WO2009109017A1

WO2009109017A1 - Control of material delivery by user at point of delivery, especially controlling concrete delivery from a concrete pump by the user who is manually handling the end of the whip line or hose on a building site

Info

Publication number: WO2009109017A1
Application number: PCT/AU2009/000277
Authority: WO
Inventors: Joseph D'angelo
Original assignee: Myriad Innovations Pty Ltd.
Priority date: 2008-03-06
Filing date: 2009-03-06
Publication date: 2009-09-11
Also published as: AU2009221572A1

Abstract

A method of controlling delivery of heavy material suitable for construction, the method comprising the step of: communicating control and feedback information between a heavy material delivery system and a remote user handling device located at a point of delivery of the heavy material such that a user of the remote user handling device controls delivery of the heavy material at the point of delivery. Apparatus for controlling delivery of heavy material suitable for construction comprising: a heavy material delivery system comprising material supply truck means operatively associated with a material delivery hose adapted to form a point of delivery for the material; a remote user handling device operatively associated with the point of delivery for the material and adapted to communicate control and feedback information with the heavy material delivery system to enable a user of the remote user handling device to control delivery of the material at the point of delivery.

Description

CONTROL OF MATERIAL DELIVERY BY USER AT POINT OF DELIVERY, ESPECIALLY

CONTROLLING CONCRETE DELIVERY FROM A CONCRETE PUMP BY THE USER WHO IS

MANUALLY HANDLING THE END OF THE WHIP LINE OR HOSE ON A BUILDING SITE

The present invention relates generally to the field of building and construction. In particular, the present invention relates to the control of materials used in construction. In one particular aspect the present invention is suitable for use as a means for controlling the delivery of concrete to a predetermined location to form a construction and it will be convenient to hereinafter describe the invention in relation to that use, however it should be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to that use, only. BACKGROUND ART Throughout this specification the use of the word "inventor" in singular form may be taken as reference to one (singular) inventor or more than one (plural) inventor of the present invention. The discussion throughout this specification comes about due to the realisation of the inventor and/or the identification of certain related or prior art problems by the inventor. In some industrial working environments, heavy-material-delivery-hoses or pipes are used to transfer very heavy material that is capable of flowing or moving through the hoses. For example, hoses are used to transfer wet concrete slurry, which may comprise usually of a mix of wet concrete, sand, and stones. The heavy weight of the wet concrete slurry means that the hoses may become very heavy when filled with the slurry. Prior art Figure 1A shows an example of a working environment where a hose 10 is used to transfer wet slurry concrete to a location 20 where the wet concrete is to be poured. Wet slurry concrete is pumped through the main line 10. The end of the main line 10 may be provided with a flexible, steel-reinforced rubber hose, known as a whip- line 11 , which is typically around four meters in length. The flexible whip-line 11 is typically around four to five inches in diameter. There are hoses with larger diameters that are capable of carrying more slurry concrete, and hence, in use, are heavier.

Figure 1A shows a workman 30 manoeuvring the whip-line 11 so that the concrete slurry 40 can be poured on the location 20 that needs to receive the concrete. A workman must manually guide the whip-line 11 to the desired location 20, because the supporting boom 12 of the truck 13 cannot consistently make fine shifts in position required to accurately locate the whip-line 11 for the concrete pouring operation. One identified problem is that this task takes a heavy physical toll on the workman's body because of bodily contact between the workman 30 and the whip-line 11. It is common for workmen, who have performed this job for many years, to suffer chronic physical disabilities, comprising muscular skeletal disorder. This is partly because the workman 30 has to shoulder a substantial part of the weight of the hose 10, which may be filled with moving concrete slurry 40, for many hours each and every day. Figure 1A shows that the whip-line 11 rests heavily on the workman's 30 collar bone.

A hose 10, filled with wet concrete slurry, is very heavy. Roughly speaking, wet concrete has a similar weight to dry concrete, plus the water content. Also, wet concrete comprises a mixture of stones or crushed rock. Therefore, the workman 30 may effectively be shouldering and maneuvering a four meter column of the wet concrete that is inside the whip-line 11. To put this in perspective, one cubic meter of concrete can weigh approximately 200 to 250 kilograms. Anecdotally, a typical whip-line 11 can hold an amount of concrete similar to four wheelbarrows of wet concrete. Moreover, the problem of damage to the workman's body is further compounded by the fact that the whip-line 11 may be subject to a low-frequency vibration, pulse or irregular jolting that comes as the semi-solid wet concrete is pumped through the line by piston pumps on the truck 13.

The job of manoeuvring the whip-line 11 requires the workman 30 to either shoulder or push the whip-line in various positions, such as in the examples in Figures 1 B to 1 E. Each position places a different type of strain on the workman's body.

For example, in Figure 1A, part of the weight of the concrete-filled whip-line 11 is borne on the shoulder of the workman 30. Moreover, the workman's face is close to the whip-line 11 , which means that sudden jolting of the whip-line can sometimes cause the whip-line to hit the side of workman's head.

Figure 1 B shows a workman manoeuvring the whip-line at an inclined angle. In this position, a significantly greater part of the heavy, vibrating whip-line is borne on the shoulders and frame of the workman, leading to long-term damage of the workman's body. In Figures 1C and 1 D, the workman has to lean over to push the end of the whip- line far past its centre of gravity. In these extreme arrangements, once again, a considerable part of the weight of the concrete-filled whip-line 11 is borne by the workman's upper body, while the vibration or jolting of the whip-line transfers into the workman's hands and shoulders. In Figures 1B to 1E, the concrete slurry can tend to pass through the whip-line 11 in sporadic bursts. This is because the inclined angle of the whip-line 11 introduces a bend in the hose 10. Therefore, the concrete slurry tends to accumulate at the bend in the hose, until a build-up of pressure forces the concrete to surge through the hose, resulting in a jolt to the hose. This jolt can shudder through the workman's shoulders. Moreover, in Figures 1 B to 1E, the workman has to carry this tremendous weight, and absorb the jolts of the surges of concrete through the hose, while standing with his centre of gravity off-axis. Hence, the postures in Figures 1 B to 1 E are particularly damaging to the workman's body.

In addition, in Figure 1A, the operator in the truck 13, who guides the boom 12, can sometimes accidentally move the boom too fast. This translates into a strong and sudden sideways movement of the hose 10 and whip-line 11. Such sudden movement, again, tends to impact the workman 30 that is maneuvering the whip-line 11. This sudden sideways movement can often cause the heavy, concrete-filled whip-line 11 to smash into the side of the workman's face, neck or other parts of the body.

Also, when the operator of the boom 12 accidentally moves the boom too quickly, it causes the whip-line 11 to attempt to move quickly like a pendulum because of the added momentum. The workman 30 therefore has to counteract this by steadying the whip-line 11 , in order to avoid the concrete spraying around.

It- is therefore common for workmen, who have performed this task for many years, to suffer chronic pain throughout their bodies, comprising problems with arthritis, severe and permanent swelling of joints, and other long-term disabilities such as for example, Muscular Skeletal Disorder (MSD). Anecdotally, workmen report chronic pain in almost every part of their bodies: hands, wrists, arms, neck, collar bone area, shoulders, rib cage, chest, torso, upper back, lower back, legs and ankles. It has particularly detrimental effect on the workman's knees. Workmen may tend not to remain in this particular job for too long, simply because of the terrible toll it takes on their physical bodies. Hence, in this field, employers have accepted the high turnover in employees as an unfortunate way of addressing this problem. In some cases, the problem has been addressed by several workmen taking turns to perform the job on a roster, so that no one person has to perform the task continuously for too long a period. This, however, is an expensive option for employers because it may require hiring more workers. Moreover, the fact remains that, even when sharing the job among a team of workers, the particular workman, who is performing the job, still suffers the above disadvantages.

