US 11,747,182 B2
Device to measure the flow rate of a fluid, such as concrete, in a pumping plant connected to a drilling machine
Corrado Collina, Forli' (IT)
Assigned to SOILMEC S.P.A., Cesena (IT)
Appl. No. 16/770,515
Filed by SOILMEC S.P.A., Cesena (IT)
PCT Filed Dec. 6, 2018, PCT No. PCT/IB2018/059696
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 5, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/111190, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 13, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 102017000141585 (IT), filed on Dec. 7, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0181003 A1, Jun. 17, 2021
Int. Cl. G01F 1/66 (2022.01); E02D 5/34 (2006.01); E02D 5/56 (2006.01); G01F 3/14 (2006.01); G01F 25/10 (2022.01)
CPC G01F 1/666 (2013.01) [E02D 5/34 (2013.01); E02D 5/56 (2013.01); G01F 3/14 (2013.01); G01F 25/10 (2022.01); E02D 2600/10 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A device to measure flow rate of a hardening fluid, such as concrete, in a pumping plant connected to a drilling machine provided with a drilling tool, said pumping plant comprising a piston motor pump and a connection pipe to lead the hardening fluid from said piston motor pump to the drilling tool; said device comprising:
at least one transmitting module, adapted to be rigidly mounted and in a removable manner, on the piston motor pump or the connection pipe of the pumping plant and comprising at least one accelerometer;
a receiving module, adapted to be associated with the drilling machine;
wherein the transmitting module is configured to detect accelerations generated by vibrations of the pumping plant during pumping of the hardening fluid, said accelerations indicating a flow rate of the hardening fluid, and to send a signal, which is processed based on the detected accelerations, to the receiving module through wireless transmission;
wherein the receiving module is configured to receive the signal from the transmitting module and to send a signal indicating the flow rate of the pumped hardening fluid based on the received signal;
wherein the transmitting module is configured so that, if the intensity of the accelerations detected by the accelerometer remains within detection threshold values, said accelerations are not taken into account to emit the signal generated by the transmitting module; and
wherein the transmitting module is configured to analyze intensity of the vibrations for a predetermined adjustment time, during which a motor of the motor pump is in an operating condition in which said motor pump does not pump the fluid, and to determine an adjustment interval which is defined by the maximum positive and negative values of the acceleration detected in the adjustment time; the detection threshold values are determined based on the adjustment time.