EP4309795A1 - Mobile rock processing apparatus with improved scheduling of discontinuous material feed - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a rock processing device (12) for comminuting and/or sorting granular mineral material (M) according to size, the rock processing device (12) comprising as device components: - a material feeding device (22) with a material buffer (24), - at least a working unit consisting of at least one crushing device (14) and at least one screening device (16, 18), - at least one conveying device (26, 32) for conveying material between two device components, - a control device (60) for controlling device components, - at least one Sensor (72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92, 94, 96, 98) for detecting at least one operating parameter, the sensor (72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92, 94, 96, 98) is connected to the control device (60) for transmitting a detection signal, - at least one output device (66) for outputting information, the output device (66) for Transmission of information is connected to the control device (60). According to the invention, the control device (60) is designed to determine time information about a future material feed in an operation with discontinuous material feeding based on the at least one detection signal, the output device (66) doing this is designed to output the determined time information.

Description

• eine Materialaufgabevorrichtung mit einem Materialpuffer zur Beladung mit zu verarbeitendem Ausgangsmaterial,
• wenigstens eine Arbeitseinheit aus
  • + wenigstens einer Brechvorrichtung und
  • + wenigstens einer Siebvorrichtung,
• wenigstens eine Fördervorrichtung zur Förderung von Material zwischen zwei Vorrichtungskom ponenten,
• eine Steuervorrichtung zur Steuerung von Vorrichtungskomponenten der Gesteinsverarbeitungsvorrichtung,
• wenigstens einen Sensor zur Erfassung wenigstens eines Betriebsparameters, wobei der Sensor zur Übertragung eines den wenigstens einen erfassten Betriebsparameter repräsentierenden Erfassungssignals signalübertragungsmäßig mit der Steuervorrichtung verbunden ist,
• wenigstens eine Ausgabevorrichtung zur Ausgabe von Information, wobei die Ausgabevorrichtung zur Übertragung von Information signalübertragungsmäßig mit der Steuervorrichtung verbunden ist.

The present invention relates to a rock processing device for comminution and/or sizing of granular mineral material, the rock processing device comprising as device components:

• a material feeding device with a material buffer for loading with starting material to be processed,
• at least one work unit
  • + at least one breaking device and
  • + at least one screening device,
• at least one conveying device for conveying material between two device components,
• a control device for controlling device components of the rock processing device,
• at least one sensor for detecting at least one operating parameter, the sensor being connected to the control device in terms of signal transmission for transmitting a detection signal representing the at least one detected operating parameter,
• at least one output device for outputting information, wherein the output device for transmitting information is connected to the control device in terms of signal transmission.

The present invention relates in particular to a mobile rock processing device with a chassis which allows the rock processing device to change the installation location in a self-propelled manner and/or to move in a self-propelled manner between a location for a rock processing operation and a means of transport for transporting the rock processing device. Due to the generally high weight of mobile, especially self-propelled, In the case of a rock processing device, the undercarriage is usually a crawler undercarriage, although a wheeled undercarriage should not be excluded as an alternative or in addition to a crawler undercarriage.

A rock processing device of the type mentioned above is from the US 4,281,800 known. The previously known rock processing device includes both a screening device and a crushing device and is part of a rock processing plant with a rock mill downstream of the rock processing device in the material flow. The rock processing device is continuously loaded with material to be processed from a quarry by a conveyor belt.

In order to improve the performance of the rock processing device, which according to the US 4,281,800 has a lower average availability per day than the rock mill, but is able to crush rock with less energy expenditure than the rock mill, and to coordinate the work performance of the rock mill and thus operate the rock processing plant as advantageously as possible US 4,281,800 proposes to determine a work output, stated in material quantity per time, of the rock processing device for a future period of time on the basis of a work output of the rock processing plant determined for a complete operating period, such as one day of operation, and from the beginning of the operating period under consideration to the time of determination within the operating period under consideration the previous work performed by the rock mill on the one hand and the rock processing device on the other hand. Depending on the work performance of the rock processing device determined for the future period of time, the conveying capacity of the conveyor belt loading the rock processing device should be adjusted for the future period of time.

From the US 4,909,449 It is known to use a light system, such as a type of traffic light system, to indicate to vehicles that load a rock processing device discontinuously whether the material feeding device of the rock processing device is currently ready for feeding newly supplied rock or not.

Also the US 4,909,449 also discloses changing the conveying capacity of a conveying device between the material buffer and a crushing device, depending on the filling level of material to be processed in the material buffer and/or on the motor load of a discharge conveying device, which conveys processed material out of the rock processing device.

The US 2021/0325899 A1 discloses selectively controlling a dump truck assembly of conveyor trucks loading a rock processing apparatus to influence unloading of the conveyor truck over a desired unloading period. A specific tipping profile of the tipper body should be achieved by controlling the truck engine and hydraulic valves in order to unload the starting material transported in the tipper body to the rock processing device at a desired material delivery rate.

The effectiveness of changes in the conveying capacity, for example by changing the conveying speed, of a conveying device for conveying fed starting material from the material buffer to the work unit, in particular to a crushing device, always requires a correctly filled material buffer. However, this is not easily the case when the material buffer is loaded discontinuously. Basically, it is left to the operating personnel of the loading devices loading the rock processing device, if necessary with the cooperation of the machine operator of the rock processing device, to decide on the loading of the material buffer of the rock processing device. As a result, the operation of the rock processing device and thus the product results it delivers are highly dependent on the skills and experience of the people working on the respective devices.

The lighting system described above indicates that the rock processing device is currently ready for task depending on the filling level of the material to be processed in the material buffer, which basically only helps, but does not ensure, to avoid overloading the rock processing device. An undersupply of the rock processing device with material to be processed can still occur, as the lighting system only indicates readiness for abandonment when it actually exists. If readiness for abandonment occurs at short notice, the material buffer and the subsequent work unit can run empty or at least be underfilled with the associated known disadvantages, since personnel at the loading devices may not be able to react quickly enough to the suddenly indicated readiness for abandonment of the rock processing device.

It is also known to coordinate the work performance of rock processing devices arranged in series in the material flow by adjusting the conveying capacity or conveying speed of conveying devices that continuously convey between the rock processing devices. A discharge conveyor belt of an upstream rock processing device is often a loading conveyor belt of an immediately downstream rock processing device. The delivery capacity of the discharge conveyor belt can then be changed depending on the operating states of the downstream rock processing device. This is basically unproblematic for continuous loading of material buffers. However, the situation is different in a company with discontinuous material feeding, where there can be breaks of different lengths and, above all, unpredictably long breaks between two successive material feedings and where a different amount of material can be fed with each discontinuous material feeding.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to improve a rock processing device of the type mentioned in the light of the problems described above and in particular to enable its operation as long as possible at an economical operating point.

The present invention solves the stated problem with a generic rock processing device in that the control device is designed to determine, in an operation with discontinuous material feeding of starting material to be processed, time information based on the at least one detection signal, which determines an execution time of a future material feeding represented in the material feeding device, the output device being designed to output the determined time information.

Since the detection signal, as described above, represents at least one sensor-detected operating parameter, the control device can determine a future requirement of the rock processing device for material to be processed on the basis of the at least one detection signal and thus predict it as time information. By outputting the determined time information, third parties, such as a machine operator of a loading device, can take note of the time information and consequently plan their material feed into the rock processing device in advance. Alternatively, the determined and output time information can be processed automatically by a data processing device, such as a control device, at least one loading device, and its loading operation can be set up and carried out taking the time information into account, so that a material feed into the material feed device can actually be carried out at the execution time represented by the time information .

The at least one operating parameter can be recorded qualitatively and/or quantitatively. If more than one operating parameter is recorded, then some of the operating parameters can be recorded qualitatively and another part can be recorded quantitatively. Furthermore, it is also conceivable that at least one operating parameter is recorded both quantitatively and qualitatively.

The execution time can be an execution time and/or an execution time range. The execution time can indicate the earliest possible future point in time at which material can or should be fed into the material feed device. The execution time can additionally or alternatively indicate a future period of time over which material can or should be fed into the feed device.

