An automated intelligent mortar mixer

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of industrial control technology, specifically to an automated intelligent mortar mixer, which solves the technical problem in existing vertical mortar mixers where the fixed structure of the mixing blades makes it unable to adapt to different states of materials during mixing, resulting in poor mortar mixing performance. The automated intelligent mortar mixer includes: a mixing tank, a mixing shaft disposed within the mixing tank, a mixing assembly connected to the mixing shaft, a data acquisition unit, and an intelligent control unit; the mixing assembly includes retractable mixing blades and a drive device for driving the retractable mixing blades to extend and retract; the data acquisition unit is used to collect state data of the mortar during the mixing process; the intelligent control unit is used to determine the target size of the retractable mixing blades based on the state data and control the drive device to adjust the retractable mixing blades to the target size.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of industrial control technology, specifically to an automated intelligent mortar mixer. Background Technology

[0002] In the construction industry, mortar preparation is a crucial step, and automating and intelligentizing the mixing process is of great significance for improving project quality and efficiency. Currently, automated mortar mixing equipment with automatic filling, discharging, and intelligent control units has emerged on the market. This equipment can complete basic operations according to preset parameters, effectively saving manpower and ensuring the reliability of mortar mix proportions.

[0003] Existing technologies mostly employ vertical mortar mixers, whose core mixing components typically consist of a motor driving a simple set of single-layer fan blades. This design can meet the mixing requirements when processing materials with good flowability, such as dry mortar, and the technology is relatively mature.

[0004] However, in actual mortar mixing processes, materials undergo various states, evolving from dry materials to dry-wet mixtures and finally to wet materials, resulting in significant changes in their physical properties such as viscosity and flowability. Fixed single-layer blade structures cannot detect and adapt to these dynamic changes, leading to insufficient or excessive mixing force when handling highly viscous dry-wet mixtures or wet materials. This results in poor mixing uniformity, a tendency to agglomerate, and a technical bottleneck leading to ineffective mixing. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the technical problem in existing vertical mortar mixers where the fixed structure of the mixing blades prevents adaptation to different material states during mixing, resulting in poor mortar mixing performance, this invention aims to provide an automated intelligent mortar mixer. The specific technical solution adopted is as follows: In a first aspect, an automated intelligent mortar mixer is provided, comprising: a mixing tank, a mixing shaft disposed within the mixing tank, a mixing assembly connected to the mixing shaft, a data acquisition unit, and an intelligent control unit; the mixing assembly includes retractable mixing blades and a drive device for driving the retractable mixing blades to extend and retract; the data acquisition unit is used to acquire state data of the mortar during the mixing process; the intelligent control unit is used to determine the target size of the retractable mixing blades based on the state data and control the drive device to drive the retractable mixing blades to adjust to the target size.

[0006] Based on the above technical solution, in the automated intelligent mortar mixer provided by this invention, by setting retractable mixing blades and corresponding drive devices, and combining them with a data acquisition unit and an intelligent control unit, a complete automated intelligent control system is formed. It can collect the status data of the mortar mixing process in real time and dynamically determine the target size of the mixing blades accordingly. The drive device completes the precise adjustment of the blade size, thereby adapting to the differences in physical properties of different material states such as dry materials, dry-wet mixtures, and wet materials during the mortar mixing process. It can achieve adaptive optimization of the mixing mode, effectively ensure the uniformity and stability of the mixing, and improve the overall mixing quality and efficiency.

[0007] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the aforementioned state data includes humidity data representing material moisture content, vibration data representing the degree of material agglomeration, torque data representing the stirring load, viscosity data representing material viscosity, and stirring duration; the intelligent control unit is specifically used to: determine the current stirring efficiency of the retractable stirring blade based on the humidity data, vibration data, torque data, and stirring duration; if the current stirring efficiency is lower than a preset threshold, determine the size adjustment amount of the retractable stirring blade based on the current stirring efficiency, viscosity data, and torque data, combined with the adjustment range of the retractable stirring blade, to obtain the target size.

[0008] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the aforementioned intelligent control unit is specifically used to: determine the degree of uneven water injection of the material based on humidity data; determine the degree of agglomeration of the material based on vibration data and the degree of uneven water injection; determine the degree of uniform mixing of the material based on torque data and the degree of agglomeration; and determine the current mixing efficiency based on the degree of uniform mixing and the mixing time.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the aforementioned intelligent control unit is further configured to: adjust the rotational speed of the stirring shaft if the viscosity data is greater than a preset high viscosity threshold and the torque data is greater than a preset high torque threshold, or if the viscosity data is less than a preset low viscosity threshold and the torque data is less than a preset low torque threshold.

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the data acquisition unit is further used to acquire material information of the mortar to be mixed; the material information includes material weight and material particle size; the intelligent control unit is further used to determine the material flowability based on the material weight and material particle size before mixing starts, and to determine the initial size of the retractable mixing blades based on the material flowability and the initial rotational speed of the mixing shaft.

