Method for cross-process optimisation of a multiprocess processing operation involving the recycling of mineral processing material

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for controlling a sequence of processing operations for the recycling treatment of mineral soil material in a plurality of processing operations, each having a different processing content, using separately designed processing units (12, 34, 44, 50 and 58) which can be used independently of one another, the method comprising taking into account at least one selection constraint (72) applicable to the operation selection, wherein a data processing device (70), while observing the selection constraint (72), determines target operation information relating to at least one processing operation of the operation selection.

Description

[0001] Method for the cross-process optimization of a multi-process processing operation involving the recycling of mineral processing material

[0002] Description

[0003] The present invention relates to a method for controlling a processing sequence for the recycling of mineral soil material in a plurality of processing operations, each with a different processing content, by means of separately designed, independently deployable processing units. The processing sequence comprises a selection of at least three processing operations chosen from the following list, wherein the processing operations are carried out by the respective assigned processing units: a) removal of at least one soil layer containing mineral soil material by a removal unit, b) processing of mineral soil material removed in processing operation a) by a processing unit, c) production of a soil material mixture to be applied.The following processes are involved in the following steps: a) processing a) mineral soil material extracted and / or processed b) by a mixing device; d) applying a soil material mixture produced in processing c) and thereby creating a soil layer arrangement with at least one new soil layer by a soil coating device; and e) compacting the soil layer arrangement produced in processing d) by a compaction device.

[0004] A control system for the processing sequence comprises process control of each processing operation in the process selection by a process control device assigned to the respective selected processing operation, based on at least one operating parameter of the respective processing unit set in the respective process control device. From EP 0 316 752 B1, a recycler is known which, as a single unit, performs the processing operations a) to d) on a road surface. The rehabilitation method used for this is a so-called "cold recycling" of the road surface. The cold recycling disclosed therein uses bitumen emulsions added to the removed and crushed old material as a binder to produce a ready-to-install soil material, which is installed via a screed onto a surface of the soil removed immediately before installation.

[0005] The single machine disclosed in EP 0 316 752 B1 has processing equipment; however, this equipment cannot be used independently of one another in terms of time and location, but is arranged on a common machine frame, so that it can only be used together and quasi-simultaneously. While the removal of a soil layer logically always precedes the processing of the removed soil material, with the processing in turn preceding the production of a soil material mixture for application, and this in turn preceding its application, after a transient initial phase in which processing operations a) to d) are started sequentially, all possible processing operations on the recycler take place simultaneously.This means that while a road milling machine is removing road surface material, a crusher is processing excavated soil material, a mixing plant is producing soil material to be spread, and a paving screed is spreading the freshly produced soil mixture, the simultaneously running processing operations are only successively terminated in a further transient final phase, generally in the same order in which they were started in the transient initial phase.

[0006] In contrast, the present invention relates to separately designed and independently deployable processing units, i.e., for example, processing units that can be moved independently of one another on a construction site and consequently used independently of one another in terms of time and location. In particular, the processing operations of the method of the present application can be carried out with any temporal overlap or without overlap at a time interval. The mixing unit, like the preparation unit, can be a mobile processing unit that is moved to its place of use but is generally stationary during the execution of its processing operation. In particular, however, the mixing unit can also be a permanently stationary processing unit between which a transport route is maintained and the construction site.

[0007] The construction equipment, the soil coating equipment, and the compaction equipment are each mobile processing units that are in motion even during the execution of their respective processing operations, or whose movement is an integral part of these operations. Due to the temporally and spatially independent deployment of the processing units of the method of the present application, these units can be moved independently of one another before, during, and after the execution of their respective processing operations. The independent deployment is not affected by the fact that certain processing operations are technically feasible in relatively close temporal proximity, such as the application of warm asphalt as a manufactured soil material mixture to create a soil layer arrangement and its compaction before it cools to ambient temperature.

[0008] The independent usability in the above sense also includes the provision of a respective control device on the respective processing unit, so that each processing unit can carry out its processing operation autonomously and independently of other processing units due to its own process control device.

[0009] Another cold recycling process is known from EP 0 324 491 B1. However, this document cites the aforementioned process using independently deployable processing equipment as the prior art. EP 0 324 491 B1 identifies the low proportion of recycled soil material as a disadvantage of this process with independently deployable processing equipment and proposes, to increase this proportion, to cold recycle the excavated soil material using an aqueous bitumen emulsion and to carry out at least the processing operations b) to d) in a recycler as a single machine unit, with only the excavation and compaction being performed by separate processing equipment that can be deployed independently of each other and independently of the recycler.

[0010] From EP 2 514 873 B1, a road paver is known as a paving device which cooperates with an asphalt mixing plant as a mixing device for the application of asphalt produced by the asphalt mixing plant as a mixture of soil material to be applied, according to a so-called "pull principle". According to this principle, the road paver calls up asphalt from the asphalt mixing plant according to its own determined demand and specifies an asphalt temperature to the asphalt mixing plant at which the produced asphalt is to be supplied to the road paver.

[0011] WO 00 / 70150 A1 describes a measurement of asphalt temperature on a road paver. The measured temperature data is transmitted to a compactor that follows the road paver.

[0012] DE 10 2008 058 481 A1, DE 60 2004 011 968 T2 and DE 101 51 942 B4 reveal the inclusion of climate and weather data in the planning and execution of construction site processes.

[0013] DE 10 2015 111 249 A1 discloses a soil cultivation machine and a method for operating such a machine in a wear-optimized manner. The machine parameters used to operate the soil cultivation machine are adjusted, taking into account the material properties of the subsoil to be cultivated, in such a way as to ensure favorable wear behavior of the soil cultivation tools. This known method thus provides an optimization of a single processing operation, namely processing operation a), within the processing sequence described above. Similarly, EP 4 201 528 A1 discloses an optimization of a mineral processing plant as a processing facility within the meaning of the present application.This publication reveals how to determine and adjust operating parameters of the mineral processing plant, starting from a desired end result of a crushing and sieving process and from material properties of the starting material.

