JP7573469B2 - Method for calculating remaining required amount of fresh concrete, system for calculating remaining required amount of fresh concrete, and system for supporting ordering of fresh concrete - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method and system for calculating the remaining amount of fresh concrete required for pouring work. The present invention also relates to a system for supporting the ordering process for fresh concrete.

When constructing a concrete structure, fresh concrete (also called "ready mixed concrete") is poured (casting) into an area surrounded by formwork that is designed and placed to match the shape of the concrete structure to be constructed. After that, once the poured fresh concrete has hydrated and developed a certain level of strength, the formwork is removed (demolding).

In many cases, when fresh concrete is poured, an order is placed for a quantity that is slightly larger than the anticipated amount. In these cases, the unused remaining fresh concrete (hereafter referred to as "remaining concrete") is sent back to the fresh concrete manufacturing plant (ready-mixed concrete plant), and how to dispose of it has been a problem for a long time.

There are some factories where the amount of fresh concrete returned to ready-mix concrete plants (hereafter referred to as "returned concrete") exceeds 100 ^m3 per month, and nationwide, it is said to be as much as 1.5 to 2 million ^m3 per year. For this reason, the existence of returned concrete is an issue not only in terms of expenses for ready-mix concrete companies, but also from an environmental perspective for the industry.

One known method for reducing the amount of return constriction is the technology described in Patent Document 1 below.

JP 2018-199950 A

The reason leftover concrete and returned concrete occur is because it is difficult to calculate the amount of fresh concrete needed for pouring, making it difficult to order an accurate amount in advance. For this reason, the usual procedure is to first order a slightly smaller amount of concrete than estimated to be needed, and then observe the pouring location to check the rising behavior of the concrete level, and then estimate the required amount by eye or by measuring the distance from the top of the formwork with a tape measure, and then place an additional order.

If the arrival of the concrete mixer truck (agitator truck) is delayed due to traffic conditions at the stage of ordering the final amount of concrete, construction defects such as poor pouring joints at the interface with the surface of the already poured concrete may occur. For this reason, from the perspective of construction management, there is a tendency to order more concrete than necessary when placing additional orders, and the remaining concrete ends up as leftover concrete or returned concrete.

In light of these circumstances, in order to reduce the amount of leftover concrete and returned concrete, it is necessary to detect the remaining required amount of fresh concrete as accurately as possible, especially during pouring. In other words, it is preferable to be able to detect the remaining required amount of fresh concrete as quickly as possible in real time as pouring progresses.

The technology in Patent Document 1 obtains the volume inside the formwork using a depth sensor or image capture before the start of pouring work, and detects the required amount of fresh concrete based on this obtained information. However, with this method, it is not possible to estimate the remaining required amount of fresh concrete based on the current pouring situation during the pouring work (for example, during the final stage of pouring work).

In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a method and system for calculating the remaining amount of fresh concrete required to complete a pouring operation, particularly during the pouring operation. The present invention also aims to provide a support system for ordering fresh concrete using this method.

The method for calculating the remaining required amount of fresh concrete according to the present invention comprises the steps of:
A step (a) of continuously or intermittently detecting a remaining height corresponding to a vertical distance from a top end of the formwork to a liquid surface of the fresh concrete during a pouring operation of pouring fresh concrete into a planned pouring area surrounded by the formwork;
A step (b) of calculating a reference area when the casting planned area is viewed vertically from above based on the position information of the formwork during the casting work or before the start of the casting work;
and a step (c) of calculating the remaining required amount of fresh concrete continuously or intermittently by performing a calculation process based on the remaining height information obtained in the step (a) and the reference area information obtained in the step (b).

According to the above method, the area (reference area) of the area to be poured surrounded by the formwork as viewed from above is calculated in step (b). In addition, the remaining height due to the liquid level of the fresh concrete, which changes during pouring, is calculated in step (a). Therefore, by performing calculation processing based on the results obtained in steps (a) and (b), the remaining required amount of fresh concrete can be calculated continuously or intermittently.

This allows workers at a construction site, for example, to determine the remaining amount of fresh concrete required and order additional fresh concrete based on this amount, thereby reducing the amount of leftover and returned concrete more than before.

The method for calculating the remaining required amount of fresh concrete further comprises:
Before the start of the pouring work, a measurement module equipped with a position information detection unit that detects position information by receiving radio waves is attached to three or more different positions on the formwork as viewed vertically from above.
The step (b) may be a step of calculating the reference area by a calculation process based on information on the positions at which the measurement modules are attached.

According to the above method, the cross-sectional area of the planned pouring area inside the formwork can be calculated by automatic calculation processing simply by attaching the measurement module to a specified location in advance. In other words, even in cases where detailed design drawings cannot be obtained in advance, workers are not burdened with additional work such as measuring during pouring work.

