US 6,575,303 B1Granted

Processing a product including aggregate materials and a volatile component

AssigneeAI Enterprises, Inc.

InventorsJ. Donald Brock, Herbert E. Jakob, Michael E. Barrett, R. Ronald Collins, Gary P. Heeszel, David F. Peaks

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Abstract

A system for controlling the operation of a first item of equipment for processing materials in connection with the production of a product which includes aggregate materials and a volatile component includes an oven, a gradation assembly having a plurality of screens, and a mechanism for transporting aggregate materials from the oven to the gradation assembly. The system also includes a mechanism for controlling the operation of an item of equipment if one or more of the ratios of the weight of the aggregate materials that are retained on any of the screens or that pass through all of the screens to the total weight of the aggregate materials fails to meet a predetermined standard. A preferred embodiment of the system also includes a mechanism for controlling the operation of a second item of equipment for combining asphalt cement and aggregate materials if the ratio of the weight of the asphalt cement in a sample of the product to the total weight of the sample fails to meet a predetermined standard.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A system for controlling the operation of an item of equipment for processing materials in connection with the production of a product which includes aggregate materials and a volatile component, said system comprising:

(A) an oven comprising:
(1) a container defining an interior space, said container having a receiving end for receiving a sample of the product and a closed end opposite said receiving end;
(2) a heat source for heating the sample of the product in the container to remove the volatile component therefrom;
(3) a weighing mechanism for determining the net weight of the container;
(4) means for determining the ratio of the net weight of the container before the sample is heated to the net weight of the container after the sample is heated;
(5) means for determining if the ratio of the net weight of the container before the sample is heated to the net weight of the container after the sample is heated meets a predetermined standard;
(B) a gradation assembly comprising:
(1) a plurality of gradation screens;
(2) a frame that is adapted to support the gradation screens in a generally horizontal attitude in a stacked arrangement whereby each screen in the stack has screen openings that are smaller than those of the screen immediately above it in the stack;
(3) means for vibrating the screens;
(4) a weighing pan that is adapted to determine the weight of aggregate materials;
(5) means for sequentially depositing the aggregate materials that are retained on each screen, or that pass through all of the screens, in the weighing pan;
(6) means for determining the ratios of the weights of the amounts of the aggregate materials that are retained on each of the screens or that pass through all of the screens to the total weight of the aggregate materials;
(7) means for determining if each of the ratios of the weights of the amounts of the aggregate materials that are retained on each of the screens or that pass through all of the screens to the total weight of the aggregate materials meets a predetermined standard;
(C) means for transporting the aggregate materials remaining in the oven after the sample is heated to the gradation assembly;
(D) means for controlling the operation of a first item of equipment for processing aggregate materials if the ratio of the weight of the aggregate materials that are retained on any of the screens or that pass through all of the screens to the total weight of the aggregate materials fails to meet the predetermined standard.

13 more elements

A method for controlling the operation of a first item of equipment for processing aggregate materials in connection with the production of a product which includes aggregate materials and a volatile component, said method comprising:

(A) providing a sample of the product;
(B) heating the sample of the product until substantially only the aggregate materials remain;
(C) segregating the aggregate materials remaining after heating into different groups based upon particle size;
(D) weighing the different groups of aggregate materials;
(E) determining the ratios of the weights of each group of aggregate materials to the total weight of the aggregate materials;
(F) determining whether the ratio of the weight of a group of aggregate materials to the total weight of the aggregate materials meets a predetermined standard;
(G) controlling the operation of the first item of equipment for processing aggregate materials if the ratio of the weight of a group of aggregate materials to the total weight of the aggregate materials fails to meet a predetermined standard.

4 more elements

(A) providing a sample of the product;
(B) heating the sample of the product until substantially only the aggregate materials remain;
(C) providing a gradation assembly comprising:
(1) a plurality of gradation screens, including a first screen, a second screen and a third screen;
(2) a frame that is adapted to support the gradation screens in a first frame position in which the screens are disposed in a generally horizontal attitude in a stacked arrangement whereby each screen in the stack has screen openings that are smaller than those of the screen immediately above it in the stack, and in a second frame position in which the screens are disposed generally vertically;
(3) means for vibrating the screens;
(4) a weighing pan that is positioned beneath the gradation screens and which is adapted for measuring the weight of aggregate material;
(5) means for moving the frame from the first frame position to the second frame position;
(6) means for sequentially depositing the aggregate materials that are retained on each screen or that pass through all of the screens in the weighing pan;
(7) means for determining the ratios of the weights of the amounts of the aggregate materials that are retained on each of the screens or that pass through all of the screens to the total weight of the aggregate materials remaining after heating of the sample of the product;
(8) means for determining if each of the ratios of the weights of the amounts of the aggregate materials that are retained on each of the screens or that pass through all of the screens to the total weight of the aggregate materials remaining after heating of the sample meets a predetermined standard;
(9) means for adjusting the operation of the first item of equipment if the ratio of the weight of the aggregate materials that are retained on any of the screens or that pass through all of the screens to the total weight of the aggregate materials remaining after heating of the sample fails to meet the predetermined standard;
(D) conveying the aggregate materials remaining from step (B) to the gradation assembly;
(E) depositing the aggregate materials from step (D) on the first screen of the gradation assembly while the frame is in the first frame position;
(F) vibrating the screens while the frame is in the first frame position;
(G) moving the frame from the first frame position to the second frame position;
(H) depositing the aggregate materials that are retained on the first screen in the weighing pan;
(I) weighing the aggregate materials that are in the weighing pan after step (H);
(J) depositing the aggregate materials that are retained on the second screen in the weighing pan;
(K) weighing the aggregate materials that are in the weighing pan after step (J);
(L) depositing the aggregate materials that are retained on the third screen in the weighing pan;
(M) weighing the aggregate materials that are in the weighing pan after step (L);
(N) calculating the ratio of the weight of the materials that were deposited in the weighing pan in step (H) to the weight of the materials that were weighed in step (M);
(O) calculating the ratio of the weight of the materials that were deposited in the weighing pan in step (J) to the weight of the materials that were weighed in step (M);
(P) calculating the ratio of the weight of the materials that were deposited in the weighing pan in step (L) to the weight of the materials that were weighed in step (M);
(Q) determining if the weight ratio calculated in step (N) meets a first predetermined standard;
(R) determining if the weight ratio calculated in step (O) meets a second predetermined standard;
(S) determining if the weight ratio calculated in step (P) meets a third predetermined standard;
(T) adjusting the operation of the first item of equipment if one or more of the weight ratios calculated in steps (N), (O) and (P) fails to meet the corresponding predetermined standard.

26 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/992,169Filed 14 Nov 2001 · continuation in part
Priority: 8 Oct 1998
Granted: 10 Jun 2003
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

G01N 15/0272
Investigating particle size or size distribution: with screening; with classification by filtering
B07B 1/46
Sieving, screening, sifting, or sorting solid materials using networks, gratings, grids, or the like: constructional details of screens in…
G01N 1/08
In the solid state, e.g. by cutting: involving an extracting tool, e.g. core bit
G01N 5/02
Analysing materials by weighing, e.g. weighing small particles separated from a gas or liquid: by absorbing or adsorbing components of a material…

Family

Application09/168,922Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 8 Oct 1998
Application09/521,030Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 7 Mar 2000
Application09/758,992Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 16 Jan 2001
US 6,318,193 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 6,062,093 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 6,581,780 B1Related patent
US 6,575,303 B1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.