing methods because it brings into consideration the effect of the helix inside the mixer on the movement of the concrete mixture inside the mixer. Furthermore, this method also allows the operation of the sensor in “real” life situations where the rotation speed of the mixer can't be maintained at a fixed value. The fact that the sensor rotates with the drum and that the concrete mixture is pushed to the bottom of the mixing drum guaranties that all the concrete is “sampled” by comparing results collected from each revolution of the mixing drum.

First claim

I claim:

1. A sensor for a concrete mixer, said sensor comprising:
(a) a hollow body having an interior and an interior surface; and
(b) sensing elements mounted within said interior of said hollow body and connectable to a control circuit;
said sensing elements being mounted such that the sensor, when attached to a wall of the concrete mixer such that the sensor moves through a concrete mixture, is configured to measure, during a movement of the sensor through the concrete mixture, a first force along a first axis being parallel to a rotation direction of the concrete mixer and to measure, during the movement of the sensor through the concrete mixture, a second force along a second axis disposed at an angle to the first axis, the second axis being defined by a movement of a mixing helix within the concrete mixer.

2. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein said sensing elements comprise two strain gauges, one of said two strain gauges is mounted on said interior surface to measure said first force along said first axis and another one of said two strain gauges is mounted on said interior surface to measure said second force along said second axis.

3. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein said sensing elements include four strain gauges mounted on said interior surface of said hollow body and wherein two of said four strain gauges are mounted, mediate ends of said hollow body, along said first axis to measure said first force and remaining two strain gauges are mounted along said second axis to measure said second force.

4. The sensor of claim 3 , wherein said sensor further comprises a base attached to one end of said hollow body and said control circuit being disposed within a hollow interior of said base, said control circuit including a processor and wherein said four strain gauges are connected with wires to said processor in a Wheatstone bridge arrangement.

5. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein said sensor further includes a base, a flexible connection between said base and one end of said hollow body and two brace members mounted, generally perpendicular to each other, within said interior of said hollow body wherein each end of each brace member is attached to said interior surface of said hollow body; wherein said sensing elements include a pair of pressure load cells, and wherein one of said pair of pressure load cells is mounted on one of said two brace members to measure said first force and another one of said pair of pressure load cells is mounted on another one of said two brace members to measure said second force.

6. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein said sensor further includes a base, a flexible connection between said base and one end of said hollow body and a brace member having each end thereof attached to said interior surface of said hollow body; wherein said sensing elements include a pair of beam load cells connected therebetween and further connected to said base and extending into said hollow body, and wherein one of said pair of beam load cells is further connected to said brace member; whereby said sensor is configured to measure said first force and measure said second force.

7. A sensor for a concrete mixer, comprising:
(a) a hollow body having an interior and an interior surface;
(b) sensing elements mounted within said interior of said hollow body and connectable to a control circuit, said sensing elements being mounted such that the sensor, when attached to a wall of the concrete mixer such that the sensor moves through a concrete mixture, is configured to measure, during a movement of the sensor through the concrete mixture, a first force along a first axis being parallel to a rotation direction of the concrete mixer and to measure, during the movement of the sensor through the concrete mixture, a second force along a second axis disposed at an angle to the first axis, the second axis being defined by a movement of a mixing helix within the concrete mixer; and
(c) a sleeve, including:
i. a first layer surrounding an exterior surface of said hollow body and being manufactured from a first material,
ii. a second layer surrounding an exterior surface of said first layer and being manufactured from a second material, and
iii. wherein said second material has a hardness thereof being greater than a hardness of said first material.

8. The sensor of claim 7 , wherein said hardness of said second material is sufficient to resist a wear of said second material layer from a contact with a concrete mixture.

9. The sensor of claim 7 , wherein said hardness of said second material is sufficient to cushion shocks during a movement of said sensor through a concrete mixture and to reduce a noise factor therefrom while allowing said sensor to measure rheological characteristics of the concrete mixture.

10. A system for measuring rheological properties in a concrete mixer, comprising:
(a) one or more rheological sensors, each including a hollow body thereof disposed within a hollow interior of the concrete mixer and one or more sensing elements mounted within an interior of said hollow body;
(b) a control circuit connected to said one or more sensing elements; and
(c) whereby said rheological system is configured to measure, when said one or more rheological sensors are attached to a wall of the concrete mixer and rotate with the concrete mixer, a first force along a first axis being parallel to an axis of rotation of said concrete mixer and further measure a second force along a second axis being disposed at an angle to said first axis, said second axis defined by a movement of a mixing helix within the concrete mixer.

11. A sensor for a concrete mixer, said sensor comprising:
(a) a body comprising an electrically non-conductive material;
(b) a base comprising a hollow interior;
(c) a rigid connection between said base and one end of said body;
(d) a control circuit disposed within said hollow interior of said base;
(e) a programmable AC generator disposed within said hollow interior of said base, said programmable AC generator operatively coupled to said control circuit;
(f) four electrically conductive members mounted in a spaced apart relationship with each other along a length of said body on an exterior surface thereof, two outer electrically conductive members from said four electrically conductive members connected to said programmable AC generator, two inner electrically conductive members from said four electrically conductive members connected to said control circuit; and
(g) wherein said control circuit is at least configured to program said programmable AC generator, measure a current consumed by said programmable AC generator and measure a voltage between said two inner electrically conductive members during a movement of the sensor through a concrete mixture.

12. A sensor for a concrete mixer, said sensor comprising:
(a) a hollow base;
(b) a control circuit mounted within the hollow base;
(c) a hollow body having one end thereof coupled to the hollow base, the hollow body comprising an interior surface; and
(d) sensing elements mounted on the interior surface of the hollow body and connected to the control circuit;
the sensing elements comprise four strain gauges mounted on the interior surface of the hollow body such that when the sensor is attached to a wall of a concrete mixer, two of the four strain gauges are mounted along a first axis parallel to a rotation direction of the concrete mixer, and the other two of the four strain gauges are mounted along a second axis, said second axis being generally perpendicular to the first axis, as defined by a movement of a mixing helix within the concrete mixer;
the sensing elements being mounted such tha

Assignees

• Katzeff Berman Dully
• Gcp Applied Tech Inc

Inventors

• Berman Berthold

Classifications

• B28C7/024

  by measuring properties of the mixture, e.g. moisture, electrical resistivity, density · CPC title

• G01N33/383 Primary

  Concrete or cement · CPC title

• G01N2011/0046

  In situ measurement during mixing process · CPC title

• G01N11/14

  by using rotary bodies, e.g. vane (G01N11/16 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01N27/048

  for determining moisture content of the material · CPC title