The time information can be relative time information based on a reference time, such as the current actual time. The time information can be in the form of a waiting period be issued until the next material delivery. Alternatively, the time information can be absolute time information, which represents an execution time or a start of an execution period as a time in the relevant time zone. If necessary, an end of the execution period can again be referred to as absolute time information or as relative time information, preferably to the beginning of the execution period. As a rule, however, it will be sufficient to specify the time as the execution time from which a material delivery can take place in the future.

At the time the time information is output by the output device, the execution time represented by the time information is in the future. This is not just about a theoretical future based on signal transmission times in the micro- or nanosecond range, but about a future that is at least a single-digit second range away from the time at which the time information is output. The execution time will often be in the two or even three or four digit seconds range from the time the time information is output in the future.

The rock processing device is preferably designed to determine an individual execution time as time information for at least two, particularly preferably for more than two, successive future material tasks in the operation with discontinuous material feeding and to output each one by means of the output device. Thus, depending on the at least one operating parameter represented by the at least one detection signal, the execution times of a series of successive material tasks can be determined individually for the operating situation of the rock processing device, which is evolving as a result of the previous material task, and output as time information.

The rock processing device can have only one or more screening devices as the at least one working unit. The rock processing device is then purely a screening system. Likewise, the rock processing device can have only one or more crushing devices as the at least one work unit exhibit. The rock processing device is then purely a crushing plant. In the preferred configuration, the rock processing device includes both at least one screening device and at least one crushing device. The screening device can be a pre-screen upstream of the crushing device in the material flow, optionally with several screen decks, and/or can be a secondary screen downstream of the crushing device in the material flow in order to sort the result delivered by the crushing device according to grain sizes. The secondary screen can also include at least one screen deck or several screen decks.

The crushing device may be any known crushing device, such as an impact crusher or a jaw crusher or a cone crusher or a roll crusher. Then, if the rock processing apparatus includes more than one crushing apparatus, these crushing apparatuses may be similar crushing apparatus or different crushing apparatus. Each individual crushing device can be one of the above crusher types of impact crusher, jaw crusher, cone crusher and roller crusher.

Although it is fundamentally possible for the control device to determine the time information exclusively from detection signals from the at least one sensor, it should not be ruled out that the control device also takes into account information input from a machine operator or another person when determining the time information. For this purpose, according to a preferred development of the present invention, it can be provided that the rock processing device comprises an input device for entering information, the input device for transmitting information being connected to the control device in terms of signal transmission. The control device is preferably designed to determine the time information in the operation with discontinuous material feeding on the basis of the at least one detection signal and information entered into the input device.

The input device can be any input device, such as a keyboard, a touch screen, and the like. The input device can also through a cable route or a radio link can be connected to the control device for signal transmission, so that it does not necessarily have to be physically present on the rock processing device. A signal transmission connection between the input device or the at least one sensor with the control device is also considered to be a connection with the interposition of a data memory, in which information entered into the input device and/or information output by the at least one sensor for detecting the at least one operating parameter is stored as data and as stored data can be retrieved from the control device. The control device therefore preferably comprises a data memory which is connected to the control device in terms of signal transmission. In this, the control device can store data supplied by the input device and/or the at least one sensor and retrieve them again as stored data. Likewise, the input device and/or the at least one sensor can be connected directly to the data memory in terms of signal transmission, so that the input device can transmit information entered into it just as directly into the data memory for storage as the at least one sensor can transmit the results of its detection operation.

Data that does not change over the operating life of the rock processing device or can only be changed with great effort, for example about the machine configuration of the rock processing device and its components, can be permanently stored in the data memory and, for example, by the manufacturer of the rock processing device during the production of the same or deposited before delivery. However, if the machine configuration changes, for example during maintenance or repairs, the company carrying out the maintenance or repairs can make corresponding changes to the contents of the data memory.

The data memory can be physically connected to the control device via a signal line and/or incorporeally in terms of signal transmission, for example via a radio link or by transmitting optical signals. In principle, the data storage can therefore be provided separately and at a distance from the rest of the rock processing device. The “remaining rock processing device” is represented by its machine body. The machine body includes the machine frame and all components of the rock processing device connected thereto, even if these are arranged to be movable relative to the machine frame.

• Füllgrad des Materialpuffers,
• Füllgrad wenigstens einer Fördervorrichtung,
• Fördergeschwindigkeit wenigstens einer Fördervorrichtung,
• Füllgrad wenigstens einer Arbeitseinheit,
• Kornform oder/und Korngröße oder/und Korngrößenverteilung von aufgegebenem oder/und gefördertem Material,
• Art von aufgegebenem oder/und gefördertem Material,
• Feuchte des aufgegebenen Materials,
• Dichte des aufgegebenen Materials,
• Härte des aufgegebenen Materials,
• Brechbarkeit des aufgegebenen Materials,
• Abrasivität des aufgegebenen Materials,
• Zustand des aufgegebenen Materials,
• Menge an rückgeführtem Überkorn,
• Aufgabemenge an aufzugebendem oder aufgegebenem Material,
• Betriebslast wenigstens einer Antriebsvorrichtung,
• Betriebslast wenigstens einer Arbeitseinheit,
• Arbeitsgeschwindigkeit wenigstens einer Arbeitseinheit,
• Abmessung eines Brechspalts der Brechvorrichtung
• Maschenweite eines Siebs der Siebvorrichtung,
• Größe eines Beladewerkzeugs einer den Materialpuffer diskontinuierlich beladenden Beladevorrichtung.
• Menge oder Anteil an, insbesondere nicht-brechbarem, Fremdmaterial.

To determine the time information about a future material task, in particular about the next material task due, the at least one sensor can be designed to detect at least one of the following operating parameters and transmit it to the control device:

• filling level of the material buffer,
• Filling level of at least one conveyor device,
• Conveying speed of at least one conveying device,
• Filling level of at least one work unit,
• Grain shape and/or grain size and/or grain size distribution of fed and/or conveyed material,
• Type of material posted and/or promoted,
• moisture of the applied material,
• density of the fed material,
• hardness of the applied material,
• breakability of the abandoned material,
• abrasiveness of the applied material,
• condition of the abandoned material,
• Amount of returned oversize,
• Amount of material to be posted or abandoned,
• Operating load of at least one drive device,
• Operating load of at least one work unit,
• Working speed of at least one work unit,
• Dimension of a crushing gap of the crushing device
• Mesh size of a sieve of the sieving device,
• Size of a loading tool of a loading device that loads the material buffer discontinuously.
• Amount or proportion of foreign material, particularly non-breakable material.

In principle, one sensor is sufficient to record an operating parameter. However, one and the same operating parameter can be recorded by several sensors, for example if it is not an average, but a location-dependent local filling level of the material buffer that is to be determined. If more than one operating parameter is to be recorded, the rock processing device can have more than one sensor. The same applies if more than one physical operating principle is to be used to record one or more operating parameters.

The degree of filling of the material buffer can be detected, for example, by one or more ultrasonic sensors. Additionally or alternatively, optical detection using at least one camera as a sensor and/or tactile detection using a mechanical sensor is possible. The degree of filling of the material buffer, which is usually funnel-shaped, is a measure of the supply of material still to be processed at the rock processing device.

The degree of filling of the material buffer can be represented by a filling level of the material fed into the material buffer. A single value of the filling height can be used as a representative value for an overall average filling height of the material buffer, or several local filling heights can be determined in order to locally resolve the filling of the material buffer to a greater extent. It is also conceivable to use optical methods, such as laser scanning, to determine a profile of the surface of material placed in the material buffer and its height above the known bottom of the material buffer. The filling height or the local filling heights up to the surface profile of the filled material can already adequately represent the degree of filling. Alternatively, they can be related to the maximum capacity of the material buffer.

An overfilled material buffer, especially a feed hopper, should be avoided, as should an underfilled material buffer. When the material buffer is overfilled, material is lost during material feeding because it can slip from a pile of material in the material buffer and fall next to the material feeding device. In addition, the conveying performance of the material buffer can deteriorate and the screening performance of a pre-screen downstream of the material buffer can be negative if the material buffer is overloaded to be influenced. Furthermore, overfilling the material buffer can lead to an overflowing of a work unit, in particular a crushing device, following in the material flow. An underfilled feed hopper can lead to a high load on the conveyor device connected to the material buffer, since material hits the conveyor device directly when the material is fed, which can cause higher wear and higher noise emissions.

