EP-4735223-A1 - METHOD FOR OPERATING A CONCRETE PUMP SYSTEM, CONCRETE PUMP SYSTEM, COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT

Abstract

A method for operating a concrete pump system, in which liquid concrete (43) is introduced into a pre-filling container (16) of a concrete pump (15) from a liquid concrete store (41, 66). The liquid concrete (43) is sucked out of the pre-filling container (16) by a pumping device (29) and is delivered along a delivery line (17) such that the liquid concrete (43) emerges at a distal end of the delivery line (17). The concrete pump (15) is equipped with a control unit (44). The control unit (44) is fed a measured value for a state variable of the concrete pump. The measured value is processed in the control unit (44) in order to generate a control signal, on the basis of which the volume flow (58) of the liquid concrete (43) passing from the liquid concrete store (41, 66) into the pre-filling container (16) is set. The invention also relates to a concrete pump system and to a computer program product.

Inventors

• HÄFNER, Jens
• STREBLE, Benedikt

Assignees

• Putzmeister Engineering GmbH

Dates

Publication Date

20260506

Application Date

20240626

Claims (1)

1. patent claims 1. Method for operating a concrete pump system, in which liquid concrete (43) is introduced from a liquid concrete supply (41, 66) into a pre-filling container (16) of a concrete pump (15), the liquid concrete (43) being sucked out of the pre-filling container (16) by a pumping device (29) and being conveyed along a conveying line (17) so that the liquid concrete (43) exits at a distal end of the conveying line (17), the concrete pump (15) being equipped with a control unit (44), the control unit (44) being supplied with a measured value via a state variable of the concrete pump and the measured value being processed in the control unit (44) in order to generate a control signal on the basis of which the volume flow (58) of the liquid concrete (43) passing from the liquid concrete supply (41, 66) into the pre-filling container (16) is adjusted. 2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the measured value represents the filling level of the pre-fill container (16). 3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a signaling device (63) is actuated with the control signal. 4. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control signal controls a dosing device (42, 67) which is designed to adjust the volume flow (58) of the liquid concrete (43) passing from the liquid concrete supply (41, 66) into the pre-filling container (16). 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the dosing device (42) is an integral part of a system component (40) with which the liquid concrete supply (41) is provided. 6. Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein between a storage container (41) filled with liquid concrete and a buffer device (66) is arranged in the pre-fill container (16), and wherein the dosing device (67) is an element of the buffer device (66). 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the buffer device (66) is equipped with a level sensor (70). 8. Method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the volume flow of liquid concrete which passes from the storage container (41) into the buffer device (66) is adjusted depending on the filling level of the buffer device (66). 9. Method according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a target value for the filling level of the pre-fill container (16) is processed in the control unit (44). 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the target value for the filling level of the pre-fill container (16) is varied within a time period (54, 56) within which a single concrete layer of a 3D printing process is produced. 11. The method according to claim 10, wherein during a middle phase of the 3D printing process with which a single concrete layer is produced, the target value for the filling level of the pre-fill container (16) is low. 12. Concrete pump system comprising a concrete pump (15) and a liquid concrete supply (41, 66), wherein during operation of the concrete pump system liquid concrete (43) is pumped from the liquid concrete supply (41) is introduced into a pre-filling container (16) of the concrete pump (15), wherein the concrete pump (15) comprises a pumping device (29) for sucking liquid concrete (43) from the pre-filling container (16) and conveying it along a conveying line (17) so that the liquid concrete (43) exits at a distal end of the conveying line (17), wherein the concrete pump (15) is equipped with a control unit (44), wherein the control unit (44) is designed to process a measured value via a state variable of the concrete pump (15) in order to generate a control signal by means of which the volume flow (58) of the liquid concrete (43) passing from the liquid concrete supply (41) into the pre-filling container (16) is adjusted. 13. Computer program product or set of computer program products, comprising program parts which, when loaded into a computer or into interconnected computers connected to a concrete pump system according to the invention, are designed to carry out the method according to the invention.

Description

Method for operating a concrete pumping system, concrete pumping system, computer program product The invention relates to a method for operating a concrete pumping system, a concrete pumping system and a computer program product. The application area of concrete pumps is increasingly extending to the production of concrete structures using 3D printing, i.e. without the shape of the concrete structure being predetermined by formwork. To do this, the liquid concrete is pumped in such a way that it emerges in the form of a strand with a predetermined cross-section at the outlet end of a delivery line. When it emerges from the delivery line, the liquid concrete has a consistency such that the cross-section of the strand is retained when the strand is placed on a surface. Liquid concrete that meets these requirements has a lower flowability than conventional liquid concrete. If a concrete pump is operated with less fluid liquid concrete, liquid concrete filled into the pre-fill tank of the concrete pump will penetrate to the bottom of the pre-fill tank less quickly and less evenly than usual. There is a risk that liquid concrete quantities will remain in the pre-fill tank for too long because liquid concrete added later will leave the pre-fill tank first. This particularly applies to liquid concrete quantities that adhere to the wall in an upper section of the pre-fill tank. Liquid concrete that no longer has the right consistency as a result of remaining in the pre-fill tank for too long can lead to a malfunction in the operation of the concrete pump. The invention is based on the object of presenting a method for operating a concrete pump system, a concrete pump system and a computer program product with which these disadvantages are avoided. The object is achieved with the features of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are specified in the subclaims. In the method according to the invention for operating a concrete pump system, liquid concrete is introduced from a liquid concrete supply into a pre-filling container of the concrete pump. The liquid concrete is sucked out of the pre-filling container using a pumping device and conveyed along a conveying line so that the liquid concrete exits at a distal end of the conveying line. The concrete pump is equipped with a control unit. The control unit is supplied with a measured value via a state variable of the concrete pump. The measured value is processed in the control unit in order to generate a control signal on the basis of which the volume flow of the liquid concrete passing from the liquid concrete supply into the pre-filling container is adjusted. Filling the liquid concrete into the pre-filling tank is currently a non-critical process that does not require a high level of expertise. The instruction to the operator of the liquid concrete supply, for example the driver of a truck mixer, can essentially be limited to always adding enough liquid concrete to ensure that the pre-filling tank is well filled. With conventional liquid concrete that flows well, a high level of tolerance can be granted for the implementation of this instruction without affecting the operation of the concrete pump. The invention has recognized that it is helpful for less flowable liquid concrete, such as that used in 3D printing applications, to feed liquid concrete to the pre-filling container. The invention proposes processing a measured value via a state variable of the concrete pump in order to adjust the volume flow of liquid concrete entering the pre-filling container. By processing the measured value for the purpose of generating a control signal and by varying the amount of liquid concrete that is fed to the pre-filling container depending on the control signal, the volume flow can be adjusted at any time to suit the operating state of the concrete pump. In a concrete pump system, the concrete pump and the liquid concrete supply are separate units. For example, the concrete pump can be a component of a concrete pump vehicle and the liquid concrete supply can be arranged on a separate concrete mixer vehicle. In contrast to integrated devices, such as those known from DE 10 2008 017 123 A1, in which the liquid concrete supply and the concrete pump form a unit within a common vehicle, in a concrete pump system made up of technically separate units, there is generally no direct interface available via which the operation of the liquid concrete supply and the concrete pump can be coordinated with one another. The invention has recognized that a measured value via a state variable of the concrete pump can nevertheless be used sensibly to improve the interaction between the components of the system according to the invention. The concrete pump system can comprise a first operating state in which the concrete pump conveys liquid concrete along the conveying line and in which liquid concrete passes from the liquid concrete supply to the pre-filling tank of the concret