[0014] EP 3 321 422 B1 discloses a system and a method for tracking milled material, i.e., excavated soil material, to facilitate its recycling. Using material and location data, the system registers the location of milled material with specific material properties, so that, if available, milled material with these properties can be specifically retrieved, transported, and used for processing and the production of soil material for application.

[0015] EP 1 643 040 A2 discloses a management system for coordinating independently deployable work machines. This management system incorporates extensive communication mechanisms that enable communication between the work machines and a central coordination instance. EP 1 643 040 A2 aims to achieve the highest possible utilization of the work machines managed by the system without interfering with their respective processing operations.

[0016] Currently, the coordinated execution of processing operations b) to d) or a) to d) is only known from recyclers that perform the aforementioned processing operations simultaneously or quasi-simultaneously as a single machine unit. However, the applicability of recyclers and the work result obtained from them are limited compared to carrying out the processing operations using separately designed, independently deployable processing units specialized for their respective tasks. The object of the present invention is to further develop the aforementioned method with its sequence of processing operations and thus improve the quality and scope of the result achievable through the selection of operations.

[0017] The present invention solves this problem according to one aspect of the process by a method with all the features of claim 1. Advantageously, the control of the processing sequence additionally includes consideration of at least one selection boundary condition applicable to the process selection. The individual processing operations of the process selection are controlled in such a way that the selection boundary condition is met. This means that individual processing operations of the process selection can be controlled and / or carried out according to a higher-level selection boundary condition. This can—and usually will—mean that individual processing operations of the process selection are not operated at or within their respective optimal operating point or operating range, but rather at or within an operating point or operating range that enables the fulfillment of the selection boundary condition for the entire process selection.From an optimization perspective, an optimum in process selection can be achieved, even if this means that each processing operation, considered on its own, is performed suboptimally.

[0018] According to a general concept of the invention, the method comprises the following steps: i) A data processing device determines at least one target process information relating to at least one processing operation of the operation selection. This determination of the at least one target process information is carried out according to at least one selection boundary condition parameter, which characterizes the at least one applicable selection boundary condition, and on the basis of at least one operation information of at least one processing operation of the operation selection as an output operation information. The determination is carried out using a selection data context available in the data processing device, while adhering to the selection boundary condition.To ensure that the determination of at least one target process information has a cross-process effect, at least one output process information pertains to a different processing operation than at least one target process information. Thus, at least one output process information from one processing operation influences at least one target process information from another processing operation.ii) In order to make the at least one determined target process information usable for controlling the process selection, the at least one determined target process information is transferred from the data processing device o to an output device for outputting the at least one target process information or / and o to the process control device of the at least one processing operation affected by the at least one target process information for further data processing of the at least one target process information or / and o to a communication device for further transmission of the at least one target process information.

[0019] By transmitting target process information to an output device, such as a screen, loudspeaker, particularly from a mobile, portable communication device, and the like, at least one target process piece of information can be output to a machine operator and used by them. This makes at least one target process piece of information available even for semi-automated processing operations where the machine operator's professional experience plays a significant role in guiding and structuring the processing operation. By transmitting target process information to a process control device, the processing equipment assigned to the processing operation of the target process information can be automatically controlled based on the target process information.

[0020] The transmission of target process information to a communication device enables further dissemination of the target process information, provided that it should be relevant for further processing operations or organizational processes.

[0021] Preferably, the data processing facility determines at least one target process information based on a plurality of output process information relating to at least two or even all processing operations and / or their associated processing facilities.

[0022] Preferably, the data processing facility determines a plurality of target process information, which relates to at least two or even all processing operations and / or their associated processing facilities.

[0023] It is expressly not to be ruled out that the data processing facility takes into account at least one source operation piece of information that relates to the same processing operation or the same processing facility as a determined target operation piece of information. However, there is at least one source operation piece of information and at least one determined target operation piece of information that relate to different processing operations or different processing facilities.

[0024] The selection constraint parameter can be a number and / or a linguistic expression. Likewise, the selection constraint can be at least one mathematical equation and / or at least one mathematical relation and / or at least one linguistic expression. Linguistic expressions can, for example, be evaluated using fuzzy logic relationships and processed by machine logic, to name just one possible example. The selection data context can be determined in advance based on comparison situations and / or data sets from past processing operations, operation selections, and processing sequences.Additionally or alternatively, the selection-data relationship can be determined or / and further developed using machine learning processes based on currently and future executed processing operations and processing sequences, as are known and usable, for example, in artificial neural networks or generally in artificial intelligence facilities.

[0025] The selection data context links the at least one source process information with both the at least one selection boundary condition parameter and the at least one target process information, and can therefore, based on at least one source process information and in accordance with the at least one selection boundary condition parameter, determine and transfer or output the at least one target process information.

[0026] Process information, whether as source process information or / and as target process information, can include information about the setup state of a processing unit. The setup state of a processing unit relates to the potential workload of the processing unit based on its equipment and thus directly affects the theoretical performance of the processing unit.

[0027] Additionally or alternatively, process information, again as source process information and / or as target process information, can include information about the operation of a processing facility. The operation of the processing facility, in the broadest sense, refers to processes at the equipped processing facility.