The degree of filling of the material buffer and its development over time is a particularly preferred operating parameter for determining the next execution time of a future material task. If, for example, it can be determined when a filling level of the material buffer will reach a predetermined minimum filling level in the future, then it can be derived from this information when the material buffer should be reloaded at the latest in order to avoid it being underfilled. When determining the execution time, a safety margin of time can of course be taken into account so that disruptive influences that are always present on construction sites have no or only a minor impact on the material flow. The term “construction site” generally includes all sites where material to be processed by the rock processing device is produced or provided, such as quarries, gravel pits, building demolition sites and the like. The term “mineral material” therefore includes both natural and processed mineral material. The latter includes building materials as well as recycled oversize.

The degree of filling of the material buffer is preferably recorded repeatedly in order to determine an emptying rate of the material buffer. The rock processing device preferably comprises a time measuring device which is connected to the control device in terms of signal transmission, optionally with the above-mentioned data memory interposed. The or a time measuring device can be integrated into the at least one sensor and/or into the input device and/or into the control device. Using signals from the time measuring device, the control device can assign an event time to detection events of the at least one sensor and/or input events of the at least one input device. From the time interval of at least two event times for a similar event, for example By detecting one and the same operating parameter, the control device can determine a rate of change assigned to the respective events. The control device can thus determine a rate of change in the degree of filling from two detections of the degree of filling of the material buffer and the known time interval between these detection events. From the determined rate of change and a filling level known through detection, the control device can determine a next execution time, for example by extrapolation, if necessary taking into account the safety margin mentioned above.

Alternatively or preferably in addition to the degree of filling of the material buffer, the degree of filling of at least one conveyor device can be recorded as the or a relevant operating parameter. Preference is given to detecting the degree of filling of a conveying device conveying from the material buffer to a work unit, in particular to a crushing device. The conveying capacity of a conveying device that conveys directly from the material buffer has an influence both on the degree of filling of the material buffer and on the degree of filling of the work unit, in particular the crushing device, to which it conveys material. The same applies to the detection of a conveying speed of at least one conveying device, which in turn is preferably the conveying device between the material buffer and the work unit, in particular the crushing device.

The product of the filling level and the conveying speed of a conveyor device provides a measure of the volume conveyed by the conveyor device or the conveying capacity of the conveyor device.

The conveyor device can be a belt conveyor device or a trough conveyor device, the latter preferably conveying as a vibration conveyor using the micro-throw principle. A vibration conveyor, preferably in the form of a trough conveyor, is particularly preferred as a conveying device for conveying between material buffers and a crushing device. The rock processing device can also have a plurality of conveyor devices and will usually have such a plurality, for example because the same conveyor device is not used as the feed conveyor device can convey away from the material buffer to a work unit and as a discharge conveyor from a work unit out of the rock processing device. In the case of a plurality of conveying devices, these can use different conveying principles, such as the micro-throwing principle already described above in vibration conveyors and/or like a belt conveyor, whereby the belt conveyor is generally used as a discharge conveying device due to the smaller grain size that occurs in the discharge and a usually more homogeneous grain size distribution .

A conveying speed of a conveying device can be determined in different ways. The conveying speed can be determined independently of the type of conveying device by detecting a movement in the conveying direction of a material lying on the conveying device, for example using a light barrier, ultrasound, optical detection and image processing and the like. A conveying speed of a belt conveyor can be detected by detecting the speed of a roller cooperating with the conveyor belt, be it a support roller or a drive roller, or by detecting directly the path speed of the conveyor belt. In the case of vibration conveyors, the vibration amplitude and the vibration frequency can be a measure of the speed of material resting on a vibration conveyor, so that a detection of the vibration amplitude and the vibration frequency is a detection of variables representing the conveying speed. It also applies to all conveying devices that their conveying capacity can be derived from the drive power of a motor driving them, so that the conveying capacity can be derived indirectly from the detection of an engine torque and an engine speed. For some types of electric motors, the delivered motor torque can be determined from the drawn motor current. For hydraulic motors, the delivered torque is proportional to the product of the pressure drop across the hydraulic motor and its displacement. Otherwise, a torque map can be determined and saved for each motor depending on its manipulated variables. The engine torque can then be determined from the recorded manipulated variables by retrieving the torque map from the control device.

As a further possible operating parameter, at least one sensor can include the degree of filling of a work unit of the at least one work unit. To detect the degree of filling of a work unit, sensors can be used which use the same physical operating principles to detect the degree of filling as the aforementioned sensors for determining the degree of filling of the material buffer and/or the conveying device. The degree of filling of a crushing device can be detected, for example, by light barriers, ultrasound and the like.

The working unit can be at least one crushing device from the at least one crushing device and/or can be a screening device from the at least one screening device. If available, this is preferably a breaking device. This is particularly significant for jaw crushers and cone crushers, but should not be ignored for impact crushers and roller crushers either. The degree of filling of a crushing device also plays a role in how quickly a material supply in the material buffer is broken down. A filling level of a work unit of the rock processing device is a significant influencing factor on the material flow in the rock processing device and thus for the unloading or emptying of the material buffer.

Just as the degree of filling of a conveyor device is related to the conveying speed of the conveyor device, the degree of filling of a work unit is related to the working speed of the work unit. Therefore, in a preferred development of the present invention, a working speed of a work unit, i.e. at least one crushing device and/or at least one screening device, can be recorded.

Additionally or alternatively, the dimension of a crushing gap, i.e. in particular the gap width, of a crushing device can be recorded as the at least one operating parameter. This applies in particular to jaw crushers, impact crushers, cone crushers and roller crushers. In the impact crusher, a dimension of both an upper and a lower crushing gap on an upper and a lower impact rocker and/or the crushing gap ratio of the said crushing gap can be recorded as an operating parameter. A recording of crushing gap dimensions can be done by recording a position of an actuator member, which moves a movable component that limits the respective crushing gap dimension, so that a position of the actuator member is clearly assigned to a position of the movable component. Such a component can be a movable crusher jaw or an impact rocker. A calibration can be stored in the data memory mentioned above, which links a detected position of the actuator member with a crushing gap dimension.

Operating loads can also be detected using sensors as operating parameters, for example the operating load of a drive device, such as a central drive unit of the rock processing device, which converts the energy delivered to it into one or more different other forms of energy. Such a drive device can be an internal combustion engine, in particular a diesel engine, which converts the internal calorific value of a fuel into mechanical or kinetic energy at an output shaft. An electric motor is also conceivable as such a drive device, which converts the electrical energy supplied to it into mechanical or kinetic energy on an output shaft. The same applies to a hydraulic motor. In all cases, an operating load can be determined, for example, from recording the speed of the output shaft and a torque delivered at this speed. The detection of speed and torque of a shaft is well known in the prior art. As explained above, an engine torque can be taken based on at least one further operating parameter from a torque map stored in the data memory, in which the engine torque is linked to the at least one further operating parameter.

Alternatively or additionally, the operating load of a work unit can be recorded as the at least one operating parameter. In the case of a crushing device, regardless of the specific type of crusher, there is always an input shaft which supplies kinetic energy to a movable part of the crushing device, such as the movable crusher jaw of a jaw crusher, the rotor of an impact crusher, the cone of a cone crusher or the roller of a roller crusher. Here the speed of the input shaft can be set, if necessary with additional recording and consideration of the torque delivered by the input shaft, a measure of the working speed and/or the operating load of the crushing device. The torque of the input shaft is the torque of a machine driving the input shaft, optionally converted by at least one gearbox arranged between the drive machine and the input shaft.

Since the screening device of a rock processing device functions as a vibrated screening device similar to a vibration conveyor, the operating speed of the screening device can be represented by an amplitude and/or a frequency of a periodic screening movement. The screening device is also driven to its periodic movement by a drive shaft. Their speed, possibly with additional recording and consideration of the torque supplied by the drive shaft, is also an indicator of the working speed and/or operating load of a screening device. Therefore, a sensor for detecting the working speed or the operating load of the screening device can detect the movement amplitude and/or the movement frequency of the screening device and/or a speed and/or a torque of the drive shaft of the relevant screening device.

