Fail-safe stability monitoring for dense material transport systems

Abstract

The invention relates to a dense material transport system (10) comprising a dense material pump (16) for transporting a dense material, a dense material distribution mast (18) for distributing the transported dense material, a substructure (30) on which the dense material distribution mast (18) and the dense material pump (16) are arranged, a sensor unit (11) with at least one sensor for detecting one piece of operation information, and a processing unit (12) for determining a stability parameter of the dense material transport system (10) based on the at least one detected operation information and for verifying an intended operation of a sensor of the sensor unit (11) detecting the at least one piece of operation information. If the processing unit (12) does not verify an intended operation of the sensor, the processing unit (12) is designed to determine the stability parameter based on an extreme value of the operation information detected by the sensor instead of the detected operation information.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates, inter alia, to a dense materials transport system having a dense materials pump, a dense materials distribution mast, an undercarriage, a sensor unit, and a processing unit, and a method for operating a dense materials transport system.

[0002] In the prior art, typical dense material or slurry transport systems are known. For the stability monitoring of the latter, various operating parameters are monitored, so that if a critical value of such an operating parameter is exceeded, the dense material transport system can be operated in a predetermined manner accordingly, typically interrupting the overall operation of the dense material transport system according to the regulations. Problems arise when the observation of the operating parameters required for stability monitoring is not possible or is only possible in an unreliable manner, for example, when the sensor for the operating parameter being acquired is defective.

[0003] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in light of the above-mentioned problems, and has as its object to provide an improved dense material transport system and an improved method of operating a dense material transport system.

[0004] The achievement according to the invention is characterized in the independent claims. Advantageous refinements are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0005] According to the present invention, a system for transporting thick materials or slurries is provided, comprising: a thick materials pump or slurry pump for transporting thick materials; a thick materials distribution mast for distributing the transported thick materials, the thick materials distribution mast having a swivel gear rotatable about a vertical axis and a mast assembly having at least two mast arms; a substructure on which the thick materials distribution mast and the thick materials pump are arranged, the substructure having a support structure for supporting the substructure by at least one horizontally and vertically displaceable support leg; a sensor unit having at least one sensor for acquiring at least one item of operating information; and a processing unit for determining a stability parameter of the thick materials transport system in response to the at least one acquired item of operating information and for establishing operation in accordance with a sensor rule of the sensor unit acquiring the at least one item of operating information, wherein if the processing unit does not establish operation in accordance with the sensor rule, the processing unit is configured to determine the stability parameter in response to an extreme value of the item of operating information acquired by the sensor instead of the acquired item of operating information.

[0006] The dense materials conveying system according to the present invention is, for example, a truck-mounted concrete pump.

[0007] The present invention relates to a particularly advantageous design embodiment of a dense material transport system in which, for determining stability by a stability parameter, it is additionally established and therefore verified whether the item of operational information considered in this case also originates from a sensor operating according to the rules. If it is determined that a sensor capturing an item of operational information is not actually operating according to the rules, the extreme value of the item of operational information captured by the sensor that is not actually operating according to the rules is considered for the purpose of conservative estimation in the determination, instead of the captured item of operational information, and the extreme value represents the position of such a component for which the processing unit determines the maximum stability parameter and therefore the minimum stability. Therefore, for a component of a dense material transport system whose characteristics are to be characterized by operational information captured by a sensor that is not operating according to the rules, the influence of said component on stability is assumed to be reduced as much as possible. Therefore, the extreme value should characterize the component's "worst-case" influence on the stability of the dense material transport system.

[0008] The present invention recognizes that by determining whether a sensor capturing an item of operational information is operating according to a regulation, it is possible to avoid the possibility of using an item of operational information provided by a faulty sensor and therefore deemed unreliable in determining stability. The dependence of the subsequent determination of the stability parameter on the extreme values ​​of the items of operational information to be considered, as required in this case and described above, nevertheless allows a meaningful and reliable determination of the stability of the dense materials conveying system as a whole to be performed, thus ensuring the most efficient continued operation of the individual components of the dense materials conveying system. In this way, fail-safe stability monitoring can be implemented without requiring redundancy of components, especially complex sensors. Alternatively, normal shutdown of the entire dense materials conveying system for stability reasons can be avoided. In this case, shutdown is generally undesirable because the concrete in the line would normally need to be pumped back, which often results in damage due to the rapid hardening of the concrete. Also, shutting down the concrete pump makes access to the concrete work site more difficult. The possibility of avoiding shutdowns is also particularly advantageous for concrete operations that must be built in one piece, and therefore, a concrete pump usually needs to be made available to protect the critical concrete work. In this way, much more efficient operation without unnecessary interruptions is possible. As a result, repairs to sensors that fail to operate in accordance with regulations do not need to be performed immediately but may be carried out within normal inspection intervals, thereby significantly extending the potential useful life of the dense material transport system.

[0009] First, some terminology will be explained below.

[0010] Dense material is a general term for a medium that is difficult to transport. A dense material can be, for example, a material with a coarse-grained component, a material with a corrosive component, etc. A dense material can also be a bulk material. In one embodiment, the dense material is ready-mix concrete. Ready-mix concrete can contain particles up to 30 mm in size, which bind together and form deposits in voids, making it difficult to transport. An exemplary dense material is 800 kg / m 3 to 2300 kg / m 3 Concrete with a density up to 2300 kg / m 3 It is a heavy concrete with a density exceeding 10 ...

[0011] The thick material pump can include a core pump with two, for example, two exact delivery cylinders. The first delivery cylinder is then alternately switched to the second delivery cylinder and vice versa. An S-shaped tube can be periodically switched between the delivery cylinders. Additionally, an auxiliary cylinder can be configured to bridge each transition.

[0012] The S-bend is a movable section of pipe by which the supply cylinder is alternately connected to the outlet of the thick materials pump. The section of pipe and the auxiliary cylinder may be elements of an assembly releasably connected to the thick materials pump, which allows for easy maintenance and cleaning of the thick materials pump.

