Patent ID: 8746954

Claim:
A system for monitoring concrete in a concrete delivery vehicle having a concrete mixing drum and a drive system for rotating the mixing drum, comprising: a concrete delivery vehicle having a concrete mixing drum for containing a hydratable concrete mix to be delivered by said concrete delivery vehicle; a processor configured to receive data from sensors on the vehicle and to utilize said data in evaluating slump of concrete contained in the concrete mixing drum; at least one drum sensor coupled to the processor and to the mixing drum or to the drive system for rotating the mixing drum, for measuring at least one of the rotation speed of the concrete mixing drum, and torque applied to rotate the concrete mixing drum, or both rotation speed and torque; a truck accelerometer sensor mounted to the concrete delivery vehicle and coupled to the processor, said truck accelerometer sensor and said processor configured to calculate a tilt angle of the concrete delivery vehicle relative to Earth gravity; and said processor being further configured to evaluate slump of concrete mix contained in the concrete mixing drum based on data from said at least one drum sensor and from the calculated tilt angle of the concrete delivery vehicle as calculated by said processor from data received from said truck accelerometer sensor.