Method and System for Calculating and Reporting Slump in Delivery Vehicles
A system for calculating and reporting slump in a delivery vehicle having a mixing drum 14 and hydraulic drive 16 for rotating the mixing drum, including a rotational sensor 20 configured to sense a rotational speed of the mixing drum, a hydraulic sensor 22 coupled to the hydraulic drive and configured to sense a hydraulic pressure required to turn the mixing drum, and a communications port 26 configured to communicate a slump calculation to a status system 28 commonly used in the concrete industry, wherein the sensing of the rotational speed of the mixing drum is used to qualify a calculation of current slump based on the hydraulic pressure required to turn the mixing drum.
1 . A method of calculating and reporting slump in a delivery vehicle having a mixing drum and a hydraulic drive for rotating the mixing drum, comprising:
a processor sensing mixing drum activity of the mixing drum including one or more of a rotational speed of the drum and a hydraulic pressure applied to turn the drum;
using the sensed mixing drum activity to evaluate delivery vehicle activity and identify a status used in a status system common in the concrete industry; and
communicating said status to said status system commonly used in the concrete industry.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining from the sensed activity the appropriateness of vehicle activity.
3 . The method of claim 2 comprising determining from the sensed activity one or more of:
adequacy of mixing of concrete,
details of concrete pour actions,
appropriateness of a concrete discharge,
concrete slump values,
appropriateness of fluid discharge,
weather information,
water supply conditions.
4 . The method of claim 1 wherein said status is one of:
an inservice status
an out of service status an at plant status a ticketed status,
a loading status,
a loaded status,
a to job status,
an on job status,
a begin pour status
a finish pour status, and
a leave job status.
5 . The method of claim 4 wherein said loading state is identified from a changing in hydraulic pressure applied to said drum.
6 . The method of claim 4 wherein entry of said loaded from said loading state is identified from changes of pressure or vibration of said drum,
7 . The method of claim 4 wherein entry of said begin pour status is identified from discharge drum rotation.
8 . The method of claim 7 wherein entry of said begin pour status is determined based upon an amount of rotation in the discharge direction.
9 . The method of claim 4 wherein said finish pour status is determined based upon an amount or direction of change in rotation of the drum.