[0013] The slewing gear can rotate, for example, 360 degrees, about a vertical axis, for example the central axis of the slewing gear. The slewing gear can be equipped with at least one actuator, such as a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, or an electromechanical actuator, or a combination of multiple, even different types of actuators, by means of which the slewing gear can rotationally change its position relative to the undercarriage. For this purpose, the slewing gear typically comprises a hydraulic motor and a pinion with a planetary gearbox.

[0014] A mast assembly includes at least two mast arms, but may include three, four, or five. Typically, a mast assembly includes three to seven mast arms. The first mast arm is connected at its proximal end to a swivel gear and at its distal end to the proximal end of an adjacent mast arm. The other mast arm(s) are successively connected at their proximal ends to the distal ends of the adjacent mast arms. The distal end of the mast assembly corresponds to the distal end of the last mast arm in the series, which also has no further connections at its distal end. The distal end of the last mast arm in the series defines a possible load attachment point.

[0015] The mast arms are connected to each other via a mast joint such that the mast arms can move at least in one dimension, e.g., independently of the other mast arms. Each mast arm is assigned a mast joint at its proximal end.

[0016] The first mast arm is connected to the swivel gear by its mast joint such that when the swivel gear rotates about its vertical axis, the first mast arm, and in embodiments the entire mast assembly, also rotates about this axis. For example, the mast arm is fastened to the swivel gear such that the mast arm can move only vertically, for example, independently of the swivel gear, and can be rotated, for example, by its mast joint. It is also conceivable that the mast arm has a telescopic function and can be continuously extended or retracted telescopically along its longitudinal axis. For example, the mast arm is adjustable such that at least the distal end of the mast arm is movable in at least one of three spatial directions (x, y, and z directions).

[0017] Alternatively or additionally, the mast arm may be rotatable about its longitudinal axis, for example the mast arm for the mast joint may comprise at least one actuator, such as a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, an electromechanical actuator or a combination of several even different types of actuators, by means of which said mast arm can change its position relative to at least another mast arm, in particular the mast arm connected to the proximal end.

[0018] The actuator may be configured, for example, to rotationally pivot the mast arm about a horizontal axis extending through the mast arm joint, and / or may be configured, for example, to translationally move the mast arm in one, two, or all spatial directions.

[0019] Alternatively or additionally, the mast arm may have further actuators by means of which the mast arm can be extended, retracted or rotated, for example telescopically.

[0020] The undercarriage is a basic structure, such as a chassis, on which the thick materials distribution mast and the thick materials pump are arranged. For example, the thick materials distribution mast and / or the thick materials pump are fastened to the undercarriage. The undercarriage can be configured as a fixed (e.g., platform) or mobile (e.g., vehicle). As a result of the thick materials distribution mast and the thick materials pump being arranged on the undercarriage, the entire thick materials conveying system can be configured as a particularly compact unit, for example in the form of a truck-mounted concrete pump.

[0021] The undercarriage comprises a support structure for supporting the undercarriage by means of at least one support leg displaceable in the horizontal and / or vertical direction. The support legs of the dense materials transport system are components of the support structure that serve to increase the stability of the dense materials transport system. The influence of the support structure on the stability depends, inter alia, on the individual arrangement and setup of the support legs. For this purpose, the support legs may be supported on the ground by means of support plates. Four support legs are usually provided for the support structure.

[0022] The dense material transport system comprises means for carrying out or controlling the method according to the invention. These means in particular comprise a sensor unit and a processing unit, but may also comprise a control unit of the dense material transport system, and may be configured as separate hardware and / or software components or as integrated hardware and / or software components in different combinations. The means may for example comprise at least one memory with program instructions of a computer program and at least one processor, the latter being configured to execute the program instructions from the at least one memory.

[0023] The sensor unit is configured to capture at least one item of operational information automatically and independently of user input. The item of operational information is considered to be captured repeatedly at defined time intervals. For example, capturing an item of operational information can be performed by measuring a measurement variable characteristic of this item of operational information. For this purpose, the sensor unit can comprise one or more sensors of the same or different types. Exemplary sensors include angle sensors (e.g., to capture the position of a slewing gear), force and pressure sensors (e.g., to capture the cylinder force of a mast joint, the force acting on an actuator of a mast arm, or the leg force of a support leg), position sensors (e.g., sensors of satellite-based positioning systems such as GPS, GLONASS, or Galileo) to capture the position of a mast arm or the position of a support leg, position sensors (e.g., spirit level or tilt sensor to capture the tilt angle of a mast arm), electrical (e.g., inductive sensor), optical sensors (e.g., light barriers, laser sensors, or 2D scanners), or acoustic sensors (e.g., ultrasound or vibration sensors). Similarly, an item of operational information may be captured by the interaction of multiple sensors of the sensor unit.

[0024] Alternatively or additionally, the sensor unit may also be provided with one or more (e.g. wireless) communication means by which (e.g. externally) captured or defined items of operational information can be received by the sensor unit.

[0025] It should be understood that the processing unit is configured to determine a stability parameter of the dense material transport system based on at least one, and in particular all, of the captured operational information items. For example, the processing unit can have access to information collected by the sensor unit. Determining the stability parameter should also be understood to include the stability parameter being calculated by reference to defined properties of the dense material transport system components that are assumed to be constant, such as their mass or their spatial expansion.

[0026] Regulated operation of a component should be understood to mean operation as intended for the component in principle and in industrial practice, for which the component is designed under normal prevailing conditions, e.g., a specific power supply to the component is provided during regulated operation of the component.