[0028] The at least one piece of process information, particularly initial process information, can also include information about the environmental conditions in which a processing operation affected by the process information is carried out. Especially in the recycling of excavated soil material from a soil layer arrangement comprising at least one soil layer, effects such as the moisture content of the soil material play a role in the further course of recycling. Therefore, the environmental conditions can, for example, include meteorological forecasts, which can be used for the scheduling of the excavation of the soil layer arrangement as well as for the scheduling and / or spatial planning of temporary storage of excavated and / or processed soil material, in order to have excavated soil material available for the production of the soil material to be applied, which does not exceed a desired moisture content threshold.

[0029] When the present application refers to excavated soil material, this also includes excavated soil material processed in processing step b). If, however, only processed excavated soil material is meant, then only processed soil material is referred to.

[0030] Mineral soil material is preferably mineral grain bound by a binder material.

[0031] Similarly, technical or legal circumstances of the environment can be taken into account as information about an environmental state of a processing operation, such as a technically possible or legally permissible use of access and departure routes to the construction site and / or to a processing facility and away from it only within predetermined time periods, and the like.

[0032] Preferably, the method includes the step of setting up and / or controlling at least one processing unit according to the at least one target process information, such that the target process information can influence at least one processing operation of the operation selection and thus the operation selection itself in the desired manner. Preferably, all processing units included in the operation selection are set up and / or controlled according to the determined target process information. In further detailing the above general information, information about a setup state of a processing unit can include at least one piece of information from: an identification of at least one tool to be used on the processing unit to execute the processing operation with regard to its design and / or dimensions and / or material from a plurality of tools available for executing the processing operation and / oran identification of at least one device to be used on the processing equipment for carrying out the processing operation with regard to its design and / or dimensions and / or material from a plurality of devices available for carrying out the processing operation, or an identification of at least one material to be used for carrying out the processing operation on the processing equipment from a plurality of materials available for carrying out the processing operation, or an identification of a processing device to be used for carrying out the processing operation from a plurality of processing devices available for carrying out the processing operation.

[0033] Information about the setup status of a processing unit can, as target process information, identify a milling tool, in particular a milling drum, to be used on a road milling machine as a possible removal unit, with regard to the number and / or type and / or arrangement of the milling cutters as well as with regard to its removal width. Additionally or alternatively, information about the setup status of a processing unit can, as target process information, identify a crushing tool, in particular a crushing tool, and / or a screen to be used on a shredding and screening unit, in particular a crushing and screening unit, as a processing unit, with regard to mesh size, etc. On the discharge unit, the information about the setup status can identify a screed to be used.Essentially the same applies mutatis mutandis to the mixing device and the compaction device.

[0034] If only one road milling machine with exactly one milling drum is available for process selection, this setup state can be the initial process information for the removal process.

[0035] Similarly, information about the setup status can identify a binder and / or plasticizer to be added to the excavated soil material in the mixing unit. In the relevant field, 'plasticizers' are also referred to as 'rejuvenators,' particularly in connection with bitumen as a binder for the mineral aggregate of the soil material. Additionally or alternatively, the information about the setup status can identify the type of mineral aggregate to be added to the mixing unit, for example, based on its material properties. Likewise, the information about the setup status can identify a coolant to be used during a processing operation, to name just one further example.

[0036] Similarly, information about the setup status can indicate which of several possible machines should be used for a processing operation, for example, if several essentially identical machines with different priorities and / or capacities are available for carrying out a processing operation. Again, if only one machine is available for an operation, this information becomes the initial operation information.

[0037] Information about the operation of a processing unit can be even more comprehensive than at least information about its setup state. Information about the operation of a processing unit can include at least one piece of information from: result information about a desired outcome of the processing operation assigned to the processing unit; output information about an initial state of the processing operation assigned to the processing unit; at least one operating parameter that characterizes the operation and / or operating state of the processing unit; time information that specifies a characteristic point in time or a characteristic time period, such as the start and / or end and / or duration, of the processing operation assigned to the processing unit; and quantity information about the quantity of material to be used during the processing operation.a location information that identifies a location of the start and / or execution and / or completion of a processing operation or a sub-operation thereof, and / or that identifies a movement and / or movement path of the processing equipment.

[0038] The aforementioned result information regarding a desired outcome can include a parameter specification for a single processing operation, such as a milling depth as a result parameter for processing operation a), or a desired fractionation as a result classification of soil material processed in processing operation b). Similarly, the result information can be a result proportion of the material removed in processing operation a) from the soil mixture produced in processing operation c), such as a predetermined proportion of removed soil material, for example, 100 wt.%, meaning that the newly produced soil layer arrangement is composed entirely of recycled material, or, for example, 95 wt.% or 90 wt.%.Similarly, in a reciprocal application, a maximum proportion of new soil material used in the production of the soil mixture to be applied can be a result-oriented piece of information, such as a specification that no more than a predetermined proportion of new mineral material and no more than a predetermined proportion of binder material and / or plasticizer and / or any additive is added to re-bind the excavated soil material and counteract any past aging processes. Furthermore, result-oriented information can be a result property of the soil layer arrangement applied in processing step d) and / or compacted in processing step e), thus representing the overall result of the process sequence.

[0039] Starting from a processing operation of the process selection, for example, starting from the production of a soil material mixture to be applied with a predetermined recycling degree, i.e., with a predetermined proportion of excavated soil material in the soil material mixture to be produced as initial process information, several result pieces of information can of course be determined by the data processing device, for example, a result classification of the excavated soil material in a previous processing of the same and a milling depth supporting the processing, as a result extraction parameter, which makes it possible to ensure a supply of excavated soil material that is as pure as possible with regard to a obtained particle size distribution of mineral grains.

[0040] To avoid any misunderstandings: a result piece of information can be the initial process information and / or the target process information of the control procedure. While, for logical reasons, one and the same result piece of information cannot be both initial and target information, a first result piece of information, such as a specified minimum proportion of excavated soil material in the produced soil layer material to be applied, can be initial process information, and a second result piece of information, such as a result classification, can be target process information or part of the target process information. Preferably, at least one result piece of information is part of the at least one initial process information.