The present inventor has been a workman who has performed the above job, and suffers from the long-term effects and is aware of the above described manual handling which may cause musculoskeletal disorders. The inventor is also aware of the known solutions such as alternating workers and the disadvantage that stems from these solutions such as costs to the employer in extra employment and there still remains the manual handling issue. In US Patent No 4,838,465 (Metxger) there is a guide bar disclosed, which works on a push pull system with no relief for a worker from the physical stresses inflicted by the task of delivering slurries etc. Therefore the OHS manual handling issues still remain which leads to musculoskeletal disorders.

Any discussion of documents, devices, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the invention. It should not be taken as an admission that any of the material forms a part of the prior art base or the common general knowledge in the relevant art in Australia or elsewhere on or before the priority date of the disclosure and claims herein. SUMMARY OF INVENTION

It is an object of the embodiments described herein to overcome or alleviate at least one of the above noted drawbacks of related or prior art systems or to at least provide a useful alternative to related or prior art systems.

A first aspect of embodiments described herein provides a method of controlling delivery of heavy material suitable for construction, the method comprising the step of: communicating control and feedback information between a heavy material delivery system and a remote user handling device located at a point of delivery of the heavy material such that a user of the remote user handling device controls delivery of the heavy material at the point of delivery.

Preferably, the remote user handling device is integral with the point of delivery and more particularly in a preferred embodiment the point of delivery comprises the output of a material supply whip line.

In a preferred form the step of communicating comprises one or a combination of: communicating control information from the remote user handling device to the heavy material delivery system; communicating feedback information from the heavy material delivery system to the remote user handling device.

Further to this, the step of communicating control information comprises at least one of: transmitting wireless signals comprising the control information to at least one system monitoring and control unit located within the heavy material delivery system; interfacing the control information between at least one system monitoring and control unit and one or more electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic operating means of at least one operating element of the heavy material delivery system. The at least one operating element of the heavy material delivery system may comprises one or a combination of: working lights; fans; material vibrators; alarms; sirens; material pumps; material truck/crane systems; at least one material delivery supporting boom; at least one material delivery supporting boom section; material truck/crane engines; supporting/stabilising legs of a material truck/crane. In one embodiment, the control information is, in part, emergency stop information comprising one of: an emergency stop transmission; a periodic transmission to a system controller to indicate no fault.

It is preferable that the steps of communicating feedback information comprises: monitoring physical and/or operating parameters of the heavy material delivery system; transmitting the monitored parameters to the remote user handling device for selective display to the user.

Also, it is preferable that the step of monitoring comprises: sensing and forwarding parameter values to at least one system monitoring and control unit; transmitting the parameter values via wireless signals to the remote user handling device. In this instance, the parameters comprise one or a combination of: heavy material flow rate; heavy material level; engine speed/engine temperature; fuel level; alarm conditions; boom/boom section position; level of supporting/stabilising legs of a material truck/crane; material volume/height/position

GPS location data; operating element telemetry data.

In a preferred method as described herein the steps of communicating control and feedback information further comprise at least one or a combination of: transmitting an order to a back office for more material when a monitored material supply level reaches a critical level; voice communication between the user and on site personnel; video communication between the user and on site personnel. The step of transmitting an order for more material may further comprises the step of charging a transaction fee.

The step of communicating may further comprises one or a combination of: . communicating feedback information from the remote user handling device to the heavy material delivery system; communicating control information from the heavy material delivery system to the remote user handling device.

The step of communicating feedback information may comprise performing a walk around of a material delivery site.

The step of communicating control information may comprise the step of: providing the user with a material delivery plan comprising position and speed of a material delivery hose operatively associated with the remote user handling device.

Another aspect of embodiments described herein provides apparatus for controlling delivery of heavy material suitable for construction comprising: a heavy material delivery system comprising material supply truck means operatively associated with a material delivery hose adapted to form a point of delivery for the material; a remote user handling device operatively associated with the point of delivery for the material and adapted to communicate control and feedback information with the heavy material delivery system to enable a user of the remote user handling device to control delivery of the material at the point of delivery.

The remote user handling device is preferably integral with the point of delivery and the point of delivery comprises the output of a material supply whip line. The apparatus preferably may further comprise: communication means for communicating the control and feedback information between the heavy material delivery system and the remote user handling device. The communication means may comprise one or a combination of: first control information communicating means for communicating control information from the remote user handling device to the heavy material delivery system; first feedback information communication means for communicating feedback information from the heavy material delivery system to the remote user handling device; The control information communicating means may comprise at least one of: wireless communication means for transmitting wireless signals comprising the control information to at least one system monitoring and control unit located within the heavy material delivery system; material delivery system interfacing means for interfacing the control information between at least one system monitoring and control unit and one or more electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic operating means of at least one operating element of the heavy material delivery system.

In this respect, the at least one operating element of the heavy material delivery system may comprise one or a combination of: working lights; fans; material vibrators; alarms; sirens; material pumps; material truck/crane systems; at least one material delivery supporting boom; at least one material delivery supporting boom section; material truck/crane engines; supporting/stabilising legs of a material truck/crane.

The control information may be, in part, emergency stop information comprising one of: an emergency stop transmission; a periodic transmission to a system controller to indicate no fault. The feedback information communication means may comprise: parameter monitoring means for monitoring physical and/or operating parameters of the heavy material delivery system; parameter transmission means for transmitting the monitored parameters to the remote user handling device for selective display to the user. The parameter monitoring means may comprise: sensors for sensing and forwarding parameter values to at least one system monitoring and control unit; wireless parameter transmission means for transmitting the parameter values via wireless signals to the remote user handling device. The parameters may comprise one or a combination of: heavy material flow rate; heavy material level; engine speed/engine temperature; fuel level; alarm conditions; boom/boom section position; level of supporting/stabilising legs of a material truck/crane; material volume/height/position

GPS location data; operating element telemetry data.

The communication means for communicating control and feedback information may further comprise at least one or a combination of: order transmission means for transmitting an order to a back office for more material when a monitored material supply level reaches a critical level; intercom means for voice communication between the user and on site personnel; remote video means for video communication between the user and on site personnel.

The order transmission means may be adapted to charge a transaction fee upon data is sent or received from the material delivery system to the back office. The communication means may further comprise one or a combination of: second feedback information communication means for communicating feedback information from the remote user handling device to the heavy material delivery system; second control information communication means for communicating control information from the heavy material delivery system to the remote user handling device. The second feedback information communication means preferably is adapted for performing a walk around of a material delivery site to obtain material delivery plan information.

The second control information communication means preferably is adapted to provide the user with a material delivery plan comprising position and speed of the material delivery hose operatively associated with the remote user handling device.

In yet a further aspect of embodiments described herein there is provided apparatus adapted to control delivery of heavy material suitable for construction, said apparatus comprising: processor means adapted to operate in accordance with a predetermined instruction set, said apparatus, in conjunction with said instruction set, being adapted to perform any one or more of the method steps as disclosed herein. The present embodiments described herein also provide a computer program product comprising: a computer usable medium having computer readable program code and computer readable system code embodied on said medium for controlling delivery of heavy material suitable for construction within a data processing system, said computer program product comprising: computer readable code within said computer usable medium for performing the method steps of any one of claims 1 to 15.

Other aspects and preferred forms are disclosed in the specification and/or defined in the appended claims, forming a part of the description of the invention.

In essence, embodiments of the present invention stem from the realization that material use may be economised at the same time that risk of personal injury may be minimised by providing electronic control over material supply at the point of delivery of material in an on site manner.