[0027] The processing unit is configured to establish a rule-compliant operation of the sensor of the sensor unit that acquires at least one item of operational information. The processing unit here verifies that the sensor is operating in a rule-compliant manner. Means for establishing rule-compliant operation are known to those skilled in the art. For example, for this purpose, the processing unit verifies multiple criteria that exclude rule-compliant operation. For example, the sensor may be equipped with two measurement systems, the acquired values ​​of which are compared with each other to acquire an item of operational information. Alternatively or additionally, the processing unit may also perform a plausibility check, during which the processing unit establishes whether the item of operational information acquired by the sensor is physically meaningful. The processing unit may also, for example, verify the power supply of the sensor and exclude rule-compliant operation if abnormal fluctuations occur. It is also conceivable that the processing unit may exclude rule-compliant operation if two items of operational information are acquired in direct succession and the variance of the measurements indicated by each acquired item of operational information exceeds a definable maximum allowable variance.

[0028] The stability of the dense material transport system increases with increasing distance from the inclined edges of the contact surface of the line of action, which takes into account all forces acting on the dense material transport system. However, a reliable statement of stability can already be made based on the line of action, which takes into account at least the weight forces acting on the dense material transport system. The more forces actually acting on the line of action are taken into account, the more accurate this statement can be. Therefore, the stability of the dense material transport system can be particularly advantageously characterized by a stability parameter representing the distance of the line of action from the inclined edges of the contact surface. The stability parameter lies within a defined or dynamically determinable stability range, within which the distance of the line of action from each of the inclined edges is equal to or greater than zero. In this case, a safety margin is also preferably taken into account. The stability of the dense material transport system is provided within the stability range. The upper limit of the stability range is defined by a maximum stability parameter. The maximum stability parameter exists when the distance of the line of action from one of the inclined edges is zero. Therefore, the distance of the line of action from at least one of the inclined edges decreases as the stability parameter increases. Above the upper limit, the stability is less than zero, and stability of the dense material transport system is no longer provided. It is conceivable that the stability range is defined or determinable for each operating situation of the dense material transport system, for example, taking into account the assumed constant properties of the components of the dense material transport system considered, e.g., for each possible arrangement of the support structure, a contact surface can be defined or determinable for this purpose, e.g., by a specific setup of the support legs.

[0029] The distance of the line of action from one of the inclined edges and the orientation of the line of action each depend at least on the gravity force of the dense material transport system and can be calculated, for example, by a processing unit. The orientation of the line of action may have a vertical component and a horizontal component and may depend on one or more action directions and / or the value of additional forces. For example, the one or more forces considered may be defined or selectable by the user (e.g., via an appropriate user interface). For example, if only the gravity force of the dense material transport system is considered, the line of action corresponds to a vertical line passing through the overall center of gravity. In this case, the orientation of the line of action is the same as the position of the vertical line. If the orientation of the line of action further depends on a force with a horizontal component, such as wind force acting on the side of the dense material transport system, the orientation of the line of action also includes at least one horizontal component, and its position is not the same as the position of the vertical line. It is conceivable that the orientation of the line of action depends on one or more additional forces, so that the processing unit is able to gradually adapt the position, for example by a respective defined amount in a defined direction, preferably only upon the occurrence of one or more specific conditions, for example one or more specific conditions above wind forces prevailing in the operation of the dense material transport system. It is also conceivable that the orientation of the line of action depends on the direction of action and / or one or more, preferably all, items of operating information indicative of a force captured by the sensor unit.

[0030] The items of operational information indicate and represent the properties or operational parameters of a multitude of possible properties and operational parameters of the components of the dense materials transport system. It should therefore be possible to assign items of operational information to the components. Such properties or operational parameters can be characterized, for example, by measurement variables. These can be properties and operational parameters that are known before or after the start of the transport process.

[0031] Instead of the captured operational information item, in some cases, an extreme value of the operational information item captured by the sensor should be considered when determining the stability parameter. This extreme value should be understood to mean a hypothetical operational information item captured by the sensor at the position of the relevant component for which the processing unit determines the maximum stability parameter, and thus the minimum stability. The extreme value can be a minimum or a maximum value. The extreme value of an operational information item can also depend on one or more other operational information items. For example, there can be multiple extreme values ​​for an operational information item, and the extreme value considered depends, in particular, on the instantaneous value of the further operational information item. For example, such extreme values ​​are stored in the processing unit for each sensor of the sensor unit.

[0032] In one embodiment, the dense materials transport system comprises a communication interface and / or a first user interface, the communication interface and the user interface each configured to capture extreme values ​​or extreme value ranges for an item of operational information captured by the sensor.

[0033] Such a communication interface may comprise one or more (e.g., wireless) communication means, by means of which externally captured extreme values, e.g., entered by a user at a user terminal, are received by the dense material transport system in a manner known to those skilled in the art. It may also be provided that an extreme value range is captured. In this case, the processing unit may select an extreme value from the captured extreme value range for determining the stability parameter, e.g., by means of a defined selection rule. For example, if there are multiple possible extreme values ​​for the captured operating information item, the processing unit may select an extreme value depending, inter alia, on one or more other operating information items.

[0034] If a user interface is provided for capturing extrema of an item of operational information captured by a sensor, the user interface may be configured as at least one button, keypad, keyboard, mouse, display unit (e.g., display), microphone, touch-sensitive display unit (e.g., touch screen), camera, and / or touch-sensitive surface (e.g., touch pad). For example, capturing extrema is performed by capturing user input at the user interface.

[0035] This represents a further option in terms of how the processing unit can gain access to the extreme values ​​that it optionally needs to consider.

[0036] Further, the dense material transport system may have at least a second user interface for indicating instantaneous values ​​of items of operational information captured by the sensor, wherein the communication interface or the first user interface is configured to capture instantaneous values ​​of items of operational information captured by the sensor, and the processing unit is configured to determine a stability parameter according to the instantaneous values ​​of items of operational information captured by the sensor.

[0037] An instantaneous value should be understood to mean an item of operational information that the sensor would capture assuming compliant operation at the time of measurement. Such an instantaneous value may, for example, correspond to a current measurement value or a measurement range indicated by the user information captured by the sensor. For example, the instantaneous value of an item of operational information captured by the sensor may be indicated by a second user interface associated with the sensor.

