Rotating Basket Moisture Analyzer for Plant Samples
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for determining residual moisture in plant leaves, such as lettuce, are inadequate as they either fail to account for surface humidity or are time-consuming and impractical, especially when dealing with irregular surfaces and high moisture content.
Innovation Solution
A moisture analyzer that uses a rotating receiver with a drying installation of heated dry air to evenly dry plant samples, allowing for precise measurement of surface moisture without damaging the samples, and includes a perforated basket for efficient drying and a control unit for automated operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If centrifugal spinning is used to remove water droplets, then water removal efficiency is improved, but surface film moisture remains undetected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical centrifugal spinning method with a thermal drying system using heated air circulation. The drying installation with heating elements and air circulation fans creates a controlled thermal environment that evaporates surface film moisture without requiring mechanical spinning, thereby achieving both water removal and accurate moisture measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the drying process by controlling temperature, humidity, and air circulation velocity. The drying installation adjusts these parameters to optimize moisture removal from plant leaves while maintaining measurement accuracy, moving away from the mechanical speed-based approach of centrifugal spinning.
2Measurement precision
If manual blotting is used to absorb surface water, then measurement reliability is improved, but analysis time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service drying system where the plant leaves are placed in a drying chamber that automatically controls temperature, humidity, and air circulation. The system performs the drying function autonomously without requiring manual blotting operations, thereby maintaining measurement reliability while eliminating time-consuming manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The drying installation performs preliminary drying of the plant leaves before they are placed on the weighing sensor. By pre-drying the samples in a controlled thermal environment, the system eliminates the need for time-consuming manual blotting while ensuring consistent and reliable moisture measurements.
3Productivity
If infrared or halogen analyzers are used, then measurement speed is improved, but accuracy for high and irregular moisture content deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces optical measurement methods (infrared, halogen, laser) with a thermal-gravimetric approach. Instead of using light absorption to infer moisture content, the system physically dries the plant leaves in a controlled thermal environment and measures the actual weight loss, providing accurate results for high and irregular moisture content samples.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a controlled thermal environment as an intermediary between the sample and the measurement process. The drying installation with regulated temperature and air circulation acts as a mediator that prepares the sample in a standardized manner before weighing, ensuring accurate moisture determination regardless of initial moisture distribution.
4Productivity
If aggregate samples are weighed during rotation and air circulation, then continuous monitoring is achieved, but weighing precision deteriorates due to harsh treatment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the measurement process into distinct phases: a drying phase with air circulation and rotation, followed by a measurement phase in a static, controlled environment. The plant leaves are dried in the rotating basket with air circulation, then the basket stops and the leaves are weighed in a vibration-free, stationary position, ensuring weighing precision while maintaining continuous process monitoring capability.
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 analyzer provides accurate and rapid determination of residual moisture, effectively handling high moisture levels and irregular surfaces, with results closer to the real state, enabling efficient management of the drying process in industrial settings.
Implementation Method 1
two heating elements 34, 35 whose temperatures are independently controllable and which serve to heat the air in the drying chamber 20
Implementation Method 2
a fan 38 serving to circulate the air in the drying chamber 20
Implementation Method 3
a weighing sensor 50 serving to weigh the receiver 12 with the load EF of plant leaves
Data Source
AI summary
The analyzer has a receiver (2) that receives a load formed by a plant sample (EF), and driven in rotation by a driving device (3). A drying installation (4) includes blowing nozzles (43, 44) directed towards the load through the receiver. A weighing installation (5) weighs the receiver containing the load. A control unit (6) is connected to the receiver, the driving device, the drying installation and the weighing installation, to control the weighing of the receiver before and after a drying phase, to set the receiver in rotation, and to actuate the drying installation.