Further scope of applicability of embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the disclosure herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further disclosure, objects, advantages and aspects of preferred and other embodiments of the present application may be better understood by those skilled in the relevant art by reference to the following description of embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the disclosure herein, and in which: Prior art Figures 1A to 1E show how workmen, in the prior art, are accustomed to handling and manoeuvring heavy-material-delivery-hoses in the example of a concrete pouring operation;

Figure 2 shows a workman manoeuvring a heavy-material-delivery-hose using an embodiment of a hose-handle-device; Figure 3 shows a workman using a modified embodiment of the hose-handle- device which has an extra skirt to minimize sideways spattering of the concrete;

Figures 4A and 4B show a workman using another embodiment of a hose-handle- device which has a chest-support;

Figure 5 shows a workman using a modification of the chest support that has a longer connecting rod; Figure 6 is a perspective view of the embodiment the hose-handle-device of Figure 2;

Figure 7A shows the embodiment of Figure 6 in a disassembled state; Figures 7B and 7C show two different perspective views of the hose-handle- device of Figure 2 in a partly assembled state;

Figure 7D shows a cross-sectional view of the hose-handle-device of Figure 2, indicating a sleeve that is located inside the assembled half-cylinders;

Figure 7E shows a further cross-sectional view of Figure 7D, shown with the sleeves positioned inside the assembled half-cylinders; Figure 8 shows a preferred pivoting mechanism that enables the handle bars of the described embodiment of figure 2 to be folded upwards;

Figure 9 is an exploded assembly view of an end of the C-ring and the first-plate- member of a preferred embodiment;

Figure 10A show a perspective view of the embodiment of Figures 4A and 4B that has a chest support and short connecting rod;

Figure 10B show a perspective view of the embodiment of Figure 5 that has a chest support and a longer connecting rod;

Figure 10C show how the connecting rod of Figure 10A connects with the handle bars in a preferred embodiment; Figure 10D shows a further embodiment of handle bars that comprise buttons for controlling the operation parameters;

Figure 11 shows the detailed perspective view of the protective skirt of the embodiment of Figure 3;

Figure 12 shows details of an attachment device used to attach the skirt to the C- rings in a preferred embodiment;

Figure 13 shows a modified embodiment which omits any form of vibration absorption mechanism, such that the handle is connected directly to the cylinder that supports the whip-line;

Figure 14 shows components of a handle or pump bar system in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

Figure 15 is a block diagram of a system monitoring and control unit of a preferred embodiment;

Figure 16 is a remote user handling device and control assembly for a whip line handle according to a preferred embodiment; Figure 17 is a block diagram of components of a remote user handling device in accordance with another preferred embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the described embodiments, certain like components are labeled with like reference numerals merely for the sake of ease of understanding the different embodiments and modifications. Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 2 shows an embodiment of a heavy-material-delivery-hose manual-manoeuvring device, in the form of a hose-handle- device 100.

The hose-handle-device 100 is shown separately in Figure 6. The device 100 has a handle-arrangement in the form of two handle bars 200L, 200R (L and R signify left and right respectively).

In Figure 2, the workman 30 manually maneuvers the handle bars 200L, 200R, in order to spatially maneuver the whip-line 11.

In contrast to prior art Figures 1A and 1B, the workman 30 in Figure 2 is able to maneuver the whip-line 11 while standing a short distance away from the hose 11. In Figure 2, the workman's head is separated by a safe distance X away from the whip-line 11. The significance of this is that it avoids or minimizes bodily contact between the workman and the whip-line 11. In the prior art, part of the damage, experienced by workmen, was from the constant contact with the whip^line 11. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the distancing of the workman from the whip-line serves to avoid or ameliorate the problem in Figures 1A and 1B where the workman's head was dangerously close to the vibrating whip-line 11. Since the workman can stand at a distance away, and still maneuver the whip-line 11 , this also avoids the workman having to rest part of the weight of the whip-line on his shoulders, as was required in prior art Figure 1A. With the present embodiment, even when the whip-line is held at a substantial incline, the workman is able to keep his body distanced from the whip-line 11. Moreover, in Figure 2, the workman is able to perform the job while maintaining an upright posture.

The handle bars 200L, 200R are connected to the whip-line 11 by connection- means in the form of a connection housing 300. One of the functions of the connection housing 300 is to separate the handle bars

200L, 200R from the whip-line 11. This enables the workman, while standing away from the whip-line 11 , to manually manoeuvre the whip-line 11 without other bodily contact. This avoids many of the problems in the prior art that result from repetitive bodily contact with the heavy whip-line 11. Figure 6 shows an external perspective view of the connection housing 300.

Internal features of the housing 300 are shown in Figures 7A to 7E. The housing 300 connects the handle bars 200L, 200R to the whip-line 11. To achieve this, the housing 300 has a releasable clasping mechanism in the form of two half-cylinders 310A, 310B, shown in Figure 7A. The half-cylinders clasp the heavy-material-delivery-hose in order to fasten to the hose 11. In Figure 7A, the half-cylinders 310A, 310B are connected by a hinge mechanism

310C. In Figure 2, these two half-cylinders are adapted to clamp around the outer circumferential surface of the whip-line 11. In the present embodiment of Figure 6, the two symmetrical half-cylinders 310A, 310B come together to clasp the whip-line, with the whip-line in between the two cylinders. In other modifications, the clasping mechanism may curls around the whip-line in a non-symmetrical manner.

In concrete pouring operations, a variety of whip-lines are used which have different diameters. Therefore, the hose-handle-device 100 is able to make use of sleeves that can adapt the half-cylinders 310A, 310B to clasp around hoses of different diameter. For example, Figure 7D shows a pair of resilient half-sleeves 330A, 330B that may be positioned inside the half-cylinders 310A, 310B. (The small arrows X in Figure 7D indicate that the sleeves 330A, 330B are to be positioned inside the half-cylinders 310A, 310B. The sleeves 330A, 330B enable the half-cylinders 310A, 310B to clasp a hose or whip-line that has a diameter that may be slightly smaller than the internal diameter of the half-cylinders 310A, 310B. These half-sleeves are made of a hard plastic material, and act like a gasket to ensure a tight fit between the connection housing 300 and the whip- line 11. In other modifications, the half-sleeves can be made from an aluminum material or other suitable engineering material or metal. Figure 7E shows the sleeves positioned inside the assembled half-cylinders. In other modifications, the half-cylinders 310A, 310B can be provided with a grease nipple which enables grease to be directed into the interface moving surfaces to reduce friction.

In the hose-handle-device 100 of Figure 6, the handle bars 200R, 200L are to be fully circulated around the whip-line 11 by the user. For instance, when the housing 300 is attached to the whip-line 11 , the workman can rotate the handle bars 200R, 200L all the way around the whip-line. In other words, in the embodiment, the workman can choose to position the handle bars in any location around the 360 degree circumference of the whip-line 11. To enable this circulation movement, the connection-housing 300 has a circulation-connector that comprises a pair of C-shaped rings (or C-rings) 320A, 320B. The two C-shaped rings are connected by a hinge 320C, which enables the two C- rings to join together to form a circle. In Figure 6, when the pair of C-shaped rings 320A, 320B are brought together, both combine to form a ring device in the form of a circular ring-member 320A-B. Correspondingly, the cross-sectional diagram of Figure 7D shows that the outer curved surfaces of the combination of the two half-cylinders 310A, 310B is provided with a circular channel. When the two half-cylinders 310A, 310B are joined together, each of their channels combine to form one circumferential channel 320F, best seen in Figure 7C. The channel 320F, when assembled, comprises a full circle. (In Figure 7D, the channel 320F is discernible by the difference in cross-hatching in the cross sectional wall of the half-cylinders 310A, 310B). The intention is that the assembled ring-member 320A-B (formed by the combination of the two semi-circular C- rings) will fit and rotate within this circular channel 320F.

Figures 7B and 7C shows perspective views of the half-cylinders 310A, 310B and C-rings 320A, 320B in various states of disassembly. During assembly, as per Figures 7B and 7C, the half-cylinders 310A, 310B are clasped around the whip-line 11. Then, the C-rings 320A, 320B are positioned around the assembled half-cylinders 310A, 310B, such that the C-rings fit into the circular channel 320F. The C-rings are locked together by a locking mechanism 320D. This secures the cylinders 310A, 310B to the whip-line. (This can be appreciated by noting numerals 321 A, 320B and 320D in corresponding Figures 6 and 7A).

Figures 7B and 7C show two different semi-assembled perspective views, which indicate a sequence of the half-cylinders 310B engaging with the C-rings 320B.

