Concrete drum control, property prediction, and monitoring systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11413787-B2
Application number	US-201916522453-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2019
Priority date	Jun 17, 2016
Publication date	Aug 16, 2022
Grant date	Aug 16, 2022

Abstract

A method includes acquiring delivery data for contents for transport by a vehicle, the delivery data regarding at least one of a delivery location, a delivery time, or a delivery route; acquiring an initial property of the contents; predicting a delivery property for the contents based on the delivery data and the initial property; acquiring en route data including at least one of (i) content data regarding a current property of the contents, (ii) environment data regarding an environmental characteristic external to the vehicle, or (iii) GPS data regarding at least one of a travel distance, a travel time, traffic information, or a road parameter between a current location of the vehicle and the delivery location for the contents; and updating the prediction for the delivery property for the contents based on the en route data.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
acquiring delivery data for contents for transport by a vehicle, the delivery data regarding at least one of a delivery location, a delivery time, or a delivery route;
acquiring an initial property of the contents;
predicting a delivery property for the contents based on the delivery data and the initial property;
acquiring en route data including (i) content data regarding a current property of the contents, (ii) environment data regarding an environmental characteristic external to the vehicle, and (iii) GPS data regarding at least one of a travel distance, a travel time, traffic information, or a road parameter between a current location of the vehicle and the delivery location for the contents; and
updating the prediction for the delivery property for the contents based on the en route data.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is performed by a monitoring system on the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is performed by a monitoring system remote from the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is jointly performed by a first monitoring system on the vehicle and a second monitoring system remote from the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the initial property is received or determined based on a user input to an input device, and wherein the input device is on the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the initial property is received or determined based on a user input to an input device, and wherein the input device is remote from the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the initial property is received or determined based on a signal from a sensor on the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the en route data includes the content data, and wherein the content data is received or determined based on a signal from a sensor on the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the en route data includes the content data, and wherein the content data is estimated based at least one of the initial property, an operation performed via a drum system of the vehicle during transit, the environment data, or the GPS data.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the en route data includes the environment data, and wherein the environment data is received or determined based on a signal from a sensor on the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the en route data includes the environment data, and wherein the environment data is received or determined based on a signal from a system remote from the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising acquiring a target property for the contents.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising providing a command to a drum system of the vehicle to control operation of a component of the drum system to affect the initial property or the current property of the contents within a mixing drum of the drum system based on the prediction for the delivery property and the target property for the contents.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the command includes at least one of:
(i) a first command to control a speed at which a drive system of the drum system rotates the mixing drum; or
(ii) a second command to control an amount of at least one of water or a chemical provided into the mixing drum.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising updating the prediction for the delivery property for the contents based on at least one of the en route data or the command.

16. A method comprising:
acquiring delivery data for contents for transport by a vehicle, the delivery data regarding at least one of a delivery location, a delivery time, or a delivery route;
acquiring an initial property of the contents;
acquiring a target property for the contents;
predicting a delivery property for the contents based on the delivery data and the initial property;
providing a command to a drum system of the vehicle to adjust operation of a component of the drum system to affect a current property of the contents within a mixing drum of the drum system based on the prediction for the delivery property and the target property for the contents;
acquiring en route data including (i) content data regarding the current property of the contents, (ii) environment data regarding an environmental characteristic external to the vehicle, and (iii) GPS data regarding at least one of a travel distance, a travel time, traffic information, or a road parameter between a current location of the vehicle and the delivery location for the contents; and
updating the prediction for the delivery property for the contents as the vehicle travels to the delivery location based on at least one of the en route data or the command.

17. A method comprising:
acquiring delivery data for drum contents for transport by a concrete mixer truck;
acquiring an initial property of the drum contents;
predicting a delivery property for the drum contents based on the delivery data for the drum contents and the initial property of the drum contents;
acquiring en route data as the concrete mixer truck transports the drum contents within a mixing drum thereof to a delivery destination for the drum contents, the en route data including (i) GPS data regarding at least one of a travel distance, a travel time, traffic information, or a road parameter between a current location of the concrete mixer truck and the delivery destination for the drum contents and (ii) at least one (a) drum content data regarding a current property of the drum contents within the mixing drum or (b) environment data regarding an environmental characteristic external to the concrete mixer truck; and
updating the prediction for the delivery property for the drum contents based on the en route data.

Assignees

• Oshkosh Corp

Inventors

• Datema Bryan S
• Yakes Christopher K
• Clifton Cody
• Wei Zhenyi

Classifications

• B60P3/16

  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 title

• B28C5/4217

  Drives in combination with drum mountings; Drives directly coupled to the axis of rotating drums · CPC title

• G06Q10/04

  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 title

• G06Q10/06315

  Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis · CPC title

• B28C5/422 Primary

  Controlling or measuring devices (B28C5/4227 takes precedence) · CPC title