Annual ring strip drilling device capable of controlling depth and angle

By designing a tree ring strip drilling device with controllable depth and angle, the problems of drilling tilt and inaccurate position judgment of traditional tools have been solved, realizing efficient and accurate tree ring sample collection, which is suitable for forestry surveys and ecological monitoring.

CN122062931APending Publication Date: 2026-05-19NINGXIA UNIVERSITY
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
NINGXIA UNIVERSITY
Filing Date
2026-02-05
Publication Date
2026-05-19

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Traditional annual ring drilling tools are prone to borehole tilting and cannot accurately determine the drilling position, resulting in a laborious, inefficient and low-precision sampling process.

Method used

Design a drilling device for annual rings with controllable depth and angle. The device forms a rigid support structure by connecting the module and the control module. Combined with electric drive and automatic measurement, it can achieve precise control of drilling depth and angle.

Benefits of technology

It effectively avoids drilling deviation, improves sampling success rate and sample availability, reduces manual labor consumption, is suitable for continuous operations on hard wood and multiple tree species, and supports large-scale standardized sampling.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The invention discloses an annual ring strip drilling device capable of controlling depth and angle. The annual ring strip drilling device is characterized in that a connecting module is arranged on a to-be-measured tree body; the control module is connected with the connection module, and obtains the diameter of the to-be-measured tree body by obtaining the length of the connection module; the execution module is arranged on the control module, is in electrical signal connection with the control module and is used for drilling a to-be-measured tree body at a preset depth by receiving a signal of the control module, the connection module can be fixed to the to-be-measured tree body in a surrounding manner, and the control module is used for automatically obtaining the diameter of the tree body and calculating the pith position by measuring the length of the connection module. And the execution module drills the tree body at a preset depth according to an instruction of the control module. By means of automatic measurement and control, the problems that a traditional sampling tool is prone to drill hole deflection, and depth control depends on artificial experience are effectively solved, precision, high efficiency and standardization of annual ring strip sampling are achieved, and the reliability and working efficiency of forestry investigation and scientific research sampling are remarkably improved.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of forestry research technology, and in particular relates to a device for drilling annual ring strips with controllable depth and angle. Background Technology

[0002] In forestry surveys and research, obtaining tree rings is a crucial foundational method for assessing tree growth rates and carbon sequestration capacity. By drilling tree rings at breast height (1.3 m), precise information such as tree age and radial growth rate can be obtained, providing key data support for forest ecological monitoring, forest management, and carbon storage estimation.

[0003] Currently, the most commonly used sampling tool in field surveys is the traditional manual growth cone. While simple in structure and easy to carry, its operation relies entirely on manual rotation and drilling, making sampling laborious and inefficient, especially when dealing with old trees or hard-wooded species. Furthermore, due to limitations in manual control precision, the drill hole is prone to deviation in the horizontal or vertical direction, causing the annual rings to deviate from the radial direction of the trunk, affecting the integrity of the annual rings and the accuracy of growth measurement. To improve sampling efficiency, simplified electric growth cones have been developed to replace traditional ones. Although the electric drive reduces the intensity of rotation, these devices typically lack stable control over the drilling angle, still resulting in drilling deviation. Simultaneously, due to structural limitations, operators cannot determine in real time whether the drill bit has reached the pith, often relying on experience to estimate, leading to high sampling uncertainty and problems such as repeated sampling or damage to the wood core. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a controllable depth and angle annual ring drilling device to solve the technical problems of traditional sampling tools that easily cause borehole tilting and cannot accurately determine the drilling position.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the specific technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0006] In some embodiments of this application, a device for drilling annual rings with controllable depth and angle is provided, comprising: A connection module, wherein the connection module is disposed on the tree to be tested; A control module, which is connected to a connection module, obtains the diameter of the tree to be measured by acquiring the length of the connection module; The execution module is located on the control module and is electrically connected to the control module. By receiving signals from the control module, the execution module drills the tree to be tested to a preset depth.