The location information detection unit can take any form as long as it has the function of detecting location information. For example, a method of receiving radio waves from a positioning satellite, radio waves from Wi-Fi (registered trademark), infrared rays, etc. to estimate its own location can be used. However, from the perspective of improving the accuracy of the location information estimation, it is preferable to use RTK (Real Time Kinematic) positioning. In this case, the accuracy error of the location information can be suppressed to within a few centimeters, so that the cross-sectional area (i.e., the reference area) of the planned pouring area can be estimated with high accuracy by performing calculations based on this location information.

The calculation method used by the calculation unit can be a geometric method, for example, a closed traverse calculation. That is, a method can be used in which the installation positions of the multiple measurement modules when viewed vertically from above are recognized as components of a polygon with each of the vertices as the vertices, and the area of the region enclosed by this polygon is then calculated.

The measurement module attached in step (d) is equipped with a distance measurement unit capable of measuring a distance to an object,
The step (a) may be a step of detecting the remaining height by measuring the vertical distance from the installation position of the measurement module to the liquid surface of the fresh concrete using the distance measuring unit mounted on the measurement module.

According to the above method, the remaining required amount of fresh concrete is automatically calculated by installing measurement modules equipped with both a distance measurement function for measuring the remaining height and a position information detection function for calculating the reference area in multiple locations in advance. This significantly reduces the workload. A laser range finder, for example, can be used as the distance measurement unit.

The method for calculating the remaining required amount of fresh concrete includes a step (e) of calculating an exclusion area, which is an area of an obstacle present in the planned pouring area when the planned pouring area is viewed vertically from above,
The step (c) may involve calculating the remaining required amount of the fresh concrete by performing an arithmetic process including a process of multiplying a value obtained by subtracting the excluded area obtained in the step (e) from the reference area obtained in the step (b) by the remaining height obtained in the step (a).

It is common for reinforcing bars to be placed within the area to be poured, which is surrounded by the formwork. Particularly towards the end of the pouring work, the reinforcing bars extend vertically, and there is little change in the area occupied by these bars when viewed vertically from above. Therefore, if the area occupied by the reinforcing bars when viewed vertically from above is known, the area of the area in which fresh concrete is to be buried, as viewed vertically from above, can be calculated with greater accuracy by subtracting the area occupied by these bars (excluded area) from the reference area calculated in step (b).

The excluded area can be calculated, for example, based on the amount of fresh concrete poured from the agitator truck into the formwork within a specified time during pouring, and the amount of change in the liquid level of the fresh concrete within this specified time. Details will be described later in the "Form for carrying out the invention" section.

The present invention also provides a system for calculating a remaining required amount of fresh concrete during a pouring operation in which fresh concrete is poured into a planned pouring area surrounded by a formwork,
A plurality of measurement modules each having a location information detection unit that detects location information by receiving radio waves and a distance measurement unit that measures the distance between the measurement unit and an object,
A calculation unit that calculates a remaining required amount of fresh concrete by calculation processing based on first information regarding the installation positions of the plurality of measurement modules when viewed vertically from above and second information regarding the vertical distance from the measurement modules to the liquid surface of the fresh concrete;
The present invention is characterized in that it includes a server that records remaining amount information regarding the remaining required amount of fresh concrete calculated by the calculation unit and is configured to be able to transmit the remaining amount information to one or more operation terminals.

According to the above system, workers at the construction site of a concrete structure can easily recognize the current remaining amount of fresh concrete required by accessing the server using an operating terminal such as a smartphone or tablet PC. This provides criteria for determining the amount and timing of ordering when ordering additional fresh concrete.

It is common for multiple workers with different employers to be involved in the construction of a concrete structure, including the construction manager who oversees the site, the production manager at the ready-mix concrete plant who produces and supplies the fresh concrete, and the transporter who transports the fresh concrete from the ready-mix concrete plant to the site. For this reason, it is preferable for the server to be a server that utilizes a public cloud system that can be accessed regardless of the type of operating terminal, so that these workers can check the current pouring status, i.e., the remaining required amount of fresh concrete, in real time and on multiple devices. Also, for convenience, it is preferable for the ID and password to be the same for each construction site when authenticating access.

The calculation unit may calculate a reference area of the planned pouring area when viewed vertically from above from the first information, and detect a remaining height corresponding to the vertical distance from the top of the formwork to the liquid surface of the fresh concrete from the second information, and perform a calculation process that includes multiplying the reference area by the remaining height to calculate the required remaining amount of fresh concrete.

the calculation unit is mounted in at least one of the plurality of measurement modules,
The measurement module equipped with the calculation unit may transmit the remaining amount information obtained by calculation processing to the server, thereby updating the remaining amount information recorded in the server.

