Material conveying system and method for determining volume of material

Abstract

A material conveying system and a method for determining the volume of a material. The material conveying system at least comprises a conveying device (1), wherein at least part of the conveying device is obliquely disposed; a feeding hopper (2) is disposed on a feeding side, which is lower down, of the conveying device; a feeding control device (3) for adjusting the feeding flow rate is disposed on the feeding hopper; and a discharging port (4) is disposed on a discharging side, which is higher up, of the conveying device. The material is conveyed by the conveying device and the volume of material is obtained. The method can be applied to different usage scenarios, and facilitates conveying a material to a sand mixing device and obtaining accurate volume data of the conveyed material.

Description

A material conveying system and a method for determining material volume.

[0001] Citation of relevant applications

[0002] This application claims the full benefits of Chinese Patent Application No. 202510369763.1, filed on March 26, 2025 with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China, entitled "A Material Conveying System and a Method for Determining Material Volume", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to the technical field of material conveying, and more specifically, to a material conveying system and a method for determining material volume. Background Technology

[0004] Oilfield fracturing operations require the delivery of large quantities of proppant, including quartz sand, ceramsite sand, and coated sand. During fracturing, proppant is added as needed to a mixing tank by a proppant supply system, typically requiring a delivery volume of 50 to 300 tons of proppant per hour. The traditional method uses a screw conveyor, with the proportion of proppant added measured by the screw speed (delivery volume per revolution × speed). Therefore, the screw conveyor is usually integrated into the mixing equipment. However, the proppant is prone to wear during transport, easily causing jamming between the blades and the conveyor wall. Furthermore, the speed-based measurement method cannot accurately adjust the metering coefficient at different speeds, making it impossible to obtain high-precision proppant delivery data. Additionally, in some cases, the sand has moisture, resulting in very high rotational friction on the screw conveyor blades, making delivery impossible. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present disclosure aims to provide a material conveying system and a method for determining material volume, so as to at least partially solve the above-mentioned technical problems in the prior art.

[0006] Based on the above problems, this solution addresses the issues of proppant metering in screw conveyors by using a belt conveyor system. The belt conveyor is equipped with a belt scale, which can measure the amount of proppant conveyed in real time.

[0007] One aspect of this disclosure provides a material conveying system, the material conveying system including at least a conveying device, at least a portion of the conveying device being inclined, a feed hopper being provided on the relatively lower feed side of the conveying device, a feed control device for adjusting the feed flow rate being provided on the feed hopper, and a discharge port being provided on the relatively higher discharge side of the conveying device, the material being conveyed and weighed through the conveying device.

[0008] In some embodiments, the conveying device includes at least a conveyor belt, support rollers, a drive wheel, a driven wheel, and a drive motor. The drive wheel is disposed on the discharge side and connected to the drive motor. The driven wheel is disposed on the feed side. The conveyor belt is disposed between the drive wheel and the driven wheel and is supported by a plurality of support rollers.

[0009] In some embodiments, the material conveying system further includes a skid, the conveying device is disposed on the skid, and the skid is provided with a first fixing mechanism and a second fixing mechanism. The first fixing mechanism is connected to the discharge side to adjust the height of the discharge side, and the second fixing mechanism is connected to the feed hopper.

[0010] In some embodiments, the material conveying system further includes a skid, the conveying device is disposed on the skid, the skid is provided with a first lifting mechanism and an adjusting component, the first lifting mechanism is connected to the discharge side to adjust the height of the discharge side, and the adjusting component is connected to the feed hopper to adjust the height and orientation of the feed hopper.

[0011] In some embodiments, the first lifting mechanism includes at least a telescopic cylinder and a telescopic rod, one end of which is rotatably connected to the skid and the other end of which is connected to the discharge side of the conveying device.

[0012] In some embodiments, the adjustment assembly includes a first rotating mechanism and a lifting mechanism connected in sequence. The first rotating mechanism is disposed on the skid, and one end of the lifting mechanism is rotatably connected to the first rotating mechanism, and the other end is rotatably connected to the feed hopper.

[0013] In some embodiments, the material conveying system includes wheels, and the conveying device is mounted on the wheels. The wheels include a first wheel and a second wheel. The first wheel is rotatably connected to the middle of the conveying device via a support rod. The middle of the support rod is connected to the discharge side of the conveying device via a second lifting mechanism. The second lifting mechanism is rotatably connected to the support rod. The second wheel is connected to the feed side.

[0014] In some embodiments, a discharge section is provided on the discharge side, the discharge port is provided on the discharge section, and a flexible connection is used between the discharge section and the main body section of the conveying device.

[0015] In some embodiments, a dust collector is also provided on the discharge section.

[0016] In some embodiments, the conveying device includes a feeding section, which is horizontally arranged and at a predetermined angle to the main body section of the conveying device, and the feeding section and the main body section of the conveying device are connected by a flexible connection.

[0017] In some embodiments, the conveyor belt includes a first conveyor belt and a second conveyor belt disposed opposite to each other, the first conveyor belt being matched with the feed section and the second conveyor belt being matched with the main body section of the conveying device.

[0018] In some embodiments, a weighing sensor is disposed below the conveyor belt, and the weighing sensor cooperates with its corresponding weighing roller to achieve weighing.

[0019] In some embodiments, the weighing sensor is disposed below the weighing roller, which is connected to an elastic support member, allowing the weighing roller to move.

[0020] In some embodiments, an imaging device is installed at the middle position of the conveyor belt via a first fixed frame, and the imaging device achieves imaging by scanning or taking pictures to obtain the volume of the material.

[0021] In some embodiments, a predetermined sensor is installed at the middle position of the conveyor belt via a second fixing frame, and the volume of the material is obtained through an AI model based on the data collected by the predetermined sensor.

[0022] In some embodiments, the predetermined sensor is a contact sensor or a non-contact sensor.

