Auger Robot Traversal for Granular Slope Stabilization

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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 dangerous working conditions, including risks of falls, entrapments, explosions, and health issues like Farmer's Lung, as workers need to enter and interact with piles of material, which can be unstable and pose risks of avalanches.

Innovation Solution

A robotic device with an auger-based drive system that can operate remotely or autonomously within bulk stores to manage granular materials by leveling, agitating, and adjusting the slope of stored materials, reducing the need for human entry and mitigating safety risks through sensors and payloads for inspection and manipulation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If workers manually manage bulk stored granular materials, then material handling operations can be performed, but safety risks increase due to exposure to falls, entrapments, explosions, and health issues

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveworker safetyVSAvoidexposure to hazardous conditions

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual mechanical operations with an automated robotic system equipped with sensors and actuators. The robot navigates the bulk store autonomously, using sensor data to identify and respond to material conditions, thereby eliminating direct human exposure to hazardous environments while maintaining operational capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The robotic system serves as an intermediary between human operators and the hazardous bulk material environment. It performs inspection and material handling tasks remotely, allowing humans to monitor and control operations without direct exposure to falls, entrapments, explosions, and health hazards

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If workers enter bulk stores to manage granular material, then material inspection and handling can be performed, but health issues such as Farmer's Lung may occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvematerial management capabilityVSAvoidhealth hazards

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces human workers with an autonomous robotic platform that performs material inspection and handling. The robot uses sensors to detect material conditions and performs operations without human presence in the bulk store, eliminating exposure to dust and other health hazards while maintaining productivity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Quantity of substance

If granular material is stored in bulk, then storage capacity is maximized, but material stability decreases leading to potential avalanches

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage capacityVSAvoidmaterial slope stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The robotic system continuously monitors material conditions using sensors and adjusts its operations based on real-time feedback. When potential instability is detected, the robot performs targeted agitation or redistribution operations to restore stable material configurations, preventing avalanches while maintaining bulk storage capacity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary inspection and stabilization operations before material becomes unstable. By continuously monitoring and proactively addressing potential instability issues, the robot prevents avalanches before they occur, ensuring long-term storage stability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

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, improving material quality, and preventing spoilage by stabilizing slopes and dispersing materials, thus making the working environment safer for humans.

Implementation Method 1

traversing a portion of piled granular material in a bulk store to incite sediment gravity flow in the portion of piled granular material by disruption of viscosity of the portion of piled granular material

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSediment gravity flow: Gravitation

Data Source

PatentUS20240286827A1Traversal based mixture of moist granular material in a bulk store

Publication Date: 2024.08.29 GRAIN WEEVIL CORP

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.