Techniques for monitoring slump characteristic of concrete in a rotating container or drum
AssigneeCidra Concrete Systems Inc.
InventorsMichael A. Davis, Douglas H. Loose, David Vincent Newton, Charles Winston, Alan D. Kersey
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system features an acoustic sensor configured to mount on a wall of a mixing drum, sense an acoustic characteristic of a mixture of a slurry, including concrete, contained in a mixing drum when rotating, and provide acoustic sensor signaling containing information about the acoustic characteristic sensed; and a signal processor configured to receive the acoustic sensor signaling, and determine corresponding signaling containing information about a slump characteristic of the mixture of concrete contained in the mixing drum, based upon the signaling received.
Claims18
A system comprising:
- a sensor housing assembly having
- a mounting wall configured to mount the sensor housing assembly on an interior wall of a mixing drum,
- a first sensor wall configured in a first plane or direction ahead of the sensor housing assembly, and
- a second sensor wall configured in a second plane or direction above the sensor housing assembly, the first plane or direction and the second plane or direction being different planes or directions;
- acoustic sensors configured to mount in the sensor housing assembly to sense speed of sound (SoS) measurements in the different planes or directions in a mixture of a slurry, including concrete, contained in the mixing drum when rotating, the acoustic sensors comprising a first acoustic-based sensor being mounted on the first sensor wall to sense the slurry flowing in the first plane or direction ahead of the sensor housing assembly and a second acoustic-based sensor being mounted on the second sensor wall to sense the slurry flowing in the second plane or direction above the sensor housing assembly, the acoustic sensors configured to provide acoustic sensor signaling containing information about the SoS measurements sensed in the different planes or directions;
- and
- a signal processor configured to
- receive the acoustic sensor signaling, and
- determine corresponding signaling containing information about a slump characteristic of the mixture of the slurry contained in the mixing drum that depends on compression forces related to the slurry sensed in the different planes or directions, based upon the acoustic sensor signaling received.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.