[0023] Another aspect of this disclosure provides a method for determining the volume of a material, applicable to the material conveying system described in any of the preceding claims. The method obtains the volume of the material through at least one of sensor weighing, three-dimensional solid reconstruction, and AI model prediction.

[0024] In some embodiments, the method further includes: changing the sand ratio and sand concentration of the mixture by controlling the conveying speed of the conveying device and / or changing the sand ratio and sand concentration of the mixture by controlling the feed opening of the feed hopper.

[0025] The embodiments disclosed herein are applicable to different application scenarios, facilitating the delivery of materials to the sand mixing device and obtaining accurate material volume data of the delivered materials.

[0026] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of this disclosure more apparent and understandable, preferred embodiments are described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0027] In drawings that are not necessarily drawn to scale, the same reference numerals may describe similar parts in different views. The same reference numerals with or without letter suffixes may indicate different instances of similar parts. The drawings generally illustrate various embodiments by way of example rather than limitation and are used, together with the description and claims, to illustrate the disclosed embodiments. Where appropriate, the same reference numerals are used in all drawings to refer to the same or similar parts. Such embodiments are illustrative and not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive embodiments of the apparatus or method. The accompanying drawings, which are provided to further understand this disclosure and form part of this application, are used to explain the illustrative embodiments of this disclosure and do not constitute an undue limitation of this disclosure. In the drawings:

[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the conveying device in an embodiment of the material conveying system provided in this disclosure;

[0029] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the conveying device in one embodiment of the material conveying system provided in this disclosure;

[0030] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a fixed conveying device in one embodiment of the material conveying system provided in this disclosure;

[0031] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of a fixed conveying device and a sand mixing device in one embodiment of the material conveying system provided in this disclosure;

[0032] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a skid-mounted conveyor in another embodiment of the material conveying system provided in this disclosure;

[0033] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the skid-mounted conveying device and the sand mixing device in another embodiment of the material conveying system provided in this disclosure;

[0034] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a vehicle-mounted conveying device in another embodiment of the material conveying system provided in this disclosure;

[0035] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the vehicle-mounted conveying device and the sand mixing device in another embodiment of the material conveying system provided in this disclosure;

[0036] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a conveying device according to another embodiment of the material conveying system provided in this disclosure;

[0037] Figures 10(a) and 10(b) are internal schematic diagrams of the conveying device in another embodiment of the material conveying system provided in this disclosure;

[0038] Figure 11 is a structural schematic diagram of a fixed conveying device in another embodiment of the material conveying system provided in this disclosure;

[0039] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the fixed conveying device and the sand mixing device in another embodiment of the material conveying system provided in this disclosure;

[0040] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a skid-mounted conveyor in another embodiment of the material conveying system provided in this disclosure;

[0041] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the skid-mounted conveying device and the sand mixing device in another embodiment of the material conveying system provided in this disclosure.

[0042] Figure 15 is a structural schematic diagram of a vehicle-mounted conveying device in another embodiment of the material conveying system provided in this disclosure;

[0043] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the vehicle-mounted conveying device and the sand mixing device in another embodiment of the material conveying system provided in this disclosure.

[0044] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of the conveying device weighing materials in another embodiment of the material conveying system provided in this disclosure;

[0045] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of the conveying device of the material conveying system provided in this disclosure based on the first metering principle;

[0046] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the weighing rollers of the material conveying system based on the first metering principle provided in this disclosure;

[0047] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the conveying device of the material conveying system provided in this disclosure based on the second metering principle;

[0048] Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the imaging device and conveyor belt of the material conveying system based on the second metering principle provided in this disclosure;

[0049] Figure 22 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the humidity sensor based on the second metering principle of the material conveying system conveying device provided in this disclosure;

[0050] Figure 23 is one of the schematic diagrams of the material conveying system conveying device provided in this disclosure based on the third metering principle;

[0051] Figure 24 is a schematic diagram of the material conveying system conveying device provided in this disclosure based on the third metering principle (the second one).

[0052] Figure 25 is a schematic diagram of the material conveying system conveying device provided in this disclosure based on the third metering principle;

[0053] Figure 26 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of predetermined sensors and conveyor belts in the material conveying system provided in this disclosure, based on the third metering principle.

[0054] The above-mentioned figures include the following reference numerals: 1-Conveying device; 1a-Discharge section; 1b-Infeed section; 2-Feeding hopper; 3-Feeding control device; 4-Discharge port; 5-Skirt; 51-First fixing mechanism; 52-Second fixing mechanism; 6-First lifting mechanism; 7-First rotating structure; 8-Lifting mechanism; 9-Second flexible connector; 91-Second rotating connector; 10-Dust collector; 11-Conveyor belt; 12-Support roller; 12a-Weighing roller; 12b-Elastic support; 13-Drive wheel; 14-Driven wheel; 15-Drive motor; 16-Weighing sensor; 17-Guard; 18-First flexible connector; 181-First rotating connector; 19-Support rod; 20-Second lifting mechanism; 21- 22-Discharge device; 23-Display and control center; 24-Imaging device; 24a-First fixed frame; 25-First speed sensor; 26-Preset sensor; 261-Housing; 262-Detection element; 263-Indicator light; 264-Correction button; 265-Communication line opening; 27-Second fixed frame; 271-Elastic element; 272-Contact sensor; 273-Non-contact sensor; 28-Second speed sensor; 29-Third speed sensor; 30-Walking wheel; 31-First wheel; 32-Second wheel; 33-Towing hook; 40-Battery; 100-Sand mixing semi-trailer; 111-First conveyor belt; 112-Second conveyor belt. Detailed Implementation

[0055] The specific embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but these are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0056] It should be understood that various modifications can be made to the embodiments disclosed herein. Therefore, the above description should not be considered as limiting, but merely as an example of embodiments. Other modifications within the scope and spirit of this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0057] The accompanying drawings, which are included in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the general description of the disclosure given above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

[0058] These and other features of this disclosure will become apparent from the following description of preferred forms of embodiments given as non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0059] It should also be understood that although this disclosure has been described with reference to some specific examples, those skilled in the art can certainly implement many other equivalent forms of this disclosure, which have the features described in the claims and are therefore all within the scope of protection defined herein.