In this case, one of the multiple measurement modules may be designated as a "parent module" and the others as "child modules." For example, the parent module receives first information from the multiple child modules regarding their respective installation positions. The calculation unit of the parent module then performs calculation processing to calculate the remaining required amount of fresh concrete based on the first information transmitted from the child modules, the first information detected by the parent module itself, and second information detected by the parent module regarding the vertical distance from the measurement module to the liquid surface of the fresh concrete, and transmits the calculated amount to the server.

In the above case, the second information transmitted from each child module may also be used when calculating the remaining required amount of fresh concrete. As an example, the average value of the second information transmitted from each measurement module may be used as the vertical distance to the liquid surface of the fresh concrete.

The computing unit is mounted on the server,
The first information and the second information are transmitted from the measurement module to the server,
The calculation unit mounted on the server may calculate the remaining amount information based on the received first information and second information.

The fresh concrete ordering support system according to the present invention includes the fresh concrete remaining required amount calculation system,
The operation terminal is characterized by having an order processing unit that instructs the sending of order information to a supplier to order the amount of fresh concrete required to be ordered based on the remaining amount information.

According to the above configuration, fresh concrete can be ordered based on the currently accurately estimated remaining required amount of fresh concrete, so the amount of leftover concrete and returned concrete generated can be reduced more than ever before. In addition, workers who manage the ordering of fresh concrete at the construction site can easily process orders using their own operating terminals, such as smartphones. Examples of the supplier include ready-mix concrete plants.

The server may store the ordered but unused amount of fresh concrete in an updatable state, calculate the required order amount by subtracting the ordered but unused amount from the remaining required amount of fresh concrete listed in the remaining amount information, and transmit the calculated amount to the operation terminal.

The amount of fresh concrete ordered but not yet used is calculated, for example, by calculating the amount of fresh concrete that has been used or is currently being used from the number of agitator trucks that have arrived at the construction site and the amount of fresh concrete that can be accommodated in the agitator truck, and then subtracting this amount from the total amount ordered to date.

According to the present invention, it is possible to accurately calculate the remaining amount of fresh concrete required to complete a pouring operation, even during the pouring operation.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a measurement module is installed at a construction site. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a measurement module. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for calculating the area of the inner region of the formwork by a calculation unit. This is a schematic diagram for explaining the calculation method of the calculation unit when taking into account the presence of obstacles within the planned pouring area. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a first embodiment of a system for calculating a remaining required amount of fresh concrete. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of another embodiment of the system for calculating a remaining required amount of fresh concrete. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of another embodiment of the system for calculating a remaining required amount of fresh concrete. FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a second embodiment of a system for calculating a remaining required amount of fresh concrete. FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating another configuration of the second embodiment of the system for calculating a remaining required amount of fresh concrete.

Below, the embodiments of the method for calculating the remaining required amount of fresh concrete, the system for calculating the remaining required amount of fresh concrete, and the fresh concrete ordering support system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First embodiment]
Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a measurement module 10, which is an element of a system for calculating the remaining required amount of fresh concrete according to the present invention, is installed at a construction site. At the construction site 1, an operation is performed to pour fresh concrete 3 into a planned pouring area surrounded by a formwork 2. Reinforcing bars 4 are arranged at predetermined locations in the planned pouring area. The +Z direction in Fig. 1 is vertically upward.

As described below, the measurement module 10 can measure the liquid level of the fresh concrete 3 by irradiating laser light 10L vertically downward. In addition, as described below, the measurement module 10 can detect the position information at which the measurement module 10 is attached. As shown in FIG. 1, the measurement module 10 is attached at multiple locations when viewed vertically from above.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the measurement module 10. The measurement module 10 includes a position information detection unit 11, a distance measurement unit 12, a calculation unit 13, and a transmission/reception unit 15.

The position information detection unit 11 is a functional means for detecting the position of the installed measurement module 10. Specifically, the position information detection unit 11 receives radio waves to detect the position information, and preferably employs a method using RTK positioning using radio waves from a positioning satellite. RTK positioning is a method in which a base station and a receiver (referred to as the position information detection unit 11 in this case) (not shown) each receive carrier waves from a positioning satellite and accurately detect the installation position of the receiver based on correction information transmitted from the base station to the receiver. With this method, the installation position can be detected accurately with an error of within a few centimeters.