Just as the degree of filling of a conveyor device is related to the conveying speed of the conveyor device, the degree of filling of a work unit is related to the working speed of the work unit. Therefore, in a preferred development of the present invention, a working speed of a work unit, i.e. at least one crushing device and/or at least one screening device, can be recorded.

Another possible detectable operating parameter is the grain shape and/or the grain size of the fed and/or conveyed material and/or the proportion of foreign material in the fed and/or conveyed material, whereby the conveyed material was usually previously fed into the material feeding device. Additionally or alternatively, the distribution of grain sizes, i.e. the frequency of occurrence of individual different grain sizes or grain size range, in the given and/or extracted material can be an operating parameter relevant to the material flow in the rock processing device. Grain shapes and/or grain sizes and grain size distributions and/or the proportion of foreign material can be recorded, for example, by image processing. The grain size distribution in particular is a key influencing factor for the success of pre-screening, which in turn influences the quality of a downstream crushing device and, as a result, the amount of oversize particles produced. Foreign material is particularly non-crushable material such as plastic, wood, steel and the like. These foreign materials can disrupt the operation of a rock processing device.

The grain size and/or the grain size distribution and/or the proportion of foreign material in or from the applied material is a measure of the potential to spatially occupy the material buffer. Larger grains generally distribute less evenly than smaller grains during a material feed due to the impulse received when pouring into the material buffer and often form lower bulk densities. Likewise, foreign material, such as steel reinforcements made of reinforced concrete, can hinder the effective feeding of material into the material buffer and/or the operation of a subsequent conveyor device. Grain shapes and/or grain sizes and/or grain size distributions and/or the proportion of foreign material can be recorded qualitatively and/or quantitatively.

What was said above about the degree of filling of the material buffer and its detection applies mutatis mutandis to a degree of filling of any other material buffer that may be present and is located in the material flow of the rock processing device or the rock processing plant comprising it.

The oversize resulting from the breaking of rock material is usually conveyed back into the material buffer and thus contributes to the filling level of the material buffer and its change behavior over time. Therefore, recording the amount of oversize returned, in particular oversize returned per unit of time, is also a meaningful operating parameter with regard to the emptying rate of the material buffer. The amount of returned oversize can be recorded optically and/or through image capture and image processing. Additionally or alternatively It is conceivable to record the weight of oversize material conveyed via a returning oversize conveyor belt per unit of time in order to record the amount of returned oversize material.

Taking into account the mesh size of a sieve of a screening device provides information about which grain sizes or grains in which grain size range are moved in the conveyor sections downstream of the screening device in the material flow. The mesh size can be stored as a fixed size in the data storage mentioned above. The mesh size can also be randomly recorded by a laser scanner or another optical sensor in order to be able to take changes in the mesh size due to operation into account. Meshes can expand over the course of their operational life due to exposure to heavy rock material. Sticky material can also cause stitches to become clogged over time and therefore become narrower.

An influential operating parameter is the type of material fed into, extracted and processed by the rock processing device. The type of material can be determined by one or more qualitative and/or one or more quantitative parameters. According to a predetermined classification, a qualitative parameter can contain, for example, "hard rock", "soft rock", "reinforced concrete", "asphalt milled material", "asphalt clod", "building rubble", "gravel", "track ballast" and / or have “other”.

A quantitative parameter can, for example, have certain values for the density and/or hardness and/or breakability and/or abrasiveness and/or moisture of the material fed or conveyed in accordance with recognized and preferably standardized measurement methods. These parameters can also be determined qualitatively, in particular only qualitatively, according to a predetermined classification. For example, parameters can have the qualitative contents "hard", "medium hard", "soft", "good breakability", "medium breakability", "poor breakability", "low moisture", "medium moisture", "high moisture" etc . The qualitative gradation can have more than three levels.

The density can be determined quantitatively, for example, from an optical volume measurement with simultaneous weighing, for example by a scale integrated into a conveyor device. The moisture of the material can be determined using a corresponding moisture sensor. Abrasiveness can be determined by an LCPC test. The breakability of a material can be determined in parallel with the abrasiveness during the LCPC test or can be determined as a Los Angeles value according to DIN EN 1097-2 in the currently valid version.

If the composition of the abandoned rock is known, the control device can, upon entering the respective type of rock using the input device, read out corresponding material values, such as hardness, density, breakability and abrasiveness, from a table stored in the above-mentioned data memory. In principle, however, it is also possible to irradiate the applied material with high-energy electromagnetic radiation, such as X-rays, and to record the irradiation response of the material and, using stored data tables, to draw conclusions about the composition of the material and its properties and material characteristics from the recorded irradiation response.

For example, the condition of the material may be classified into pre-cracked and non-pre-cracked, where "pre-cracked" refers to prior fracturing by a rock processing device. Pre-crushed material may be recycled oversize in the same rock processing equipment. Additionally or alternatively, pre-crushed material can be transferred from another rock processing device upstream in the material flow to the relevant rock processing device. In the case of mixtures of pre-cracked and non-pre-cracked material, the condition of the material can be indicated by a mixing ratio, in particular mass-related mixing ratio, of pre-cracked and non-pre-cracked material. In principle, the condition of the material, such as the grain shape, can be recorded using image processing. The state can additionally or alternatively be conveyed by means of pre-crushed and/or non-pre-crushed material for processing by the respective rock processing device via data transmission to the control device be transmitted. Using conveyor scales, such as belt or bucket scales, the respective conveyor can also transmit quantity information about the material in the respective condition.

Another influential operating parameter, which is, however, located outside the rock processing device, is the size of a loading tool of a loading device that intermittently loads the material buffer. This is, for example, the volume of a bucket of an excavator or a wheel bearing as a possible loading device. In principle, this size can be entered via the above-mentioned input device or can be transmitted by a corresponding transmitting device on the loading tool to a receiving device on the rock processing device that is coordinated with the transmitting device. Finally, a sensor on the rock processing device, such as a laser scanner, can directly detect the size of the loading tool or at least a size range that can be assigned to the loading tool. The size of the loading tool is a measure of the amount of material that can be added to the material buffer with one material feed. The size, such as the volume, of the loading tool can also be determined by recording the change in the filling level in the material buffer before and after a material feeding process. Additionally or alternatively, the actual amount of feed that has been fed or is to be fed into the material buffer can be recorded.

All of the above-mentioned parameters have an influence on the material flow in the rock processing device and thus on the rate at which the material buffer is emptied by the rock processing in the rock processing device.

During the operation of the rock processing device, the control device can record the temporal change in the degree of filling of the material buffer depending on the other recorded operating parameters by detecting several of the above-mentioned parameters, including the degree of filling of the material buffer, and by methods of artificial intelligence, such as deep learning, or other analytical ones Methods learn an at least qualitative dependency relationship between the filling level of the material buffer and the other recorded operating parameters and use it to predict when material re-feeding will be required. As the operating time increases, the forecast accuracy of the control device becomes increasingly precise using its time information.

Additionally or alternatively, a functional or data relationship or several functional or data relationships between the degree of filling of the material buffer and one or more other of the above-mentioned operating parameters can be determined in advance experimentally in test operations of the rock processing device and stored in a suitable form in the data memory. Suitable forms include formulas, maps, fuzzy sets or fuzzy sets and the like.

The at least one functional or data connection determined in advance in test operations can be the basis for predicting a future development of the degree of filling of the material buffer and thus for determining the time information. It can, and this is preferred, also be the basis for continued learning with the help of artificial intelligence methods in the further use of the rock processing device.

The functional relationships of several rock processing devices learned in this way or further developed through continued learning can be transferred to a central data collection point, for example of the device manufacturer or its contractual partner, and evaluated there and, for example, consolidated. After such revision, the then improved functional relationships can be transferred to new and/or existing rock processing devices and used by them as a basis for determining the time information depending on the at least one operating parameter.