[0060] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of this disclosure will become more apparent when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and in view of the following detailed description.

[0061] Specific embodiments of the present disclosure are described thereafter with reference to the accompanying drawings; however, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples of the present disclosure and can be implemented in various ways. Well-known and / or repeated functions and structures are not described in detail to avoid unnecessary or redundant details that could obscure the present disclosure. Therefore, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting, but merely to serve as the basis and representative basis for the claims to teach those skilled in the art to use the present disclosure in a variety of substantially any suitable detailed structures.

[0062] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this disclosure are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this disclosure described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0063] This specification may use the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in another embodiment,” “in yet another embodiment,” or “in still another embodiment,” all of which may refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments according to this disclosure.

[0064] The first embodiment of this disclosure provides a material conveying system that can be connected to a sand mixing device having a sand mixing tank, wherein the sand mixing device may be, for example, a sand mixing truck, a sand mixing skid, etc., and the material conveying system is used to convey materials into the sand mixing device to realize the sand mixing operation.

[0065] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the material conveying system includes at least a conveying device 1, which can be installed on the ground. A feed hopper 2 is provided on the inlet side of the conveying device 1, and a feed control device 3 is provided on the feed hopper 2. A discharge port 4 is provided on the outlet side of the conveying device 1. The feed hopper 2 is used to store the material to be conveyed. Preferably, a vibrating screen is installed inside the feed hopper 2 to break up agglomerated materials, preventing large particles from entering the conveying device 1.

[0066] To facilitate further processing of the material, the discharge port 4 is positioned directly opposite, for example, a sand mixing tank. This allows the material conveyed by the conveying device 1 to fall from the discharge port 4 into the sand mixing tank for sand mixing. Since feeding is typically achieved using a transport vehicle or similar device, and the sand mixing tank generally has a certain height, in this embodiment, the feeding side is located on the relatively lower side of the conveying device 1, and the discharge side is located on the relatively higher side. The discharge side can be positioned at a relatively high position, for example, using a fixing mechanism or a lifting mechanism. This allows the conveying device 1 to be tilted relative to the ground, specifically at a predetermined angle. This allows the material to fall from the discharge port 4 into the sand mixing tank under gravity.

[0067] Furthermore, the feeding control device 3 is used to control the feed flow rate of material entering the conveying device 1 through the feeding hopper 2. The feeding control device 3 can be, for example, a feeding control valve located at the bottom of the feeding port 2, which adjusts the feed flow rate by regulating the opening of the bottom outlet of the feeding hopper 2. Alternatively, the feeding control device 3 can also be an auger, adjusting the feed flow rate by controlling the rotational speed of the auger.

[0068] As shown in Figure 2, the conveying device 1 is used to transfer and convey materials. The transmission method within the conveying device 1 can employ various methods such as electric roller drive, belt drive, and chain drive. In one embodiment, the conveying device 1 includes at least a conveyor belt 11, support rollers 12, a drive wheel 13, a driven wheel 14, and a drive motor 15. The drive wheel 13 and the driven wheel 14 are positioned at a certain distance apart. The drive wheel 13 is connected to the drive motor 15 for driving. The conveyor belt 11 is positioned between the drive wheel 13 and the driven wheel 14 and is supported by multiple support rollers 12. The rotation of the drive wheel 13 drives the movement of the conveyor belt 11 and the rotation of the driven wheel 14. Materials move along the conveyor belt 11 from the feed side to the discharge side of the conveying device 1, thus achieving transfer and conveying. To enhance the material conveying capacity, the surface of the conveyor belt 11 can have a rough structure or a patterned structure, etc.

[0069] Furthermore, the drive wheel 13 is located on the discharge side of the conveying device 1, at a relatively high position, and is driven by the drive motor 15. The driven wheel 14 is located on the feed side of the conveying device 11 at a relatively low position, for example, it can be located on the ground, thereby making the conveyor belt 11 inclined. The conveyor belt 11 can be set at different inclination angles.

[0070] Furthermore, a weighing sensor 16 can be installed below the conveyor belt 11 to achieve real-time weighing of the material conveyed on the conveyor belt 11. Specifically, the weighing sensor 16 can cooperate with the support roller 12 to achieve material weighing.

[0071] In addition, the conveying device 1 may also include a protective cover 17, which is disposed on the outside of the conveyor belt 11. Its main purpose is to prevent the material conveyed on the conveyor belt 11 from being blown away in windy conditions, so as to avoid environmental pollution such as dust.

[0072] The conveying device 1 in this embodiment is configured with a predetermined tilt angle to enable material to be fed from a low position, conveyed to a high position and then fall into the mixing tank, thus meeting the operational requirements of conveying material from the feed hopper 2 to the mixing tank in the fracturing well site.

[0073] Specifically, when the material enters the feed hopper 2, the feed control device 3 controls a predetermined amount of material to fall onto the conveyor belt 11. Due to friction, the material moves from the feed side to the discharge side along the conveyor belt 11, that is, it moves upward. When it reaches the highest point of the conveyor belt 11, it falls into the sand mixing tank through the discharge port 4 under the action of gravity.

[0074] The embodiments disclosed herein are applicable to different usage scenarios, facilitating the delivery of materials to the mixing tank of a sand mixing device and enabling the acquisition of accurate material volume data of the delivered materials.