[0011] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the retractable stirring blade includes a main blade and a telescopic blade; the telescopic blade is slidably disposed at the end of the main blade; the driving device is a hydraulic adjustment device, the output end of which is connected to the telescopic blade and is used to drive the telescopic blade to extend or retract relative to the main blade, thereby adjusting the overall size of the retractable stirring blade.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the data acquisition unit includes a humidity sensor, a vibration sensor, a torque sensor, and an oscillating viscometer; the humidity sensor is evenly distributed inside and at the bottom of the mixing tank to collect humidity data of the material at different locations; the vibration sensor is mounted on the mixing shaft to collect vibration data during the mixing process; the torque sensor is mounted at the connection between the mixing shaft and the retractable mixing blades to collect torque data of the mixing shaft; and the oscillating viscometer is mounted on the mixing shaft to collect viscosity data of the material through the oscillation damping effect.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the aforementioned intelligent control unit is further configured to: receive real-time data transmitted by the data acquisition unit at a preset frequency, and preprocess the real-time data; the preprocessing includes outlier removal and data standardization.

[0014] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the aforementioned automated intelligent mortar mixer further includes: a storage component and a feeding component; the storage component includes at least one storage partition, each storage partition for storing a type of material; the feeding component includes a conveying device and a feeding trough; the conveying device is used to convey the material in the storage partition to the feeding trough; the feeding trough is connected to the mixing tank and is used to feed the material into the mixing tank; the intelligent control unit is connected to the conveying device and is used to control the feeding amount of the conveying device according to the material ratio of the mortar to be mixed.

[0015] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the aforementioned automated intelligent mortar mixer further includes: a discharge assembly; the discharge assembly includes a discharge pipe located at the bottom of the mixing tank and a valve for controlling the opening and closing of the discharge pipe; an intelligent control unit is connected to the valve and is used to control the valve to open after mixing is completed, so that the mixed mortar is discharged through the discharge pipe.

[0016] In a second aspect, an automated intelligent mortar mixer is provided, comprising: a processor and a storage medium; the storage medium includes instructions, and the processor is used to execute the instructions to perform actions as described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0017] Thirdly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which instructions are stored, which, when executed on an automated intelligent mortar mixer, cause the automated intelligent mortar mixer to perform the actions described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0018] Fourthly, a computer program product containing instructions is provided that, when the computer program product is run on an automated intelligent mortar mixer, causes the automated intelligent mortar mixer to perform the actions described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0019] The present invention has the following beneficial effects: By setting up retractable mixing blades and corresponding drive devices, along with a data acquisition unit and an intelligent control unit, a complete automated intelligent control system is formed. This system can collect real-time status data during the mortar mixing process and dynamically determine the target size of the mixing blades accordingly. The drive device then performs precise adjustments to the blade size, adapting to the physical characteristics of different material states such as dry materials, dry-wet mixtures, and wet materials during mortar mixing. This enables adaptive optimization of the mixing mode, effectively ensuring the uniformity and stability of the mixing process and improving the overall mixing quality and efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions and advantages in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of an automated intelligent mortar mixer provided in one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 A structural diagram of another automated intelligent mortar mixer provided in one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating an automated intelligent mortar mixing method according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of an automated intelligent mortar mixer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Reference numerals: 1-Stirring tank; 2-Stirring shaft; 3-Stirring assembly; 311-Main fan blade; 312-Telescopic fan blade; 32-Drive device; 4-Data acquisition unit; 41-Humidity sensor; 42-Vibration sensor; 43-Torque sensor; 44-Oscillating viscometer; 5-Intelligent control unit; 6-Storage assembly; 71-Conveying device; 72-Feeding trough; 81-Discharge pipe; 82-Valve. Detailed Implementation

[0023] To further illustrate the technical means and effects adopted by the present invention to achieve its intended purpose, the following detailed description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments, details the specific implementation, structure, features, and effects of an automated intelligent mortar mixer according to the present invention. In the following description, different "one embodiment" or "another embodiment" do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, specific features, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments can be combined in any suitable form.

[0024] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains.

[0025] The specific solution of an automated intelligent mortar mixer provided by the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] Please see Figure 1 The diagram shows the equipment structure of an automated intelligent mortar mixer according to an embodiment of the present invention. The automated intelligent mortar mixer includes: a mixing tank 1, a mixing shaft 2 disposed in the mixing tank 1, a mixing assembly 3 connected to the mixing shaft 2, a data acquisition unit 4, and an intelligent control unit 5.

[0027] In some implementations, the automated intelligent mortar mixer also includes: a storage component 6, a feeding component, and a discharge component.

[0028] The following combination Figure 2 A detailed explanation of each functional module is provided below: The mixing tank 1 is the core space for material mixing, used to hold dry materials, dry-wet mixtures, and wet materials to be mixed. Its inner side and bottom provide the mounting base for the sensors of the data acquisition unit 4, and it is directly connected to the feeding and discharging components to realize the input of materials and the output of finished products. This module provides mounting support for the mixing shaft 2 and the mixing component 3, ensuring that the materials are in a closed and stable environment during the mixing process, avoiding material spillage or uneven mixing force.

[0029] The stirring shaft 2 is located inside the stirring tank 1. One end is connected to an external power source to obtain rotational power, and the other end is fixedly connected to the stirring assembly 3. It is used to drive the stirring assembly 3 to rotate at high speed to achieve material mixing. The stirring shaft 2 is equipped with a vibration sensor 42 and an oscillating viscometer 44 of the data acquisition unit 4. A torque sensor 43 is installed at the connection between the shaft and the stirring assembly 3. Its own rotational state and load changes are converted into data signals by the sensors, providing a basis for the intelligent control unit 5 to judge the material state. At the same time, its rotational speed can be dynamically adjusted by the intelligent control unit 5 according to the stirring efficiency.

