Hollow Shaft Injection Drilling for Precise Subsurface Amendment Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies lack the ability to efficiently inject soil amendment materials at targeted depths below the root zone and below 30 cm from the surface, leading to inefficiencies in optimizing soil health and water retention for enhanced crop yield and drought resilience.
Innovation Solution
A hollow shaft injection drilling array equipped with AI robotics, programmable logic controllers, sensors, and drill bits that enable sequential dispensing of multiple constituents at precise depths, using thermal imaging and encoder feedback for controlled injection and refilling, with features like lead screws and elastomers for precise depth control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If surface spreading and mechanical blending methods are used to apply soil amendments, then amendment materials can be distributed across the topsoil, but the ability to target specific depths below the root zone and below 30 cm from the surface is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the soil amendment application process into discrete depth zones using multiple injectors positioned at different depths along the drill shaft. Each injector can be independently controlled to deliver amendments to specific target depths, enabling precise placement in different soil horizons including sub-rootzone areas below 30 cm.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs a nested structure where multiple injectors are arranged along a hollow drill shaft that penetrates through the soil profile. The injectors are positioned within the drill shaft at predetermined depths, allowing sequential or simultaneous injection at multiple depth levels as the drill advances through the ground.
2Productivity
If conventional irrigation management is used to maintain maximum crop yields, then crop productivity is optimized, but large amounts of water are required leading to water resource depletion and environmental harm
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies soil amendments such as biochar and organic matter in advance before irrigation or during soil preparation. These amendments improve soil water retention capacity and structure, creating a reservoir that holds water for plant use during dry periods, thereby reducing the total water quantity needed for maintaining crop yields.
Solution Approach 2:
The system modifies soil physical and chemical parameters by injecting amendments that change soil texture, organic matter content, and water holding capacity. These parameter changes enable the soil to retain water more effectively, allowing crops to maintain productivity with reduced irrigation water inputs.
3Reliability
If over-irrigation is applied to ensure adequate water supply, then crop water needs are met, but topsoil erosion and property contamination due to chemical flows increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system injects soil amendments such as biochar, compost, and organic matter into the soil profile before irrigation events. These amendments improve soil aggregate stability and structure, creating a protective layer that prevents topsoil erosion even when irrigation water flows through the system, thereby maintaining water supply reliability without causing harmful erosion or contamination.
4Manufacturing precision
If multiple soil amendments are applied at different depths, then targeted soil health improvement and water retention can be achieved, but the complexity of sequential dispensing and depth control increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the amendment delivery function into multiple independent injectors positioned at different depths along the drill shaft. Each injector has its own dispensing mechanism and can be independently controlled to release specific amendments at its designated depth, simplifying the overall control architecture while achieving precise depth-specific placement.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates depth-sensing capabilities and automated control mechanisms that allow the injection process to self-regulate. As the drill advances, the system automatically activates injectors at appropriate depths based on real-time position feedback, reducing the need for complex external coordination and manual intervention in the sequential dispensing process.
Data Source
AI summary
A hollow shaft injection drilling array enables sequential dispensing of a plurality of constituents at targeted depths. The hollow shaft injection drilling array includes an artificial intelligence (AI) robot (1507C); a lens (1405); a computer (1511C); a programmable logic controller (PLC) (1505C); one or more encoders (1605B); one or more limit switches (1809B); a sensor; a plurality of hollow shaft drill bits (503); a plurality of guide rail(s) (917); a plurality of matching platforms comprising elastomers (903, and 909), and granite (905); and a plurality of lead screws (913). The elastomers (903, and 909), granite (905), and the lead screws (913) enable sequential dispensing of the constituents within a plurality of different targeted depths controlled via the AI robot (1507C), the lens (1405), the computer (1511C), the PLC (1505C), the encoder (1605B), the limit switch (1809B), and the sensor. The limit switches (1809B) and the encoders (1605B) enable the hollow shaft injection drilling array to sequence the constituents to be injected at one or more specific depths.