Auger Operation Sensor for Remote Status Indication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional systems for indicating auger operation to a remote location are unreliable, often relying on visual or oral communication, which is challenging due to the moving and changing environments of combine and tractor operations, leading to potential inefficiencies and material wastage.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of sensors or switches connected to the auger's drive mechanism or operator, which provide aural, visual, or wireless indications of auger operation, allowing remote monitoring through lights, speakers, or wireless transceivers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If visual or oral communication is used to indicate auger operation, then the system is simple and requires minimal equipment, but the reliability of communication deteriorates due to moving vehicles, dust, glare, and operational conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical/visual communication methods with electronic sensors and electrical indication systems. Sensors detect auger operation status and transmit signals to remote indicators, substituting the need for direct visual or oral communication between operators.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces sensors and electrical signals as intermediaries between the auger operation and the remote indicator. The sensor acts as a mediator that automatically detects and communicates operational status without requiring direct human-to-human communication.
2Loss of substance
If manual monitoring by operators is used, then the system requires minimal equipment, but material wastage increases due to delayed detection of auger operation status
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements an automatic feedback system where sensors continuously monitor auger operation and immediately signal remote indicators. This closed-loop feedback eliminates delays in detecting operational status changes, allowing immediate container positioning adjustments and preventing material wastage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-monitoring and self-communication of operational status without requiring manual observation or reporting by operators. The sensor automatically detects and communicates auger status, freeing operators from manual monitoring tasks and enabling faster response times.
Data Source
AI summary
The systems and methods of the present invention employ either a sensor in communication with the auger or a sensor in the form of a switch operated by the user of the auger. When the sensor detects that the auger is operating or the switch is operated by the auger operator, an indication of auger operation is published to a remote location. The indication may be in the form of an aural or visual indication or in the form of a wireless transmission.