[0007] In some embodiments of this application, the connection module has a combined structure, including: Several arc-shaped bodies are connected to each other by connectors, and a through groove is provided on the last arc-shaped body, and a locking hole is provided on the through groove; The first measuring element is symmetrically arranged on both sides of the control module. One end of the first measuring element is connected to the control module, and the other end passes through the through groove of the arc-shaped body and is provided with several limiting holes. A locking component is provided on the arc-shaped body, which passes through the locking hole and the limiting hole in sequence, and is connected to the arc-shaped body.

[0008] In some embodiments of this application, the control module is provided with a rotating component, one end of the first measuring component is fixedly connected to the rotating component and wrapped around the rotating component, and the other end extends out of the control module. The first measuring component is provided with a plurality of distance markers, and the control module obtains the information of the distance markers to know the length information of the first measuring component between the control module and the arc-shaped body.

[0009] In some embodiments of this application, the connection module has a dual-connection structure, including: Several arc-shaped bodies are connected to each other by connectors, and a locking groove is provided on the last arc-shaped body. The second measuring component is arranged in layers and symmetrically on both sides of the control module. One end of the second measuring component is connected to the control module, and the other end is connected to the slot of the arc-shaped body.

[0010] In some embodiments of this application, the control module is provided with a first driving component, the first driving component is provided with a rotating component, one end of the second measuring component is fixedly connected to the rotating component and wrapped around the rotating component, and a plurality of distance markers are provided on it. After connecting one end of the second measuring component to the arc-shaped body, the control module drives the first driving component to retract the second measuring component, thereby obtaining the information of the distance markers and knowing the length information of the second measuring component between the control component and the arc-shaped body.

[0011] In some embodiments of this application, the control module includes: The housing has an internal mounting cavity with a through hole extending through the housing. The control unit is disposed within the mounting cavity; The displacement unit is located inside the mounting cavity, on both sides of the through hole, and is electrically connected to the control unit. A drilling unit is disposed in a through hole and connected to the displacement end of a displacement unit. The displacement of the drilling unit is controlled by the displacement unit.

[0012] In some embodiments of this application, the displacement element includes: The limiting member is located in the mounting cavity and has a through groove inside, which corresponds to the position of the through hole. It also has L-shaped slots arranged symmetrically on it. The driven member is sleeved on the outside of the limiting member, and its outer wall is provided with a connecting end. Its inner side is rotatably connected to the limiting member through a ball. The second driving component is symmetrically arranged in the mounting cavity and is connected to the output end of the electrical signal connector of the control unit and the connection end of the driven component.

[0013] Compared with existing technologies, the advantages of this invention are as follows: by fixing the connecting module around the tree body and forming a rigid support structure with the control module, radial offset during drilling is effectively constrained, ensuring that the drill bit feeds radially along the trunk. This avoids the drilling tilt problem caused by unstable manual or electric growth cones, thus obtaining complete and non-eccentric annual ring samples. The control module can automatically calculate the trunk diameter based on the tree circumference measured by the connecting module and accurately infer the pith position, thereby intelligently setting and controlling the drilling depth. This overcomes the shortcomings of traditional methods that rely on experience estimation and are prone to sampling too shallow or too deep, improving the sampling success rate and sample usability. By adopting electric drive and automatic measurement and feed control, the physical exertion of manual rotation and measurement is significantly reduced. It is especially suitable for continuous operation environments with hard wood or multiple tree species, which is conducive to large-scale standardized sampling. Through the combination of mechanical structure and control system, unified control of sampling position, angle and depth is achieved, providing a reliable technical foundation for long-term positioning observation and cross-regional comparative research. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall installation structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the arc-shaped body structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the locking component structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first measuring element provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second measuring element provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first driving component provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the displacement unit provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. The following examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0016] To better understand the purpose, structure, and function of this invention, the invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0017] Example 1 See appendix Figure 1 As shown, according to the embodiments of this application, it includes: A connection module, wherein the connection module is disposed on the tree to be tested; A control module, which is connected to a connection module, obtains the diameter of the tree to be measured by acquiring the length of the connection module; The execution module is located on the control module and is electrically connected to the control module. By receiving signals from the control module, the execution module drills the tree to be tested to a preset depth.

