Food Mixing Unit Recipe Control via Spectrometer Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
The variability in nutritional values of foods stored in different stocking areas due to weather exposure leads to nutritional imbalances in animal diets, resulting in adverse health effects and increased environmental impact from excess protein excretion, prompting the need for a method to accurately control food loading in mixing units.
Innovation Solution
A control apparatus with a weighing system and electronic control unit that measures and adjusts food weights based on real-time chemical and physical parameter analysis, using a spectrometer to modify recipes and ensure accurate nutritional delivery, aligning the diet with the animal's needs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If food is stored in stocking areas exposed to weather conditions, then storage is simplified and accessible, but nutritional values of food vary significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of food nutritional parameters before loading into the mixer wagon. Load cells measure weight continuously during loading, and a spectrometer analyzes chemical composition in advance, allowing the control unit to adjust loading quantities to compensate for variations in nutritional content before mixing occurs
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback through load cells that monitor food weight during loading and a spectrometer that provides real-time chemical composition data. The control unit processes this feedback information to dynamically adjust loading quantities, ensuring consistent nutritional delivery despite weather-related variations in stored food
2Reliability
If excess protein is administered to ensure nutritional balance, then animal nutritional needs are met, but food costs increase and environmental impact worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of food loading quantity based on measured nutritional content. By analyzing the actual chemical composition with a spectrometer and measuring weight with load cells, the control unit calculates precise loading quantities that deliver the required nutritional content without excess, optimizing both animal nutrition and resource efficiency
3Productivity
If traditional weighing systems are used without chemical analysis, then loading is simple and fast, but nutritional accuracy cannot be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The system combines multiple functions into an integrated setup: load cells for weight measurement, spectrometer for chemical composition analysis, and a control unit that processes both data streams. This multi-functional system maintains loading speed while adding nutritional accuracy through simultaneous weight and chemical analysis
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
This method ensures that the food loaded into mixing units corresponds to the real nutritional needs of livestock, maintaining animal health, reducing environmental impact, and optimizing food costs by providing a balanced diet while minimizing excess protein intake.
Implementation Method 1
measuring for each food stocked in a relative stocking area a plurality of chemical and/or physical parameters
Data Source
AI summary
A food mixing unit (1) is equipped with a weighing system (8) having a memory device (11) for storing at least one recipe of foods to be loaded into the mixing unit (1) and at least one weight detecting device (9) to detect the weight of the foods loaded. Foods to be loaded are taken from relative stocking areas (3) and the food weight is controlled by the weight detecting device (9) and based on the food recipe, as foods are loaded into the mixing unit (1). A plurality of chemical and/or physical parameters is measured for each of the food stored in the relative stocking areas (3) by means of a food analysis tool (14) and the food recipe is modified according to the measured values of chemical and/or physical parameters and rewritten in the memory device (11) of the weighing system (8) .