The distance measuring unit 12 is a functional means for measuring the vertical distance (Z direction in FIG. 1) from the installation position of the measuring module 10 to the liquid surface of the fresh concrete 3. Specifically, a laser distance meter can be used as the distance measuring unit 12. The laser distance meter is a device that irradiates a laser beam 10L (see FIG. 1) to an object and receives the reflected light, and measures the distance based on the time from emitting the laser beam 10L to receiving the reflected light. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, by irradiating the laser beam 10L vertically downward from the measuring module 10 (distance measuring unit 12), the reflected light reflected by the liquid surface of the fresh concrete 3 is received by the measuring module 10. The timing of receiving the reflected light depends on the vertical distance from the installation position of the measuring module 10 to the liquid surface of the fresh concrete 3, so that the distance can be measured by this time lag. Note that the timing of measuring the distance by the distance measuring unit 12 is preferably after the formwork 2 is filled with the fresh concrete 3 to every corner, that is, after compaction, but is not particularly limited. For example, in the case of highly fluid concrete, compaction is not required, and measurements can be taken at any time.

The calculation unit 13 is a functional means that calculates the amount of fresh concrete required from the current time until the completion of pouring (remaining required amount) by calculation processing based on the position information (corresponding to "first information") detected by the position information detection unit 11 and the distance information (corresponding to "second information") measured by the distance measurement unit 12, and is composed of a processor such as a CPU or MPU. A specific example of the calculation method in the calculation unit 13 will be described later.

The transmitter/receiver 15 is a communication interface that transmits and receives information to and from other devices. As described below, the measurement module 10 of this embodiment transmits information regarding the remaining required amount of fresh concrete calculated by the calculation unit 13 to the server 20 (described later in FIG. 5) via the transmitter/receiver 15.

The calculation unit 13 estimates the area (i.e., cross-sectional area) of the region inside the formwork 2 when viewed vertically from above (in the -Z direction) based on the position information detected by the position information detection unit 11 provided in each measurement module 10. Figure 3 is a diagram for explaining this calculation method.

As described above, each measurement module 10 is attached at multiple locations when viewed vertically from above. Here, as an example, we will explain that eight measurement modules 10 (10a, 10b, ..., 10h) are attached to the construction site 1 where concrete is to be poured.

The measurement module 10 may be attached to the top of the formwork 2 as shown in FIG. 1, or may be attached to construction materials (such as temporary scaffolding or single-tube pipes) (not shown) installed above the formwork 2.

As an example, the position information detected by the position information detection unit 11 of each measurement module 10 (10a, 10b, ..., 10h) is sent to the calculation unit 13 of one of the measurement modules (for convenience, here, measurement module 10a). In this example, measurement module 10a is the parent unit, and the other measurement modules (10b, 10c, ..., 10h) are child units. The parent unit and child units are configured to be able to communicate with each other via the transmission/reception unit 15. Note that this communication means is optional.

The calculation unit 13 mounted on the measurement module 10a calculates the area of the region 11A inside the formwork 2 using a geometric method based on the position information of each measurement module 10 (10a, 10b, ..., 10h). As a geometric method, for example, traverse surveying technology can be used. More specifically, after recognizing the polygon connecting the positions of each measurement module 10 (10a, 10b, ..., 10h), the coordinates of the unknown point are obtained by determining the distance and azimuth between the reference point and the unknown point, and a closed traverse is recognized. The area inside the closed traverse is then calculated using known methods such as the double horizontal distance method and the coordinate method.

The calculation unit 13 calculates the remaining required amount of fresh concrete by calculation processing based on the area of the region surrounded by the formwork 2 calculated by the above method and the vertical distance (i.e., the remaining height) from the installation position of the measurement module 10 to the liquid surface of the fresh concrete 3 measured by the distance measurement unit 12. If the measurement module 10 is attached to a construction material above the formwork 2, the calculation unit 13 may calculate the remaining height by subtracting the difference between the planned height of the top edge of the fresh concrete 3 and the installation height of the measurement module 10 from the distance measured by the distance measurement unit 12. In this case, information regarding the difference between the planned height of the top edge of the fresh concrete 3 and the installation height of the measurement module 10 may be input to the measurement module 10 in advance and recorded in the measurement module 10. Furthermore, even if the measurement module 10 is attached at the same height as the formwork 2, if the distance measurement unit 12 is an optical measurement means such as a laser range finder, the measurement module 10 is attached so that its light receiving surface is located above the top edge of the formwork 2. In this case, the calculation unit 13 may calculate the remaining height by subtracting the difference between the planned height of the top edge of the fresh concrete 3 and the height of the light receiving surface from the distance measured by the distance measurement unit 12.

The calculation process for calculating the remaining height described above may also be performed by the calculation unit 13 provided in the parent measurement module 10a, which is one of the measurement modules 10 (10a, 10b, ..., 10h).