[0030] The mixing component 3 is the core execution module for material mixing. It is rigidly connected to the mixing shaft 2 and its structural dimensions are adjusted by the intelligent control unit 5 to adapt to the mixing requirements of different materials. It includes two sub-modules: a retractable mixing fan blade and a drive device 32. The retractable stirring blade consists of a main blade 311 and a telescopic blade 312. The telescopic blade 312 is slidably mounted on the end of the main blade 311. By changing its extension length, the overall size (length / area) of the stirring blade is adjusted, thereby changing the stirring force. The drive device 32 is specifically a hydraulic adjustment device, whose output end is fixedly connected to the telescopic fan blade 312. It receives control signals sent by the intelligent control unit 5 and uses hydraulic drive to extend or retract the telescopic fan blade 312, precisely adjusting the overall size of the telescopic stirring fan blade to the target value. Specifically, the hydraulic adjustment device includes a hydraulic pump, a cylinder, and a control valve. The piston rod of the cylinder is connected to the telescopic fan blade, and the intelligent control unit 5 adjusts the hydraulic oil flow and pressure to control the linear movement of the telescopic fan blade.

[0031] Data acquisition unit 4 is a sensing module that acquires material status and stirring process parameters. All sub-modules are electrically connected to intelligent control unit 5, transmitting the acquired real-time data to intelligent control unit 5 for processing. It includes four sub-modules: humidity sensor 41, vibration sensor 42, torque sensor 43, and oscillating viscometer 44. Humidity sensors 41 are evenly distributed on the inner side and bottom of the mixing tank 1 to collect humidity data of materials at different locations, reflecting the degree of uneven water injection of the materials. Vibration sensor 42 is fixed on stirring shaft 2 and is used to collect vibration data of stirring shaft 2. Combined with humidity data, the degree of material agglomeration can be determined. The torque sensor 43 is installed at the connection between the stirring shaft 2 and the retractable stirring blades to collect the torque data of the stirring shaft 2, reflecting the stirring load and the uniformity of material mixing. The oscillating viscometer 44 is mounted on the stirring shaft 2. Based on the principle that the damping force experienced by the oscillator in the material is proportional to the viscosity, it collects the viscosity data of the material by sensing the damping effect of the oscillator in the material, reflecting the viscosity of the material.

[0032] The intelligent control unit 5 is the core scheduling and processing module of the entire equipment. It is electrically connected to the data acquisition unit 4, the mixing component 3, the feeding component, and the discharging component, and undertakes functions such as data processing, parameter calculation, and equipment control. This module receives real-time data transmitted by the data acquisition unit 4 at a preset frequency. It first performs preprocessing such as outlier removal and standardization on the data, and then calculates the initial size of the retractable mixing blades and the initial speed of the mixing shaft 2 based on the material information. During the mixing process, it calculates the mixing efficiency based on the collected status data. If the efficiency is lower than the preset threshold, it further determines the target size of the retractable mixing blades or adjusts the speed of the mixing shaft 2. At the same time, it controls the feeding amount of the feeding component according to the material ratio of the mortar to be mixed. After the mixing is completed, it controls the valve 82 of the discharging component to open.

[0033] The material storage component 6 is a material storage module that provides the foundation for automated feeding. It includes at least one material storage compartment, each compartment corresponding to the storage of a type of material (such as cement, sand, etc.). The bottom of the compartment is connected to the conveying device 71 of the feeding component. The material is driven into the conveying device 71 by gravity or power. The types and quantities of materials stored therein provide a reference for the intelligent control unit 5 to calculate the feeding ratio.

[0034] The feeding assembly is a material conveying module that connects the storage assembly 6 and the mixing tank 1, realizing precise proportioning and conveying of materials. It includes two sub-modules: a conveying device 71 and a feeding trough 72. The conveying device 71 is connected to the storage partition trough and the feeding trough 72 respectively, and is controlled by the intelligent control unit 5. The conveying speed and conveying amount are adjusted according to the preset material ratio, and the materials in different storage partition troughs are simultaneously conveyed to the feeding trough 72. The feeding trough 72 has an inclined or straight-through structure. One end is connected to the conveying device 71, and the other end is connected to the feed inlet of the mixing tank 1. It is equipped with a flow guiding structure to ensure that the material enters the mixing tank 1 smoothly and without residue, and to avoid material accumulation affecting the mixing effect.

[0035] The discharge assembly is the output module for finished mortar, enabling the directional discharge of mortar after mixing. It consists of two sub-modules: discharge pipe 81 and valve 82. The discharge pipe 81 is located at the bottom of the mixing tank 1, with the pipe opening facing the target mold or construction position. The inner wall of the pipe is treated with anti-sticking to reduce mortar residue. Valve 82 is installed in the middle section of discharge pipe 81 and is electrically connected to intelligent control unit 5. Normally it is in the closed state. When intelligent control unit 5 determines that the mixing is complete, it receives an opening signal to control valve 82 to open, so that the mortar is discharged through discharge pipe 81 under the action of gravity. After the discharge is completed, it receives a closing signal to restore the closed state.