[0038] The second user interface allows a user to access and, for example, read the instantaneous values ​​independently of the sensor. Thus, the second user interface can be embodied as a display. For example, the dense material transport system may have one or more second user interfaces in the form of scales arranged on the components, each representing an instantaneous value. The user can then read the instantaneous values. The instantaneous values ​​can then be made available to the processing unit via the communication interface or the first user interface, for example, by appropriate user input. The processing unit then takes the instantaneous values ​​into account when determining stability.

[0039] This can be done, for example, in the case where the processing unit does not incorporate the rule-based behavior of the sensor, in which case the stability parameter is determined depending on the instantaneous value rather than the extreme value if the instantaneous value is less than the maximum extreme value or greater than the minimum extreme value.

[0040] By way of example, the sensor unit comprises at least one position sensor for capturing an item of operational information indicative of the position of one of the mast arms.

[0041] This can be the absolute position, i.e., the position and / or orientation, or else the relative position of the mast arm. The position can be captured, for example, in the form of the tilt angle of the mast arm relative to the vertical direction by a tilt sensor. The relative position can be characterized by the position of the mast arm compared to another mast arm connected to the proximal end of the mast arm. In the case of a first mast arm connected to a swivel gear, this can be the position relative to the vertical axis of the swivel gear. Since the dimensions of the mast arm and the associated position of the mast arm or swivel gear, respectively, are known, the position of the mast arm can already be unambiguously determined by capturing the relative position, e.g., the tilt angle.

[0042] Preferably, both the swivel gear and the first mast arm of the mast assembly, as well as the two mast arms, are connected by articulated joints, so that the position of the mast arms can be continuously detected, particularly by determining the mast arm's opening angle. For example, the opening angle can be determined by comparing the tilt angles of the mast arms connected via the articulated joints. Furthermore, the control unit can be configured to limit the mast arm's range of motion to the currently permitted opening angle by limiting the mast arm's pivoting ability. Furthermore, it is conceivable that all articulated joints have parallel joint axes. Furthermore, the articulated joints can each have a maximum opening angle of 120 degrees, preferably 150 degrees, and particularly preferably 180 degrees. However, opening angles of 180 degrees to 235 degrees, up to 270 degrees, or even up to 360 degrees are also conceivable.

[0043] This is a particularly easy to implement and functional design of the connection between the mast arms or between the mast arms and the slewing gear, while still maintaining a wide operating range for the dense material distribution mast. Furthermore, in such an embodiment, the sensor unit can particularly easily capture the position of the mast arm by determining the corresponding tilt angle. The use of a complex and comprehensive sensor system for capturing the position of the mast arm can be avoided.

[0044] Preferably, the sensor unit comprises at least one leg position sensor for capturing an item of motion information indicative of the position of the support leg.

[0045] The support leg setup can be particularly easily used to increase the contact surface and the stability area with respect to at least one inclined edge. Therefore, the position of at least one support leg is particularly important for determining the stability parameters. In particular, the horizontal spacing of the contact surface and the direction of the horizontal spacing of the support legs in each operating state are determined compared to the zero position in the retracted state. Furthermore, the vertical spacing can also be determined and taken into account. It is also conceivable that the leg position sensor can be embodied as a GPS sensor.

[0046] According to one embodiment, the sensor unit comprises at least one angle sensor for capturing an item of operational information indicative of the position of the slewing gear.

[0047] Considering this property helps to allow asymmetric orientation of the support structure or behavior on sloping ground, and therefore asymmetry of the contact surface, to be included in the determination of stability parameters.

[0048] Preferably, the sensor unit comprises at least one position sensor for capturing an item of operational information indicative of the tilt angle of the dense materials transport system.

[0049] The tilt angle should be the angle of the dense material transport system relative to the vertical. A maximum allowable tilt angle can be specified for the dense material transport system. If the dense material transport system operates on an inclined surface, i.e., is tilted, the profile of the line of action, which takes into account at least the weight forces acting on the dense material transport system, and therefore the distance of the line of action from the inclined edge, may change. Therefore, it is particularly important to include the tilt angle of the dense material transport system when determining the stability parameters.

[0050] Preferably, the sensor unit comprises at least one distance sensor for capturing an item of operational information indicative of the extent of the dense materials delivery system.

[0051] When a dense materials transport system is supported by its support structure, e.g., by the support legs of the support structure, an extension occurs. Furthermore, the extension under consideration can be further characterized, for example, based on its height. This can be defined, for example, by the size of the vertical spacing of the contact surfaces of the support legs relative to a definable zero position. Alternatively or additionally, the vertical spacing of another component of the dense materials transport system, such as the undercarriage, can also be utilized. Similarly, the extension can be established by exceeding a defined threshold of the incorporated vertical leg force. If the dense materials transport system is configured as a truck-mounted concrete pump, the extension can also be characterized by measuring the spring travel of the vehicle's axles. The presence of the extension affects the position of the overall center of gravity and, therefore, the stability of the dense materials transport system. Including the extension can, among other things, ensure that the mass components of the considered dense materials transport system are not suspended on the ground and, if applicable, do not need to be considered as counterweights. Therefore, taking the extension into account in determining the stability parameters allows for a more accurate determination of stability.

[0052] Optionally, the sensor unit comprises at least one leg force sensor for capturing an item of operational information indicative of horizontal or vertical leg forces of the support legs. Further, the sensor unit may comprise at least one sensor for capturing an item of operational information indicative of load torques of one, several or all of the mast arms.