The information on the remaining height used in the calculation process may be based only on the measurement results of the distance measurement unit 12 mounted on the parent measurement module 10a, or may take into account the measurement results of the distance measurement units 12 mounted on each of the other measurement modules (10b, 10c, ..., 10h) in addition to the measurement module 10a. In the latter case, the measurement results of the distance measurement units 12 are transmitted from the child measurement modules (10b, 10c, ..., 10h) to the parent measurement module 10a. At this time, the calculation unit 13 of the measurement module 10a may determine the remaining height as, for example, the average value of the measurement results of all the measurement modules 10 (10a, 10b, ..., 10h).

The calculation unit 13 calculates an estimate of the remaining required amount of fresh concrete by multiplying the area of the region surrounded by the formwork 2 by the remaining height. At the construction site 1, as the pouring of the fresh concrete 3 progresses, the liquid level of the fresh concrete 3 rises over time, and the remaining height decreases over time. The calculation unit 13 of the measurement module 10a is configured to receive the measurement results from the distance measurement unit 12 continuously or intermittently, and calculates an estimate of the remaining required amount of fresh concrete using the value of the remaining height that changes over time based on this information. In other words, with this configuration, the calculation unit 13 of the measurement module 10a calculates an estimate of the remaining required amount of fresh concrete at the current time, taking into account the degree of rise in the liquid level of the fresh concrete 3 as pouring progresses.

The calculation unit 13 may be configured to estimate the remaining required amount of fresh concrete with greater accuracy, taking into account obstacles present in the planned casting area. Any method can be used to estimate the volume of the obstacles. As an example, a method can be used in which information on the volume of objects to be excluded from casting, such as reinforcing bars 4, is obtained in advance from three-dimensional CAD data or dimension drawings of the structure. As another example, a method can be used in which an image is taken of the inside of the formwork 2 from above the formwork 2 to be cast or the area in which the formwork 2 is installed using an imaging device provided on a UAV (drone) or the like, and the cross-sectional area of the upper end of the formwork 2 and the amount of reinforcing bars are estimated by image processing. Even if CAD data or a drone cannot be prepared, it is possible to estimate the amount of reinforcing bars by calculation processing using the following method. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the calculation method of the calculation unit 13 when the presence of obstacles is taken into account.

Using the method described above, the calculation unit 13 calculates the cross-sectional area of the planned pouring area, i.e., the area of the area surrounded by the formwork 2 (area S2 in Figure 4). This area S2 corresponds to the "reference area."

The calculation unit 13 calculates a difference value H(T12) by subtracting the remaining height h(t2) at time t2 from the remaining height h(t1) at time t1 based on the measurement results of the distance measurement unit 12. This difference value H(T12) corresponds to the rise in the liquid level of the fresh concrete 3 during the time T12 from time t1 to time t2.

The calculation unit 13 multiplies the previously measured volume per unit time (i.e., flow rate) of fresh concrete 3 poured from the agitator vehicle into the planned pouring area by the time T12. This calculates the flow rate V3 (T12) of the fresh concrete 3 actually poured within the time T12 from time t1 to time t2.

The calculation unit 13 subtracts the flow rate V3 (T12) of the fresh concrete 3 actually poured from the product of the reference area S and the rise value H (T12) of the liquid level of the fresh concrete 3 during the time T12 from time t1 to time t2. This calculates the volume V4 (T12) of the reinforcing bar 4 embedded in the fresh concrete 3 during the time T12 from time t1 to time t2.

The calculation unit 13 calculates the cross-sectional area S4 of the reinforcing bar 4 by dividing the volume V4 (T12) by the rise in the liquid level of the fresh concrete 3 during the time T12 from time t1 to time t2 (H (T12)). This cross-sectional area S4 corresponds to the excluded area.

The calculation unit 13 calculates an estimated value Vr(t2) of the remaining required amount of fresh concrete 3 at time t2 by multiplying the remaining height h(t2) at time t2 by the value obtained by subtracting the excluded area S4 from the area of the region surrounded by the formwork 2, i.e., the reference area S2. This method makes it possible to estimate the remaining required amount of fresh concrete 3 while taking into account obstacles such as reinforcing bars 4.

It is difficult to imagine that the cross-sectional area S4 of obstacles such as reinforcing bars 4 will change over time, especially in the final stages of the pouring work. For this reason, the cross-sectional area S4 of reinforcing bars 4 that protrudes above the liquid surface of fresh concrete 3 at time t2 can be determined by the estimated value of cross-sectional area S4 calculated based on the value of the rise in the liquid surface height of fresh concrete 3 H(T12) during time T12 from time t1 to time t2.

The final stage of the concrete pouring work varies depending on the size of the planned pouring area enclosed by formwork 2, but as a guideline, it is the stage when there are approximately 20 or fewer agitator trucks remaining to enter the site before pouring is completed in the planned pouring area according to the concrete pouring plan.