[0036] Based on the above technical solution, by setting up retractable mixing blades and corresponding drive devices, and combining them with data acquisition units and intelligent control units, a complete automated intelligent control system is formed. This system can collect real-time status data during the mortar mixing process and dynamically determine the target size of the mixing blades accordingly. The drive device completes the precise adjustment of the blade size, thereby adapting to the differences in physical properties of different material states such as dry materials, dry-wet mixtures, and wet materials during the mortar mixing process. This enables adaptive optimization of the mixing mode, effectively ensuring the uniformity and stability of the mixing, and improving the overall mixing quality and efficiency.

[0037] The following combination Figure 3 The following details the steps of the automated intelligent mortar mixer in this invention to achieve automated intelligent mortar mixing: S1. Before starting the agitation, determine the material flowability based on the material weight and particle size, and determine the initial size of the retractable agitator blades based on the material flowability and the initial rotation speed of the agitator shaft.

[0038] To meet the needs of different construction projects and construction conditions, builders usually choose different types of mortar for construction. Mortar is classified into different types according to its material ratio, viscosity and other factors. For different types of mortar, different speeds and blade sizes are usually selected when mixing, so as to more easily achieve the best mixing effect and thus improve the quality of mortar.

[0039] In some implementations, firstly, the data acquisition unit collects material information and transmits it to the intelligent control unit. Specifically, the material weight is obtained through a weighing sensor located below the storage assembly. This sensor records in real time the total mass of material added to the mixing tank in each storage compartment (i.e., the total weight of the mortar to be mixed). The particle size is collected by a particle size analyzer installed on the feeding assembly's conveying device. This analyzer uses laser diffraction or image recognition technology to obtain the average particle size and particle size distribution data (such as the median particle size (D50), i.e., the particle size of 50% of the particles is smaller than this value).

[0040] Subsequently, the intelligent control unit determines the material flowability based on standard values ​​for material weight (e.g., the ratio of actual weight to maximum design weight) and standard values ​​for material particle size (e.g., the ratio of actual particle size to maximum design particle size), expressed as: In the formula, Standard values ​​representing the weight of materials This represents the average of standard values ​​for particle size among multiple materials, used to reflect the average particle size of the materials. Indicates the flowability of materials. These are parameter tuning coefficients used to avoid numerical anomalies in extreme cases, i.e., in... When the value is zero (in practical applications, the material weight will not be zero, but due to limitations in instrument measurement accuracy, a measured value of zero may exist), Take the minimum value, such as 0.01; in When it is not zero, The value is 0. Then through... Normalization functions, such as the maximum value (max), restrict the range to (0, 1).

[0041] In the normalization functions mentioned in the embodiments of the present invention, the maximum and minimum values ​​are preset empirical extreme values ​​obtained based on a large amount of historical experimental data.

[0042] The relationship between material flowability and these two factors is as follows: Under the same average particle size, the greater the material weight (i.e., the greater the mass of material per unit volume and the higher the bulk density), the more tightly the particles are compressed, and the worse the flowability. Under the same weight, the smaller the average particle size of the material (e.g., fine sand compared to coarse sand), the larger the particle surface area, the stronger the friction between particles, and the worse the flowability.

[0043] The above fluidity calculation is a simplified empirical formula applicable to typical mix proportions of common building mortars (such as cement mortar and masonry mortar). For special mortars or extreme mix proportions, the parameters in the formula can be further calibrated using experimental data.

[0044] Next, the intelligent control unit retrieves the preset initial speed of the mixing shaft. The initial speed is set according to the type of mortar to be mixed (e.g., the initial speed of ordinary cement mortar is set to 30 r / min, and the initial speed of high-viscosity repair mortar is set to 20 r / min). This speed is the benchmark value that meets the basic mixing requirements.

[0045] Finally, the intelligent control unit determines the initial dimensions of the retractable stirring blades based on the material flowability and initial rotational speed, expressed as: In the formula, The required amount of stirring effect is determined based on the material's flowability and rotation speed.

[0046] in, This indicates the initial rotational speed. The higher the rotational speed, the larger the denominator and the smaller Y, which corresponds to a smaller fan blade size to avoid excessive torque and protect the motor and transmission system.

[0047] This indicates the flowability of the material. The worse the flowability, the smaller the denominator, the larger Y, which corresponds to an increase in the size of the fan blades to provide stronger mixing force.

[0048] This indicates the equipment safety limit component, representing the maximum permissible fan blade size determined based on rotational speed. For safety index and >1, such as taking 1.5. As the speed increases, The descent speed is faster (because) >1), in the high-speed range This becomes a limiting factor, enabling a protection mechanism that automatically reduces the size of the fan blades at high speeds.

[0049] Both components pass A normalization function, such as a linear minimum-maximum (min-max) function, is normalized to the interval [0, 1]. The minimum of the two normalized results is taken to ensure equipment safety first, thus obtaining the initial rotational speed. The degree of influence on the size of the agitator blades .

[0050] Finally, based on the degree of impact Maximum extension dimension of retractable stirring fan blades Adjustments were made to obtain the initial dimensions of the retractable stirring blades. .

[0051] S2. Collect mortar state data during the mixing process.

