Discrete delivery of material
Construction 3D printing, although a technology that is expected to provide cost, speed and environmental benefits as compared to the traditional construction practices, suffers from inefficient and often troublesome material delivery by pumping cementitious material through hoses or pipes. The present application addresses the need for a consistent and discrete payload delivery between a source and a moving destination. The invention describes an aerial tram delivery system that provides real-time, on-demand, and discrete transportation of material from a material source to the moving destination printheads of the construction 3D printer. Such discrete delivery of material is applicable and beneficial to other applications as described.
1 . A material delivery system for delivering material from a material source to a material destination, wherein the material destination is moveable relative to the material source, the system comprising:
a cable system extending between the material source and the material destination, the cable system comprising:
a cable,
a tram coupled to the cable that can be moved between the material source and the material destination by the cable,
a drive mechanism configured to control a position of the tram along the cable system, and
an accumulator mechanism configured to maintain tension of the cable within an operational range when the material destination moves relative to the material source by accumulating and dispensing lengths of the cable,
wherein the tension of the cable is measured by at least one of a standalone cable tension sensor or a sensor that detects power consumption of the drive mechanism, and
wherein a computer correlates changes or rates of change of the cable tension or a relative tension with known events, including one of: start of tram return, addition or dropping of payload material, or emergency failure of the material delivery system.
2 . The material delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the tram is affixed to the cable at a particular position along the cable and the drive mechanism is configured to control the position of the tram by selectively winding in or winding out the cable.
3 . The material delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the drive mechanism is configured to reduce the speed of the tram when the tram is in proximity of either the material source or the material destination.
4 . The material delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the cable system comprises multiple trams each having a cable subsystem, the cable subsystems being arranged in series to form a series cable system extending between the material source and the material destination, wherein each pair of consecutive trams are configured to park at a material transfer point common to the tram pair to enable transfer of material from one tram to another.
5 . The material delivery system of claim 4 , wherein an upper tram of the cable system containing material arrives and parks directly above and in alignment with a parking position of a lower tram of the cable system that is to receive the material and, once the upper and lower trams are parked at the material transfer point, an outlet of the upper tram opens and drops material into the lower tram.
6 . The material delivery system of claim 5 , wherein the material is a dry powder or a dry mixture, the upper tram securely parks above and in contact with the lower tram at the material transfer point, and the material delivery system uses a secure opening mechanism to transfer the material to minimize dust contamination or loss of material to the environment.
7 . The material delivery system of claim 1 , wherein either or both of the material source and the material destination are stationary or in motion.
8 . The material delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the cable system comprises multiple trams each having a cable subsystem, wherein the trams each meet at a single material transfer point, thus enabling material collection at a single location from multiple material sources.
9 . The material delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the accumulator mechanism comprises two banks to which pulleys are mounted, the two banks being movable relative to each other and wherein the cable is threaded through the pulleys such that relative motion of the banks adds or removes overall cable length available for the material delivery system.
10 . The material delivery system of claim 9 , wherein the relative motion of the banks is controlled using at least one of a dead weight, a spring, a pneumatic cylinder, or an active linear actuator.
11 . The material delivery system of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the inner surfaces of the tram are lined with a non-stick coating to prevent the material from sticking to the one or more inner surfaces.
12 . The material delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the tram is suspended by a double cable arrangement including a first cable line and a second cable line, wherein the first cable line extends from the material source to the material destination and, after circling at least one pulley, forms a second cable line that extends back to the material source, and wherein a first side of the tram is fixed to one of the cable lines and the tram can glide over the other cable line using pulleys mounted on an opposite second side of the tram.
13 . The material delivery system of claim 12 , wherein the cable system further comprises a frame that couples the tram to the cable, the frame including a pivot mechanism that enables the tram to pivot relative to the frame such that the tram will remain substantially horizontal if the frame pivots away from a horizontal orientation, wherein opposing sides of the frame are connected to ends of the cable.
14 . The material delivery system of claim 12 , wherein the cable forms a complete loop using at least one pulley located at the material source and at least one pulley located at the material destination.
