Auger Robot Slope Adjustment for Granular Bulk Stores
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bulk storage facilities for granular materials, such as grain bins, pose safety hazards due to hot, dusty, and hazardous environments, with risks of falls, entrapments, explosions, and health issues like Farmer's Lung, requiring workers to enter and manage piles manually.
Innovation Solution
A robotic device with an auger-based drive system that can operate remotely or autonomously within bulk stores, allowing for tasks like inspection, leveling, agitation, and slope adjustment of granular materials, reducing the need for human entry and minimizing safety risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If workers manually enter bulk stores to manage granular materials, then operational control and flexibility are improved, but safety risks and health hazards increase
Solution Approach 1:
A robotic device serves as an intermediary between the operator and the hazardous bulk storage environment. The robot enters the bulk store to perform tasks such as slope adjustment, grain agitation, and level monitoring, eliminating the need for human workers to physically enter dangerous environments while maintaining operational control through remote or autonomous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations with an automated robotic system equipped with sensors, actuators, and processing units. The robot uses mechanical components such as augers, blades, and sensors to perform grain management tasks, substituting human physical labor with automated mechanical systems that eliminate exposure to safety hazards.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a robotic device traverses piled granular material to adjust slope, then safety is improved by reducing human entry, but the granular material viscosity disruption and potential slope instability increase
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic device incorporates sensors that continuously monitor slope angle, grain moisture content, and material properties. The processing unit analyzes this feedback data in real-time to determine the optimal traversal path, speed, and agitation intensity, adjusting operations to maintain slope stability while achieving safety goals.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot applies partial agitation and disruption to the granular material rather than complete mixing. By selectively traversing specific areas and applying controlled disturbance, the system achieves sufficient slope adjustment and safety improvement without excessive disruption that could cause slope failure or material instability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The robotic device enhances safety by allowing remote or automated management of bulk stored granular materials, reducing the risk of accidents and health issues, while improving the quality and distribution of stored materials.
Implementation Method 1
traversing the portion of the piled granular material to incite sediment gravity flow in the portion of the piled granular material
Implementation Method 2
obtains a first measurement of an angle of slope of a portion of piled granular material in a bulk store
Data Source
AI summary
A robot comprises an auger-based drive system, a memory, and a processor coupled with the memory and configured to control movement of the robot via the auger-based drive system. The processor obtains a first measurement of an angle of slope of a portion of piled granular material in a bulk store. In response to the first measurement satisfying a first condition, the robot traverses the portion of piled granular material to incite sediment gravity flow in the portion of piled granular material by disruption of viscosity of the portion of piled granular material through agitation of the portion of piled granular material by auger rotation of the auger-based drive system. The processor obtains a second measurement of the angle of slope of the portion of piled granular material. In response to the second measurement satisfying a second condition, the robot ceases traversal of the portion of piled granular material.