[0041] Initial information about the initial state of the processing operation assigned to the respective processing facility, as information about the operation of a processing facility, can, for example, include information about the structure of the soil layer to be removed. A soil layer consisting of bonded mineral particles typically has several functionally distinct layers, such as a foundation layer, a base layer, a binder layer, and a top layer. While each of these layers is fundamentally composed of mineral particles and binder material, they differ in their specific configurations depending on their functional purpose, particularly regarding the particle size distribution used in a layer and / or the proportion of binder material in that layer. The structure of a soil layer can be determined by extracting a core sample and analyzing it in a laboratory.This also allows for the determination of the extent of aging of at least one of the materials used in the soil layer arrangement to be improved. Since mineral particles generally undergo no or only negligible aging over the lifetime of a soil layer arrangement, the aging aspect essentially concerns a binder material used in the soil layer arrangement. This aging, caused by exposure to high-energy light such as UV light, heat input, oxidation, weathering, and the like, can result in chemical and / or physical changes to the binder material, such as a change in its stiffness and / or hardness in a predetermined reference state.

[0042] Thus, extraction depths, particularly milling depths, can be determined based on laboratory analysis so that the extracted soil material at the end of an extraction process exhibits the lowest possible variation in mineral grain size. Similarly, the analyzed core sample can provide information on the number of extraction processes to be carried out sequentially on the same original soil layer structure. This ensures that the extracted soil material is as pure as possible after each extraction process. An original soil layer structure can therefore be extracted layer by layer, with each subsequent extraction process building upon the results of the previous one. The extracted soil material components can then be stored separately according to their material parameters and, in particular, processed separately.The initial information can also include previously mentioned material parameters that characterize the mineral material used in the soil layer arrangement to be excavated, the binding material used therein, and the aging state of at least one of these materials. The degree or moisture content of an excavated soil material can also serve as initial information for subsequent trades that further process the excavated soil material and can therefore be determined or at least estimated based on other operational and / or condition data.

[0043] The initial information can indicate a clod size and / or clod size distribution in the extracted soil material for processing following the removal of the soil layer arrangement, which is important as an initial state for the further processing process, comprising comminution by crushing and / or sorting by sieving.

[0044] The initial information for processing a soil mixture for application can be the classification of the prepared soil material to be used according to particle size fraction. Generally, a proportion of fine particles, starting from 0 mm particle size, is the cause of most problems in the production of a soil mixture, while proportions of larger particle sizes are unproblematic or at least less problematic.

[0045] At least one operating parameter, and in particular several operating parameters, relate to the operating settings of the respective processing equipment, such as the rotational speeds of rotating tools, like milling drums, crushing shafts, conveying shafts, and the like; characteristic motion parameters of compaction elements, such as a tamper, a pressure bar, or the vibration of a screed; relevant dimensions of tools, such as crushing or breaking gaps, road profiles; and temperatures of process engineering operations during the production of the soil mixture to be applied, or during the application and compaction of the soil mixture. The entire processing sequence exhibits numerous different operating parameters of the processing equipment involved in the respective processing operations.

[0046] The amount of water added to the milling process during the milling of floor coverings can also be an operating parameter, as it influences the moisture content of the floor material removed by milling.

[0047] The time information can relate to the start of a processing operation, for example, the start of the development of the soil layer arrangement, based, among other things, on meteorological forecast data. The time information can also relate to the start of other processing operations. The time information can relate to operating durations, such as the duration of process engineering operations. In a kind of backward planning, the time information, particularly as target or output process information in the form of result information, can also relate to the desired end of a processing operation, from which the processing operation and preceding processing operations of the operation selection are planned.

[0048] Quantity information, as information about the operation of a processing facility, can, for example, relate to the quantity of identified binder material and / or plasticizers or, more generally, additives and / or the quantity of identified new mineral granules to be added to the excavated soil material when producing a soil material mixture.

[0049] Location information can be information that identifies one of several possible locations where a processing operation should begin and / or end. Location information can also be information about where and under what circumstances, whether under cover or in the open, excavated soil material should be temporarily stored.

[0050] A significant advantage of the present invention lies in the consideration of at least one selection constraint, the fulfillment of which leads to an individually advantageous, if not optimized, processing sequence. Preferably, the at least one selection constraint parameter characterizing the respective selection constraint is neither an operating parameter of a processing device nor process information in the detailed sense described above. Rather, the at least one selection constraint parameter relates to a quantity that can be influenced by operating parameters and process information of several, preferably all, different processing operations within the process selection. It is also noteworthy that the process information discussed above always relates to a specific processing operation, whereas the selection constraint parameter relates to the entire process selection, of which a single processing operation constitutes only a part.

[0051] For example, the at least one selection boundary condition parameter of the operation selection can include at least one of the following:

[0052] Resource consumption of the process selection, processing time of the process selection, emissions of the process selection.

[0053] These general quantities can be further broken down into more detailed quantities. For example, resource consumption, as a selection constraint parameter for process selection, can include at least one of the following quantities:

[0054] Energy consumption of the process selection, personnel deployment of the process selection, material deployment of the process selection.

[0055] For example, based on the selection data context determined in advance and / or continuously refined using artificial intelligence, a process selection can be parameterized in such a way that the process selection enables the creation of a new soil layer arrangement, where "new" is understood as "not previously existing in this way," with the result information of producing a soil material mixture to be applied with the highest possible proportion, for example, 100 wt%, or at least 95 wt%, or at least 90 wt%, of excavated mineral soil material as the initial process information, while consuming very little energy as the selection boundary condition. Fundamentally, the process selection must, of course, be feasible from a physical-technical perspective under the given boundary condition.However, from several possible executable operation selections, the data processing unit can determine the one that consumes the least energy, or the one that requires the fewest man-hours, or the one that is expected to cause the least material wear.