[0053] Horizontal or vertical leg forces should be understood to mean horizontal or vertical forces acting on the support legs. For example, the load torque of a mast arm is represented by its joint torque. The joint torque of a mast arm is a moment acting on its mast joint. This represents a moment that depends, among other things, on the total weight of the mast assembly, the wind load, the weight of the currently transported dense material, or the weight acting on the distal end of the first mast arm of the mast assembly corresponding to the mast peak load. Conclusions regarding the joint torque can be drawn by measuring the cylinder force or cylinder pressure acting on the mast arm actuator in conjunction with one or more other measurements, such as measurements of the respective joint angles. For example, the mast arm joint torque can be calculated by a transfer function from the cylinder force and joint angle of the mast joint of each mast arm. The stability parameters of a dense material transport system can be reliably determined by these characteristics. This, in turn, allows for reliable statements regarding the stability of the dense material transport system.

[0054] Furthermore, the processing unit can be configured to calculate the load torque based on the captured items of operating information indicative of the joint torques of all mast arms and to determine the stability parameter in response to the calculated load torque. In this way, the processing unit can perform a particularly accurate determination of the stability parameter in real time, taking into account, for example, the cylinder pressure and tilt angle of each mast arm. Nevertheless, the sensor unit in this case must be configured to capture items of operating information indicative of the cylinder forces and tilt angles of all mast arms and must, for example, be configured to include a plurality of sensors suitable for this purpose.

[0055] Additionally, the sensor unit may include a cylinder pressure sensor and / or a cylinder force sensor on the bottom side and / or rod side of the A cylinder of the mast assembly.

[0056] The A cylinder is understood to be the actuator of the first mast arm, whose pressure chamber used to deploy the cylinder is on the bottom side and whose opposing pressure chamber used to retract the cylinder is on the rod side. One or more such sensors make it particularly easy to capture items of operating information indicative of the cylinder forces of one, several or all of the mast arms. This allows for the calculation of load torques, which makes it particularly easy to determine stability parameters.

[0057] Further exemplary items of operational information indicate the weight of all mast arms with filled and / or unfilled conveyor lines, the location of the center of gravity of all mast arms, the weight of the additional load, the location of the additional weight attachment point, the wind force acting on the mast arms, the location of the wind center of gravity of all mast arms, the weight of the undercarriage, the location of the center of gravity of the undercarriage, and the location of the contact surfaces of the support legs in the stowed and / or extended positions.

[0058] Preferably, the dense material transport system comprises a control unit which transmits a first control signal if the determined stability parameter of the dense material transport system is greater than a maximum stability parameter of the dense material transport system and which transmits a second control signal if the determined stability parameter of the dense material transport system is less than or equal to the maximum stability parameter of the dense material transport system. Alternatively or additionally, the transmission of a further control signal may be caused by the control unit if, for example, a predetermined minimum interval between the determined stability parameter and the maximum stability parameter is not reached.

[0059] The control unit comprises corresponding means for transmitting control signals, for example, wired or wireless signal outputs. By transmitting the control signals in the manner described above, the control unit can activate at least one component of the dense materials transport system and affect its operating parameters. By transmitting a second control signal, the rule-based operation of the dense materials transport system can be continued, while by transmitting a first control signal, the rule-based operation of the dense materials transport system can be interrupted. By transmitting a further control signal, for example, the operation of one or more components of the dense materials transport system can be slowed down compared to the rule-based operation.

[0060] For example, the control unit may be configured to limit the operating range of the mast assembly to a currently permitted operating range if the determined stability parameter of the dense material transport system is greater than the maximum stability parameter, and for that purpose the control unit comprises corresponding means.

[0061] Limiting the operating range of one or more components of the dense materials transport system is understood to mean limiting the operating parameters of the respective components and operating the components according to the limited operating parameters. This means that the respective operating parameters can be limited to a still-permissible operating range or still-permissible operating strength of the component depending on the determined stability parameters. In particular, operation of the component outside the permissible operating range is precluded. The limiting operating range or operating strength is, in principle, less than the respective maximum operating range and maximum operating strength provided to the component during, for example, compliant operation. For example, the control unit can determine a currently permissible upper limit of the operating range of the mast assembly and operate the dense materials transport system so that the mast assembly is only deflected below the determined upper limit. Thus, in this case, for example, the opening angle or actuator force of the mast arm of the mast assembly can be prevented from exceeding a correspondingly determined limit. For this purpose, each actuator can receive an appropriate control signal, for example, transmitted by the control unit. Thus, for example, the control unit can limit the deflection of the mast arm by the actuator. Furthermore, limiting the range of motion of the mast assembly should also be understood as an additional or alternative limitation of the rotational angle range of the slewing gear.

[0062] According to the invention, a thick material pump for conveying a thick material, a thick material distribution mast for distributing the conveyed thick material, the thick material distribution mast having a swivel gear rotatable about a vertical axis and a mast assembly with at least two mast arms, and a substructure on which the thick material distribution mast and the thick material pump are arranged, the substructure having a support structure for supporting the substructure by means of at least one horizontally and vertically displaceable support leg, the substructure having a sensor unit with at least one sensor for capturing items of operational information, and a processing unit. A method for operating a dense material transport system, comprising the steps of acquiring at least one item of operational information, establishing by a processing unit an operation in accordance with a sensor rule of a sensor unit that acquires at least one item of operational information, determining by the processing unit a stability parameter of the dense material transport system in accordance with an extreme value of operational information acquired by the sensor instead of the acquired item of operational information if operation in accordance with the sensor rule is not acquired, and otherwise determining by the processing unit a stability parameter in accordance with the at least one acquired item of operational information.

[0063] In one embodiment, the method further includes the steps of: transmitting a first control signal by a control unit of the dense material transport system when the determined stability parameter of the dense material transport system is greater than a maximum stability parameter of the dense material transport system; and transmitting a second control signal by the control unit when the determined stability parameter of the dense material transport system is less than or equal to the maximum stability parameter of the dense material transport system.

[0064] Additionally, transmitting the first control signal may include limiting the range of motion of the mast assembly to a currently allowed range of motion.

[0065] For further explanation regarding further advantageous developments of the method, reference is made to the above-mentioned improvements to the dense material transport system.

[0066] The invention also encompasses a computer program having program instructions for causing a processor to perform and / or control the method according to the invention when the computer program is run on the processor. The computer program according to the invention is, for example, stored on a computer-readable data carrier.