[0052] In some implementations, each sub-module of the data acquisition unit is pre-installed and initialized, and a stable electrical connection is established with the intelligent control unit. After the mixing starts, the data acquisition process is started synchronously, continuously collecting status data of the entire mortar mixing process until the mixing is completed. The acquisition process is executed at a preset fixed frequency (such as 30 times / minute) to ensure the real-time and continuous nature of the data.

[0053] The status data includes humidity data indicating material moisture content, vibration data indicating the degree of material agglomeration, torque data indicating stirring load, viscosity data indicating material viscosity, and stirring time.

[0054] Humidity data is collected by humidity sensors that are evenly distributed inside and at the bottom of the mixing tank. Each humidity sensor simultaneously captures the humidity information of the material at its location, forming a multi-dimensional humidity dataset that comprehensively reflects the degree of uneven water injection in the material within the mixing tank.

[0055] Vibration data is collected by vibration sensors fixed on the stirring shaft, which capture the changes in vibration amplitude and frequency of the stirring shaft in real time during rotation, providing data support for judging the degree of material agglomeration.

[0056] Torque data is collected by a torque sensor installed at the connection between the stirring shaft and the retractable stirring blades. This sensor accurately records the load changes of the stirring shaft when it drives the blades to stir the material, and directly reflects the stirring resistance during the material mixing process.

[0057] Viscosity data is collected by an oscillating viscometer mounted on a stirring shaft. The damping effect of the oscillator in the material is sensed and converted into corresponding viscosity parameters to characterize the viscosity of the material.

[0058] The stirring time is recorded synchronously by the intelligent control unit. The timing starts from the moment the stirring shaft starts rotating, and the stirring duration is accumulated in real time. It is also transmitted to the intelligent control unit in sync with other status data, providing a time dimension reference for subsequent stirring efficiency calculations.

[0059] Furthermore, after receiving the status data transmitted by the data acquisition unit, the intelligent control unit first performs outlier removal and standardization (to eliminate dimensions) preprocessing on all data to ensure data accuracy and usability.

[0060] S3. Determine the current stirring efficiency of the retractable stirring blades based on the status data.

[0061] During the mixing process, water is gradually added to the equipment, and the original dry material will gradually become wet until it becomes completely wet. During this process, due to the change in the physical form of the material, the original initial fan blade parameters may not be fully applicable. Therefore, it is necessary to combine the real-time monitoring data of the sensors to analyze the effect of the mixing fan blade during the mixing process, so as to use it for intelligent adjustment of the fan blade size.

[0062] In some implementations, humidity data collected by each humidity sensor at the same time is extracted. First, the mean of all humidity data is calculated, and the overall humidity level of the material at that moment is quantified using the humidity data from all sensors as a benchmark. Then, the sum of squared deviations of each humidity data point from the mean is calculated to eliminate the positive and negative effects of deviations and amplify the weight of humidity differences. Finally, the sum of squared deviations is divided by the number of humidity sensors to obtain the mean deviation, representing the degree of dispersion. This mean deviation is used to indicate the degree of uneven water injection; the larger the value, the greater the humidity difference of the material at different locations in the mixing tank, and the more uneven the water injection. This is expressed as: In the formula, This represents the humidity data of the j-th humidity sensor at time t. Let N represent the mean of all humidity sensor data at time t, and let N represent the total number of humidity sensors. This indicates the degree of uneven water injection at time t.

[0063] Next, the degree of material agglomeration is calculated by combining the uneven water injection level and vibration data from the state data. The intelligent control unit multiplies the uneven water injection level by the vibration data collected by the vibration sensor and applies a normalization function. For example, the maximum value (max) is normalized to the interval (0, 1] to eliminate dimensions and obtain the degree of agglomeration. The more uneven the water injection, the easier it is for the material to agglomerate. At the same time, the more obvious the vibration caused by material agglomeration, the larger the value of the degree of agglomeration, indicating that the agglomeration phenomenon caused by uneven water injection or abnormal vibration is more serious. This is expressed as: In the formula, This represents the vibration data from the vibration sensor at time t. This represents the degree of clumping at time t.

[0064] Then, the mixing uniformity of the material is calculated based on the degree of agglomeration and the torque data in the state data. The intelligent control unit first acquires all torque data collected by the torque sensor during the most recent revolution of the stirring blade up to the current moment, and calculates the arithmetic mean of all torque data. Then, it calculates the absolute deviation between the torque data at each sampling moment and the arithmetic mean of the torque data for that revolution, and then averages all absolute deviations to quantify the average torque fluctuation within one revolution of the stirring blade, thus accurately quantifying the dispersion of torque. This metric is not affected by the number of sampling points due to changes in rotational speed. Then, the degree of agglomeration is multiplied by the average torque fluctuation, because agglomeration directly affects torque fluctuation, thus comprehensively judging the mixing uniformity. Finally, the reciprocal of the product is taken and a protection coefficient is introduced as the mixing uniformity, converting the degree of mixing resistance (denominator) into a direct representation of the mixing uniformity. The larger the value, the more uniform the mixing (smaller the denominator), indicating less material agglomeration, more stable torque changes, and better mixing uniformity, expressed as: In the formula, This represents the arithmetic mean of all torque samples collected during the most recent revolution of the stirring fan blades. This represents the torque data collected by the torque sensor at the u-th acquisition moment during one revolution of the stirring fan blade, where M represents the number of acquisition moments during one revolution of the stirring fan blade. This indicates the degree of uniformity of mixing at time t. For extremely small positive numbers, such as 10 -6 This prevents the denominator from being zero and ensures that the formula is defined and numerically stable under any operating conditions.