In addition, information regarding the flow rate of the fresh concrete 3 poured from the agitator vehicle into the planned pouring area may be measured in advance by a worker and then transmitted to the measurement module 10, and may be recorded in a memory unit (not shown) provided in the measurement module 10.

In addition, if the volume of an obstacle such as a reinforcing bar 4 does not change in the vertical direction from the bottom to the top of the formwork, the excluded area S4 calculated in the calculation of the initial estimated value Vr may be used as the excluded area S4 in the calculation of subsequent estimated values Vr.

Information regarding the remaining required amount of fresh concrete 3 calculated by the calculation unit 13 of the measurement module 10 is transmitted to the server 20. Figure 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the system 100 including the server 20.

The server 20 is installed at a location separate from the construction site 1 (see FIG. 1) and is preferably a server that utilizes a public cloud system that can be connected to any type of equipment. The server 20 includes a memory unit 21 for storing information and a transmission/reception unit 22, which is an interface for transmitting and receiving information between multiple terminals and devices.

The information on the remaining required amount of fresh concrete 3 calculated by the measurement module 10 is transmitted to the server 20 via the network line NW and stored in the memory unit 21. As described above, the measurement module 10 continuously or intermittently calculates an estimate of the remaining required amount of fresh concrete 3 at the current time, and therefore information on the calculation results is transmitted to the server 20 substantially in real time.

The server 20 is configured to be connectable from an operation terminal 30 held by a worker or the like at the construction site 1. When connecting to the server 20 from the operation terminal 30, a predetermined authentication process that requests input of a user ID and password may be performed in advance. Setting a common user ID and password according to the location of the construction site 1 makes it easier for each worker involved in the construction site 1 to connect to the server 20. For example, a smartphone, tablet PC, notebook PC, or wearable device can be used as this operation terminal 30. Note that the operation terminal 30 may be configured to connect to the server 20 by executing an application provided by the operator of the system 100.

When a worker at the construction site 1 operates the operation terminal 30 to connect to the server 20 from the transmission/reception unit 32, information about the remaining required amount of fresh concrete 3 recorded in the memory unit 21 of the server 20 is received by the operation terminal 30 via the network line NW. The worker can recognize the remaining required amount of fresh concrete 3 at the construction site 1 at the current time by checking the display unit 31 of the operation terminal 30.

As described above, information on the remaining required amount of fresh concrete 3 is continuously or intermittently transmitted from the measurement module 10 to the server 20. Therefore, the memory unit 21 of the server 20 can record the change over time in the remaining required amount of fresh concrete 3. The display unit 31 of the operation terminal 30 may display, for example, a graph showing the change over time in the remaining required amount of fresh concrete 3 based on the information from the server 20. This graphing function is realized, for example, by an application provided by the operator of this system 100.

According to this system 100, multiple workers at the construction site 1 can recognize the current remaining required amount of fresh concrete 3 in real time by operating their own operation terminals 30 to connect to the server 20. This can be used as a criterion for determining the order amount and ordering timing when ordering additional fresh concrete 3.

As shown in FIG. 5, the server 20 may also be connected to an in-factory terminal 40 installed in the ready-mixed concrete factory. This allows the ready-mixed concrete factory to recognize the remaining required amount of fresh concrete 3 at the construction site 1 in real time.

As shown in FIG. 6, the operation terminal 30 may be equipped with an order processing unit 33. This allows a worker in charge of ordering fresh concrete 3 at the construction site 1 to recognize the remaining required amount of fresh concrete 3 at the present time using his/her own operation terminal 30, and to order additional fresh concrete 3 in an amount corresponding to the remaining required amount (required order amount). This order information is transmitted to the supplier via the network line NW. The supplier may be, for example, an in-factory terminal 40 of a ready-mixed concrete factory, but may also be a terminal installed at a supplier's base other than the ready-mixed concrete factory, or a mobile terminal of a person in charge of the supplier. . At the ready-mixed concrete factory, fresh concrete 3 is manufactured (mixed) in an order amount corresponding to the order information, and preparation for shipment to the construction site 1 is made. In other words, the system 100 shown in FIG. 6 makes it possible to support the ordering process of fresh concrete 3. The order information includes at least information related to the required order amount and information related to the supplier, such as the place to ship, but may also include other information.

The communication method of the network line NW used in this system 100 is arbitrary, but considering that the production of fresh concrete is usually completed within 10 minutes, it is preferable to adopt high-speed communication with a communication frequency of several hundred MHz or more with little data delay.

However, at the time when information regarding the remaining required amount of fresh concrete 3 is stored in the memory unit 21 of the server 20, there may be a case where an order for fresh concrete 3 has already been placed with the ready-mixed concrete plant but an amount that has not yet been used (ordered but unused amount) exists. Specifically, the amount of fresh concrete 3 being transported from the ready-mixed concrete plant to the construction site 1 and the amount of fresh concrete 3 that has just arrived at the construction site 1 correspond to the ordered but unused amount.