[0056] The selection constraint related to the energy consumption of the process selection can only consider a selection of energy carriers of particular interest, a selection of consumers of particular interest, or the total energy consumption of the process selection.

[0057] While optimizing each individual processing step would still lead to a usable end result in the form of a newly produced soil layer arrangement, this approach does not allow for the cross-process consideration of particularly relevant parameters. For example, optimizing an upstream processing step can lead to increased energy consumption or increased material wear in a downstream processing step.

[0058] Especially in times when energy or resources in general are becoming increasingly expensive, controlling individual processing operations by respective process control devices based on parameters that lead to particularly low resource consumption across the process selection is advantageous.

[0059] Resource consumption is just one aspect that enables improved process selection. Other aspects can constitute an equally important or even higher-priority constraint. Besides resource consumption, emissions are playing an increasingly prominent role in public discourse. Emissions as a constraint parameter for process selection can include at least one of the following:

[0060] Noise emission of the process selection,

[0061] Particle emissions of the process selection, exhaust emissions of the process selection, waste generation of the process selection.

[0062] The emissions are essentially self-explanatory. An emissions-based selection constraint can, for example, be specified by legal regulations. Based on the predefined selection data context, the data processing device can thus parameterize a process selection comprising at least three processing operations in such a way that, from several possible ways of executing the processing operations of the process selection, the one with the lowest noise emission, the one with the lowest particulate emission, the one with the lowest exhaust emission, in particular CO2 emission, or the one with the lowest waste generation can be selected and carried out.

[0063] It is also possible to consider more than one selection boundary condition in a cascaded manner, for example, by selecting the method with the lowest energy consumption from several possible ways of executing a process selection, all of which do not exceed a certain level of particle emission.

[0064] Since the present processing sequence is generally carried out commercially, and economic considerations are paramount in commercial operations, a further development of the present invention allows the at least one selection boundary parameter of the selected processing operations to be weighted by the costs caused by the quantity represented by the selection boundary parameter. For example, by weighing CO2 pricing and energy expenditure on the one hand against personnel deployment on the other, a process selection can be made based on the at least one target process information determined by the data processing device in such a way that a relative cost minimum is achieved for the general contractor carrying out the process selection.

[0065] The specified boundary condition can therefore include: reaching a specified target value and / or exceeding or falling below a specified threshold and / or reaching a specified target value range and / or reaching a local or absolute extreme value within a value range.

[0066] Linguistic process information can be converted into numerical information in a way that is known per se and thus processed in an optimized manner.

[0067] The selection data context can include multiple databases, relational databases, formulaic relationships, tables, characteristic fields, and the like, in order to link the multitude of possible process information and selection constraint parameters.

[0068] In principle, the excavated soil material can comprise any mixture of a mineral soil material and a binder material. The binder material is preferably non-mineral, and particularly preferably bituminous. Preferably, the soil material excavated in processing step a) comprises or is asphalt, and / or the soil material mixture produced in processing step d) is asphalt. Asphalt is a widely used soil material mixture worldwide for constructing road surfaces for vehicles.

[0069] The process selection in this case comprises at least three of the aforementioned processing operations. The more processing operations are included in the process selection, the greater the optimization potential that can actually be realized in the implementation of the process selection. Preferably, the process selection therefore comprises four or all five of the aforementioned processing operations. The present invention also relates to a device arrangement for soil cultivation, wherein the device arrangement comprises the following separately designed processing units: a) an extraction unit, which is configured to extract at least one soil layer comprising mineral soil material, in particular bound mineral soil material, from a soil structure, in particular from a soil layer arrangement; b) a processing unit, which is configured to process extracted mineral soil material.in particular, to process by crushing and / or sorting; c) a mixing device configured to produce a soil material mixture to be applied, comprising excavated and / or processed mineral soil material and a binder material as at least one further mixing component; d) a soil coating device configured to apply a soil material mixture produced by the mixing device and thereby produce a soil layer arrangement with at least one new soil layer; and e) a compaction device configured to compact a soil layer arrangement produced by the soil coating device, wherein each of the processing devices a) to e) has a process control device controlling its operation, the device arrangement further comprising: f) a data processing device configured toto carry out a method according to one of the preceding claims, and which, for this purpose, is in signal-transmitting connection with the processing equipment of the selected processing operations or with actuators of these processing equipment, or can be brought into signal-transmitting connection. The information given for the method according to the invention also applies to the device arrangement and vice versa. In particular, the mineral soil material processed by the device arrangement is preferably asphalt.

[0070] A preferred construction device is a known cold milling machine for roads. A preferred processing device is a crushing and / or screening device. A preferred mixing device is an asphalt mixing device. A preferred paving device is a road paver. A preferred compaction device is a self-propelled roller compactor, including a rubber-tired roller.

[0071] The data processing device is preferably an electronic data processing device with a plurality of integrated circuits and electronic memory modules, and optionally external data storage devices for storing data processed by the integrated circuits. An operating program is preferably stored in the data storage device, the execution of which by the integrated circuits controls the operation of the data processing device.

[0072] Similarly, the individual process control devices are preferably electronic data processing devices, comprehensively integrated circuits, and at least one data storage device. What was said above regarding the data processing device also applies to the process control device. In a simple case, one process control device among the processing devices involved in process selection can be the data processing device that determines the target process information.