[0067] The above-described embodiments and design examples should be understood as examples only and are not intended to limit the present invention in any way.

[0068] The invention is explained in more detail below by way of example with reference to advantageous embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0069] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a dense materials transport system according to the present invention in a side view. [Figure 2] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a dense materials transport system according to the present invention in a rear view. [Figure 3] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a dense materials transport system according to the present invention in a top view; [Figure 4] 1 shows a schematic flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0070] 1 shows a dense materials conveying system 10 comprising a dense materials pump 16 for conveying a dense material and a dense materials distribution mast 18 for distributing the conveyed dense material, the dense materials distribution mast 18 having a swivel gear 19 rotatable about a vertical axis (shown in dotted lines) and a mast assembly 40 having a mast arm 41. Also shown is a conveying line 17 extending across the mast assembly 40 and connected to the end of an S-shaped tube of the dense materials pump 16 located at the outlet of the dense materials pump 16.

[0071] The dense materials conveying system 10 further includes an undercarriage 30 on which the dense materials distribution mast 18 and the dense materials pump 16 are disposed. The undercarriage 30 includes a support structure 31 having four support legs 32 for supporting the undercarriage 30. The undercarriage 30 is shown as being disposed on a vehicle 33, by way of example.

[0072] Further provided is a sensor unit 11 and a processing unit 12. The sensor unit 11 is configured to capture items of operational information by means of at least one sensor, and for this purpose said sensor unit 11 can access items of operational information captured by one or more sensors, for example via wired or wireless signal lines.

[0073] The processing unit 12 is essentially configured to determine stability parameters of the dense material transport system 10 in response to at least one acquired item of operational information. Furthermore, the processing unit is additionally configured to determine the regulatory behavior of the sensor of the sensor unit 11 that acquires at least one item of operational information. For this purpose, corresponding design embodiments of the sensor unit 11 and the processing unit 12, including the necessary hardware and / or software components, are provided in the dense material transport system 10. In this manner, the processing unit 12 can, for example, verify a sufficient power supply of the sensor of the sensor unit or access data stored in a memory by the sensor of the sensor unit 11, including, for example, an item of information about the regulatory behavior of the sensor. In this example, the processing unit 12 rejects the regulatory behavior of the sensor in the event of an insufficient power supply or an abnormal statistical variation in the items of operational information acquired by the sensor. Furthermore, the processing unit 12 performs a credibility check.

[0074] If the processing unit 12 does not establish a sensor's operation according to the rule, it determines the stability parameter based on the extreme value of the operational information item captured by the sensor instead of the captured operational information item. The extreme value corresponds to the operational information item captured by the sensor when the component to which the captured operational information item is assigned is in a position for which the processing unit 12 determines the maximum stability parameter, and thus the minimum stability. For this purpose, the extreme values ​​of each sensor in the sensor unit 11 are stored in the memory of the processing unit 12. However, it is also conceivable that the extreme values ​​can be captured via a communication interface of the dense material transport system 10 from a mobile user device or by user input, for example, in the form of a user dialogue, on a user interface configured as a touchscreen of the dense material transport system 10. In this process, the user can request extremum values ​​provided externally, for example, online, for example, via a mobile user terminal, and make them accessible to the processing unit 12 via the communication interface or user interface.

[0075] Alternatively or additionally, it may be provided that the extreme value range of the item of operational information captured by the sensors of the sensor unit 11 is captured by the communication interface or the user interface, in which case the processing unit 12 has a defined selection rule for selecting the extreme value for determining the stability parameter from the captured extreme value range.

[0076] For example, an item of operational information indicating the cylinder force on the bottom side of the A cylinder of the mast assembly 40 may have a first lower extreme value and a second higher extreme value, with one of the two extreme values ​​being selected depending on the item of operational information indicating wind speed. Thus, for wind speeds above a predetermined threshold, the first extreme value may be selected, and for wind speeds below the predetermined threshold, the second extreme value may be selected. In another example, assume that the processing unit 12 determines irregular movement of an angle measurement sensor to capture an item of operational information indicating the position of the slewing gear (19). The extreme values ​​may be defined as any possible rotation between 0° and 360° for the position of the slewing gear (19) to be considered for determining the stability parameter. Alternatively or additionally, the extreme value range may be captured by user input, for example, in a suitable user interface utilized for determining the stability parameter. In this manner, a user may input, for example, that only the extreme value range between 0° and 180° is considered for possible positions of the slewing gear (19).

[0077] Optionally, the dense material transport system 10 has further user interfaces in the form of scales arranged on the support legs 32. These scales are respectively assigned to the sensors of the sensor unit 11 that capture items of operational information indicative of the leg forces of the support legs 32 and indicate the instantaneous values ​​of the items of operational information captured by the sensors. For example, it can be provided that when the dense material transport system is used in ambient conditions, the user reads the instantaneous values ​​and makes these instantaneous values ​​accessible to the processing unit 12 again via the first user interface, i.e., the touch screen. It is then conceivable that the determination of the stability parameter by the processing unit 12 is made to further depend on the instantaneous values ​​of the items of operational information captured by the sensors. For example, when the sensors establish the absence of compliant operation, the processing unit 12 can access both the extreme values ​​and the instantaneous values ​​and determine the stability parameter, for example, depending on the difference between the extreme values ​​and the instantaneous values.

[0078] Furthermore, the processing unit 12 can access data including items of information regarding the respective mass and / or respective spatial extent of all components of the dense material transport system 10. By way of example, the processing unit 12 can determine stability parameters of the dense material transport system 10 based on a calculation of the current position of the global center of gravity of the dense material transport system 10. For example, for this purpose, the processing unit 12 can calculate the respective distances of lines of action that take into account at least the weight forces of the dense material transport system acting on the global center of gravity from the inclined edges of the contact surfaces, and determine the stability parameters depending on the calculated distances.

