Unloading Conveyor Spillage Monitoring With Trajectory Prediction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural harvesting systems lack effective monitoring and control of the trajectory of discharged material, leading to significant spillage during the transfer process, resulting in resource waste and increased operational costs.
Innovation Solution
Implementing sensors and computing systems with electromagnetic detecting and ranging or image-capturing components to monitor and predict spillage, generating alerts or controlling the unloading process to minimize material deviation from the target area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If traditional unloading devices are used without monitoring systems, then device complexity is low, but spillage occurs leading to loss of substance
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of material trajectory using sensors (electromagnetic detecting and ranging components or image-capturing components) before the material actually spills. The computing system predicts potential spillage locations and generates alerts or control signals in advance, allowing corrective actions to be taken before the harmful effect occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the trajectory of discharged material using sensors and feeds this information back to the computing system. The computing system analyzes the movement information, predicts spillage, and generates control signals that are fed back to the unloading device to adjust the discharge trajectory in real-time, creating a closed-loop control system that reduces spillage.
2Loss of substance
If sensors and computing systems are added to monitor trajectory, then spillage is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system serves multiple functions: it detects the trajectory of discharged material, provides movement information to the computing system, and enables prediction of spillage locations. The computing system also performs both monitoring and control functions, generating both alerts and control signals. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces complex mechanical trajectory control mechanisms with electronic sensing and computing-based prediction and control. Instead of using complex mechanical adjustments to control material flow trajectory, the system uses electromagnetic detecting and ranging components or image-capturing components to monitor trajectory and uses computing systems to predict and control spillage, simplifying the mechanical complexity.
3Productivity
If real-time monitoring and control is implemented, then productivity increases through reduced waste, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements monitoring and control at critical points in the unloading process rather than continuously at all times. The sensors detect trajectory and the computing system predicts spillage only when needed based on detected deviations, rather than maintaining maximum monitoring intensity throughout the entire operation. This partial action approach reduces energy consumption while maintaining effectiveness.
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
Enhances operational efficiency by reducing spillage, minimizing waste, and increasing productivity through real-time monitoring and control of harvested material trajectory.
Implementation Method 1
The sensors and computing include an electromagnetic detecting and ranging component
Implementation Method 2
the one or more sensors include an image-capturing component
Data Source
AI summary
Systems using sensors to monitor spillage of harvested crop. For example, some embodiments include an unloading conveyor configured to transfer agricultural material as well as one or more sensors configured to generate movement information associated with the agricultural material flowing out of the conveyor. Such embodiments can include a computing system, configured to predict an amount of the agricultural material that is likely to flow outside of a targeted area based on the movement information, and in response to the prediction, generate a signal that communicates an alert that the amount of the agricultural material is likely to flow outside of the targeted area or that controls an unloading process to change direction of the flow of the agricultural material to reduce an extent that agricultural material flows outside of the targeted area.