When the device 100 is fully assembled, the ring-member 31 OA-B is rotatably positioned in the circumferential channel 320F. Hence, when the handles 200R, 200L are attached to the ring device, the circulation of the ring device 320A-B, within the circumferential channel 320F, enables the handles 200R, 200L to be fully circulated around the whip-line 11 to any position around the housing 300. Hence, the workman is able to rotate the handles 200R, 200L fully around the whip-line 11. In other words, the workman is able to swing or rotate the handle bars around to face the whip-line facing from any direction.

There may be instances when the workman wishes to stop the handles 200R, 200L from being able to rotate around the whip-line 11.. To achieve this, in the embodiment, by temporarily preventing the circular ring-member 320A-B from rotating around the circumferential channel 320F. The circular ring-member 320A-B is provided with a releasable locking mechanism, in the form of a trigger 440.

Figure 7D shows the trigger 440, positioned upright in a release position. In this arrangement, the circular ring-member 320A-B is free to rotate around the circumferential channel 320F. In contrast, Figure 7E shows the trigger 440 in a depressed position. In this depressed arrangement, the circular ring-member 320A-B cannot rotate around the circumferential channel 320F. The trigger 440 has the ability to lock the rotation of the 9 000277

14 circular ring-member 320A-B, because it is provided with a protruding tooth 446, seen in Figure 7D. In Figure 7E, when the trigger 440 is pushed down into the depressed position, the tooth 446 can engage with any one of a set of slots 447 that are disposed at intervals around the circumference of the assembled housing 300. Figure 6 shows the plurality of slots 447 evenly disposed around the circular upper rim of the housing 300. (In the diagram, for simplicity, only a couple of the slots 447 are labeled with reference numerals).

In use, the workman rotates the handle bars around the housing to the desired orientation, and then depresses the trigger 440 to engage with the closest slot 447, as in Figure 7E. This prevents the ring-member from rotating in the circumferential channel 320F. When the workman lifts the trigger 440 into the release position of Figure 7D, the handle bars are then free, once again, to rotate around the housing 300. The internal mechanism of the trigger 440 enables it to click between the two positions, due to the manner in which the trigger is mounted in the housing 300. In Figure 9, the trigger 440 has two side axles 441. The side axles 441 are spring loaded. When assembled, these axles 441 are mounted in cylindrical holes 442. A portion of the cylindrical holes 442 is partly formed in each of the opposed faces of C-ring 320B and the first-plate-member 430A. When the flat faces of these two components 320B, 430A are screwed together (shown by dotted lines in Figure 9), the half-cylindrical grooves 442, in each of the faces, come together to form the cylindrical holes in which are mounted the axles 441 of the trigger 440.

In Figure 9, the trigger 440 is provided with a pair of dimples 443 on either side of the trigger (being a total of four dimples). The two sets of dimples 443 are located on the side faces of the trigger 440. Spring-mounted ball-bearings 444 are mounted in further slots 445. The springs 444 urge the ball bearings towards the face of the trigger. The dimples are positioned so as to define when the trigger 440 is in either the release position or in the depressed position, shown respectively in Figures 7D and 7E. This allows the workman to feel a slick click, when the trigger is engaged either in the release- position or the depressed-position. The housing 300 is connected to the handle bars 200L, 200R in a flexible manner. This provides the handle bars with a degree of freedom of movement relative to the housing 300. The flexibility of the connection allows the workman 30 to maintain, as far as possible, the stance and posture shown in Figure 2, even as the whip-line moves about under the external influence of a number of factors: comprising the vibrations, jolts or pulses that arise from the nature of the concrete slurry moving through the hose and whip-line, and other unpredictable, sudden movements of the hose. To achieve this flexibility, the connection housing 300 comprises a flexible-connection-mechanism in the form of a pivot mechanism 400, seen in the cross-sectional views of Figures 7D and 7E. The pivot mechanism 400 enables the handle bars 200 to pivot relative to the housing 300, and hence relative to the whip-line 11. In the embodiment of Figures 7D and 7E, the pivot mechanism makes use of a ball-and-socket connection 410. This ball-and-socket mechanism 410 is located between the handles 200R₁ 200L and the whip-line 11. In Figures 7D and 7E, the handles 200R, 200L are connected to the ball-and-socket mechanism 410 by a protruding peg 420. The ball, of the ball-and-socket mechanism, is positioned on the distal end of the peg 420. In Figure 7E, the diagram comprises an arrow P which indicates that the handles can move up and down, while an arrow Q in the diagram indicates that the handles can swivel around, as a result of the ball-and-socket-connection.

In Figures 7D and 7E, the socket, for the ball-and-socket connection, is created by joining the two plate members 430A, 430B. The spherical socket is partly formed in the face of one 430A of the plate members, and the other part of the socket is formed in the other 430B of the plate members. It is preferable to create the sockets using two separable plates, so that the ball can be inserted into the socket.

In Figure 7D, the two plate-member 430A, 430B are attached by screws to the end face of one of the C-rings 320B. During assembly, in Figure 7D, the stem of the ball 410 is inserted through a hole in the second-plate-member 430B, and screwed into the protruding peg 420. Then the second-plate-member 430B is fastened to the first-plate- member 430A by screws, as shown in Figure 9.

In alternative or modified embodiments, the flexible-connection-mechanism can use different mechanisms, such as hinge mechanisms or linkage mechanisms, that allow freedom of movement. Such different mechanisms can also have locking devices to hold them in particular orientations. Alternatively, it is an option, in a rudimentary embodiment, for the handles to be connected to the housing with a non-flexible connection.

The hose-handle-device 100 also comprises vibration-absorption-means in the form of a damping mechanism 500, seen in Figure 7A. The damping mechanism 500 absorbs an amount of the vibration or jolting that comes from the whip-line 11 , and thereby minimizes the vibration/jolting from reaching the hose-handle-device 100. In other words, the damping mechanism 500 minimizes the amount of vibration, or other such undesirable motion, that transfers into the workman's hands and body. In this specification, the term vibration should not be construed narrowly to limit the device to a particular type of vibration. For example, in the_, example of a concrete pouring operation, shown in the drawings, the whip-line is subject to a vibration that is more akin to a low-frequency, periodic pulse or jolting which may be regular or irregular. This type of vibration comes from the motion of the piston mechanism of the pump that forces the wet concrete through the pipe 10. The vibration is irregular because the concrete does not flow smoothly through the pipe. Concrete may tend to build up in certain parts of the pipe, and then is pushed through when upstream pressure builds up to a point where it suddenly overcomes the blockage.

In Figures 6, 7A to 7E, in the damping mechanism 500, the main absorption component is an O-ring 510 made of resilient material. In the embodiment, the O-ring 510 is made of rubber, but can also be made from other materials that are known to have shock or vibration-absorbing qualities. Also, other modifications can make use of hydraulic mechanisms to absorb the vibrations. These could comprise air or liquid damping mechanisms.

In Figures 7D and 7E, the O-ring 510 of resilient material is positioned between the handle bars 200R, 200L and the connection housing 300 that clasps the whip-line 11. Since the workman's hands touch the device at the handles, the placement of damping mechanism 500 between the handles and the whip-line enables vibration to be absorbed. This minimizes the vibration of the whip-line from reaching the handles.

In Figure 7D, the O-ring 510 surrounds the stem 420 of the ball-and-socket mechanism. In other modifications, there can be more than one O-ring. Also, rather than a single O-ring, the resilient material can be modified to comprise several pieces of vibration-absorbing material, such as discrete blocks of rubber. In other modifications, the vibration-absorption-means can comprise a mechanism where springs are used to absorb the vibrations or pulses. Other known vibration-absorbing mechanisms can also be adapted to be incorporated into the device for the purpose of absorbing vibration or pulses.