[0065] Finally, the current mixing efficiency is calculated by combining the mixing uniformity and the mixing time in the status data. The intelligent control unit first determines whether the current mixing time is less than the preset start-up stabilization time (which can be set according to the material type and process experience, such as 30 seconds). If it is less than the start-up stabilization time, the material is determined to be in the start-up mixing stage, and the current mixing efficiency is not calculated or the blade size adjustment process is triggered. The system continues to run with the current mixing parameters. If it is greater than or equal to the start-up stabilization time, the material is determined to have entered the stable mixing stage, and the subsequent mixing efficiency calculation and adjustment logic continues to be executed. In the stable mixing stage, the intelligent control unit first takes the ratio of the total time to the mixing time to quantify the remaining time ratio and avoid over-adjusting the blades due to the short initial mixing time. Then it multiplies it by the mixing uniformity to combine the time progress and mixing effect. Then, the result is mapped to a fixed numerical range through preset normalization processing, such as normalizing to [0, 1] through linear minimum-maximum (min-max) to obtain the current mixing efficiency. This value directly reflects the efficiency of material mixing under the current mixing parameters and provides the core judgment basis for subsequent blade size adjustment, expressed as: In the formula, This indicates the total planned mixing time. This indicates the stirring time up to time t (which is greater than the start-up and stabilization time). This represents the current stirring efficiency at time t.

[0066] It should be noted that in actual mixing, vibration data and mixing time are not zero. Furthermore, due to measurement errors or slight differences in materials, the degree of uneven water injection and torque fluctuation are not zero. If, in extreme cases, the calculated degree of uneven water injection or torque fluctuation is zero, and excluding data anomalies, the mixing efficiency at the current moment can be directly defined as 100%, without needing to participate in the above formula calculations.

[0067] S4. If the current stirring efficiency is lower than the preset threshold, determine the size adjustment amount of the retractable stirring blade based on the current stirring efficiency, viscosity data, and torque data, and in combination with the adjustment range of the retractable stirring blade, to obtain the target size.

[0068] In some implementations, the intelligent control unit compares the calculated current mixing efficiency with a preset mixing efficiency threshold. If the current mixing efficiency is lower than the threshold, it is determined that the current mixing blade size cannot meet the material mixing requirements and needs to be adjusted.

[0069] Determining the mixing efficiency threshold requires first determining the mortar's quality indicators (such as segregation ≤20mm, viscosity meeting construction requirements, and mixing uniformity ≥95%), and then working backwards to derive the minimum standard that the mixing efficiency must meet. Based on experience, for ordinary cement mortar, the preset threshold can be set to 0.7; for special mortars (such as waterproof mortar and thermal insulation mortar), the preset threshold can be set to 0.75; and for high-viscosity mortars (such as repair mortar and grouting mortar), the preset threshold can be set to 0.65.

[0070] First, the intelligent control unit retrieves viscosity and torque data collected by the data acquisition unit. Viscosity data characterizes the material's viscosity, while torque data characterizes the stirring load. The intelligent control unit analyzes these two types of data to determine the direction of dimensional adjustment. When the viscosity data is high and the torque data is low, it indicates that the material is viscous but the stirring load is relatively small, and the stirring blade size needs to be increased to enhance the stirring force; when the viscosity data is low and the torque data is high, it indicates that the material is easy to stir but the load is large, and the stirring blade size needs to be reduced to reduce the load.

[0071] Furthermore, if the viscosity data is greater than the preset high viscosity threshold and the torque data is greater than the preset high torque threshold, or if the viscosity data is less than the preset low viscosity threshold and the torque data is less than the preset low torque threshold, it indicates that the material viscosity and the stirring load are changing in the same direction (both high or both low). In this case, the stirring effect can be optimized simply by adjusting the stirring shaft speed. For the uniformly high viscosity condition, appropriately increasing the speed can enhance the stirring force and overcome the stirring obstacles caused by high viscosity and high resistance; for the uniformly low viscosity condition, appropriately reducing the speed can save energy and avoid excessive stirring that leads to material segregation or energy waste.

[0072] The viscosity and torque thresholds are determined based on a combination of industry experience and experimental data. For example, for ordinary cement mortar, the preset high viscosity threshold can be set to 25-35, the preset low viscosity threshold to 8-12, the preset high torque threshold to 800-1200, and the preset low torque threshold to 200-400. For special mortars (such as waterproof mortar and thermal insulation mortar), the preset high viscosity threshold can be set to 35-50, the preset low viscosity threshold to 10-15, the preset high torque threshold to 1200-1800, and the preset low torque threshold to 300-500. For high-viscosity mortars (such as repair mortar and grouting mortar), the preset high viscosity threshold can be set to 40-60, the preset low viscosity threshold to 12-18, the preset high torque threshold to 1800-2500, and the preset low torque threshold to 400-600.