• Soll-Füllgrad des Materialpuffers,
• Soll-Füllgrad wenigstens einer Fördervorrichtung,
• Soll-Fördergeschwindigkeit wenigstens einer Fördervorrichtung,
• Soll-Füllgrad der Brechvorrichtung,
• Soll-Abmessung eines Brechspalts der Brechvorrichtung,
• Soll-Betriebslast wenigstens einer Antriebsvorrichtung,
• Soll-Betriebslast der Brechvorrichtung,
• Soll-Korngröße oder/und Soll-Korngrößenverteilung von aufgegebenem oder/und gefördertem Material,
• Soll-Menge an rückgeführtem Überkorn,
• Soll-Maschenweite eines Siebs der Siebvorrichtung,
• Art von aufgegebenem oder/und gefördertem Material,
• Größe eines Beladewerkzeugs einer den Materialpuffer diskontinuierlich beladenden Beladevorrichtung.

As has already been explained above, at least one operating parameter or several operating parameters can also be supplied to the control device through the input device, if necessary with the intermediate arrangement of the data memory. The control device is therefore preferably additionally designed in which Operation with discontinuous material feed to determine the time information taking into account at least one of the following information entered into the input device:

• Target filling level of the material buffer,
• Target filling level of at least one conveyor device,
• Target conveying speed of at least one conveying device,
• Target filling level of the crushing device,
• Target dimension of a crushing gap of the crushing device,
• Target operating load of at least one drive device,
• Target operating load of the crushing device,
• Target grain size and/or target grain size distribution of fed and/or conveyed material,
• Target amount of returned oversize,
• Target mesh size of a sieve of the sieving device,
• Type of material posted and/or promoted,
• Size of a loading tool of a loading device that loads the material buffer discontinuously.

The designation as "target" indicates that the parameter in question is not detected by sensors, but is specified as a target value. The control device assumes that the rock processing device and its components are operated with respective actual values that differ from the predetermined target values only within a predetermined tolerance range and otherwise correspond sufficiently with them. As a result, the effort for sensory detection of operating parameters can be limited to a few highly relevant operating parameters, which include, for example, the degree of filling of the material buffer, without excessively losing the forecast accuracy in the time information.

For the use of the information entered into the input device to determine the time information, what was said above regarding the sensor-detected operating parameters applies accordingly.

In order to make the time information accessible to third parties, in particular machine operators of loading devices, the output device can be designed to output information in a type of non-directional output, independent of the receiver, into a spatial area that at least partially surrounds the rock processing device and/or is adjacent to the rock processing device. This preferably means that no receiving device is necessary to reproduce the time information output by the output device in a version that can be understood by humans or by electronic data processing devices.

The output device can thus output the time information in a visually perceptible manner, for example by displaying a time that shows the calculated earliest possible delivery time for the next material delivery. Instead of an absolute time, a remaining waiting time until the next task time can be displayed. This can be done digitally or analogue, graphically or numerically. For example, the waiting time until the next task time can be represented numerically by a digital clock with a time unit countdown, for example in seconds or in seconds and minutes. The waiting time can also be represented graphically and numerically using an analog clock or an analog pointer instrument, for example again with a time unit countdown by means of a corresponding continuous or stepwise pointer movement. A purely graphical representation of the waiting time, for example as a waiting time bar proportional to the length of the remaining waiting time, as an hourglass proportional to the remaining waiting time, and the like, is also conceivable. For this purpose, the output device can have a display device that can be visually perceived from outside the rock processing device, such as the above-mentioned pointer instrument or a monitor with a freely configurable graphic display or a light bar with variable lighting dimensions and the like.

Alternatively or additionally, the rock processing device can have a receiving device which is designed separately from a machine body of the rock processing device, is movable relative to the machine body and can be separated or separated from the machine body, in order to ensure that the time information arrives directly where it is actually needed. The output device then outputs the time information by transmitting it to the receiving device. The receiving device itself is in turn designed to perceptibly output the received time information to an operator and/or to process and/or use it to control machine components.

In principle, the receiving device can be permanently installed in another device. This is preferably the loading device, particularly preferably a driver's cab of the loading device. In a preferred development of the present invention, the receiving device is a portable receiving device, such as a smartphone, a tablet computer or a laptop computer. It can then be carried by a machine operator of the loading device and can thus bring the time information to the machine operator's attention even if he is not at his loading device. This means that material can be fed to the rock processing device in a timely manner even if the loading device is not immediately ready to feed material at the time the time information is issued.

Because of the interaction of the rock processing device with a loading device in order to be able to ensure operation of the rock processing device at an advantageous operating point, the present invention also relates to a machine combination of a rock processing device with a separate, separate or separable receiving device and with a loading device that discontinuously loads the material buffer of the rock processing device. The receiving device is preferably arranged in the loading device in order to keep the time information available where it is immediately needed, so that timely loading of the material buffer can be guaranteed.

The loading device can be an excavator or a wheel loader, depending on the design of the construction site on which the rock processing device or the machine combination is used.

The receiving device can output the time information graphically and/or acoustically to a machine operator of the loading device, for example via a head-up display, so that he can take the necessary actions after taking note of the time information in order to ensure timely loading of the material buffer. Additionally or alternatively, the receiving device can be coupled in terms of signal transmission to a transport-relevant operating component of the loading device and can control this in accordance with the time information. A transport-relevant operating component can, for example, be at least one actuator on the loading device, which moves a loading tool of the loading device, such as a shovel of the excavator or wheel loader, to fill it.

Partially automated operation of the loading device that supports the machine operator or even fully automated operation of the loading device by the receiving device, optionally supported by at least one further control device on the side of the loading device, is possible.

The rock processing device may be part of a rock processing facility that includes a plurality of rock processing devices. These several rock processing devices preferably work in a chained manner in the sense that a rock processing device upstream in the material flow feeds a material feed device of a downstream rock processing device with its final grain product or one of its final grain products. Such a rock processing system is then also to be understood as a rock processing device in the sense of the present application, which has a plurality of rock processing sub-devices.

Fig. 1

eine grobschematische Ansicht einer Baustelle mit einer erfindungsgemäßen Ausführungsform einer Gesteinsverarbeitungsvorrichtung,

Fig. 2

die Gesteinsverarbeitungsvorrichtung von Figur 1 in vergrößerter schematischer Seitenansicht,

Fig. 3

die Gesteinsverarbeitungsvorrichtung von Figur 2 in vergrößerter schematischer Draufsicht,

Fig. 4

eine grobschematische Ansicht einer Empfangsvorrichtung zur Ausgabe von Zeitinformation, und

Fig. 5

eine grobschematische Ansicht einer Empfangsvorrichtung zur Ausgabe von Ortsinformation für eine Materialaufgabe an eine Materialaufgabevorrichtung der Gesteinsverarbeitungsvorrichtung.

The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It shows:

Fig. 1

a roughly schematic view of a construction site with an embodiment of a rock processing device according to the invention,

Fig. 2

the rock processing device of Figure 1 in an enlarged schematic side view,

Fig. 3

the rock processing device of Figure 2 in an enlarged schematic top view,

Fig. 4

a rough schematic view of a receiving device for outputting time information, and

Fig. 5

a rough schematic view of a receiving device for outputting location information for a material feed to a material feed device of the rock processing device.

In Figure 1 a construction site is generally designated 10. The central working device of the construction site 10 is a rock processing device 12 with an impact crusher 14 as a crushing device and with a pre-screen 16 and a secondary screen 18 as screening devices. In the present case, the construction site is preferably a quarry, but can also be a recycling center or a demolition site for one or more structures.

Material M to be processed by the rock processing device 12, i.e. material M to be sorted and comminuted in terms of size, is discontinuously fed by an excavator 20 as a loading device of the rock processing device 12 into a material feeding device 22 with a funnel-shaped material buffer 24 by loading.

From the material feed device 22, a vibration conveyor designed as a trough conveyor 26 conveys the material M to the pre-screen 16, which has two pre-screen decks 16a and 16b, of which the upper pre-screen deck 16a has a larger mesh size and separates those grain sizes and feeds them to the impact crusher 14, which according to the respective Specifications for the final grain product to be achieved require comminution.

Grains falling through the upper pre-screen deck 16a are further sorted by the lower pre-screen deck 16b into a useful grain fraction 28, which meets the specifications of the corresponds to the final grain product to be achieved and into an undersize fraction 30, which has such a small grain size that it is unusable as valuable grain.