The hose-handle-device 100 is provided with vibration-absorption-adjustment- means which allows adjustment of the degree of vibration absorption of the damping mechanism 500. In Figures 6 to 7E, a compressing-ring 520 is screw-mounted on the protruding peg 420. By rotating the compressing-ring 520, it is possible to move the ring 520 along the peg 420, either towards or away from the O-ring 510. When the compressing-ring 520 is move towards the O-ring 510, the O-ring is compressed to a greater extent. Placing the O-ring under greater compression means that it is less able to absorb vibration from the whip-line 11. In contrast, when the compressing-ring is rotated so that it is drawn away from the O-ring 510, the O-ring is compressed to a lesser extent. This enables it to absorb more vibration from the whip-line 11. In the embodiment, the degree of vibration absorption can be increased or decreased to suit the preference of the workman who uses the device.

It is found that different grades of concrete produce different degrees of vibration or pulsation as the material is forced through the whip-line. For example, low-density cement produces less vibration or pulsing, as compared to high-density concrete which can contain more gravel or stones. Therefore, the device is adapted to allow the user to vary the degree of vibration absorption to cater for different conditions encountered through the use of different grades of concrete.

In the embodiments, in Figures 2 to 7E, both the handle bars 200R, 200L share a common linear axis. In other words, both handles 200R, 200L together form a straight line. In the embodiment, the handles 200R, 200L can pivot, as seen in Figure 8. The handles have axles 201 that act as pivot points for the handles. This pivoting enables the handles to fold upwards. For example, Figure 8 shows one of the handles folded upwards. Figure 5 shows both handle bars 200R folded out of the way. In the embodiment of Figure 8, the handles 200R, 200L are spring mounted to urge the handles either into the vertical or horizontal orientations. In Figure 8, an optional handle-locking mechanism can be provided to lock the handles in the linear arrangement shown in the other drawings of Figures 2 to 7E. In the embodiments, the handle-arrangement is not limited to a particular style of handle, and the illustrations merely show an example. In other variations, the two handles can be at an angle with respect to one another, rather than in linear alignment.

Figure 8 shows that the base-support 240 of the handle bars 200R, 200L is provided with an aperture 230. The aperture 230 is adapted to receive handle-extension accessories. Figures 4A and 4B show a workman using the hose-handle-device 100 which has a handle accessory which is a chest-support in the form of chest-pad 600. The chest-pad 600 can act merely as a support for the workman's chest. Alternatively, as in Figure 4B, the workman can influence the maneuvering of the whip-line 11 via chest pressure exerted on the chest-pad 600. Figure 10A shows the chest pad 600 of Figure 4A. The pad 600 is supported at the end of a short telescopic arm 220A that enables adjustment of the length of the arm. Figure 10C shows that the distal end 222 of the arm 220A is shaped and adapted to fit into the aperture 230 located on the base-support 240 of the handles. The aperture 230 is seen in greater detail in the cross-sectional diagram in Figure 8. In the embodiment, the distal end 222 of the arm 220A is screw-threaded to enable it to engage with a corresponding screw-thread in the inner cylindrical surface of the aperture 230. In other embodiments, different mechanisms can be used to connect the arm 220A to the aperture, such as lock mechanisms, for example. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the arm 220 can be held in the aperture 230 by a combination of forwards pressure plus a degree of friction-fit.

There are some instances where the workman is unable to stand relatively close by the location on which the concrete is to be poured. An example might be when concrete is poured into the base of a deep hole in the ground, such that the workman can only stand at the edge of the hole. To provide for such instances, a further embodiment of a handle-extension accessory in Figure 5 is provided with an extended arm 220B that enables the workman to maneuver the whip-line from a distance. Figure 10B shows a chest pad 600 located at the end of the extended arm 220B. Further handle bars 201 R, 201 L are attached to the extended arm. Figure 10B shows that the extended arm 220 is telescopic, so that its overall length can be altered. Once the workman has extended the arm 220B to its desired length, the telescopic parts of the arm 220B can be fasted by pins 221 , which are inserted into corresponding holes in the telescopic parts of the arm.

When the heavy material exits the hose, it can spatter around. In the example of pouring wet concrete, such spattering is undesirable because it can lead to patches of hardened concrete scattered around on surfaces. To ameliorate this problem, in the embodiment in Figure 3, the hose-handle-device 100 is provided with a skirt 700. The skirt is in the form of a partial cylinder that surrounds the area just below the point where the concrete pours out of the whip-line 11. The skirt 700 minimises sideways or lateral spattering as the concrete leaves the whip-line 11. In Figure 11 , the skirt is attached to an elongated post 710. The post 710 is attached to the circular ring-member 320A-B, as shown in Figures 6, 7D, 7E and 12. In Figures 6 and 12, a post-attachment-device consists of a hinged casing 720. The casing 720 is attached to the C-ring 320A. This allows the skirt 700 to rotate in tandem with the handles 200, because both are connected to opposite sides of the ring-member 320A-B. In Figure 12, in order to attach the post 710 to the casing 720, the casing is opened up (as shown in Figure 12). Part of the post 710 is inserted in the casing 720, and then the casing is closed with the post locked inside the casing. In Figures 3 and 11 , the skirt 700 has a gap 730 through which the workman can see the concrete coming out of the end of the whip-line 11. Since the skirt 700 rotates in tandem with the circular ring-member 320A-B, as the workman rotates the handle bars around the whip-line 11, the gap 730 in the skirt 710 will always face the workman. This allows the workman to see the flow of concrete through the gap. In other variations, the skirt can be a full skirt without any gap. In other modifications, the skirt can be rectangular, square or any other suitable shape. In one of the embodiments, an optional feature comprises safety-shutdown- means, in the form of a shut-down switch mechanism 800 located on the handle bar. In the embodiment in the drawings, the switch is located beneath a protective cover, so that the workman does not unintentionally active the shutdown switch. The cross-sectional Figures 7D and 7E show components of the switch that are hidden beneath the protective cover. Activation of the switch can be used to swiftly halt the flow of concrete, by shutting down the concrete pumping mechanism, which would typically be located on the truck 13 in Figure 1A. In a preferred embodiment, the safety-shutdown-means comprises a wireless communication system that links the switch 800 to the pumping mechanism on the truck 13.

Figures 1OC and 1OD show other optional modifications where the handle bars 200R, 200L are provided with a range of other buttons 810 (some of which are shown in the drawings as an example). These further buttons 810 can be used to control various other aspects of the operation, such as the speed of delivery of the concrete, and other parameters.

The embodiments of the mechanical device have been advanced by way of example only, and modifications are possible within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Although the, prior art problems, and the embodiments of the present invention, have been described in relation to hoses used in the delivery of wet concrete slurry, other embodiments of the invention can be used in other industrial areas where workman have to maneuver heavy-material-delivery-hoses, in a similar manner to the workman shown in any one or more of Figures 1 A to 1 E. In other modifications, such as in Figure 13, the device can be embodied without any form of vibration absorption mechanism, in which case the handles of the device are connected directly to the cylinder that supports the whip-line, as shown in the example of Figure 13.

With reference to figure 14, a preferred embodiment provides a control system designed to augment concrete truck / crane systems. Presently, concrete cranes deliver concrete by means of a whip line as described above. This whip line is manipulated manually by an operator. This preferred embodiment offers an improvement over this known method by providing a set of grasping handles on the whip line which provide a mechanical advantage and therefore greater control for the operator. It is envisaged that as an extension to the basic concept of mechanical handles, a remote control system may be incorporated in to the handle assembly to provide a remote user handling device or as may be referred to herein as comprising the whip line and remote control assembly. The remote control interfaces to control systems within the concrete crane / truck, and to other external systems such as a back office monitoring system, and radio communications devices. In a preferred control system as in figure 14, there are hinge position monitors 141 located on the boom used for monitoring the boom section positions. Leg support load / level monitors 142 are used to monitor the load and level of the crane. System monitoring and control units shown generally at 143 are used for engine telemetry, pump and accessory control, etc. A whip line handle and remote control assembly 144 is used by the crane operator to manipulate the whip line, and to control and monitor a range of parameters within the machinery and environment.