[0075] The second embodiment of this disclosure provides a material conveying system, as shown in Figures 3-6. The material conveying system includes a conveying device 1. The conveying device 1 can not only be fixedly installed on the ground as described in the above embodiments, but can also be installed on the ground or on a vehicle by a skid-mounted method to more conveniently realize material conveying at various inclination angles, as shown in Figures 4 and 6. The material conveying system can form a skid-mounted conveying device to achieve continuous operation with a sand mixing semi-trailer 100 with a sand mixing tank. The sand mixing tank is, for example, located at the rear of the sand mixing semi-trailer 100. Of course, it can also achieve continuous operation with other sand mixing devices such as sand mixing skids.

[0076] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG3, the material conveying system further includes a skid 5. The conveying device 1 is mounted on the ground or, for example, on a vehicle via the skid 5. A first fixing mechanism 51 and a second fixing mechanism 52 are provided on the skid 5 to support the conveying device 1 and the feed hopper 2.

[0077] Here, the first fixing mechanism 51 is connected to the discharge side of the conveying device 1, and the second fixing mechanism 52 is connected to the feed hopper 2. Here, the first fixing mechanism 51 and the second fixing mechanism 52 are both perpendicular to each other or set at a preset angle with the skid 5, so that the discharge side of the conveying device 1 can be raised to a predetermined height relative to the feed side, so that the conveying device 1 can be set at an inclined position based on a predetermined inclination angle.

[0078] The lengths of the first fixing mechanism 51 and the second fixing mechanism 52, and their angles with the skid 5, can be set as needed, as long as the height of the discharge side of the conveying device 1 is higher than the height of the infeed side. Preferably, both the first fixing mechanism 51 and the second fixing mechanism 52 are perpendicular to each other with respect to the skid 5. More preferably, the length of the first fixing mechanism 51 is greater than the length of the second fixing mechanism 52.

[0079] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the tilt of the conveying device 1 can be adjusted by adjusting the angle between the first fixing mechanism 51 and / or the second fixing mechanism 52 and the skid 5.

[0080] In another embodiment, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the material conveying system further includes a skid 5. The conveying device 1 is mounted on the ground or, for example, on a vehicle via the skid 5. A first lifting mechanism 6 and an adjusting assembly are mounted on the skid 5. The first lifting mechanism 6 is connected to the conveying device 1, particularly to the side of the conveying device 1 closest to the discharge side. It is used to lift the side of the conveying device 1 closest to the discharge side so that the conveying device 1 is tilted at a predetermined angle. Specifically, the height of the side of the conveying device 1 closest to the discharge side can be adjusted via the first lifting mechanism 6, thereby adjusting the degree of tilt of the conveying device 1.

[0081] Specifically, the first lifting mechanism 6 here includes at least a telescopic cylinder and a telescopic rod. One end of the telescopic rod is rotatably connected to the skid 5, and the other end is connected to, for example, the discharge side of the conveying device 1. The extension and retraction of the telescopic cylinder, via the telescopic rod, adjusts the height of the discharge side of the conveying device 1, thereby adjusting the tilt angle of the conveying device 1. Furthermore, the first lifting mechanism 6 also has a self-locking function to fix the conveying device 1 at a predetermined tilt angle, thus meeting the material conveying needs at different heights and distances.

[0082] Furthermore, the adjustment assembly is mounted on the skid 5 and connected to the feed hopper 2. This adjustment assembly includes a first rotating mechanism 7 and a lifting mechanism 8 connected in sequence. Specifically, the first rotating mechanism 7 is mounted on the skid 5. One end of the lifting mechanism 8 is rotatably connected to the first rotating mechanism 7 and has limiting and self-locking functions, while the other end is rotatably connected to the feed hopper 2 and also has limiting and self-locking functions. During mutual rotation between the lifting mechanism 8 and the first rotating mechanism 7, and between the lifting mechanism 8 and the feed hopper 2, the limiting and self-locking functions can be achieved through any possible structure or method, such as hinges, limiting blocks, or other devices.

[0083] Considering that if the height of the feed hopper 2 remains constant as the tilt angle of the conveyor device 1 increases, a collision between the conveyor belt 11 and the feed hopper 2 may occur. To avoid this problem, the adjustment assembly is used to raise the height of the feed hopper 2 and adjust its posture, thereby preventing collisions. In this way, not only is the feed hopper 2 positioned, for example, on the ground, but a rotating mechanism can also prevent collisions between the conveyor belt 11 and the feed hopper 2 when the tilt angle of the conveyor device 1 is adjusted.

[0084] In this embodiment, the height and orientation of the feed hopper 2 can be adjusted by the adjustment component, the position and orientation of the lifting mechanism 8 can be adjusted by the first rotating mechanism 7, and the height and orientation of the feed hopper 2 can be adjusted by the lifting mechanism 8.

[0085] The embodiments disclosed herein are applicable to different usage scenarios, facilitating the delivery of materials to the mixing tank of a sand mixing device and enabling the acquisition of accurate material volume data of the delivered materials.

[0086] The third embodiment of this disclosure provides a material conveying system, as shown in Figures 3-6. The material conveying system includes a conveying device 1. The conveying device 1 can be installed in a skid-mounted manner; in this embodiment, it can also move freely to achieve a vehicle-mounted configuration, facilitating the conveying and transfer of materials at any location. For example, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the material conveying system can form a vehicle-mounted conveyor for continuous operation with a sand-mixing semi-trailer 100 equipped with a sand-mixing tank, and can also achieve continuous operation with sand-mixing skids, etc.

[0087] Furthermore, when the conveying device 1 is used in a vehicle-mounted manner, for long-distance transportation considerations, the conveying device 1 can be attached to a tractor vehicle via a tow hook 33 to achieve long-distance transportation of the material conveying system. Specifically, when the conveying device 1 is mounted on a vehicle, the conveyor belt 11 can be retracted to facilitate vehicle movement when material transfer operations are not required. When material transfer operations are required, the conveyor belt 11 needs to be inclined at a predetermined angle.