[0073] Due to the considerable computing power that the execution of the method according to the invention may require, it is preferred to use an external data processing unit that communicates with the process control devices of the processing units involved in process selection by transmitting data and signals, for example via radio signals, such as through a mobile network or a dedicated network, or the like. In this case, a complete data center located remotely from the construction site can be used as the data processing unit to determine at least one target process information. Such a remote data processing unit is also capable of collecting data from processing units during their operation and continuously refining the selection data relationship based on the collected data.

[0074] The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing. It illustrates:

[0075] Fig. 1 shows a schematic device arrangement according to the invention for soil cultivation according to a method according to the invention.

[0076] In Figure 1, a device arrangement according to the invention is generally designated by 10.

[0077] The device arrangement 10 comprises a road milling machine 12, shown only schematically, as a removal device, with a milling drum 14, also shown only schematically, as a removal tool operated on the road milling machine 12. The road milling machine 12 includes a milling control device 16, which controls the operation of the road milling machine 12 and serves as a process control device for the removal device. The road milling machine 12 is used to remove a soil layer 20 of a soil layer arrangement 18. In the illustrated example, the soil layer arrangement 18 comprises an upper soil layer 20 and a lower soil layer 22, each made of asphalt.Soil layers of a soil layer arrangement differ, for example, by their content of mineral soil material 24 and 26, and / or by the nature of their mineral soil material 24 and 26 with regard to grain size, and / or grain shape, and / or chemical composition, and / or by their proportion of binder material 28, and / or by their binder material 28. The soil layers 20 and 22 are connected to each other by their common binder material 28, for example, bitumen.Mineral soil material 30, removed by the road milling machine 12, comprising clods or chips of mineral grain and adhering binder material removed by the milling drum 14, is transported after the removal of the soil material by a means of transport 32, for example a truck, to a processing facility in the form of a crushing and screening device 34 as a next processing facility, possibly with intermediate storage in an intermediate storage facility 36a for removed soil material immediately after removal.

[0078] The comminution and screening device 34, which is known per se, comprises a comminution unit 38 and preferably a plurality of screen decks 40. A comminution and screening control device 42 controls the operation of the comminution and screening device 34, including conveying devices (not shown) for conveying excavated soil material 30 within the comminution and screening device 34 and for conveying the fractions obtained by screening processes out of the comminution and screening device 34.

[0079] The crushing plant 38 may include or be a jaw crusher, a cone crusher, a roller crusher, an impact crusher, a granulator or a shredder.

[0080] The processed soil material 43, represented in Fig. 1 by stylized cone-shaped heaps, is again transported via a transport means 32, again such as a truck or a conveyor belt, to a mixing device in the form of an asphalt mixing device 44 as a next processing device, optionally with intermediate storage in an intermediate storage facility 36b for processed soil material.

[0081] The asphalt mixing plant 44 is a process engineering system for producing a spreadable mineral soil material mixture, in this example in the form of asphalt, i.e., a mixture of mineral aggregates bound by bitumen as a binder. The asphalt mixing plant 44 includes a control unit 46 as a process control device for the asphalt mixing plant 44.

[0082] The soil material mixture 48, produced by the asphalt mixing plant 44, is transported by a transport vehicle 32, for example a truck or feeder, to a paving unit in the form of a road paver 50, which is the next processing unit. Intermediate storage is generally unnecessary during this transport, since the asphalt to be applied, as the produced soil material mixture, is plasticized and consequently delivered to the road paver 50 at a significantly higher temperature than the ambient temperature. This allows the paver to install the plasticized asphalt, while still heated, as at least one new, previously non-existent soil layer 52 above the existing, undisturbed base soil layer 22. In this way, a new soil layer arrangement 53, not previously present in this form, is created.In contrast to the illustrated example, the entire road structure can also be constructed as a new road. In this case, the existing soil layer arrangement 18 is completely removed.

[0083] The road paver 50 has a screed 54 as its paving tool. A paver control device 56, acting as the process control device of the road paver 50, controls the operation of the road paver 50.

[0084] After the new soil layer 52 has been installed by spreading the prepared soil material mixture 48, it is compacted by a compaction device in the form of a compaction roller 58, such as a roller train, as the next processing device. A compaction control device 60, as a process control device for the compaction roller 58, controls the operation of the compaction roller 58.

[0085] After the compacted new soil layer 52 has cooled, it is ready for traffic. It can then be used, for example, as a roadway or other traffic surface, until it requires further maintenance, for which a road milling machine 12 removes another portion of the newly formed soil layer arrangement 53. Each of the described processing operations is characterized by its own parameters, specific to that particular operation. Only a few process-specific parameters are listed below as examples.

[0086] A highly relevant initial situation is formed by the structure of the soil layer arrangement 18. The soil layer arrangement 18 is characterized by the number of soil layers 20 and 22, and the respective composition of the individual soil layers 20 and 22 with regard to the mineral material and the binding material used. The soil layer arrangement 18, or rather its individual soil layers 20 and 22, is further characterized by the condition of the materials used in its formation, in particular the binding material, which ages to a greater extent over the same period. The soil layer arrangement 18, which in reality will have more than just two soil layers 20 and 22, is analyzed in a laboratory using a core sample taken from the soil and parameterized accordingly.

[0087] The processing operation of removing the soil layer 20 from the soil layer arrangement 18 is characterized by the milling drum 14 used, the rotational speed of the milling drum 14 during removal, the feed rate of the road milling machine 12, and the penetration depth of the milling drum 14 into the soil layer arrangement 18, i.e., by the milling depth of the milling drum 14. The milling drum 14 used is in turn characterized by its circumference, its removal width, and by the number, arrangement, and type of milling cutters along its outer circumference.

[0088] In the processing process of removing the soil layer 20, the milling drum used is part of the setup state of the road milling machine 12; the other parameters mentioned are operating parameters of the road milling machine 12.

