Moisture compensating system

Claim 2

In an aggregate batching and mixing apparatus including an impulse connecting water meter device for adding water to a batch of aggregate in response to impulses received by said meter, the improvement comprising a system for measuring the moisture entrained in a batch of aggregate material discharged from a storage hopper for mixture with water from said meter to permit compensation for said entrained aggregate moisture, said system comprising: a plurality of electrical probes arranged in an array which projects said probes into a plurality of portions of an aggregate stream discharging from said hopper; electrical circuit means connected tO said probes and creating an electrical signal proportional to the conductivity and hence the entrained moisture content of the stream of aggregate flowing past said probes in each of said portions of said stream; a variable speed electrical motor connected to said circuit means and adapted to produce output revolutions of a motor output shaft proportional to the time interval of flow of aggregate past said probes and further proportional to the variations in electrical conductivity of said flowing aggregate stream as sensed by said probes, so that the revolution of said motor shaft is thereby proportional to the size of said aggregate batch and to the total entrained moisture in said aggregate batch; means connected to said motor output shaft to create a first train of electrical impulses proportional to the revolution of said shaft and thus proportional to the measured entrained moisture in said aggregate batch; electrical circuit means for creating a second train of pre-set electrical impulses for actuating said water meter to dispense a selected quantity of water into said batching apparatus; electrical circuit means for subtracting said first train of electrical impulses from said second pre-set train of impulses to provide a final impulse train which compensates for the measured entrained moisture in said aggregate batch; and electrical inhibitor means for inhibiting the receipt of electrical impulses by said water meter until said subtracter circuit functions to provide said final impulse train; whereby said system provides an impulse signal to said water meter which compensates for the measured entrained moisture in said aggregate batch.

Claim 3

A moisture compensating system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said system includes a digital counter actuated by said first train of impulses to provide a digital display of said measured entrained aggregate moisture.

Claim 4

In an electronic aggregate batching and mixing apparatus including an electrical water scale potentiometer for creating a final electrical signal representative of a selected quantity of water and an electrical aggregate scale potentiometer for creating a final electrical signal representative of a selected quantity of aggregate, the improvement comprising a system for measuring the moisture entrained in a batch of aggregate material discharged from a storage hopper for mixture with a quantity of water and for automatically compensating for said entrained aggregate moisture, said system comprising: a plurality of electrical probes arranged in an array which projects said probes into a plurality of portions of an aggregate stream discharging from said hopper; electrical circuit means connected to said probes and creating an electrical signal proportional to the conductivity and hence the entrained moisture content of the stream of aggregate flowing past said probes in each of said portions of said stream; a variable speed electrical motor connected to said circuit means and adapted to produce output revolutions of a motor output shaft proportional to the time interval of flow of aggregate past said probes and further proportional to the variations in electrical conductivity of said flowing aggregate stream as sensed by said probes, so that the revolution of said motor shaft is thereby proportional to the size of said aggregate batch and to the total entrained moisture in said aggregate batch; electrical potentiometer means joined to said motor output shaft and adapted to create first and second electrical signals which are proportional to the output of said motor shaft and hence to the measured entrained aggregate moisture; electrical circuit means connecting said first electrical signal to said aggregate scale potentiometer to increase the value of the final electrical signal emitted from said aggregate scale potentiometer to compensate for the measured entrained aggregate moisture by proportionately increasing the quantity of aggregate for a batch Mixture; and electrical circuit means connecting said second electrical signal to said water scale potentiometer to decrease the value of the final electrical signal emitted from said water scale potentiometer to compensate for the measured entrained aggregate moisture by proportionately decreasing the quantity of water for a batch mixture.

Claim 5

In an electronic aggregate batching and mixing apparatus including an electrical water scale potentiometer for creating a final electrical signal representative of a selected quantity of water and an electrical aggregate scale potentiometer for creating a final electrical signal representative of a selected quantity of aggregate, the improvement comprising a system for measuring the moisture entrained in a batch of aggregate material discharged from a storage hopper for mixture with a quantity of water and for automatically compensating for said entrained aggregate moisture, said system comprising: a plurality of electrical probes arranged in an array which projects said probes into a plurality of portions of an aggregate stream discharging from said hopper; electrical circuit means connected to said probes and creating an electrical signal proportional to the conductivity and hence the entrained moisture content of the stream of aggregate flowing past said probes in each of said portions of said stream; a variable speed electrical motor connected to said circuit means and adapted to produce output revolutions of a motor output shaft proportional to the time interval of flow of aggregate past said probes and further proportional to the variations in electrical conductivity of said flowing aggregate stream as sensed by said probes, so that the revolution of said motor shaft is thereby proportional to the size of said aggregate batch and to the total entrained moisture in said aggregate batch; electrical potentiometer means joined to said motor output shaft and adapted to create first and second electrical signals which are proportional to the output of said motor shaft and hence to the measured entrained aggregate moisture; electrical circuit means connecting said first electrical signal to said aggregate scale potentiometer to increase the value of the final electrical signal emitted from said aggregate scale potentiometer to compensate for the measured entrained aggregate moisture by proportionately increasing the quantity of aggregate for a batch Mixture; and electrical circuit means connecting said second electrical signal to said water scale potentiometer to decrease the value of the final electrical signal emitted from said water scale potentiometer to compensate for the measured entrained aggregate moisture by proportionately decreasing the quantity of water for a batch mixture.