[0088] Specifically, the material conveying system includes wheels 30, and the conveying device 1 is mounted on the wheels 30. The wheels 30 enable the conveying device 1 to be transported to the required location for short-distance transfer. The wheels 30 are driven by a motor.

[0089] Specifically, the traveling wheels 30 include a first wheel 31 and a second wheel 32. The first wheel 31 is rotatably connected to the middle position of the conveying device 1 via a support rod 19. The middle part of the support rod 19 is connected to the discharge side of the conveying device 1 via a second lifting mechanism 20, which is rotatably connected to the support rod 19. The second wheel 32 is directly connected to the feed side of the conveying device 1. The second lifting mechanism 20 has the same structure as the first lifting mechanism 6 in the above embodiment, and will not be described again here.

[0090] Here, by adjusting the relative distance between the first wheel 31 and the second wheel 32, the relative position between the support rod 19 and the conveying device 1 can be adjusted, thereby adjusting the height of the side of the conveying device 1 closer to the discharge side. For example, when the distance between the first wheel 31 and the second wheel 32 is small, the position of the discharge side is higher. In addition, the second lifting mechanism 20 can further lift the side of the conveying device 1 closer to the discharge side, so that the conveying device 1 can be set in an inclined posture based on a predetermined tilt angle.

[0091] The embodiments disclosed herein are applicable to different usage scenarios, facilitating the delivery of materials to the mixing tank of a sand mixing device and enabling the acquisition of accurate material volume data of the delivered materials.

[0092] The fourth embodiment of this disclosure provides a material conveying system. Based on the above embodiments, regardless of whether a skid-mounted or vehicle-mounted method is used, in order to achieve more precise material discharge, the conveying device 1 includes a main body section. A discharge section 1a is provided at the end of the main body section near the discharge side. The discharge port 4 can be provided on the discharge section 1a. The discharge section 1a and the main body section of the conveying device 1 are connected by a flexible connection. For example, a first flexible connector 18 is made of materials such as rubber or cloth and cooperates with a first rotating connector 181. The first flexible connector 18 and the first rotating connector 181 are provided between the discharge section 1a and the end of the main body section of the conveying device 1. In this way, when the height of the discharge side is adjusted by the first lifting mechanism 6 or the second lifting mechanism 20, the discharge section 1a can have a certain degree of compressibility and extensibility, ensuring that the discharge port 4 can be accurately aligned with the sand mixing tank.

[0093] Furthermore, a dust collector 10 can be installed on the discharge side of the conveying device 1, for example on the discharge section 1a, to eliminate the dust raised by the material at the discharge port 4 and avoid environmental pollution.

[0094] In addition, for the above embodiments, the material conveying system also includes a battery 40, which preferably has a charging and discharging function. The battery 40 is disposed on the skid 5 or at the bottom of the conveying device 1. The battery 40 is used to supply power to the first lifting mechanism 6, the first rotating mechanism 7, the lifting mechanism 8, and the drive motor 15 in the conveying device 1, thereby meeting the material conveying operation requirements for short periods of time. Of course, if long-term operation is required, an external power supply is needed.

[0095] Furthermore, in embodiments such as the vehicle-mounted method described above, the battery 40 can also power the drive motor of the walking wheel 30, thereby meeting the needs of short-distance mobile transfer for vehicle-mounted transportation.

[0096] The embodiments disclosed herein are applicable to different usage scenarios, facilitating the delivery of materials to the mixing tank of a sand mixing device and enabling the acquisition of accurate material volume data of the delivered materials.

[0097] The fifth embodiment of this disclosure provides a material conveying system. Based on the above embodiments, regardless of whether a ground-fixed, skid-mounted, or vehicle-mounted method is used, as shown in FIG9, to achieve more accurate feeding, the conveying device 1 includes a main body section. A feeding section 1b is provided at the end of the main body section near the feeding side. The feeding section 1b is kept horizontal to facilitate feeding at the position of the feeding section 1b. The other parts of the conveying device 1 are inclined. The feeding section 1a is particularly suitable when the feeding amount is relatively large or when multiple conveying devices feed from the feeding side simultaneously.

[0098] Specifically, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG10(a), the conveying device 1 adopts a single-stage conveying, and the conveyor belt 11 matches the shape of the conveying device 1. In addition, as shown in FIG10(b), the conveying device 1 can also adopt a two-stage conveying. In order to adapt to the conveying device 1 having the feeding section 1a, the conveyor belt 11 includes a first conveyor belt 111 and a second conveyor belt 112 that are continuously arranged. The first conveyor belt 111 matches the shape of the feeding section 1a, and the second conveyor belt 112 matches the shape of the main body section of the conveying device 1.

[0099] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 11 to 16, the conveying device 1 includes a feeding section 1b, which is arranged horizontally and forms a predetermined inclination angle with the main body of the conveying device 1. The conveying device 1 in this embodiment can be applied to the aforementioned ground-fixed, skid-mounted, and vehicle-mounted methods.

[0100] To accommodate the shape changes between the feeding section 1b and the main body section of the conveying device 1, taking Figure 13 as an example, a second flexible connector 9 and a second rotating connector 91 are provided between the feeding section 1b and the main body section of the conveying device 1. The feeding section 1b and the main body section of the conveying device 1 are connected by the second flexible connector 9 in a flexible manner. For example, the second flexible connector 9 is made of materials such as rubber or cloth and works in conjunction with the second rotating connector 91. The second flexible connector 9 and the second rotating connector 91 are positioned between the feeding section 1b and the main body section of the conveying device 1. For example, as shown in Figures 11 and 12, when the material conveying system is set up with, for example, a sand mixing semi-trailer 100 to achieve continuous operation, when the height of the discharge side of the conveying device 1 is adjusted, the main body section of the conveying device 1 and the feeding section 1b can have a certain degree of compressibility and extensibility, ensuring that the discharge port 4 can be accurately aligned with the sand mixing tank.

