Grain bin management during load-in
AssigneeGrain Weevil Corporation
InventorsBenjamin H. Johnson, Chad E. Johnson, Zane Zents
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A robot comprises an auger-based drive system, a memory, and a processor coupled with the memory and configured to control movement of the robot, via the auger-based drive system, relative to grain in a grain bin. The processor is further configured to direct traversal, by the robot, of a landing zone portion of a surface of a pile of the grain during load-in of the grain to disperse broken grain and foreign material away from the landing zone portion. The landing zone portion is located in a center of the grain bin where the grain lands as it is augured into the grain bin during load-in. The dispersal is affected in part by rotation of augers of the auger-based drive system.
Claims17
A robot comprising:
- an auger-based drive system;
- a memory;
- and
- a processor coupled with the memory and configured to:
- control movement of the robot, via the auger-based drive system, relative to grain in a grain bin;
- and
- direct traversal, by the robot, of a landing zone portion of a surface of a pile of the grain during load-in of the grain to disperse broken grain and foreign material away from the landing zone portion, wherein the landing zone portion is located in a center of the grain bin where the grain lands as it is augured into the grain bin during load-in, and wherein the dispersal is effected in part by rotation of augers of the auger-based drive system, wherein the traversal is directed according to remote control.
A method of grain bin management during load-in, the method comprising:
- receiving, at a robot, instructions to traverse a surface of pile of grain in a grain bin;
- controlling, by a processor of the robot according to the instructions, movement of the robot relative to the grain in the grain bin via an auger-based drive system;
- traversing, by the robot under direction by the processor, a landing zone portion of a surface of a pile of the grain during load-in of the grain to disperse broken grain and foreign material away from the landing zone portion, wherein the landing zone portion is located in a center of the grain bin where the grain lands as it is augured into the grain bin during load-in, and wherein the dispersal is effected in part by rotation of augers of the auger-based drive system;
- and
- performing, by the robot under direction by the processor, additional traversal by the robot of a sloped portion of the pile of grain to incite sediment gravity flow in the sloped portion of the pile of grain by disruption of viscosity of the sloped portion of the pile of grain through agitation of the sloped portion of the pile of grain by the auger rotation of the auger-based drive system, wherein the sloped portion is outside of the landing zone portion, and wherein the sediment gravity flow reduces a slope of the sloped portion and further disperses the broken grain and foreign material away from the landing zone portion.
A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions embodied thereon which, when executed, cause a processor to perform a method of grain bin management during load-in, the method comprising:
- controlling movement of a robot, via an auger-based drive system of the robot, relative to grain in a grain bin;
- directing traversal, by the robot, of a landing zone portion of a surface of a pile of the grain during load-in of the grain to the grain bin to disperse broken grain and foreign material away from the landing zone portion, wherein the landing zone portion is located in a center of the grain bin where the grain lands as it is augured into the grain bin during load-in, and wherein the dispersal is effected in part by rotation of augers of the auger-based drive system;
- and
- directing additional traversal by the robot of a sloped portion of the pile of grain to incite sediment gravity flow in the sloped portion of the pile of grain by disruption of viscosity of the sloped portion of the pile of grain through agitation of the sloped portion of the pile of grain by the auger rotation of the auger-based drive system, wherein the sloped portion is outside of the landing zone portion, and wherein the sediment gravity flow reduces a slope of the sloped portion and further disperses the broken grain and foreign material away from the landing zone portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.