As shown in FIG. 7, if the server 20 includes a calculation unit 23, the calculation unit 23 may calculate the amount of fresh concrete 3 required by subtracting the ordered but unused amount from the remaining amount of fresh concrete 3 required transmitted from the measurement module 10. Information regarding this amount of fresh concrete 3 required is transmitted from the server 20 to the operation terminal 30. When the order processing is performed in the order processing unit 33 of the operation terminal 30, order information for fresh concrete 3 containing the amount of fresh concrete 3 required to be ordered (order amount) and information regarding the ordering site is transmitted to the in-plant terminal 40 of the ready-mixed concrete plant, which is an example of the supplier.

The memory unit 21 of the server 20 may store past order information. The construction site 1 may be provided with a gate equipped with a function for detecting the arrival of an agitator truck for transporting fresh concrete 3. In this case, when the arrival of the agitator truck is detected by the gate, information to that effect is sent to the server 20, so that it is possible to recognize that the agitator truck has arrived at the construction site 1. Since the amount of fresh concrete that has arrived at the site can be recognized based on the capacity of fresh concrete 3 that the agitator truck can transport and the number of arriving vehicles, the amount that has been ordered but has not yet arrived can be detected by subtracting this arriving amount from the total amount already ordered. However, the method of detecting the amount of ordered but unused amount is not limited to this method.

[Second embodiment]
In the first embodiment, the calculation unit 13 included in the measurement module 10 calculates the remaining required amount of fresh concrete 3, and information on this remaining required amount is transmitted from the measurement module 10 to the server 20. However, this calculation process may be performed at a location other than the measurement module 10.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a calculation unit 23 provided in the server 20 may perform calculation processing to estimate the remaining required amount of fresh concrete 3. In this case, each measurement module 10 transmits the position information detected by its respective position information detection unit 11 and the distance information measured by its distance measurement unit 12 to the server 20 via the network line NW. The calculation unit 23 of the server 20 performs calculation processing in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and an estimate of the remaining required amount of fresh concrete is calculated. In other words, in this case, each measurement module 10 (10a, 10b, ...) may not be provided with a calculation unit 13.

Also, as shown in FIG. 9, a calculation device 50 capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from the measurement modules 10 (10a, 10b, ...) may be installed near the construction site 1. In this case, each measurement module 10 transmits the position information detected by its respective position information detection unit 11 and the distance information measured by its distance measurement unit 12 to the calculation device 50. The calculation unit 51 of the calculation device 50 performs calculation processing based on this information in a manner similar to that of the first embodiment, and calculates an estimate of the remaining required amount of fresh concrete. Information related to the calculation result is transmitted from the transmission/reception unit 52 of the calculation device 50 to the server 20 through the network line NW. This calculation device 50 can be, for example, a router equipped with a calculation function.

The rest of the description is omitted as it is the same as the first embodiment.

[Another embodiment]
Another embodiment will now be described.

<1> In the above embodiment, the measurement module 10 has been described as a single device equipped with both the position information detection unit 11 and the distance measurement unit 12. However, the position information detection unit 11 and the distance measurement unit 12 may be configured separately.

〈2〉 As described above, the position information detected by the position information detection units 11 mounted on the multiple measurement modules 10 is used to calculate the cross-sectional area of the region surrounded by the formwork 2. The value of this cross-sectional area does not change as the pouring of the fresh concrete 3 progresses. On the other hand, the remaining height measured by the distance measurement unit 12 mounted on the measurement module 10 changes over time as the pouring of the fresh concrete 3 progresses and the liquid level rises.

The information on the remaining height used for calculations in the calculation unit (13, 23, 51) may use the measurement results of the distance measurement unit 12 mounted on a single measurement module 10. For this reason, before pouring, information on the installation position of each formwork 2 is detected by the position information detection units 11 mounted on the multiple measurement modules 10, and this information is recorded in a specific measurement module 10 (for example, the measurement module 10a as the parent unit described above). Then, the measurement modules (10b, 10c, ...) other than measurement module 10a may be removed thereafter, and only measurement module 10a may be attached to the construction site 1 during pouring.

