Soil Sample Packaging with Grinding, Compaction, and GPS Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agricultural sampling processes lack efficient methods for packaging and tracking soil samples to ensure sample integrity and associate chemical analysis results with specific field locations, particularly during transportation and processing.
Innovation Solution
An automated programmable processor-controlled agricultural sample packaging system that grinds bulk agricultural samples, compacts them into cylindrical containers, and associates each sample with GPS coordinates using an RFID system for tracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bulk soil samples are collected and transported without processing, then sample collection is simple, but sample integrity cannot be ensured and particle size is too large for analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The bulk soil sample is divided into smaller particles through grinding, transforming the undivided bulk material into granular form suitable for packaging and analysis. This segmentation enables the sample to be properly contained and handled while maintaining integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The soil sample is ground and compacted into containers before transportation and analysis. By performing the grinding and packaging operations in advance at the collection site, the system ensures sample integrity is established prior to transport, avoiding the need for complex protective measures during transit.
2Measurement precision
If GPS tracking is implemented for each sample, then sample location tracking is accurate, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging system integrates multiple functions including grinding, compacting, sealing, and GPS tracking into a single unified apparatus. This multi-functionality allows accurate location tracking to be achieved without adding separate complex tracking equipment, as the tracking capability is built into the packaging unit itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging system automatically associates GPS coordinates with each sealed container through integrated sensors and control systems. The system performs the tracking and data association operations autonomously without requiring external complex tracking infrastructure, enabling accurate location recording through self-service capabilities.
3Manufacturing precision
If soil samples are ground to fine particles, then sample preparation for analysis is improved, but processing time and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The soil grinding and particle size reduction is performed in advance at the field collection site before transportation. By completing the size-reduction operation preliminarily, the system achieves fine particle uniformity required for analysis without requiring additional processing time at the laboratory stage, thus maintaining overall productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The grinding, compacting, and sealing operations are merged into a single integrated packaging process. This combination allows particle size reduction to be performed efficiently in conjunction with other operations, minimizing total processing time while achieving the required particle uniformity for analysis.
Data Source
AI summary
An agricultural sample packaging apparatus, comprising a grinder configured to receive and grind an agricultural sample material; a compactor comprising a feed tube configured to receive ground sample material from the grinder and a plunger linearly movable into and out of the feed tube; a rotatable carousel configured to removably hold a sample container, the carousel operable to receive and rotate the sample container beneath the feed tube; a sample container magazine configured to hold a plurality of sample containers, the container magazine including a container feed mechanism configured to rotate horizontally positioned sample containers to a vertical position for insertion into the rotatable carousel.