[0018] The technical effects achieved by the above technical solution in the embodiments of this application are as follows: By connecting the connection module and the control module to form a ring structure, the connection module and the control module should first be placed on the tree to be tested, so that they are in close contact with the tree. At this time, the circumference of the ring formed by the connection module and the control module is the circumference of the tree. By inputting the circumference of the ring to the control module, the diameter of the tree to be tested can be obtained, thereby determining the location of the pith. Then, the control module sends a command to the execution module, thereby driving the execution module to perform drilling, thus accurately obtaining the completed radial annual rings.

[0019] Example 2 See appendix Figure 1 -Appendix Figure 4 As shown, this application embodiment adopts some of the technical features of the above embodiments, wherein the connection module is a combined structure, including: Several arc-shaped bodies are connected to each other by connectors, and a through groove is provided on the last arc-shaped body, and a locking hole is provided on the through groove; It should be noted that the number of curved shapes is selected according to actual needs, such as... Figure 1As shown, the arc-shaped body preferably adopts a frame structure. However, it should be noted that the arc-shaped body can also adopt a plate, mesh plate, chain, or other structure. As a preferred option, the frame structure can not only be used on different bark surfaces, but also reduce the overall weight. It should be further noted that the material of the arc-shaped body is selected according to actual needs, and there are no restrictions here. Pure metal, composite metal, non-metal, and other materials can be used, with composite metal being the preferred option.

[0020] The first measuring element preferably adopts a strip structure. The first measuring element is symmetrically arranged on both sides of the control module. One end of the first measuring element is connected to the control module, and the other end passes through the through groove of the arc-shaped body and is provided with several limiting holes. The locking component is an insert rod-shaped structure. The locking component is located on the arc-shaped body and passes through the locking hole and the limiting hole in sequence, and is connected to the arc-shaped body. In order to increase the stability of the overall connection, the end of the locking component may be provided with a threaded structure, and the bottom of the locking component may be threadedly connected to the locking hole, thereby improving the stability of the overall connection.

[0021] It should be noted that the control module is equipped with a rotating component. One end of the first measuring component is fixedly connected to the rotating component and wrapped around the rotating component, while the other end extends out of the control module. The first measuring component is equipped with several distance markers. The control module obtains information from the distance markers to determine the length information of the first measuring component between the control module and the arc-shaped body.

[0022] The technical effects achieved by the above technical solution in the embodiments of this application are as follows: In use, select an appropriate arc-shaped body and attach it to the tree to be measured. Insert one end of the first measuring component of the control module through the through groove of the arc-shaped body and pull the first measuring component to the end. After the arc-shaped body, the control module, and the first measuring component are kept taut, insert the locking component into the locking hole and through the limiting hole to fix the first measuring component. The control module identifies the distance marker on the first measuring component to obtain the length of the first measuring component, and then obtains the circumference of the overall ring, and then obtains the positional relationship of the pith.

[0023] Example 3 See appendix Figure 5 -Appendix Figure 6 As shown, this application embodiment adopts some of the technical features of the above embodiments, wherein the connection module is a dual-connection structure, including: The arc-shaped body is composed of multiple lightweight arc-shaped frame units connected in series by hinges. The number can be increased or decreased according to the thickness of the tree trunk. The last arc-shaped body is provided with a locking groove for fixing the end of the measuring tape.

[0024] The second measuring element is a layered tape measure made of flexible composite material. The surface is printed with graduation marks, and several magnetic marking points are embedded inside (the spacing is set according to actual needs).

[0025] The second measuring piece is fixed at one end to the rotating part inside the control module, and the other end is equipped with a quick hook that can be connected to the slot.

[0026] The first drive component uses a miniature stepper motor, with its output shaft connected to a rotating component, allowing it to rotate forward and backward to wind up and unwind the measuring tape.

[0027] The first drive component is connected to the control unit via signals and is controlled by preset extension and retraction logic.

[0028] The Hall sensor is mounted near the rotating component to detect magnetic markers on the measuring belt.

[0029] Tension sensors are installed on the measuring belt path to detect the tension of the belt and prevent it from being too tight or too loose.