[0073] Next, the intelligent control unit calculates the size adjustment amount by considering the degree of inadequacy of the current stirring efficiency and the adjustment range of the retractable stirring blades (i.e., the difference between the maximum and minimum adjustable size of the blades). Specifically, based on the degree of inadequacy of the current stirring efficiency and the combined performance of viscosity and torque, the required adjustment range is determined, expressed as follows: In the formula, S represents the adjustment range of the retractable stirring blades. This represents the current stirring efficiency at time t. This indicates the degree of inadequacy of the current stirring efficiency at time t. This represents the viscosity data at time t. This represents the torque data at time t (even if the material is very easy to stir, the rotation of the stirring shaft itself will generate a basic torque, so it is not zero). This represents the adjustment amount of the retractable stirring fan blade at time t.

[0074] For normalization functions (e.g., linear normalization) The range is [-1, 1]. The combined characteristics of viscosity and torque are normalized into a directional signal to determine whether the fan blades should be increased or decreased, thus achieving precise adjustment of amplitude and direction.

[0075] Finally, the intelligent control unit calculates the current size of the agitator blades and the calculated size adjustment amount. That is, it adds the size adjustment amount to the current size of the agitator blades to obtain the target size of the retractable agitator blades. The target size signal is then sent to the drive device, which drives the retractable agitator blades to adjust to the target size to adapt to the material mixing state and improve the subsequent mixing effect.

[0076] S5. Control the drive device to adjust the retractable stirring fan blades to the target size.

[0077] In some implementations, after determining the target size of the retractable stirring blades, the intelligent control unit generates corresponding control commands and sends them to the drive unit. The drive unit is a hydraulic adjustment device. Upon receiving the control commands, it uses hydraulic power to extend or retract the retractable blades relative to the main blades along a preset sliding track until the overall size of the retractable stirring blades reaches the target size. During the adjustment process, the intelligent control unit monitors parameters such as the hydraulic pressure and blade movement status of the drive unit in real time. If abnormal pressure or blade jamming occurs, a protection mechanism will be triggered promptly, and an early warning will be issued. Once the retractable stirring blades are adjusted to the target size, the drive unit maintains the current driving state, allowing the retractable stirring blades to continuously stir the material at that size, adapting to the current viscosity, agglomeration, and other conditions of the material, ensuring the uniformity and efficiency of the stirring.

[0078] It should be noted that the order of the above embodiments of the present invention is merely for descriptive purposes and does not represent the superiority or inferiority of the embodiments. The processes depicted in the accompanying drawings do not necessarily require a specific or sequential order to achieve the desired result. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

[0079] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. Each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments.

[0080] In this embodiment of the invention, the automated intelligent mortar mixer can be divided into functional units according to the above method example. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or software. It should be noted that the unit division in this embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division; in actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0081] This invention also provides a hardware structure diagram of an automated intelligent mortar mixer, see below. Figure 4 The automated intelligent mortar mixer 400 includes a processor 401, and optionally, a memory 402 connected to the processor 401.

[0082] In the first possible implementation, see Figure 4 The automated intelligent mortar mixer 400 also includes a transceiver 403. The processor 401, memory 402, and transceiver 403 are connected via a bus. The transceiver 403 is used to communicate with other devices or communication networks. Optionally, the transceiver 403 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The device in the transceiver 403 that implements the receiving function can be considered as a receiver, which is used to perform the receiving steps in the embodiments of the present invention. The device in the transceiver 403 that implements the transmitting function can be considered as a transmitter, which is used to perform the transmitting steps in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0083] Based on the first possible implementation method Figure 4 The structural diagram shown can be used to illustrate the structure of the automated intelligent mortar mixer involved in the above embodiments.

[0084] in, Figure 4 The system chip in the automated intelligent mortar mixer can also be illustrated. In this case, the actions performed by the automated intelligent mortar mixer can be implemented by this system chip. The specific actions performed can be found above and will not be repeated here.

[0085] In implementation, each step of the method provided in this embodiment can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor or by instructions in software form. The steps of the method disclosed in this embodiment can be directly manifested as being executed by a hardware processor, or being executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0086] The processor in this invention may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), or an artificial intelligence processor, etc., which are various computing devices that run software. Each computing device may include one or more cores for executing software instructions to perform calculations or processing. The processor may be a standalone semiconductor chip or integrated with other circuits into a single semiconductor chip. For example, it may be integrated with other circuits (such as encoding / decoding circuits, hardware acceleration circuits, or various bus and interface circuits) to form a System-on-a-Chip (SoC), or it may be integrated as a built-in processor within an ASIC. The ASIC with the integrated processor may be packaged separately or together with other circuits. In addition to the cores for executing software instructions to perform calculations or processing, the processor may further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or logic circuits that implement dedicated logic operations.

[0087] The memory in the embodiments of the present invention may include at least one of the following types: read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices capable of storing static information and instructions; random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices capable of storing information and instructions; or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). In some scenarios, the memory may also be a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but is not limited thereto.

[0088] This invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform any of the methods described above.

[0089] This invention also provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform any of the methods described above.

[0090] This invention also provides a chip, which includes a processor and an interface circuit. The interface circuit is coupled to the processor. The processor is used to run computer programs or instructions to implement the above-described method. The interface circuit is used to communicate with other modules outside the chip.