[0101] The embodiments disclosed herein are applicable to different usage scenarios, facilitating the delivery of materials to the mixing tank of a sand mixing device and enabling the acquisition of accurate material volume data of the delivered materials.

[0102] The sixth embodiment of this disclosure provides a method for determining the volume of a material. Based on the material conveying system described in the first to fourth embodiments above, it enables the weighing of the material, thereby obtaining the material volume. Various weighing methods can be used. In one embodiment, based on a first measurement principle, for example, a sensor weighing method is employed to measure and obtain the material volume. Specifically, based on the first embodiment above, as shown in Figures 17 and 18, the instantaneous weight of the material on the conveyor belt 11 is measured by the weighing sensor 16, which is positioned, for example, at the middle of the conveyor belt 11. Simultaneously, the accumulated instantaneous material weight represents the total mass of the conveyed material. To obtain the material volume, the material conveying system further includes a display and control center 23, which is connected to the drive motor 15 and the weighing sensor 16.

[0103] Specifically, the weighing sensor 16 here mainly achieves measurement based on the gap change between itself and the corresponding support roller 12 (e.g., weighing roller 12a). Further, as shown in FIG19, the weighing roller 12a is located below the material, the weighing sensor 16 is disposed below the weighing roller 12a, and the weighing roller 12a is connected to an elastic support member 12b, through which the weighing roller 12a can move up and down.

[0104] For example, when there is no material on the conveyor belt 11, the support roller 12 is furthest from the weighing sensor 16, and the electrical signal is weakest at this time; when there is material on the conveyor belt 11, the conveyor belt 11 is pressed down by the weight of the material and the support roller 12 will drop due to the elastic support, that is, the distance between the support roller 12 and the weighing sensor 16 becomes shorter, resulting in an enhanced electrical signal. Here, the weighing sensor 16 obtains the weight of the material by measuring the strength of the electrical signal.

[0105] The weighing sensor 16 mentioned here can continuously weigh the material on the conveyor belt 11 and provide instantaneous and cumulative values. At the same time, a speed sensor can also be set on the conveying device 1 to obtain the conveying speed of the conveyor belt 11 by measuring the rotation speed of the weighing roller 12a or directly measuring the conveying speed of the conveyor belt 11. The main purpose is to control the sampling frequency of the weighing sensor 16 by monitoring the conveying speed, that is, the higher the speed, the higher the sampling frequency, and the lower the speed, the lower the frequency.

[0106] As shown in Figure 17, considering that the force exerted by the weight on the conveying device 1 during operation has a certain angle (α) with the vertical direction, the weight obtained by the weighing sensor 16 needs to be multiplied by a corresponding coefficient f(α) to obtain the true weight of the material. This coefficient f(α) is a function of the inclination angle (α). Finally, the volume of the conveyed material can be obtained by dividing the material weight by its density.

[0107] In the material conveying system, for example, the conveying speed of the conveyor belt 11 is controlled by the display and control center 23 to change the sand ratio (sand volume / base liquid volume) and sand concentration (sand ratio × sand density) of the mixture. Specifically, with a fixed base liquid volume, the faster the conveying speed of the conveyor belt 11, the greater the amount of sand conveyed, and the higher the sand ratio and sand concentration of the mixture; conversely, the slower the conveying speed, the lower the sand ratio and sand concentration. Therefore, the sand ratio and sand concentration of the mixture can be regulated by controlling the speed of the conveyor belt 11. Alternatively, the sand ratio and sand concentration of the mixture can be changed by controlling the feeding opening of the feed hopper 2 through the display and control center 23. That is, when the rotation speed of the conveyor belt 11 is constant, the feeding opening of the feed hopper 2 is adjusted in real time to change the amount of sand fed, thereby controlling the sand ratio and sand concentration of the mixture. The display and control center 23 can display the instantaneous weight, cumulative weight, and other parameters obtained by sensors in real time.

[0108] To achieve the above measurements, the conveying device 1 may also include a material remover 22, which is provided, for example, on the discharge side of the conveying device 11. Its main function is to remove the material adhering to the return conveyor belt 11. The material remover 22 may be, for example, a scraper, a roller, a gas flushing device, a liquid flushing device, etc.

[0109] The embodiments disclosed herein are applicable to different application scenarios, facilitating the delivery of materials to the sand mixing device and obtaining accurate material volume data of the delivered materials.

[0110] The seventh embodiment of this disclosure provides a method for determining the volume of a material. In this embodiment, the volume of the material is obtained by measuring the material based on a second measurement principle, such as through three-dimensional solid reconstruction, as shown in Figures 20 and 21. The implementation of the method for determining the volume of the material based on three-dimensional solid reconstruction requires setting an imaging device 24 at the middle position of the conveyor belt 11. The specific steps of the determination method in this embodiment include generating a three-dimensional solid of the material in real time, calculating the volume of the three-dimensional solid to obtain the volume of the material, and accumulating the total volume of the material.

[0111] As shown in Figures 20 and 21, the imaging device 24 is mounted above the conveyor belt 11 via a first fixing frame 24a. It can be an X-ray scanner, a laser scanner, a camera, etc. For example, it can use X-rays (lasers, etc.) to scan the material in real time to create a realistic three-dimensional entity of the material, and calculate the volume of the material by calculating the volume of the three-dimensional entity. Alternatively, using a camera involves generating a three-dimensional entity from a two-dimensional image captured by the camera using computer vision algorithms, which can also yield the material volume.

[0112] A first speed sensor 25 is also required here to monitor the conveying speed of the conveyor belt 11, thereby controlling the scanning (or imaging) frequency; that is, a higher speed corresponds to a higher scanning (or imaging) frequency, and vice versa. The first speed sensor 25 can be placed on the driven wheel 14, the drive wheel 13, the support roller 12, etc., preferably on the support roller 12 below the imaging device 24. Measuring the rotational speed of the support roller 12 makes the obtained conveying speed of the conveyor belt 11 more accurate.