1: Construction site 2: Formwork 3: Fresh concrete 4: Reinforcing bars 10 (10a, 10b, ..., 10h): Measurement module 10L: Laser light emitted from the measurement module 11: Position information detection unit 12: Distance measurement unit 13: Calculation unit 15: Transmission/reception unit 20: Server 21: Memory unit 22: Transmission/reception unit 23: Calculation unit 30: Operation terminal 31: Display unit 32: Transmission/reception unit 33: Order processing unit 40: In-factory terminal 50: Calculation device 51: Calculation unit 52: Transmission/reception unit 100: System NW: Network line

Claims (10)

A step (a) of continuously or intermittently detecting a remaining height corresponding to a vertical distance from a top end of the formwork to a liquid surface of the fresh concrete during a pouring operation of pouring fresh concrete into a planned pouring area surrounded by the formwork;
A step (b) of calculating a reference area , which is the area of the planned casting area when viewed vertically from above, based on the position information of the formwork during or before the start of the casting work;
A step (c) of continuously or intermittently calculating the remaining required amount of fresh concrete by performing a calculation process based on the remaining height information obtained in the step (a) and the reference area information obtained in the step (b) ;
Before the start of the pouring work, a measurement module equipped with a position information detection unit that detects position information by receiving radio waves is attached to three or more different positions on the formwork as viewed vertically from above.
The method for calculating the remaining required amount of fresh concrete, characterized in that the step (b) is a step of calculating the reference area by calculation processing using a geometric method based on position information of where each of the measurement modules is attached . The measurement module attached in step (d) is equipped with a distance measurement unit capable of measuring a distance to an object,
2. The method for calculating the remaining required amount of fresh concrete according to claim 1, wherein the step ( a ) is a step of detecting the remaining height by measuring the vertical distance from the installation position of the measurement module to the liquid surface of the fresh concrete by the distance measuring unit mounted on the measurement module. A step (e) of calculating an exclusion area, which is an area of an obstacle present in the planned casting area when the planned casting area is viewed vertically from above;
3. The method for calculating the remaining required amount of fresh concrete according to claim 1, wherein the step (c) calculates the remaining required amount of the fresh concrete by performing an arithmetic process including a process of multiplying a value obtained by subtracting the excluded area obtained in the step (e) from the reference area obtained in the step (b) by the remaining height obtained in the step (a) . A system for calculating a remaining required amount of fresh concrete during a pouring operation in which fresh concrete is poured into a planned pouring area surrounded by a formwork,
A plurality of measurement modules each having a location information detection unit that detects location information by receiving radio waves and a distance measurement unit that measures the distance between the measurement unit and an object,
A calculation unit that calculates a remaining required amount of fresh concrete by calculation processing based on first information regarding the installation positions of the plurality of measurement modules when viewed vertically from above and second information regarding the vertical distance from the measurement modules to the liquid surface of the fresh concrete;
a server configured to record remaining amount information regarding a remaining required amount of the fresh concrete calculated by the calculation unit and to transmit the remaining amount information to one or more operation terminals ;
The plurality of measurement modules are attached to three or more different positions on the formwork when viewed vertically from above,
The calculation unit calculates a reference area, which is the area of the planned pouring area when viewed vertically from above, using a geometric method based on the first information, and detects a remaining height corresponding to the vertical distance from the top position of the formwork to the liquid level of the fresh concrete from the second information, and performs a calculation process including multiplying the reference area by the remaining height to calculate the remaining required amount of fresh concrete . The system for calculating the remaining required amount of fresh concrete as described in claim 4, characterized in that the geometric method includes a closed traverse calculation using a polygon whose vertices are the installation positions of the multiple measurement modules when the planned pouring area is viewed vertically from above . The system for calculating the remaining required amount of fresh concrete as described in claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the position information detection unit mounted on the plurality of measurement modules detects the installation positions of each of the plurality of measurement modules when viewed vertically from above by RTK positioning. the calculation unit is mounted in at least one of the plurality of measurement modules,
The system for calculating the remaining required amount of fresh concrete according to any one of claims 4 to 6 , characterized in that the measurement module equipped with the calculation unit transmits the remaining amount information obtained by calculation processing to the server, thereby updating the remaining amount information recorded in the server. The computing unit is mounted on the server,
The first information and the second information are transmitted from the measurement module to the server,
The system for calculating the remaining required amount of fresh concrete according to any one of claims 4 to 7 , characterized in that the calculation unit mounted on the server calculates the remaining amount information based on the received first information and the second information. A fresh concrete ordering support system,
The system for calculating the remaining required amount of fresh concrete according to any one of claims 4 to 8 is provided,
A fresh concrete ordering support system characterized in that the operation terminal is equipped with an ordering processing unit that instructs the supplier to send ordering information to order the amount of fresh concrete required based on the remaining amount information. The fresh concrete ordering support system according to claim 9, characterized in that the server stores the ordered but unused amount of fresh concrete in an updatable state, calculates the required order amount by subtracting the ordered but unused amount from the remaining required amount of fresh concrete described in the remaining amount information, and transmits the calculated amount to the operation terminal.

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