[0030] After the device is powered on, the control module initializes, and the first drive component slowly releases the measuring tape to a slack state. The user connects the hook at the end of the measuring tape to the slot of the arc-shaped body. The control module starts the automatic winding mode, and the first drive component gradually retracts the measuring tape. At the same time, the tension sensor monitors in real time. When the tension reaches the set threshold (e.g., 5N), the system determines that the measuring tape is taut and stops winding. During the winding process, the Hall sensor sends a pulse signal to the control unit for each magnetic marker detected. The control unit calculates the length of the currently retracted measuring tape by accumulating the number of pulses and combining the spacing between the markers. The control unit automatically sets the drilling depth based on the calculated diameter, usually half the diameter, to ensure that the core is drilled. This depth value is sent to the displacement unit of the execution module as the end signal of the drilling process.

[0031] The technical effects achieved by the above technical solution in the embodiments of this application are as follows: By adopting a dual-connection second measuring element arrangement structure, not only can the stability of the connection between the control module and the arc-shaped body be enhanced, but also the location of the pith core can be further determined by detecting the diameter of the upper and lower tree bodies to be measured, thereby improving drilling accuracy.

[0032] Example 4 See appendix Figure 1 -Appendix Figure 7 As shown, this application embodiment adopts some of the technical features from the above embodiments, wherein the control module includes: The housing has an internal mounting cavity with a through hole extending through it. It should be noted that the housing is made of high-strength engineering plastic, which is lightweight and impact-resistant. The housing is divided into a front shell and a rear shell, which are fixed by screws to form a sealed mounting cavity. A through hole with a diameter slightly larger than the drill rod diameter is provided in the center of the front shell and the rear shell for guidance and protection.

[0033] The control unit, located within the mounting cavity, includes a core processor employing an STM32F407 series microcontroller with a floating-point arithmetic unit suitable for real-time calculations, and a built-in EEPROM memory for storing tree species parameters and drilling history data. It also includes a button interface for start / pause, emergency stop, and mode selection; a display interface for connecting a 128×64 pixel OLED screen; a sensor interface supporting multiple types of sensors (I2C / SPI / ADC); a motor drive interface for connecting a stepper motor driver and a DC motor drive module; and, indispensablely, a power supply module, the selection of which is based on actual needs and is not limited here.

[0034] The displacement unit is located inside the mounting cavity, on both sides of the through hole, and is electrically connected to the control unit. The displacement element includes: The limiting member is located in the mounting cavity and has a through groove inside, which corresponds to the position of the through hole. It also has L-shaped slots arranged symmetrically on it. The driven member is sleeved on the outside of the limiting member, and its outer wall is provided with a connecting end. Its inner side is rotatably connected to the limiting member through a ball. The second driving component is symmetrically arranged in the mounting cavity and is connected to the output end of the electrical signal connector of the control unit and the connection end of the driven component. In other words, the output end of the second driving component is provided with a driving gear, and reciprocating motion is performed through the meshing connection between the driving gear and the connection end of the driven component.

[0035] The drilling unit adopts a hollow drill bit structure. The drilling unit is located inside the through hole and is connected to the displacement end of the displacement unit. The displacement of the drilling unit is controlled by the displacement unit.

[0036] After the system is powered on, the diameter of the tree to be tested is obtained according to the above embodiment, so as to return to the core position. The control unit issues a command to the displacement unit to determine the displacement amount. The drilling unit is connected to the L-shaped slot of the limiting component by a snap-fit. At this time, after the drilling unit is started with the external driving device, the control unit starts the second driving component. By obtaining the number of rotations and rotation angle of the drive gear, the current displacement amount is determined. When the specified displacement amount is reached, the second driving component is turned off. The drilling unit continues to rotate for 2-3 seconds to ensure the integrity of the core. The drilling unit is then separated from the external driving device. The core hook is inserted into the drilling unit to hook the core. The core is then pulled out in the reverse direction to complete the drilling action. Then, by reversing the second driving component, the displacement unit drives the drilling unit to reset and then separate and disassemble.