Each concrete crane may contain one or more System Monitoring and Control Units 143 which are shown in block diagram form in figure 15. These units may provide the monitoring and control functionality of operational elements of the site construction System. They monitor all critical aspects of the crane and truck, and interface to the operator via the whip handle remote control unit. The control unit may be interfaced to the truck via electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic interfaces.

The Control Unit is comprised of the Control System Computer 1501, Remote Control Communications Module 1502, Hardware Driver Layer 1503, Back Office Communications Module 1504, Location Monitor Module 1505, and System Power Supply 1506.

The Control Unit is responsible for providing the logic and function of the Control Unit, which may comprise system initialisation, application logic, data logging, communications protocol handling, alarm generation, alarm management, concrete pouring computation, and boom position management. The Remote Control Communications Module 1502 provides an interface between the Whip Line Remote Assembly, as shown in figure 16, and the Control System Computer 1501. This may be achieved using a wireless communications module, and may conform to one or more communications standards, comprising ZigBee, IEEE802.11 , or Bluetooth, for example. The communications method may also comprise proprietary protocols, which would be recognised by the person skilled in the art.

External systems on the concrete truck or crane are interfaced to the Control Systems Computer 1501 via the Hardware Driver Layer 1503. This layer contains appropriate interfacing to convert input signals from the crane or truck into a format suitable for connection to the Control Systems Computer. Input signals may be produced by electrical, pneumatic or hydraulic systems on the truck or crane. Similarly, the layer also converts outputs from the Control Systems Computer in to the high power electrical, pneumatic or hydraulic outputs required to interface to the concrete truck or crane.

Sending telemetry data or other information from the Control System Computer to a remote location such as head office or a supply depot is achieved via the Back Office Communications Module. This module provides for connection to a wireless telephony network. Supported networks comprise 3G, GSM, and GPRS. This module may be included as an option.

The Location Monitoring Module provides a Global Positioning System (GPS) module for determining the location of the System Controller. This module may be included as an option.

The System Power Supply supplies conditioned, filtered power to the modules contained within the System Controller.

With reference to figure 16 the whip line handle and remote assembly, shown generally at 144, is preferably interfaced to the control unit via a wireless connection. A range of controls are provided for the operator to manipulate the boom, control the concrete pump etc. In figure 16 there is shown a whip line 161, an LCD display 162 showing status information plus video images. A whip line manipulator handle 163 that functions as described above. Headphone lead 164 is provided as an intercom feature which will allow voice communication with other personnel on the job site. Status indicators 165 show selected system parameters which may require monitoring by the operator, These may comprise concrete flow rate, engine speed and temperature, fuel level, and alarm conditions. At 166 there is provided an emergency stop. Boom arm control joysticks 167 allow for control of the boom arm. Function buttons 168 and 169 provide an input control mechanism for the operator to interact with the System. Figure 17 shows components of the remote user handling device in a preferred form. The Remote Unit Computer 1701 provides for, inter alia, system initialisation, communications protocol handling, and video compression/decompression for a camera unit that may be employed as discussed below. Video input & output is controlled by the LCD + Camera block 1702. Remote control communications is provided for by communications control component 1703, which may cater for digital communications such as, for example, Bluetooth, Zigbee, ISM band radio and IEEE standard protocols such as 802.11. System power supply is provided at power supply unit 1704 and includes battery management capability and power conditioning. The Hardware Driver Layer 1705 comprises input buffers for use with keyboard, joystick and other control devices such as input from the boom and microphones.

The components either in part or in total of the preferred system described herein may be integrated into existing concrete pumping machines by supplying an interface kit and installation instructions. Specialised kits may be supplied for specific models of vehicle to aid the installer. The System may also be designed in to new concrete pump / truck products by supplying an Original Equipment Manufacture (OEM) installer kit and relevant design data to enable new designs to be compatible with the System. Typically with an OEM install kit, the objective is to supply a system (in the above context) which can be installed by a third party (the OEM) with a minimum level of difficulty. To achieve this, installation kits may be developed by the supplier (us) which are designed for specific models of truck/crane. It is envisaged that the key components such as system controller and remote control will remain identical between kits. Components which will differ between kits may include mounting brackets, wiring looms, sensors and actuators as would be appreciated by the person skilled in the art.

As it may not be practical or economically viable to cater for all types of trucks and cranes to which the system may be fitted, it is further envisaged that a generic installation kit may be provided. In this case, some components may have to be fabricated or altered for installation.

The System is designed to reduce the number of operators required to perform the function of pouring concrete. It may also improve other aspects of the operation, comprising placement accuracy, efficiency of material usage, and efficiency of the overall operation. It may also provide additional revenue streams to the operation, comprising data transaction revenue, and material re-ordering fees. For example, the System can monitor concrete levels in the on site material supply infrastructure, which itself may comprise, for example, material delivery pipes and the supply hopper which may receive material from delivery trucks. With such monitoring, the preferred system may automatically re-order material such as concrete when a critical level is reached. Note that the critical level may be set so that new concrete can be dispatched and arrive before the current supply is exhausted. In this instance, revenue can be derived from the placement of an order for more concrete (re-order fee). Additionally, a transaction fee may be charged when data is sent or received from the System to the Back Office. This may consist of the carriage fee (SMS, GPRS packet cost etc) plus a margin.

One or more control units 143 are located on the concrete truck, and a control handle with remote control features 144 is mounted on the whip line.

The control handle remote 144 may be battery operated, and can be recharged. It may accept battery packs which can be charged via a wall outlet, cigarette lighter, or charging receptacle in the vehicle. Battery operation will simplify installation on the whip line. No wiring will be required

The vehicle mounted control unit(s) 143 may be powered from the vehicle battery, and may also comprise a backup battery for operation if main power is removed. This feature is useful for sending a system power fault condition back to base - only possible if the control units are internally powered The remote control 144 may incorporate an emergency stop button (e-Stop) which will immediately shut down the concrete pump and lock the boom in its current position. Redundancy may be incorporated in to the e-Stop function. For example, the Remote Control may send a periodic transmission to the System Controller to indicate there are no faults, and that an emergency stop has not been triggered. This is an improvement over the Remote Control sending an emergency stop transmission when the button is pressed, as the transmission may not be received, or the Remote Control may not be operating correctly (due to low battery level or a fault condition).

The remote control 144 may incorporate one or more control mechanisms to control the boom. These may be of a joystick type. The control mechanisms may control each section of the boom individually, or collectively. Software algorithms may be developed to control the boom more efficiently by moving multiple sections simultaneously.

The remote control will incorporate a mechanism to allow the operator to start, stop and reverse the concrete pump, and to alter the flow rate of concrete. Further, the. remote control will incorporate a mechanism to allow the operator to raise and lower the support / stabilising legs of the concrete pouring truck or machine. This may be achieved though an on-screen menu system, where the required pump or hydraulic piston can be selected and then actuated. Alternatively, dedicated controls may be provided for commonly used pumps and pistons, such as the concrete pump.

The remote control may allow the operator to start and stop the concrete truck or machine's engine, and alter its running speed. This may be achieved simply with a start/stop button and a throttle control potentiometer (knob).

The remote control may allow the operator to control miscellaneous features of the system, comprising working lights, fans, concrete vibrators, and other elements of the system which can be controlled via electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic means. The system features may be mapped to a control input on the remote control. For example, a toggle switch on the remote control panel may be mapped to a siren housed in the concrete crane. When the toggle switch is turned on by the operator, a command is transmitted by the remote control to the system controller. The system controller would then activate a relay or other form of electrical switch to provide power to the siren located in the concrete crane (and, in one embodiment, hard wired to the system controller).

The remote control may incorporate a two way radio function to allow the operator to communicate with other people on the building site. The radio may be analogue or digital. If video is incorporated in to the design, then digital is preferable. Safety 9 000277

24 requirements may mean the radio is kept separate from the rest of the System, in which case analogue may be preferable.