[0113] In this embodiment, a display and control center 23 is also required. This center can control the conveying speed of the conveyor belt 11 to change the sand ratio (sand volume / base liquid volume) and sand concentration (sand ratio × sand density) of the mixture. Specifically, with a fixed base liquid volume, the faster the conveyor belt 11 moves, the greater the amount of sand conveyed, resulting in a higher sand ratio and sand concentration in the mixture. Conversely, a slower conveyor belt 11 results in a lower sand ratio and sand concentration. Therefore, controlling the speed of the conveyor belt 11 allows for the regulation of the sand ratio and sand concentration in the mixture. Alternatively, the display and control center 23 can control the opening of the feed hopper 2 to change the sand ratio and sand concentration of the mixture. That is, when the rotational speed of the conveyor belt 11 is constant, the opening of the feed hopper 2 can be adjusted in real time to change the amount of sand fed, thereby controlling the sand ratio and sand concentration of the mixture. The display and control center 23 can display the instantaneous volume, cumulative volume, and other parameters obtained from sensors in real time.

[0114] The embodiments disclosed herein are applicable to different application scenarios, facilitating the delivery of materials to the sand mixing device and obtaining accurate material volume data of the delivered materials.

[0115] The eighth embodiment of this disclosure provides a method for determining the volume of a material. In this embodiment, the volume of the material is obtained by measurement through AI model prediction based on a third measurement principle. The AI ​​model prediction method mainly uses a trained AI model to predict the volume of the material.

[0116] Specifically, the method for determining the material volume based on the AI ​​model prediction method includes: calibrating the speed, voltage, and current of the drive motor 15, the tilt angle of the conveying device 1, and the signal data acquired by the predetermined sensor 26 under different tilt angles and when conveying different volumes of material; then dividing these calibrated data into a training set, a validation set, and a test set according to a predetermined ratio; then inputting the training set into the AI ​​model for training; continuously verifying the training effect of the AI ​​model through the validation set during the training process and adjusting the training parameters in a timely manner to minimize the prediction error of the AI ​​model; finally, testing the prediction effect of the AI ​​model using the test set. If the prediction accuracy is above 95%, the application requirements are met; if not, the training phase is returned for retraining until the application requirements are met.

[0117] The aforementioned predetermined sensor 26 includes at least one of a humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, a laser sensor, an imaging sensor, and a density sensor. The humidity sensor used to detect humidity can employ measurement methods such as capacitance measurement, microwave measurement, and time-domain reflectometry (TDRS). TDRS is preferred here, as it is a radar-based dielectric measurement method that measures the dielectric constant and moisture content by measuring the transmission time of an electromagnetic pulse. Compared to traditional capacitance or microwave measurement methods, TDRS can measure not only moisture but also information such as substance content.

[0118] As shown in Figure 22, the humidity sensor includes a housing 261. A detection element 262 is disposed on one side of the housing 261, and an indicator light 263, a communication line opening 265, and a calibration button 264 are disposed on the other side of the housing 261. The calibration button 264 is used for debugging and calibrating the measurement. The indicator light 263 displays blue when working normally and red when malfunctioning. When the wear of the detection element 262 exceeds 80%, the indicator light 263 flashes blue slowly, indicating that the detection element 262 needs to be replaced. When the wear exceeds 90%, it needs to be replaced immediately, and the indicator light 263 flashes blue rapidly.

[0119] In this embodiment, the predetermined sensor 26 includes a non-contact sensor and a contact sensor, as shown in Figures 23 to 26. When a contact sensor is used, a second fixing frame 27 is provided on the conveying device 1, and an elastic element 271 is provided on the second fixing frame 27. A contact sensor 272 is provided at the end of the elastic element 271. Here, the elastic element 271 enables the contact sensor 272, such as a humidity sensor, to always be in contact with the material. The elastic element 271 can be any one or a combination of springs, cylinders, hydraulic cylinders, rubber, etc. As shown in Figure 20, when a non-contact sensor is used, the non-contact sensor 273 can be directly set on the second fixing frame 27 to maintain a certain distance from the material.

[0120] In addition, a second speed sensor 28 can be installed below the support roller 12. This second speed sensor 28 mainly monitors the conveying speed of the conveyor belt 11 to control the prediction frequency of the AI ​​model; that is, a higher speed results in a higher prediction frequency, and vice versa. The second speed sensor 28 can be placed on the driven wheel, drive wheel, support roller, etc., but preferably on the support roller 12 below the second fixing frame 27. This means that measuring the rotational speed of the support roller 12 provides a more accurate measurement of the conveying speed of the conveyor belt 11.

[0121] Of course, in this embodiment, a display and control center 23 can also be set up to control the conveying speed of the conveyor belt 11 to change the sand ratio (sand volume / base liquid volume) and sand concentration (sand ratio × sand density) of the mixture. Specifically, with a fixed base liquid volume, the faster the conveying speed of the conveyor belt 11, the greater the amount of sand conveyed, and the higher the sand ratio and sand concentration of the mixture; conversely, the slower the conveying speed, the lower the sand ratio and sand concentration of the mixture. Therefore, the sand ratio and sand concentration of the mixture can be regulated by controlling the speed of the conveyor belt 11. Alternatively, the display and control center 23 can control the feeding opening of the feed hopper 2 to change the sand ratio and sand concentration of the mixture. That is, when the rotation speed of the conveyor belt 11 is constant, the feeding opening of the feed hopper 2 can be adjusted in real time to change the amount of sand fed, thereby controlling the sand ratio and sand concentration of the mixture. The display and control center 23 can display the instantaneous volume, cumulative volume, and other parameter information obtained by other sensors in real time.