The number of heaps or fractions shown in the exemplary embodiment is merely an example. It can be larger or smaller than shown in the example. In addition, the undersize fraction 30, which is explained as scrap in the present example, can also be a valuable grain fraction, provided that the grain size range in fraction 30 can be used for further uses.

The useful grain fraction 28 is increased by the broken material output by the impact crusher 14 and conveyed to the secondary sieve 18 by a first conveyor device 32 in the form of a belt conveyor. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the secondary screen 18 also has two screen decks or secondary screen decks 18a and 18b, of which the upper secondary screen deck 18a has the larger mesh size. The upper secondary screen deck 18a allows valuable grain to fall through its mesh and sorts out an oversize fraction 34 with a grain size that is larger than the largest desired grain size of the valuable grain. The oversize fraction 34 is returned to the material input of the impact crusher 14 or into the pre-screen 16 by an oversize conveyor device 36. The oversize conveyor device 36 is designed as a belt conveyor in the exemplary embodiment shown.

The useful grain of the useful grain fraction 28 thus includes oversize and valuable grain. Deviating from the illustration in the exemplary embodiment, for example, the oversize conveying device 36 can be swung out from a machine frame 50 of the rock processing device 12, so that the oversize fraction 34 is stockpiled instead of being returned.

The valuable grain that has fallen through the meshes of the upper secondary sieve deck 18a is further fractionated by the lower secondary sieve deck 18b into a fine-grain fraction 38 with a smaller grain size and a medium-grain fraction 40 with a larger grain size.

The fine grain fraction 38 is piled up and stockpiled into a fine grain heap 44 by a fine grain discharge conveyor 42 in the form of a belt conveyor. The medium-grain fraction 40 is converted into an in. by a medium-grain discharge conveyor 46, also in the form of a belt conveyor Figure 1 not shown and in Figure 2 The medium-grain heap 48, which is only shown in a roughly schematic form, was heaped up and dumped.

As a central structure, the rock processing device 12 has a machine frame 50, on which the device components mentioned are directly or indirectly fixed or stored. As a central power source, the rock processing device 12 has a diesel internal combustion engine 52 mounted on the machine frame 50, which generates all of the energy consumed by the rock processing device 12, unless it is stored in energy storage devices, such as batteries. In addition, the rock processing device 12, if present, can be connected to construction site electricity on the construction site side.

The rock processing device 12, which can be part of a rock processing plant with a plurality of rock processing devices arranged in a common material flow, is in the example shown a mobile, more precisely self-propelled, rock processing device 12 with a crawler chassis 54, which enables an automatic change of location via hydraulic motors 56 as a drive for the rock processing device 12 possible without an external tractor.

The valuable grain heaps 44 and 48, as well as the heap of undergrain fraction 30, are dismantled discontinuously by one or more wheel loaders 58 as an exemplary mining device. The stockpile of undersize fraction 30 must also be dismantled regularly in order to ensure uninterrupted operation of the rock processing device 12.

For the most advantageous operational control possible, the rock processing device 12 has the following, based on the larger representation of Figure 2 described device components:
The rock processing device 12 includes a control device 60, for example in the form of an electronic data processing system with integrated circuits, which controls the operation of device components. For this purpose, the control device 60 can, for example, either directly control drives of device components or control actuators, which in turn can move components.

The control device 60 is connected to a data memory 62 in terms of signal transmission for data exchange and is connected to an input device 64 for inputting information. Information can be entered into the input device 64 via the input device 64, for example a touchscreen, a tablet computer, a keyboard and the like, and stored by it in the data memory 62.

In addition, the control device 60 is connected in terms of signal transmission to an output device 66 in order to output information.

The rock processing device 12 also has various sensors to obtain information about its operating status, which are connected to the control device 60 in terms of signal transmission and thus indirectly to the data memory 62 in the example shown. For better clarity, the sensors are only in Figure 2 shown.

A camera 70 is arranged on a support frame 68, which records images from the material feeding device 22 with the material buffer 24 and transmits them to the control device 60 for image processing. With the help of the camera 70 and by image processing of the images of the material buffer 24 and the material feeding device 22 recorded by it, a local filling level of the material buffer 24 is determined by the control device using data relationships stored in the data memory 22.

Furthermore, the drive of the trough conveyor 26 (not shown) detects its vibration amplitude and vibration frequency and transmits it to the control device 60, which uses this information to determine a conveying speed of the trough conveyor 26 and, taking into account the local filling level of the material buffer 24, a conveying capacity of the trough conveyor 26 to the impact crusher 14.

Through predetermined data relationships generated and/or further developed, in particular by artificial intelligence methods, the control device 60 can recognize a grain size distribution in the material M in the material buffer 24 and even the type of material from the image information from the camera 70.

An upper impact rocker 72 and a lower impact rocker 74 are arranged in the impact crusher 14 in a manner known per se, the rotational position of the upper impact rocker 72 being detected by a rotational position sensor 76 and the rotational position of the lower impact rocker 74 by a rotational position sensor 78 and transmitted to the control device 60 . Through the rotational position sensors 76 and 78, the control device 60 can also determine a crushing gap width of an upper crushing gap on the upper impact rocker 72 and a crushing gap width of a lower crushing gap on the lower impact rocker 74.

A speed sensor 80 determines the speed of the crushing rotor of the impact crusher 14 and transmits this to the control device 60.

Wear sensors can be provided on components that are particularly subject to wear, such as blow bars, impact rockers, impact plates and impact bars, which register the progress of wear, usually in wear stages, and transmit it to the control device 60. In the example shown, for better clarity, a wear sensor arrangement 82 is only shown on the lower impact rocker 74.

A first belt scale 84 is arranged in the first conveyor device 32, which records the weight or mass of the material of the useful grain fraction 28 transported above it on the first conveyor device 32. This can be done via a speed sensor 86 in a deflection roller of the conveyor belt of the first conveyor device 32 Control device 60 determines a conveying speed of the first conveying device 32 and can determine a conveying capacity of the first conveying device 32 in conjunction with the detection signals of the first belt scale 84.

A second belt scale 88 is arranged in the fine grain discharge conveyor 42 and detects the mass or weight of the fine grain of the fine grain fraction 38 moving above it on the belt of the fine grain discharge conveyor 42. Likewise, through the speed sensor 90 in a deflection roller of the conveyor belt of the fine grain discharge conveyor 42, a conveying speed of the fine grain discharge conveyor 42 and, in conjunction with the detection signals of the second belt scale 88, a conveying capacity of the fine grain discharge conveyor 42 can be determined by the control device 60.

A third belt scale 92 is arranged in the oversize conveyor device 36 and determines the weight or mass of the oversize of the oversize fraction 34 conveyed above it on the oversize conveyor device 36. A speed sensor 94 of a deflection roller of the conveyor belt of the oversize conveyor device 36 determines the conveying speed of the oversize conveyor device 36 and transmits this to the control device 60, which, in conjunction with the detection signals of the third belt scale 92, can determine a conveying capacity of the oversize conveyor device.

At the discharge-side longitudinal end of the fine-grain discharge conveyor 42, a first stockpile sensor 96 is arranged, which, as a camera, records images of the fine-grain stockpile 44 and transmits them as image information to a control device 60, which recognizes contours of the fine-grain stockpile 48 through image processing and based on the known imaging data The camera of the first heap sensor 96 determines a shape based on the recognized contours and from this a volume of the fine grain heap 48 is determined. To simplify its information determination, the control device 60 can assume an ideal conical shape of the fine-grain heap 48 and determine the volume of an ideal cone that approximates the real fine-grain heap 48 without excessive errors. It may be sufficient for a stockpile sensor to determine the diameter D of the base area of a stockpile and the height h of the stockpile, as in the Figures 2 and 3 using the example of dump 48 is shown.