15 . The material delivery system of claim 13 , wherein a pulley located at the material source or at the material destination forms part of the drive mechanism.
16 . The material delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the tram is configured to deliver construction material as well as components including one or more of reinforcement, plumbing, electrical, tiling, or other construction related paraphernalia.
17 . The material delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the material destination comprises a printhead of a construction-scale 3D printer.
18 . A material delivery system for delivering material from a material source to a material destination, wherein the material destination is moveable relative to the material source, the system comprising:
a cable system extending between the material source and the material destination, the cable system comprising:
a cable,
a tram coupled to the cable that can be moved between the material source and the material destination by the cable,
a drive mechanism configured to control a position of the tram along the cable system, and
an accumulator mechanism configured to maintain tension of the cable within an operational range when the material destination moves relative to the material source;
a tower located between the material source and the material destination, the tower including a top that the tram is configured to traverse, the top of the tower being located at a height that ensures the tram will not encounter interference from any obstacles located along the path between the material source and the material destination; and
a swivel mechanism provided at the top of the tower that is configured to account for movement of the material destination and enable the tram to reach the material destination.
19 . The material delivery system of claim 18 , wherein the height of the tower is adjustable to ensure the tram will avoid any obstacles located along the path between the material source and the material destination while also minimizing the total distance traversed by the tram.
20 . The material delivery system of claim 18 , wherein the tram is affixed to the cable at a particular position along the cable and the drive mechanism is configured to control the position of the tram by selectively winding in or winding out the cable.
21 . The material delivery system of claim 20 , wherein the material is a dry powder or a dry mixture, the tram securely parks above and in contact with a receiving hopper located at the material destination, and the system uses a secure opening mechanism to transfer the material to minimize dust contamination or loss of material to the environment.
22 . The material delivery system of claim 18 , wherein the drive mechanism is configured to reduce the speed of the tram when the tram is in proximity of either the material source or the material destination.
23 . The material delivery system of claim 18 , wherein the cable system comprises multiple trams each having a cable subsystem, the cable subsystems being arranged in series to form a series cable system extending between the material source and the material destination, wherein each pair of consecutive trams are configured to park at a material transfer point common to the tram pair to enable transfer of material from one tram to another.
24 . The material delivery system of claim 18 , wherein the cable system comprises multiple trams each having a cable subsystem, wherein the trams each meet at a single material transfer point, thus enabling material collection at a single location from multiple material sources.
25 . A material delivery system for delivering material from a material source to a material destination, wherein the material destination is moveable relative to the material source, the system comprising:
a cable system extending between the material source and the material destination, the cable system comprising:
a cable,
a tram coupled to the cable that can be moved between the material source and the material destination by the cable, the tram including an outlet through which material carried by the tram can be delivered to the material destination,
a drive mechanism configured to control a position of the tram along the cable system, and
an accumulator mechanism configured to maintain tension of the cable within an operational range when the material destination moves relative to the material source;
a pivot mechanism associated with the material destination configured to receive and align the tram with the material destination to enable the tram to park at the material destination; and
an opening mechanism associated with the material destination configured to open the tram outlet when the tram parks at the material destination to deliver the material carried by the tram to the material destination.
26 . The material delivery system of claim 25 , wherein the tram is affixed to the cable at a particular position along the cable and the drive mechanism is configured to control the position of the tram by selectively winding in or winding out the cable.
27 . The material delivery system of claim 25 , wherein the drive mechanism is configured to reduce the speed of the tram when the tram is in proximity of either the material source or the material destination.
28 . The material delivery system of claim 25 , wherein the cable system comprises multiple trams each having a cable subsystem, the cable subsystems being arranged in series to form a series cable system extending between the material source and the material destination, wherein each pair of consecutive trams are configured to park at a material transfer point common to the tram pair to enable transfer of material from one tram to another.
29 . The material delivery system of claim 25 , wherein the cable system comprises multiple trams each having a cable subsystem, wherein the trams each meet at a single material transfer point, thus enabling material collection at a single location from multiple material sources.