Agricultural sampling system and related methods
US12343694B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 20, 2021 |
| Grant date | Jul 1, 2025 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 2, 2044 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG05D11/137
- WIPO fieldChemical engineering
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
An automated computer-controlled sampling system and related methods for collecting, processing, and analyzing agricultural samples for various chemical properties such as plant available nutrients. The sampling system allows multiple samples to be processed and analyzed for different analytes or chemical properties in a simultaneous concurrent or semi-concurrent manner. Advantageously, the system can process soil samples in the “as collected” condition without drying or grinding. The system generally includes a sample preparation sub-system which receives soil samples collected by a probe collection sub-system and produces a slurry (e.g., mixture of soil, vegetation, and/or manure and water), and a chemical analysis sub-system which processes the prepared slurry samples for quantifying multiple analytes and/or chemical properties of the sample. The preparation sub-system may comprise a slurry recirculation flow loop configured with devices to stir, measure, and adjust a water to solids ratio of the slurry.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.