In Figure 1 an alternatively or additionally usable second stockpile sensor 98 is shown. The second stockpile sensor 98 includes a flyable drone as a carrier, the movement of which can be remotely controlled by the control device 60. The second heap sensor 98 also serves to determine at least one height of the fine grain heap 48, but preferably to determine its shape and thus its volume. An advantage of using a drone or a sensor installed in an elevated location, such as on a high mast or stand, is that one sensor can detect more than one heap in terms of its height and/or its shape and/or its volume. Then a number of sensors that is less than the number of heaps to be detected at the rock processing device 12, at a rock processing plant or at the construction site 10 as a whole may be sufficient to detect each of the heaps to be detected. Preferably, exactly one sensor is then sufficient to actually detect all the heaps to be detected.

Each discharge conveyor device that creates a stockpile preferably has at least one stockpile sensor or cooperates with a stockpile sensor.

The remaining discharge conveyor devices, such as the medium-grain discharge conveyor device 46 and an under-grain discharge conveyor device 29, also preferably have a belt scale and a speed sensor for detecting the amount of material transported on the respective conveyor device, the conveying speed and thus the conveying performance.

The output device 66 is explained in more detail below:
The output device 66 can have a projection device 100, for example on the support frame 68, in order to produce a marking within the in Figure 2 shown and identical to the feed opening of the material buffer 24 to project the overall feed area 102. The overall feed area 102 is selected so that a grain falling along the direction of gravity reaches the material feed device 22 without falling directly onto the pre-screen 16.

The output device 66 further comprises a transmitter/receiver unit 104, which transmits data via radio in a suitable data protocol to a receiving device set up for communication with it, for example the receiving device 106 in the Figures 4 and 5 , transmitted and received from it.

Furthermore, the output device 66 has a first display device 108, for example in the form of a monitor, for externally perceptible display of time information for a next material feed into the material feed device 22. Likewise, the output device 66 in the illustrated embodiment has a second display device 110, for example a monitor, for the externally perceptible display of time information and location information for the next heap removal. For this purpose, the display device 110 not only displays time information as to when the next heap removal should begin, but also location information as to which of the heaps should be dismantled at the specified time and, if applicable, by what amount the designated heap should be mined.

Furthermore, the excavator 20 includes a transmitting/receiving device 112 with data storage, which is set up for communication with the transmitting/receiving unit 104 of the rock processing device 12. The transmitting/receiving device 112 can thus transmit relevant data about the excavator 20 to the transmitting/receiving unit 104, such as the capacity of its shovel 21 as its loading tool and/or its current GPS data.

Accordingly, the wheel loader 58 includes a transmitting/receiving device 114 with data memory, which is set up for communication with the transmitting/receiving unit 104 of the rock processing device 12. The transmitting/receiving device 112 can thus transmit relevant data about the wheel loader 58 to the transmitting/receiving unit 104, such as the capacity of its shovel 59 as its mining tool and/or its current GPS data.

In the example shown, the data memory 62 contains several data contexts which link operating and/or material parameters with one another. These data connections can be determined in advance through experimental operations with targeted data Parameter variations are determined and stored in the data memory 62. The use of artificial intelligence methods to determine causal relationships between operating and/or material parameters is particularly helpful for more complex, multi-dimensional data relationships. The data relationships determined in this way can be continuously verified, refined and/or corrected during further operation of the rock processing device 12, again preferably using artificial intelligence methods.

The discontinuous feeding of material naturally leads to a surge-like feeding of material, with a surge of material being fed in being limited by the size of the blade 21 of the excavator 20. The time intervals between two discontinuous material tasks are unpredictable and fluctuate.

In order to avoid disruptions in the operation of the rock processing device 12, the control device 60 determines time information based on detection signals from one or more of the aforementioned sensors, which represents an execution time of a future, in particular next, material feed into the material feed device 22.

For this purpose, the control device 60 preferably uses the determined locally differentiated degree of filling of the material buffer 24 and takes into account the conveying capacities of the trough conveyor 26 and, for example, the undersize conveying device 29 and the first conveying device 32. A balanced consideration of the material flows of the trough conveyor 26 into the impact crusher 14 as well as the Undersize conveyor device 29 and the first conveyor device 32 away from the impact crusher 14 indicates whether the degree of filling of the impact crusher 14 changes over time, for example increases or decreases, and thus gives a measure of whether the conveying capacity of the trough conveyor 26 can be maintained or changed must become. However, the conveying capacity of the trough conveyor 26 is decisive for how quickly the material buffer 24 should be emptied and reloaded with material. Alternatively or additionally, a sensor can also be provided directly on the rock processing device 12 for detecting the degree of filling of the impact crusher 14.

The control device 60 also takes into account the amount of returned oversize, since the oversize fraction 34 also contributes to the degree of filling of the material buffer 24.

A predefined data context stored in the data memory 62 can include the detection signals of the camera 70, the first belt scale 84, the speed sensor 86, a belt scale and a speed sensor on the undersize discharge conveyor, the belt scale 92 and the speed sensor 94 of the oversize conveyor 36 as well as the size of the Link the shovel 21 of the excavator 20, if necessary taking into account the distance of the excavator 20 from the material feeding device 22, as input variables with time information as an output variable, which indicates when the next material feed into the material feeding device 22 should take place. On the one hand, this time information can be displayed on the first output device 108 in a suitable form, for example as an hourglass, waiting time bar, time countdown or analog clock display, so that anyone within sight of the rock processing device 20 can see it.

The time information can also be sent by the transmitter/receiver unit 104 to a mobile receiving device 106, which is available to the machine operator of the excavator 20. The mobile receiving device 106 may be a portable mobile device, such as a cell phone, a tablet computer and the like, or may be permanently installed in the excavator 20 as part of its control device and remain in the excavator 20.

In Figure 4 For example, a representation of time information on the receiving device 106 is shown both graphically in the upper half by pointer representation 107a and alphanumeric in the lower half by time countdown 107b. In the case shown, the next material task is desired in 00 minutes and 45 seconds.

In this way, the control device 60 can successively control the discontinuous material feed and ensure the best possible material flow in the rock processing device 12 despite the discontinuity of the material feed.

Due to the local or area-wise resolution of the degree of filling in the material feed device 22 or in the material buffer 24, the control device 60 is also able, based on a further data context stored in the data memory 62, to carry out the next material feed not only in terms of time but also locally within the overall feed area 102 of the material buffer 24 or the material feeding device 22 or to provide location information about a preferred material feeding location within the overall feeding area 102.

As a result, a loading of the material buffer 24 that is as advantageous as possible over the entire operating time of the rock processing device 12 can be conveyed by the control device 60 for the respective design of the material feed device 22 and the rock processing device 12 as a whole, which can be identified parametrically in the data memory 62 for use by the control device 60 become.

Local overfilling of the material buffer 24 can thus be avoided, as can a direct feeding of material onto the pre-screen 16. Furthermore, where the degree of filling within the material buffer 24 has dropped sharply locally, material can be fed in to create an advantageous material bed in the material feeding device 22 guarantee.

Based on a predetermined data context, the control device 60 can thus output location information to the machine operator of the excavator 20 as to where the next material task should take place within the overall task area 102.

The output device 66 can output this location information for everyone to see through the projection device 100, in which the projection device 100 projects a marking within the overall task area 102 or within the material buffer 24 to the location where the next material task should take place.

Additionally or alternatively, the location information, like the time information for the next material task, can be output to the machine operator of the excavator 20 via the receiving device 106. Figure 5 shows an exemplary embodiment for a location information output. The receiving device 106 shows a schematic representation 197c of the material buffer 24 with the overall task area 102 and marks the desired delivery location within the overall task area 102 for the next material task using a suitable marking 116. In addition, a drop height or a drop height range to be preferably maintained can also be specified quantitatively, for example in meters and/or centimeters, or qualitatively, for example by specifying qualitative drop height parameters such as “low”, “medium” and “high”. The additional height information can be easily implemented, particularly when transmitting the location information to an excavator control, possibly semi-automatic.

By means of the first and/or the second stockpile sensor 96 and 98 on the respective discharge conveyor devices 29, 42 and 46, the control device 60 can determine an increase, taking into account material parameters, such as the type of material fed in, grain size and grain size distribution, which may result in the bulk density of the heaps 30, 44 and 48 generated by the rock processing device 12 and, above all, capture a change or growth rate of the respective heap and, using a previously generated and stored data context, determine mining time information as to when a particular heap is dismantled by the wheel loader 58 shall be. This can prevent the stockpile from growing too much and blocking discharge via the discharge conveyor device that creates the respective stockpile.