[0089] The processing operation of the preparation of the excavated soil material 30 by the crushing and screening device 34 is characterized by the crushing plant used, in particular the crusher, and its operating parameters, such as shaft speed and crushing gap width, in particular crushing gap width, as well as by the grates, perforated plates and screens used on the screening plant.

[0090] In the processing operation of the excavated soil material, the crushing unit used and its devices, such as bars, jaws, wedges, rollers and the like, as well as the tools and device parts used on screen decks and the wear condition of tools and devices are part of the setup condition of the crushing and screening unit 34. Settings for its operation, such as shaft speed and crushing gap width or / and crushing gap ratio, in particular crushing gap width or crushing gap ratio, vibration amplitude and vibration frequency, are operating parameters of the crushing and screening unit.

[0091] The production of a soil material mixture for application in asphalt mixing plant 44 is a process engineering operation characterized by the equipment and materials used in the process and the process durations, waiting times, process temperatures, and the like that observed during the process. The distinction between setup state and operating parameters is entirely clear: the equipment itself is essentially the setup state, while the physical quantities set on the equipment for the respective process are the operating parameters of the processing operation for the production of a soil material mixture for application. Materials added to the process constitute the setup state, while the added quantities and the selected addition times and temperatures are the operating parameters.The proportion of previously removed soil material in the produced soil material mixture to be applied is also an operating parameter or can be result information, i.e., in particular initial process information in the sense of the description introduction.

[0092] The process of creating a soil layer arrangement is characterized by the paver used, the tools attached to it (such as the screed), the number of soil layers to be installed, the soil material itself, and its temperature during installation. In this process, the paver and the screed are part of the paver's setup. The temperature of the soil material during installation and the shaft speed of the screed are operating parameters of this process.

[0093] The processing process of compacting the produced soil layer arrangement is characterized by the compaction device used, the temperature of the soil layer arrangement during compaction, the speed of the compaction device, and any vibration support provided for a compaction tool during compaction.

[0094] In the processing process of compacting the produced soil layer arrangement, the compaction device used, such as the type, weight and width of the bandage, and its apparatus design, such as with or without vibration support, are part of the setup state of the compaction device, and the soil temperature, the speed of the compaction device over the soil layer arrangement and any settings of vibration support during compaction are part of the operating parameters of the processing process.

[0095] Each processing unit 12, 34, 44, 50 and 58 is able to carry out its assigned processing operation independently, if necessary with support from machine-specific operating personnel, solely on the basis of its respective device-specific control device 16, 42, 46, 56 and 60.

[0096] The processing units 12, 34, 44, 50, and 58, in particular their respective device-specific control units 16, 42, 46, 56, and 60, communicate with an external data processing unit 70 in the illustrated example case, transmitting data and signals to and receiving them from the data processing unit 70. The data processing unit 70 therefore possesses data that characterizes the possible setup states and operating parameters of the processing units 12, 34, 44, 50, and 58, as well as the characteristics of the soil layer arrangement 18 and any environmental conditions. Based on an initial input from the process, such as the characteristics of the soil layer arrangement 18 determined by the aforementioned drill core, the data processing unit 70 processes a second input from the process.such as a desired proportion of excavated soil material 30 in the produced soil material mixture 48, and taking into account at least one boundary condition 72, or a set of boundary conditions, such as the lowest possible energy consumption across all five trades, based on a data context 74, which is empirically determined from comparative data of similar processing operations in the past and / or developed and further developed by means of artificial intelligence, a target process information or a set of target process information which relates to setup and operating parameters of the processing equipment 12, 34, 44, 50 and 58 and whose use at the respective processing equipment 12, 34, 44, 50 and 58 enables compliance with the at least one boundary condition 72.

[0097] The target process information determined by the data processing unit 70 can be displayed on an output device, such as a monitor 76, so that it is perceptible to third parties, such as machine operators, and usable at their respective processing units 12, 34, 44, 50, and 58. The target process information can also be transmitted to one or more communication devices 78, which further distribute the target process information, for example, to one or more of the control devices 16, 42, 46, 56, and 60. Naturally, the data processing unit 76 can also communicate directly with the control devices 16, 42, 46, 56, and 60, thereby ensuring that a desired work result of the entire processing sequence or of a selection of three or four of the processing operations of the processing sequence is achieved while adhering to at least one selected boundary condition 72.

Claims

Claims 1. Method for controlling a processing sequence for the recycling of mineral soil material in a plurality of processing operations, each with a different processing content, by separately designed, independently deployable processing units (12, 34, 44, 50 and 58), wherein the processing sequence comprises a selection of at least three selected processing operations from the following processing operations, wherein the processing operations are carried out by the respective assigned processing units (12, 34, 44, 50 and 58): a) removal of at least one soil layer (20) comprising mineral soil material by a removal unit (12), b) processing of mineral soil material (30) removed in processing operation a) by a processing unit (34), c) production of a soil material mixture (48) to be applied.comprising processing operation a) mineral soil material (30, 43) extracted and / or processed in processing operation b) by a mixing device (44), d) application of soil material mixture (48) produced in processing operation c) and thereby producing a soil layer arrangement (53) with at least one new soil layer (52) by a soil coating device (50), and e) compaction of the soil layer arrangement (53) produced in processing operation d) by a compaction device (58), wherein the control of the processing operation sequence comprises: operation control of each processing operation of the operation selection by an operation control device (16, 42, 46, 56 and 60) assigned to the respective selected processing operation on the basis of at least one operating parameter of the respective assigned processing device (12, 34, 44) set in the respective operation control device (16, 42, 46, 56 and 60).50 and 58), characterized in that the control of the processing sequence additionally includes consideration of at least one selection boundary condition (72) applicable to the process selection, wherein the method for this comprises the following steps: i) a data processing device (70) determines, in accordance with at least one selection boundary condition parameter which characterizes the at least one applicable selection boundary condition (72), at least on the basis of at least one process information of at least one processing operation of the process selection as initial process information, using a selection data context (74) available in the data processing device (70), at least one target process information relating to at least one processing operation of the process selection,wherein at least one output operation information of the at least one output operation information relates to a different processing operation than at least one target operation information of the at least one target operation information, ii) the at least one target operation information is transmitted by the data processing device (70) o to an output device (76) for outputting the at least one target operation information or / and o to the operation control device (16, 42, 46, 56 and 60) of the at least one processing operation affected by the at least one target operation information for further data processing of the at least one target operation information or / and o to a communication device (78) for further transmission of the at least one target operation information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least one initial process information and / or at least one target process information: - Information about the setup status of a processing unit (12, 34, 44, 50 and 58) and / or - Information on the operation of a processing facility (12, 34, 44, 50 and 58).