[0079] 2 and 3 show views of the dense materials transport system 10 from a rear view (FIG. 2) and a top view (FIG. 3), respectively. In addition to the components already described in FIG. 1, various exemplary sensors of the sensor unit 11 are also shown in exemplary locations.

[0080] The angle sensor 111 is configured to capture an item of motion information indicative of the position of the swing gear 19. The position captured is currently where the swing gear 19 is rotating relative to the undercarriage 30.

[0081] The position sensors 112 are each sensors that capture an item of operational information representative of the position of the mast arm 41 assigned to it. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the sensors 112 for this purpose ascertain the position of each mast arm 41 by its tilt angle. All position sensors 112 capture an item of operational information representative of the position of the mast arm 41. They are therefore of the same type of operational information item.

[0082] A leg position sensor 113 is provided for each capture of an item of operational information indicating the position of the support leg 32. In this process, both the horizontal and vertical spacing of the contact surfaces of each support leg 32 in the current operational state is confirmed compared with its zero position in the retracted state. Although one such leg position sensor 113 is shown as an example in Figure 2 and two such leg position sensors 113 are shown in Figure 3, for convenience, the sensor unit 11 comprises at least one corresponding sensor for each of the support legs 32, so that multiple items of operational information of the same type are captured by the sensor unit 11.

[0083] The orientation sensor 114, configured as a tilt sensor, captures an item of operational information characterizing the angle of tilt of the dense materials transport system 10 relative to the vertical.

[0084] The sensor 115 is configured as an optical sensor and is configured to capture an item of operational information indicative of an extension of the dense materials transport system 10. Here, the extension in an exemplary manner is determined as the respective vertical spacing of the contact surfaces of the support legs 32 compared to their zero positions.

[0085] The dense materials transport system 10 shown in FIG. 3 has four inclined edges 51, 52, 53, and 54. The inclined edges 51, 52, 53, and 54 are defined, inter alia, by the positions of the support legs 32. The greater the distance between the inclined edges 51, 52, 53, and 54 of the contact surface and the line of action that accounts for at least the weight forces acting on the overall center of gravity of the dense materials transport system 10, the greater its stability. The surface bounded by the inclined edges 51, 52, 53, and 54 represents the contact surface. If the overall center of gravity approaches one of the edges of the contact surface, i.e., the inclined edges 51, 52, 53, and 54, for example, in the case of particularly large horizontal deflections of the dense materials distribution mast 18 or when transporting particularly heavy dense materials through the conveying line 17 extending across the mast assembly 40, the stability of the dense materials transport system 10 decreases. If the line of action no longer extends into the contact surface, the distance of the line of action from one of the beveled edges 51, 52, 53, 54 is less than 0 and stability of the dense material transport system is no longer provided.

[0086] 4 shows a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of a method 100 according to the present invention. In step 101, a sensor of the sensor unit 11 captures an item of operational information of the dense materials transport system 10. For this purpose, the sensor measures a measurement variable characteristic of the item of operational information to be captured, for example the tilt angle of the mast arm 41. The sensor is therefore assigned to the mast arm 41. Optionally, further items of operational information can be captured by the sensor of the sensor unit 11 in steps 111 and 121, respectively. For example, in steps 111 and 121 the tilt angles of two further mast arms 41 are measured.

[0087] In step 102, the processing unit 12 establishes whether the sensor of the sensor unit 11 capturing the item of operational information in step 101 is operating according to the rules. In the above example, the operation according to the rules of the sensor capturing the tilt angle is verified. For this purpose, the processing unit 12 can, for example, verify the power supply of the sensor and determine whether said power supply is sufficient. Similarly, in steps 112 and 122, the processing unit 12 can perform the same procedure for each sensor captured in steps 111 and 121.

[0088] In step 102, if the processing unit 12 does not establish operation according to the rules of the sensors acquired in step 101, in step 104 the processing unit 12 determines stability parameters of the dense material transport system 10 according to the extreme values ​​of the items of operational information acquired by the sensors instead of the items of operational information acquired. In the selected example of measuring the tilt angle of the mast arm 41 in step 101, the processing unit 12 then takes into account, for example, a virtual item of operational information indicating a tilt angle of 0 degrees of the assigned mast arm 41, i.e., a horizontal position of the mast arm 41, because this virtual item of operational information corresponds to the item of operational information for which the processing unit 12 determines the maximum stability parameter, and therefore the minimum stability. For this purpose, the extreme values ​​of each sensor of the sensor unit 11 are stored in the memory of the processing unit 12. Optionally, if operation according to the rules of the respective sensors is not established in steps 112 and 122, a similar procedure can be followed in step 104.

[0089] Otherwise, in step 103, the processing unit 12 determines stability parameters of the dense material transport system 10 depending on the items of operational information captured in step 101 and optionally in steps 111 and 112. For example, this is done by calculating the current position of the overall center of gravity of the dense material transport system 10 based on the items of operational information captured, taking into account the mass and spatial extent of all mast arms 41.

[0090] Optionally, this is followed by one of steps 105 and 106 .

[0091] If the stability parameter of the dense materials transport system 10 determined by the processing unit 12 is greater than the maximum stability parameter of the dense materials transport system 10, then in step 105 the control unit of the dense materials transport system 10 sends a first control signal. By means of such control signal the control unit activates at least one component of the dense materials transport system 10, thus influencing the operating parameters of the component. This may include a further step 107, for example in the form of limiting the operating range of the dense materials distribution mast 18 to a currently allowed operating range.

[0092] In the opposite case, i.e., if the processing unit 12 determines that the stability parameter of the dense materials transport system 10 is less than or equal to the maximum stability parameter of the dense materials transport system 10, the control unit may output a second control signal in step 106. For example, the control unit may in this way control the dense materials pump 16 such that the pumping frequency of the core pump 15 and / or the switching frequency of the S-tube 24 is increased or decreased.