Furthermore, the control device can determine further degradation information, taking into account material parameters, such as the grain size and grain size distribution as well as the density, using a data context determined for this purpose, which indicates the extent to which degradation should take place.

If the rock processing device 12 creates several heaps, as in the present application, the output device 66 also provides further mining information which identifies the dump affected by the mining time information.

The control device 60 can display the mining time information and the further mining information on the second display device 110 for everyone in the field of vision of the rock processing device 12 to be perceptible. Additionally or alternatively, the output device 66 can transmit the information about the next heap removal to the receiving device 106 via the transmitter/receiver unit 104, where it is output graphically and/or alphanumerically to the machine operator of the wheel loader 58.

Finally, the control device 60 can control operating parameters of the rock processing device 12 from detection signals from suitable sensors in such a way that a predetermined desired ratio of the amount of fine grain to the amount of medium grain is obtained in the exemplary embodiment shown. Likewise, the control device 60 can control the rock processing device 12 based on appropriately prepared data contexts so that its energy consumption per unit amount of processed mineral material reaches at least a local minimum or is reduced. Additionally or alternatively, the control device 60 can control the rock processing device 12 using appropriately prepared data contexts in such a way that an amount of oversize that is advantageous for the respective crushing process is returned, so that there is sufficient supporting grain in the crushing gap or in the crushing gaps due to pre-cracked oversize. In fact, an operation aimed at minimizing or eliminating the amount of oversize is not necessarily the most economical operation of the rock processing device 12 due to the beneficial effects of oversize as a supporting grain in the crushing gap. In fact, often a very small amount of oversize means too large an amount too finely broken material, which is generally not desired. If the amount of recycled material decreases, the quality of the end product often also decreases, as it then contains less material that has been broken several times.

In this case, the control device 60 can also strive for operation of the rock processing device 12 on the basis of several target variables or a target variable with further specified boundary conditions, such as the production of valuable grain with different grain sizes, based on the data relationships available to it and determined in advance through experimental operations with targeted parameter variation in a predetermined quantitative ratio with the lowest possible energy consumption and with the most advantageous amount of recycled oversize.

To adjust the operation of the rock processing device 12 in accordance with the output variables of the at least one data context used, the control device 60 can change the conveying speed of one or more conveying devices, can change the crushing gap width, in particular of the upper and/or the lower crushing gap, can change the rotor speed, can Control the material feed into the material feed device 22 in terms of location and time, etc.

The input variables used for operational optimization can be the size and/or the height and/or the growth of valuable grain heaps, in the present case the valuable grain heaps 44 and 48, the size and/or the height and/or the growth of the heap of undergrain -Fraction 30, the amount of returned oversize, the given grain size and given grain size distribution, which can primarily be determined via the material parameters entered via the input device 64. The entered material parameters can include at least one material parameter from the type of material, degree of moisture, hardness, density, breakability, abrasiveness, proportion of foreign substances in the fed and/or processed material, etc., the grain size and grain size distribution in the individual discharge conveying devices. This list is not exhaustive. In the discharge conveyor devices, the grain size and grain size distribution, and if necessary also the grain shape, can be determined by cameras with downstream image processing. The grain size and the grain size distribution in a discharge conveyor device can additionally or alternatively be determined by the occupancy of one of the respective discharge conveyor devices in the material flow upstream screening device can be determined. Additionally or alternatively, the desired target quantity of a respective end product can serve as an input variable for operational optimization.

By using artificial intelligence methods, the control device 60, if desired with the participation of powerful external data processing devices, can continuously improve the accuracy of the stored data relationships through its daily operation and the data and findings collected.

The rock processing device 12 can therefore not only optimize its own operation, but can also gradually take over the organization of the entire construction site in the vicinity of the rock processing device 12.

Claims (10)

Rock processing device (12) for comminution and/or sizing of granular mineral material (M), the rock processing device (12) comprising as device components: - a material feeding device (22) with a material buffer (24) for loading with starting material (M) to be processed, - at least one work unit + at least one breaking device (14) and + at least one screening device (16, 18), - at least one conveying device (26, 32) for conveying material between two device components, - a control device (60) for controlling device components of the rock processing device (12), - at least one sensor (72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92, 94, 96, 98) for detecting at least one operating parameter, the sensor (72, 74, 76, 78 , 80, 82, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92, 94, 96, 98) is connected in terms of signal transmission to the control device (60) for transmitting a detection signal representing the at least one detected operating parameter, - at least one output device (66) for outputting information, wherein the output device (66) for transmitting information is connected to the control device (60) in terms of signal transmission, characterized in that the control device (60) is designed to operate in an operation with discontinuous material feed of starting material (M) to be processed based on the at least a detection signal to determine time information which represents an execution time of a future material feed into the material feeding device (22), the output device (66) being designed to output the determined time information. Rock processing device (12) according to claim 1,
characterized in that the rock processing device (12) is designed to determine an individual execution time as time information for at least two successive future material tasks in operation with discontinuous material feeding and to output each time by means of the output device (66). Rock processing device (12) according to claim 1 or 2,
characterized in that the rock processing device (12) comprises an input device (64) for inputting information, the input device (64) for transmitting information being connected to the control device (60) in terms of signal transmission, the control device (60) being designed to: in the operation with discontinuous material feeding, to determine the time information based on the at least one detection signal and information entered into the input device (64). Rock processing device (12) according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that the at least one sensor is designed to detect at least one of the following operating parameters and transmit it to the control device (60): - filling level of the material buffer (24), - Filling level of at least one conveyor device (26, 32), - conveying speed of at least one conveying device (26, 32), - Filling level of at least one work unit (14, 16, 18), - Grain shape and/or grain size and/or grain size distribution of fed and/or conveyed material, - Type of material posted and/or conveyed, - moisture of the applied material, - density of the fed material, - hardness of the applied material, - breakability of the abandoned material, - abrasiveness of the applied material, - condition of the abandoned material, - Amount of returned oversize grain, - Amount of material to be posted or abandoned, - operating load of at least one drive device, - Operating load of at least one work unit (14, 16, 18), - working speed of at least one work unit (14, 16, 18), - Dimension of a crushing gap of the crushing device (14) - Mesh size of a sieve of the sieving device (16), - Size of a loading tool (21) of a loading device (20) which loads the material buffer (24) discontinuously. - Amount or proportion of foreign material, particularly non-breakable material. Rock processing device (12) according to claim 3 or according to claims 3 and 4,
characterized in that the control device (60) is designed to determine the time information in the operation with discontinuous material feeding, taking into account at least one of the following information entered into the input device (64): - Target filling level of the material buffer, - Target filling level of at least one conveyor device, - Target conveying speed of at least one conveying device, - target filling level of the crushing device, - target dimension of a crushing gap of the crushing device, - target operating load of at least one drive device, - target operating load of the crushing device, - target grain size and/or target grain size distribution of material fed and/or conveyed, - target amount of returned oversize, - target mesh size of a sieve of the sieving device, - Type of material posted and/or conveyed, - Size of a loading tool of a loading device that loads the material buffer discontinuously. Rock processing device (12) according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that the output device (66) is designed, independent of the receiver, to output information into a spatial area that at least partially surrounds the rock processing device (12) and/or is adjacent to the rock processing device (12). Rock processing device (12) according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that the rock processing device (12) has a receiving device (106) which is designed separately from a machine body of the rock processing device (12), is movable relative to the machine body and can be separated or separated from the machine body, the output device (66) being designed to receive the time information to be transmitted to the receiving device (106) and thereby output. Rock processing device (12) according to claim 7,
characterized in that the receiving device (106) is a portable receiving device (106). Machine combination consisting of a rock processing device (12) according to claim 7 or 8 and a loading device (20) which loads the material buffer (24) of the rock processing device (12) discontinuously,
characterized in that the receiving device (106) is arranged in the loading device (20). Machine combination according to claim 8 or 9,
characterized in that the receiving device (106) outputs the time information graphically and/or acoustically to a machine operator of the loading device (20) and/or controls a transport-relevant operating component (21) of the loading device (20).

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