[0091] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software programs, implementation can be, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. This computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present invention are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device containing one or more servers, data centers, etc., that can be integrated with the medium. The available media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks (SSDs)).

[0092] Although the invention has been described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, those skilled in the art, by reviewing the accompanying drawings and the disclosure, will understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments in carrying out the claimed invention. In this invention, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can implement several of the functions listed in this invention.

[0093] Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, this specification and drawings are merely illustrative of the invention and are to be considered as covering any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of the invention. Clearly, those skilled in the art can make various alterations and modifications to the invention without departing from its spirit and scope. Thus, if such modifications and modifications of the invention fall within the scope of the invention and its equivalents, the invention is also intended to include such modifications and modifications.

Claims

1. An automated intelligent mortar mixer, characterized in that, include: A mixing tank, a mixing shaft located inside the mixing tank, a mixing assembly connected to the mixing shaft, a data acquisition unit, and an intelligent control unit; The stirring assembly includes retractable stirring blades and a drive device for driving the retractable stirring blades to extend and retract. The data acquisition unit is used to collect state data of mortar during the mixing process; the state data includes humidity data indicating material moisture content, vibration data indicating the degree of material agglomeration, torque data indicating mixing load, viscosity data indicating material viscosity, and mixing time. The data acquisition unit is also used to collect material information of the mortar to be mixed; the material information includes material weight and material particle size; The intelligent control unit is also used to determine the material flowability based on the material weight and particle size before stirring is started, and to determine the initial size of the retractable stirring blades based on the material flowability and the initial rotation speed of the stirring shaft. The data acquisition unit includes a humidity sensor, a vibration sensor, a torque sensor, and an oscillating viscometer; Humidity sensors are evenly distributed inside and at the bottom of the mixing tank to collect humidity data of the material at different locations; A vibration sensor is mounted on the stirring shaft to collect vibration data during the stirring process; A torque sensor is installed at the connection between the stirring shaft and the retractable stirring blades to collect torque data of the stirring shaft. An oscillating viscometer is mounted on the stirring shaft to collect viscosity data of materials through the oscillation damping effect; The intelligent control unit is used to determine the target size of the retractable stirring blades based on the status data, and to control the drive device to adjust the retractable stirring blades to the target size. If the viscosity data is greater than the preset high viscosity threshold and the torque data is greater than the preset high torque threshold, or if the viscosity data is less than the preset low viscosity threshold and the torque data is less than the preset low torque threshold, only adjust the speed of the stirring shaft. The intelligent control unit is specifically used for: The current mixing efficiency of the retractable mixing fan blades is determined based on humidity data, vibration data, torque data, and mixing time. If the current stirring efficiency is lower than the preset threshold, the size adjustment amount of the retractable stirring blade is determined based on the current stirring efficiency, viscosity data, and torque data, combined with the adjustment range of the retractable stirring blade, to obtain the target size; Determine if the current mixing time is less than the preset start-up stabilization time; if the current mixing time is less than the start-up stabilization time, determine that the material is in the start-up mixing stage, and temporarily do not calculate the current mixing efficiency or trigger the blade size adjustment process; if the current mixing time is greater than or equal to the start-up stabilization time, then execute the following steps: Determine the degree of uneven water injection in the material based on humidity data; The degree of material agglomeration is determined based on vibration data and the degree of water injection unevenness. Specifically, the degree of agglomeration is obtained by multiplying the degree of water injection unevenness by the vibration data and normalizing the result. The degree of material mixing uniformity is determined based on torque data and the degree of agglomeration; if the degree of water unevenness or torque fluctuation is zero, the mixing efficiency at the current moment is directly defined as 100%, and the blade size adjustment process is not triggered. If it is not zero, the current mixing efficiency is determined based on the degree of uniformity of mixing and the mixing time.

2. The automated intelligent mortar mixer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The retractable stirring blades include main blades and retractable blades; The telescopic fan blade is slidably disposed at the end of the main fan blade; The driving device is a hydraulic adjustment device. The output end of the hydraulic adjustment device is connected to the telescopic fan blade and is used to drive the telescopic fan blade to extend or retract relative to the main fan blade, thereby adjusting the overall size of the telescopic stirring fan blade.

3. The automated intelligent mortar mixer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The intelligent control unit receives real-time data transmitted by the data acquisition unit at a preset frequency and preprocesses the real-time data; the preprocessing includes outlier removal and data standardization.

4. The automated intelligent mortar mixer according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Storage components and feeding components; The storage assembly includes at least one storage compartment, each storage compartment being used to store one type of material; The feeding assembly includes a conveying device and a feeding trough; the conveying device is used to transport the material in the storage compartment to the feeding trough; the feeding trough is connected to the mixing tank and is used to feed the material into the mixing tank; The intelligent control unit is connected to the conveying device and is used to control the feeding amount of the conveying device according to the material ratio of the mortar to be mixed.

5. The automated intelligent mortar mixer according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Discharge assembly; The discharge assembly includes a discharge pipe located at the bottom of the mixing tank and a valve for controlling the opening and closing of the discharge pipe; The intelligent control unit is connected to the valve and is used to control the valve to open after mixing is completed, so that the mixed mortar can be discharged through the discharge pipe.

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