Charles Henery Bradford

US Patent:

6986294, Jan 17, 2006

Filed:

Aug 19, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/223339

Inventors:

Guy A. Fromme - Louisville CO, US
Timothy O'Connor - Lafayette CO, US
David A. Gutow - Boulder CO, US
Dean A. Paschen - Lafayette CO, US
Vincent A. Hirsch - Boulder CO, US
Gary Emerson - Golden CO, US
Charles Bradford - Longmont CO, US
Leon C. Webb - Naples FL, US
Paul Hendershott - Boulder CO, US

Assignee:

Bintech LLLP - Louisville CO

International Classification:

G01M 19/00

US Classification:

738658, 73866

Abstract:

Bulk material measurement packages are described including the preferred embodiment of an automated instrument package (AIP) suited to mount on the inside ceiling of a large silo. The gimbaled AIP vertical mounting bracket rotates in an approximate 360 azimuth. An instrument housing is mounted to the vertical mounting bracket, and it rotates approximately 190 in a vertical plane. The instrument housing has at least one range finding sensor such as a scanning laser to measure the top surface contours of the bulk material. The instrument housing can also contains other sensors such as air and quality instruments including temperature, humidity, spectral recognition sensor to detect grain/material type and/or flow rate, gas detectors for sniffing off-odors/spoilage/or safety problems, and live video. Optionally grain penetrating radar (GPR), time domain reflectometry (TDR), ultrasonics, and portable sensors are taught as well as alternate packaging.