Proportional Feed Distribution for Multi-Location Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current automatic feeding systems face a balance issue between efficiency and feed quality, with frequent small deliveries leading to inaccuracy in feed composition and reduced freshness, while full-load deliveries compromise feed quality.
Innovation Solution
A method that determines feed requirements and compositions for multiple locations, fills a feed delivery device to a maximum capacity, and distributes feed proportionally based on the ratio of each location's needs, ensuring accurate dosing and increased freshness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the feed delivery device always runs with a full load, then the efficiency of the system improves, but the quality of the feed and in particular the freshness of it will suffer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the feeding locations into multiple groups and delivers feed to each group in separate trips. The feed delivery device is filled to full capacity for each trip, maintaining efficiency, while the segmentation of delivery routes ensures that feed is delivered more frequently to each specific location, thereby maintaining freshness and quality at each individual feeding location.
2Reliability
If the feed delivery device is programmed to feed more often but smaller amounts, then the quality of feed and in particular it's freshness improves, but the capacity of the system suffers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the total feeding locations into multiple groups that are served in separate trips. Each trip delivers full loads to a specific group of locations, maintaining system capacity and productivity. The segmentation enables more frequent visits to each group, improving feed freshness at each location without compromising overall system capacity.
3Reliability
If the feed delivery device is programmed to feed more often but smaller amounts, then the freshness improves, but feeding more often and in smaller amounts may also lead to inaccuracy in the feed composition vis-a-vis the required feed composition
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments feeding locations into groups and prepares complete, accurate feed compositions for each group in separate batches. Each batch is prepared with the correct composition for the specific group being served, maintaining manufacturing precision. The segmentation allows these accurately prepared batches to be delivered more frequently to each group, improving freshness without compromising composition accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for distributing feed over multiple separate feeding locations includes determining which feeding locations have a feed requirement; selecting a first feeding location among the feeding locations having a feed requirement; determining a feed composition to be delivered to the first feeding location; determining which further feeding locations have a feed requirement and require the same feed composition; selecting at least one further feeding location; filling the feed delivery device with an amount of the determined feed composition; and distributing the feed, wherein the amount of feed distributed to a selected feeding location depends on the ratio between amount to be delivered to said selected feeding location and the sum of the amounts of feed to be delivered to all selected feeding locations.