The remote control may provide hands free operation, and may incorporate a push-to-talk button The remote control may have an internal microphone and speaker, and may also comprise a headset socket

The remote control may incorporate a video camera and display. The camera may record video of the operator and surroundings for remote monitoring, and the display will enable the operator to monitor video sent in real-time from other cameras located around the construction site (and outside the normal field of view of the operator). Note the System comprises portable cameras which can be positioned around the construction site, and which will transmit video back to the remote control and the control unit.

The remote control may incorporate a display screen to allow the operator to monitor selected operating parameters. These may comprise: - Engine and pump performance (temp, pressure, oil level etc)

Support leg stability / sinking / level Concrete pour flow rate, volume, height, position

These parameters may be monitored in several ways. Sensors may be fitted to monitoring points on the vehicle for example, a flow rate sensor may be included in the concrete flow path. These sensors may then be individually wired up to the system controller. Alternatively, if the vehicle is already fitted with appropriate sensory systems, then the electrical outputs of the existing sensors can be connected to the system controller.

Types of sensors which may be connected to the system controller comprise temperature and pressure transducers, strain gauge transducers, flow rate sensors, level sensors, and other types of sensors which convert a physical parameter into an electrical signal.

The display screen may be suitable for daylight and low light level operation. Technologies suitable for the display comprise light emitting diode systems (LED), liquid crystal displays (LCD), and organic LED displays (OLED). If an LCD display is to be used, it may be backlit for use in low ambient light conditions.

The remote control may incorporate a video display screen to display data streamed from video cameras located around the construction site. Figures 18 and 19 show use of a camera for display. Figure 18 shows a camera view over the end of the whip line with a user 1801 and the remote user handling device 144 in view. Figure 19 shows a camera 1902 positioned remotely to the concrete crane corresponding to the 9 000277

25 view of figure 18, and also a camera 1903 in a location where its field of view is outside the typical field of view of the operator. The remote cameras 1902 and 1903 may be battery operated, and may acquire and transmit images via a wireless data link to the remote control of the user handling device 144 and/or system controller. These images can then be displayed on the remote control display screen of the remote user handling device 144, and may be stored or sent to the back office by the system controller.

It is also envisaged that the preferred system may incorporate handle control for easy manipulation of the boom, effectively allowing the boom to be 'dragged' in to position by the operator with hydraulic power assistance. The system may monitor the position of the boom arm sections. This may be achieved by incorporating sensors in to the boom arm hinge assemblies, or by another means, such as differential GPS. Differential GPS is accurate to <10cm

The System may monitor concrete flow rate and pouring position, and thereby assist the operator in pouring a level surface. Feedback to the operator may be provided via the remote control. As an extension, the floor plan may be input to the System, and the System could then calculate the required position and speed required to complete the pour. This information could be fed to the operator via the remote control. Methods for inputting the floor plan comprise a 'walk around', where the boom is put in to a teach mode and walked around the perimeter by the operator. The floor plan could also be input digitally (from a floor plan etc), using architectural computer aided design (CAD) data.

The System may log all recorded data for later analysis. The System may comprise or interface to other tools of the trade, including laser levels, or any device which has a means otcommunicating with a peripheral product.. The System may incorporate a wireless communication mechanism for sending and receiving data. This mechanism could be GSM, GPRS, 3G, or a proprietary wireless network

The System may provide for remote monitoring of system parameters, comprising engine / pump telemetry, concrete usage, voice and video communications. The system controller may establish a connection with a remote computer via it's Back Office Comms module. Parameters to be remotely monitored may then be streamed over this connection to the remote computer. Alarm conditions could be set to alert key personnel via SMS, email, or other means. Engine and pump telemetry comprise oil / water temp and pressure, RPM, manifold pressure, vibration, etc may be monitored. Alarms could be programmed directly in to the system controller via, for example, the remote back office connection. The system controller would store a threshold value for which a given parameter should not exceed (or fall below). If the threshold is reached, the system controller could use the back office communications module to send an SMS directly from the GSM modem, or connect to an email server via the 3G or GPRS modem and send an email. The System may allow for the automatic re-ordering of concrete once levels reach a threshold point. For example, a level sensor trips in concrete barrel or flow rate vs time computes concrete level is low. Thereafter a transmitter in the Control Unit sends sms or email to convey this for re-supply or re-order of new material.

Video streamed from the work site may have on-screen information overlaid, such as operator details, telemetry, etc It is envisaged that this can be done by a computer at the back office running a software application to receive and process the video feed from the remote system controller.

While this invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of further modification(s). This application is intended to cover any variations uses or adaptations of the invention following in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the invention pertains and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth.

As the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit of the essential characteristics of the invention, it should be understood that the above described embodiments are not to limit the present invention unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative only and not restrictive. Various modifications and equivalent arrangements are intended to be included within the spirit and scope of the invention and appended claims. Therefore, the specific embodiments are to be understood to be illustrative of the many ways in which the principles of the present invention may be practiced. In the following claims, means-plus- function clauses are intended to cover structures as performing the defined function and not only structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures. For example, although a nail and a screw may not be structural equivalents in that a nail employs a cylindrical surface to secure wooden parts together, whereas a screw employs a helical surface to secure wooden parts together, in the environment of fastening wooden parts, a nail and a screw are equivalent structures. It should be noted that where the terms "server", "secure server" or similar terms are used herein, a communication device is described that, may be used in a communication system, unless the context otherwise requires, and should not be construed to limit the present invention to any particular communication device type. Thus, a communication device may include, without limitation, a bridge, router, bridge- router (router), switch, node, or other communication device, which may or may not be secure.

It should also be noted that where a flowchart is used herein to demonstrate various aspects of the invention, it should not be construed to limit the present invention to any particular logic flow or logic implementation. The described logic may be partitioned into different logic blocks (e.g., programs, modules, functions, or subroutines) without changing the overall results or otherwise departing from the true scope of the invention. Often, logic elements may be added, modified, omitted, performed in a different order, or implemented using different logic constructs (e.g., logic gates, looping primitives, conditional logic, and other logic constructs) without changing the overall results or otherwise departing from the true scope of the invention. Various embodiments of the invention may be embodied in many different forms, including computer program logic for use with a processor (e.g., a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, or general purpose computer), programmable logic for use with a programmable logic device (e.g., a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other PLD), discrete components, integrated circuitry (e.g., an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC)), or any other means including any combination thereof. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, predominantly all of the communication between users and the server is implemented as a set of computer program instructions that is converted into a computer executable form, stored as such in a computer readable medium, and executed by a microprocessor under the control of an operating system.

Computer program logic implementing all or part of the functionality where described herein may be embodied in various forms, including a source code form, a computer executable form, and various intermediate forms (e.g., forms generated by an assembler, compiler, linker, or locator). Source code may include a series of computer program instructions implemented in any of various programming languages (e.g., an object code, an assembly language, or a high-level language such as Fortran, C, C++, JAVA, or HTML) for use with various operating systems or operating environments. The source code may define and use various data structures and communication messages. The source code may be in a computer executable form (e.g., via an interpreter), or the source code may be converted (e.g., via a translator, assembler, or compiler) into a computer executable form. 77

28

The computer program may be fixed in any form (e.g., source code form, computer executable form, or an intermediate form) either permanently or transitorily in a tangible storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory device (e.g, a RAM, ROM, PROM, EEPROM, or Flash-Programmable RAM), a magnetic memory device (e.g., a diskette or fixed disk), an optical memory device (e.g., a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM), a PC card (e.g., PCMCIA card), or other memory device. The computer program may be fixed in any form in a signal that is transmittable to a computer using any of various communication technologies, including, but in no way limited to, analog technologies, digital technologies, optical technologies, wireless technologies (e.g., Bluetooth), networking technologies, and inter-networking technologies. The computer program may be distributed in any form as a removable storage medium with accompanying printed or electronic documentation (e.g., shrink wrapped software), preloaded with a computer system (e.g., on system ROM or fixed disk), or distributed from a server or electronic bulletin board over the communication system (e.g., the Internet or World Wide Web). Hardware logic (including programmable logic for use with a programmable logic device) implementing all or part of the functionality where described herein may be designed using traditional manual methods, or may be designed, captured, simulated, or documented electronically using various tools, such as Computer Aided Design (CAD), a hardware description language (e.g., VHDL or AHDL), or a PLD programming language (e.g., PALASM, ABEL, or CUPL).