[0122] The above methods can be used to obtain the material volume and further obtain other parameters. For example, given the volume of the base liquid and the density of the sand, after obtaining the sand volume, parameters such as the sand ratio and sand concentration of the mixture can be calculated.

[0123] The embodiments disclosed herein are applicable to different application scenarios, facilitating the delivery of materials to the sand mixing device and obtaining accurate material volume data of the delivered materials.

[0124] In the above embodiments disclosed herein, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions in other embodiments.

[0125] For ease of description, spatial relative terms such as "above," "on top of," "on the upper surface of," "above," etc., are used herein to describe the spatial positional relationship of a device or feature as shown in the figures to other devices or features. It should be understood that spatial relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations in use or operation beyond the orientation of the device as described in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures were inverted, a device described as "above" or "on top of" other devices or structures would subsequently be positioned as "below" or "under" other devices or structures. Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below." The device may also be positioned in other different ways, rotated 90 degrees, or in other orientations, and the spatial relative descriptions used herein will be interpreted accordingly.

[0126] In addition to the above, it should be noted that the terms "one embodiment," "another embodiment," and "embodiment" used in this specification refer to specific features, structures, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment, which are included in at least one embodiment described in the general description of this application. The appearance of the same expression in multiple places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a specific feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with any embodiment, the intention is to suggest that implementing such a feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments also falls within the scope of this disclosure.

[0127] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions in other embodiments.

[0128] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this disclosure and is not intended to limit this disclosure. Various modifications and variations can be made to this disclosure by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A material delivery system, characterized by, The material conveying system includes at least a conveying device, at least a portion of which is inclined. A feed hopper is provided on the relatively lower feed side of the conveying device, and a feed control device for adjusting the feed flow rate is provided on the feed hopper. An outlet is provided on the relatively higher discharge side of the conveying device. The material is conveyed through the conveying device and the volume of the material is obtained.

2. The material delivery system of claim 1, wherein, The conveying device includes at least a conveyor belt, support rollers, a drive wheel, a driven wheel, and a drive motor. The drive wheel is located on the discharge side and connected to the drive motor. The driven wheel is located on the feed side. The conveyor belt is located between the drive wheel and the driven wheel and is supported by multiple support rollers.

3. The material conveying system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The material conveying system also includes a skid, the conveying device is mounted on the skid, and the skid is provided with a first fixing mechanism and a second fixing mechanism. The first fixing mechanism is connected to the discharge side to adjust the height of the discharge side, and the second fixing mechanism is connected to the feed hopper.

4. The material delivery system of claim 2, wherein, The material conveying system also includes a skid, the conveying device is mounted on the skid, the skid is provided with a first lifting mechanism and an adjusting component, the first lifting mechanism is connected to the discharge side to adjust the height of the discharge side, and the adjusting component is connected to the feed hopper to adjust the height and orientation of the feed hopper.

5. The material conveying system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first lifting mechanism includes at least a telescopic cylinder and a telescopic rod. One end of the telescopic rod is rotatably connected to the skid, and the other end is connected to the discharge side of the conveying device.

6. The material conveying system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The adjustment assembly includes a first rotating mechanism and a lifting mechanism connected in sequence. The first rotating mechanism is disposed on the skid. One end of the lifting mechanism is rotatably connected to the first rotating mechanism, and the other end is rotatably connected to the feed hopper.

7. The material delivery system of claim 2, wherein, The material conveying system includes wheels, and the conveying device is mounted on the wheels. The wheels include a first wheel and a second wheel. The first wheel is rotatably connected to the middle of the conveying device via a support rod. The middle of the support rod is connected to the discharge side of the conveying device via a second lifting mechanism. The second lifting mechanism is rotatably connected to the support rod. The second wheel is connected to the feed side.

8. The material conveying system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The discharge side is provided with a discharge section, the discharge port is provided on the discharge section, and the discharge section is connected to the main body section of the conveying device by a flexible connection.

9. The material conveying system according to claim 8, characterized in that, A dust collector is also installed on the discharge section.

10. The material conveying system according to claim 3, 4, or 7, characterized in that, The conveying device includes a feeding section, which is horizontally arranged and at a predetermined angle to the main body of the conveying device. The feeding section and the main body of the conveying device are connected by a flexible connection.

11. The material conveying system according to claim 10, characterized in that, The conveyor belt includes a first conveyor belt and a second conveyor belt arranged opposite to each other, the first conveyor belt being matched with the feeding section, and the second conveyor belt being matched with the main body section of the conveying device.

12. The material conveying system according to claim 1, characterized in that, A weighing sensor is installed below the conveyor belt, and the weighing sensor works with its corresponding weighing roller to achieve weighing.

13. The material conveying system according to claim 12, characterized in that, The weighing sensor is located below the weighing roller, which is connected to an elastic support member, allowing the weighing roller to move.

14. The material conveying system according to claim 1, characterized in that, An imaging device is installed at the middle position of the conveyor belt via a first fixed frame. The imaging device achieves imaging by scanning or taking pictures to obtain the volume of the material.

15. The material conveying system according to claim 1, characterized in that, A predetermined sensor is installed at the middle position of the conveyor belt via a second fixed frame. The volume of the material is obtained through an AI model based on the data collected by the predetermined sensor.

16. The material delivery system of claim 15, wherein, The predetermined sensor can be a contact sensor or a non-contact sensor.

17. A method for determining the volume of a material, characterized in that, The method is applicable to the material conveying system according to any one of claims 1-16, wherein the determination method obtains the volume of the material by at least one of sensor weighing, three-dimensional solid reconstruction and AI model prediction.

18. The method for determining the volume of material according to claim 17, characterized in that, Also includes: The sand ratio and sand concentration of the mixture can be changed by controlling the conveying speed of the conveying device and / or by controlling the feed opening of the feed hopper.

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