[0093] The embodiments of the invention described herein, and any features and characteristics recited therein, are also to be understood as being disclosed in all combinations with one another. In particular, unless expressly stated otherwise, the description of a feature included in an embodiment should not be understood as if that feature is essential or required for the functioning of the embodiment.

Claims

1. A dense materials delivery system (10), comprising: a thick material pump (16) for conveying the thick material; a thick material distribution mast (18) for distributing the transported thick material, the thick material distribution mast (18) comprising a swivel gear (19) rotatable about a vertical axis and a mast assembly (40) comprising at least two mast arms (41); a substructure (30) on which the dense materials distribution mast (18) and the dense materials pump (16) are arranged, the substructure (30) comprising a support structure (31) for supporting the substructure (30) by means of at least one support leg (32) displaceable in the horizontal and / or vertical direction; a sensor unit (11) having at least one sensor for capturing an item of operational information; a processing unit (12) for determining a stability parameter of the dense material transport system (10) in response to the at least one acquired item of operational information and for establishing an operation according to a sensor rule of the sensor unit (11) acquiring the at least one item of operational information, wherein if the processing unit (12) does not establish an operation according to the sensor rule, the processing unit (12) is configured to determine the stability parameter in response to an extreme value of the item of operational information acquired by the sensor instead of the acquired item of operational information; A dense material delivery system (10) comprising:

2. a communication interface, and / or First User Interface Furthermore, 2. The dense materials transport system (10) of claim 1, wherein the communication interface and the user interface are each configured to capture the extreme values ​​or ranges of extreme values ​​for the items of operational information captured by the sensors.

3. A dense material transport system (10) as described in claim 2, comprising at least a second user interface for indicating an instantaneous value of the item of operational information captured by the sensor, wherein the communication interface or the first user interface is configured to capture the instantaneous value of the item of operational information captured by the sensor, and the processing unit (12) is configured to determine the stability parameter in response to the instantaneous value of the item of operational information captured by the sensor.

4. A dense material transport system (10) as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sensor unit (11) comprises at least one position sensor for capturing an item of operational information indicative of the position of one of the plurality of mast arms (41).

5. The dense material transport system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the swivel gear (19) and the first mast arm (41) of the mast assembly (40) and two of the plurality of mast arms (41) are connected to each other via articulated joints, and the position of the mast arm (41) can be continuously detected at a proximal end of the mast arm (41).

6. A dense material transport system (10) as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sensor unit (11) comprises at least one leg position sensor for capturing an item of operational information indicative of the position of the support leg (32).

7. A dense material transport system (10) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sensor unit (11) comprises at least one angle sensor for capturing an item of operational information indicative of the position of the swivel gear (19).

8. A dense material transport system (10) as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the sensor unit (11) comprises at least one position sensor for capturing an item of operational information indicative of the tilt angle of the dense material transport system (10).

9. A dense material transport system (10) as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the sensor unit (11) comprises at least one distance sensor for capturing an item of operational information indicating that the dense material transport system (10) has been lifted from the ground by the support legs (32).

10. A dense material transport system (10) as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the sensor unit (11) comprises at least one leg force sensor for capturing an item of operational information indicative of the horizontal or vertical leg force of the support leg (32).

11. 11. A dense material transport system (10) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the sensor unit (11) comprises at least one sensor for capturing an item of operational information indicative of the load torque of one, several or all of the mast arms (41).

12. 12. The dense material transport system (10) according to claim 11, wherein the sensor unit (11) comprises a cylinder pressure sensor and / or a cylinder force sensor on the bottom side or rod side of an A cylinder of the mast assembly (40).

13. A dense material transport system (10) as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising a control unit (13) that transmits a first control signal when the determined stability parameter of the dense material transport system (10) is greater than a maximum stability parameter of the dense material transport system (10), and transmits a second control signal when the determined stability parameter of the dense material transport system (10) is less than or equal to the maximum stability parameter of the dense material transport system (10).

14. The dense material transport system (10) of claim 13, wherein the control unit (13) is further configured to limit the operating range of the mast assembly (40) to a currently allowed operating range if the determined stability parameter of the dense material transport system (10) is greater than the maximum stability parameter.

15. A dense materials transport system (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the undercarriage (30) is arranged on a vehicle (33).

16. 1. A method (100) for operating a dense materials transport system (10), the dense materials transport system (10) comprising: a dense materials pump (16) for transporting a dense material; a dense materials distribution mast (18) for distributing the transported dense materials; a substructure (30) on which the dense materials distribution mast (18) and the dense materials pump (16) are arranged; a sensor unit having at least one sensor for capturing items of operating information; and a processing unit (12), wherein the dense materials distribution mast (18) has a swivel gear (19) rotatable about a vertical axis and a mast assembly (40) comprising at least two mast arms (41); and the substructure (30) comprises a support structure (31) for supporting the substructure (30) by means of at least one support leg (32) displaceable in the horizontal and / or vertical directions, the method comprising: capturing (101) at least one item of motion information; establishing (102) by said processing unit (12) a sensor rule-based operation of said sensor unit (11) capturing said at least one item of operational information; determining (104) by the processing unit (12) a stability parameter of the dense material transport system (10) according to an extreme value of the item of operational information acquired by the sensor instead of the item of operational information acquired when the operation according to the rule of the sensor is not acquired; Otherwise, determining (103) by said processing unit (12) said stability parameter in response to said one captured item of motion information; A method (100) comprising:

17. sending (105) a first control signal by a control unit (13) of the dense material transport system (10) if the determined stability parameter of the dense material transport system (10) is greater than a maximum stability parameter of the dense material transport system (10); sending (106) a second control signal by the control unit (13) if the determined stability parameter of the dense materials transport system (10) is less than or equal to the maximum stability parameter of the dense materials transport system (10); 17. The method (100) of claim 16, further comprising:

18. 20. The method (100) of claim 17, wherein outputting (107) the first control signal includes limiting (107) a range of motion of the mast assembly (40) to a currently allowed range of motion.

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