Programmable logic may be fixed either permanently or transitorily in a tangible storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory device (e.g., a RAM, ROM, PROM, EEPROM, or Flash-Programmable RAM), a magnetic memory device (e.g., a diskette or fixed disk), an optical memory device (e.g., a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM), or other memory device. The programmable logic may be fixed in a signal that is transmittable to a computer using any of various communication technologies, including, but in no way limited to, analog technologies, digital technologies, optical technologies, wireless technologies (e.g., Bluetooth), networking technologies, and internetworking technologies. The programmable logic may be distributed as a removable storage medium with accompanying printed or electronic documentation (e.g., shrink wrapped software), preloaded with a computer system (e.g., on system ROM or fixed disk), or distributed from a server or electronic bulletin board over the communication system (e.g., the Internet or World Wide Web).

"Comprises/comprising" when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof." Thus, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words 'comprise', 'comprising', and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of "including, but not limited to".

Claims

1. A method of controlling delivery of heavy material suitable for construction, the method comprising the step of: communicating control and feedback information between a heavy material delivery system and a remote user handling device located at a point of delivery of the heavy material such that a user of the remote user handling device controls delivery of the heavy material at the point of delivery.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the remote user handling device is integral with the point of delivery.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the point of delivery comprises the output of a material supply whip line.

4. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the step of communicating comprises one or a combination of: communicating control information from the remote user handling device to the heavy material delivery system; communicating feedback information from the heavy material delivery system to the remote user handling device.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the step of communicating control information comprises at least one of: transmitting wireless signals comprising the control information to at least one system monitoring and control unit located within the heavy material delivery system; interfacing the control information between at least one system monitoring and control unit and one or more electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic operating means of at least one operating element of the heavy material delivery system.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein the at least one operating element of the heavy material delivery system comprises one or a combination of: working lights; fans; material vibrators; alarms; sirens; material pumps; material truck/crane systems; at least one material delivery supporting boom; at least one material delivery supporting boom section; material truck/crane engines; supporting/stabilising legs of a material truck/crane.

7. A method as claimed in claim 5 or 6 wherein the control information is, in part, emergency stop information comprising one of: an emergency stop transmission; a periodic transmission to a system controller to indicate no fault.

8. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the steps of communicating feedback information comprises: monitoring physical and/or operating parameters of the heavy material delivery system; transmitting the monitored parameters to the remote user handling device for selective display to the user.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the step of monitoring comprises: sensing and forwarding parameter values to at least one system monitoring and control unit; transmitting the parameter values via wireless signals to the remote user handling device.

10. A method as claimed in claim 8 or 9 wherein the parameters comprise one or a combination of: heavy material flow rate; heavy material level; engine speed/engine temperature; fuel level; alarm conditions; boom/boom section position; level of supporting/stabilising legs of a material truck/crane; material volume/height/position GPS location data; operating element telemetry data.

11. A method as claimed in any one of the previous claims wherein the steps of communicating control and feedback information further comprise at least one or a combination of: transmitting an order to a back office for more material when a monitored material supply level reaches a critical level; voice communication between the user and on site personnel; video communication between the user and on site personnel.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11 wherein the step of transmitting an order for more material further comprises the step of: charging a transaction fee.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of communicating further comprises one or a combination of: communicating feedback information from the remote user handling device to the heavy material delivery system; communicating control information from the heavy material delivery system to the remote user handling device.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the step of communicating feedback information comprises: performing a walk around of a material delivery site.

15. A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the step of communicating control information comprises the step of: providing the user with a material delivery plan comprising position and speed of a material delivery hose operatively associated with the remote user handling device.

16. Apparatus for controlling delivery of heavy material suitable for construction comprising: a heavy material delivery system comprising material supply truck means operatively associated with a material delivery hose adapted to form a point of delivery for the material; a remote user handling device operatively associated with the point of delivery for the material and adapted to communicate control and feedback information with the heavy material delivery system to enable a user of the remote user handling device to control delivery of the material at the point of delivery.

17. Apparatus as claimed in claim 16 wherein the remote user handling device is integral with the point of delivery.

18. Apparatus as claimed in claim 16 or 17 wherein the point of delivery comprises the output of a material supply whip line.

19. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 18 further comprising: communication means for communicating the control and feedback information between the heavy material delivery system and the remote user handling device.

20. Apparatus as claimed in claim 19 wherein the communication means comprises one or a combination of: first control information communicating means for communicating control information from the remote user handling device to the heavy material delivery system; first feedback information communication means for communicating feedback information from the heavy material delivery system to the remote user, handling device;

21. Apparatus as claimed in claim 20 wherein the control information communicating means comprises at least one of: wireless communication means for transmitting wireless signals comprising the control information to at least one system monitoring and control unit located within the heavy material delivery system; material delivery system interfacing means for interfacing the control information between at least one system monitoring and control unit and one or more electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic operating means of at least one operating element of the heavy material delivery system.

22. Apparatus as claimed in claim 21 wherein the at least one operating element of the heavy material delivery system comprises one or a combination of: working lights; fans; material vibrators; alarms; sirens; material pumps; material truck/crane systems; at least one material delivery supporting boom; at least one material delivery supporting boom section; material truck/crane engines; supporting/stabilising legs of a material truck/crane.

23. Apparatus as claimed in claim 21 or 22 wherein the control information is, in part, emergency stop information comprising one of: an emergency stop transmission; a periodic transmission to a system controller to indicate no fault.

24. Apparatus as claimed in claim 20 wherein the feedback information communication means comprises: parameter monitoring means for monitoring physical and/or operating parameters of the heavy material delivery system; parameter transmission means for transmitting the monitored parameters to the remote user handling device for selective display to the user.

25. Apparatus as claimed in claim 24 wherein the parameter monitoring means comprises: sensors for sensing and forwarding parameter values to at least one system monitoring and control unit; wireless parameter transmission means for transmitting the parameter values via wireless signals to the remote user handling device.

26. Apparatus as claimed in claim 24 or 25 wherein the parameters comprise one or a combination of: heavy material flow rate; heavy material level; engine speed/engine temperature; fuel level; alarm conditions; boom/boom section position; level of supporting/stabilising legs of a material truck/crane; material volume/height/position

GPS location data; operating element telemetry data.

27. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 19 to 26 wherein the communication means for communicating control and feedback information further comprises at least one or a combination of:

, order transmission means for transmitting an order to a back office for more material when a monitored material supply level reaches a critical level; intercom means for voice communication between the user and on site personnel; remote video means for video communication between the user and on site personnel.

28. Apparatus as claimed in claim 27 wherein the order transmission means is adapted to charge a transaction fee upon data is sent or received from the material delivery system to the back office.

29. Apparatus as claimed in claim 19 wherein the communication means further comprises one or a combination of: second feedback information communication means for communicating feedback information from the remote user handling device to the heavy material delivery system; second control information communication means for communicating control information from the heavy material delivery system to the remote user handling device.

30. Apparatus as claimed in claim 29 wherein the second feedback information communication means is adapted for performing a walk around of a material delivery site to obtain material delivery plan information. T/AU2009/000277

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31. Apparatus as claimed in claim 29 wherein the second control information communication means is adapted to provide the user with a material delivery plan comprising position and speed of the material delivery hose operatively associated with the remote user handling device.

32. Apparatus adapted to control delivery of heavy material suitable for construction, said apparatus comprising: processor means adapted to operate in accordance with a predetermined instruction set, said apparatus, in conjunction with said instruction set, being adapted to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15.

33. A computer program product comprising: a computer usable medium having computer readable program code and computer readable system code embodied on said medium for controlling delivery of heavy material suitable for construction within a data processing system, said computer program product comprising: computer readable code within said computer usable medium for performing the method steps of any one of claims 1 to 15.