[0037] The technical effects achieved by the above technical solution in the embodiments of this application are as follows: By pre-obtaining the diameter of the tree to be tested and then the location of the pith, a displacement unit drives a drilling unit to drill to a certain depth, thereby obtaining a complete pith. A ring structure is formed on the tree surface by the first / second measuring band, the arc-shaped body, and the control module, ensuring connection stability. Combined with the control module's calculation of the tree diameter and pith location, precise control of drilling depth and angle is achieved, effectively solving the technical problems of traditional growth cones being prone to drilling deviation and depth relying on manual experience. This device adopts electric drive and modular design, significantly reducing operational intensity and improving sampling efficiency and consistency. It also possesses good environmental adaptability and scalability, providing high-precision, repeatable sample collection support for forestry surveys, tree ring studies, and ecological monitoring, demonstrating strong practical value and promising prospects for wider application.

[0038] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0039] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0040] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0041] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on its differences from other embodiments. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. For the apparatus disclosed in the embodiments, since they correspond to the methods disclosed in the embodiments, the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the method section.

[0042] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A device for drilling annual rings with controllable depth and angle, characterized in that, include: A connection module, wherein the connection module is disposed on the tree to be tested; A control module, which is connected to a connection module, obtains the diameter of the tree to be measured by acquiring the length of the connection module; The execution module is located on the control module and is electrically connected to the control module. By receiving signals from the control module, the execution module drills the tree to be tested to a preset depth.

2. The device for controlling the depth and angle of annual ring drilling according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connection module is a modular structure, including: Several arc-shaped bodies are connected to each other by connectors, and a through groove is provided on the last arc-shaped body, and a locking hole is provided on the through groove; The first measuring element is symmetrically arranged on both sides of the control module. One end of the first measuring element is connected to the control module, and the other end passes through the through groove of the arc-shaped body and is provided with several limiting holes. A locking component is provided on the arc-shaped body, which passes through the locking hole and the limiting hole in sequence, and is connected to the arc-shaped body.

3. The annual ring drilling device with controllable depth and angle according to claim 2, characterized in that, The control module is equipped with a rotating component. One end of the first measuring component is fixedly connected to the rotating component and wrapped around the rotating component, while the other end extends out of the control module. The first measuring component is equipped with several distance markers. The control module obtains information from the distance markers to determine the length information of the first measuring component between the control module and the arc-shaped body.

4. The device for controlling the depth and angle of annual ring drilling according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connection module has a dual-connection structure, including: Several arc-shaped bodies are connected to each other by connectors, and a locking groove is provided on the last arc-shaped body. The second measuring component is arranged in layers and symmetrically on both sides of the control module. One end of the second measuring component is connected to the control module, and the other end is connected to the slot of the arc-shaped body.

5. The annual ring drilling device with controllable depth and angle according to claim 4, characterized in that, The control module has a first driving component inside, on which a rotating component is provided. One end of the second measuring component is fixedly connected to the rotating component and wrapped around the rotating component. Several distance markers are provided on the second measuring component. After connecting one end of the second measuring component to the arc-shaped body, the control module drives the first driving component to retract the second measuring component, thereby obtaining the information of the distance markers and knowing the length information of the second measuring component between the control component and the arc-shaped body.

6. The device for controlling the depth and angle of annual ring drilling according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control module includes: The housing has an internal mounting cavity with a through hole extending through the housing. The control unit is disposed within the mounting cavity; The displacement unit is located inside the mounting cavity, on both sides of the through hole, and is electrically connected to the control unit. A drilling unit is disposed in a through hole and connected to the displacement end of a displacement unit. The displacement of the drilling unit is controlled by the displacement unit.

7. The annual ring drilling device with controllable depth and angle according to claim 6, characterized in that, The displacement unit includes: The limiting member is located in the mounting cavity and has a through groove inside, which corresponds to the position of the through hole. It also has L-shaped slots arranged symmetrically on it. The driven member is sleeved on the outside of the limiting member, and its outer wall is provided with a connecting end. Its inner side is rotatably connected to the limiting member through a ball. The second driving component is symmetrically arranged in the mounting cavity and is connected to the output end of the electrical signal connector of the control unit and the connection end of the driven component.