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises at least one initial process information: - Information about an environmental state of the environment in which a processing operation affected by the source operation information and / or the target operation information is being carried out.

4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the method comprises the step of setting up and / or controlling at least one processing unit (12, 34, 44, 50 and 58) according to the at least one target process information.

5. A method according to any of the preceding claims, including claim 2, characterized in that information about a setup state of a processing device (12, 34, 44, 50 and 58) comprises at least one piece of information from: an identification of at least one tool (14, 38, 40, 54) to be used on the processing device (12, 34, 44, 50 and 58) for carrying out the processing operation with regard to its design and / or dimensions and / or material from a plurality of tools (14, 38, 40, 54) available for carrying out the processing operation, and / or an identification of at least one device to be used on the processing device (12, 34, 44, 50 and 58) for carrying out the processing operation with regard to its design and / or dimensions and / or Material from a plurality of devices available for carrying out the processing operation or / and an identification of at least one material to be used for carrying out the processing operation on the processing device (12, 34, 44, 50 and 58) from a plurality of materials available for carrying out the processing operation or / and an identification of a processing device to be used for carrying out the processing operation (12, 34, 44, 50 and 58) from a plurality of processing devices available for carrying out the processing operation (12, 34, 44, 50 and 58).

6. A method according to one of the preceding claims, including claim 2, characterized in that information about the operation of a processing device (12, 34, 44, 50 and 58) comprises at least one piece of information from: result information about a desired result of the processing operation assigned to the processing device (12, 34, 44, 50 and 58), output information about an initial state of the processing operation assigned to the processing device (12, 34, 44, 50 and 58), at least one operating parameter that characterizes an operation and / or operating state of the processing device (12, 34, 44, 50 and 58), and time information that specifies a characteristic point in time or a characteristic time period, such as the beginning and / or end and / or duration, of the operation assigned to the processing device (12, 34, 44, 50 and 58). processing operation,Quantity information about the amount of material to be used during the processing operation, location information indicating the location of the start and / or execution and / or completion of a processing operation, or of a sub-process of the same, or / and which characterizes a movement of the processing equipment (12, 34, 44, 50 and 58).

7. Method according to claim 6, characterized in that a result information comprises at least one piece of information from: a result expansion parameter of the processing operation a), a result proportion of material (30) removed in processing operation a) in the soil material mixture (48) produced in processing operation c), a result classification of soil material (43) processed in processing operation b), a result property of the soil layer arrangement (53) applied in processing operation d) and / or compacted in processing operation e).

8. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one selection boundary condition parameter of the process selection comprises at least one of the following quantities: Resource consumption of the process selection, processing time of the process selection, emissions of the process selection.

9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that the resource consumption as a selection boundary condition parameter of the process selection comprises at least one of the following quantities: Energy consumption of the process selection, personnel deployment of the process selection, material deployment of the process selection.

10. Method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the emission as a boundary condition parameter of the process selection comprises at least one of the following quantities: Noise emission of the process selection, Particle emission of process selection, Exhaust emissions from the process selection, waste generation from the process selection.

11. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one boundary condition parameter of the selected processing operations is considered weighted by the costs caused by the quantity it represents.

12. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the specified selection boundary condition (72) comprises: - achieving a predetermined target value and / or - exceeding or falling below a predetermined threshold and / or - achieving a predetermined target value range and / or - reaching a local or absolute extreme value within a range of values.

13. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the soil material (30) removed in processing step a) comprises asphalt and / or that the soil material mixture (48) produced in processing step d) is asphalt.

14. Device arrangement (10) for soil cultivation, wherein the device arrangement comprises the following separately designed processing devices (12, 34, 44, 50 and 58): a) a removal device (12) configured to remove at least one soil layer (22) comprising mineral soil material from a soil layer arrangement (18), b) a processing device (34) configured to process removed mineral soil material (30), c) a mixing device (44) configured to produce a soil material mixture (48) to be applied, comprising removed and / or processed mineral soil material (30, 43) and a binder material as at least one further mixing component, d) a soil coating device (50) configured to apply a soil material mixture (48) produced by the mixing device (44) and thereby produce a soil layer arrangement (53) with at least one new soil layer (52), e) a compaction device (58) configured toto compact a soil layer arrangement (53) produced by the soil coating device (50), wherein each of the processing devices a) to e) (12, 34, 44, 50 and 58) has a process control device (16, 42, 46, 56 and 60) controlling its operation, wherein the device arrangement further comprises: f) a data processing device (70) which is configured to carry out a method according to one of the preceding claims, and which for this purpose is in signal-transmitting communication with the processing devices (12, 34, 44, 50 and 58) of the selected processing operations or with actuators of these processing devices (12, 34, 44, 50 and 58) or can be brought into signal-transmitting communication.

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