“What’s changing at the elevator is the automation system making decisions on its own, based on what specifically what bin best matches the commodity and grade being delivered. Elevators are having a hard time staffing, so it helps when they are able to operate without human input.
“The way the CompuWeigh SmartTruck and plant automation systems work is that each truck has an RFID tag hanging from their visor. That tag is tied to the truck itself, not a specific farm/split entity. Drivers pull up to the tag reader, the tag is read, and the system displays the last farm/split entity that this specific truck hauled for.
So, for example, this truck was here an hour ago hauling for Murphy Farms, and it was a 50/50 split between Mike and Mary Murphy. If the driver agrees with that previous load information, he presses a ‘confirm’ soft-key button on a touchscreen terminal outside positioned next to the truck. If different, the driver can view a list of previous farm/split combinations and select accordingly. Alternatively if hauling for a farm/split not listed, the driver can call the probe attendant for help. This puts the onus on the driver for making the correct farm/split decision, rather than the probe attendant.
“Then, the truck gets probed, leaves the probe, and proceeds to the inbound scale. By the time truck arrives on the inbound scale, the grading process is hopefully complete, and the truck is automatically instructed on a large outdoor message board to proceed to the specific dump pit that is feeding the bin that best matches the grading characteristics of this load. Photo eyes confirm the truck is fully on the scale, and the gross weight is automatically taken without the need for a scale attendant.
“The driver arrives at the assigned dump pit, and the RFID tag is again scanned. A red traffic light signal is displayed to the truck to wait – and this is where the elevator automation comes in. We pass the commodity and grade information tied to this load to the automation system and say, ‘We’ve got a truck sitting outside, and it has corn on it at 17% moisture.’ At this point the system confirms that the path leading from the dump pit the truck has arrived at is correctly set to reach the bin that best matches the load.
“If, however, the previous truck dumping is sending grain to a different bin (based on different characteristics), no worries. That truck is allowed to finish, and the automation system is told to purge the grain path leading out of this pit and set up a path to the bin that best matches the commodity and grade factors of the next truck waiting. Once it is confirmed the path is clear (by measuring amps on the leg, etc.), and the diverter has been set correctly, the automation system reports back, ‘Okay, I’m ready for that next truck. A green traffic light is then displayed to the driver, and the truck pulls into the pit area and dumps.”
“The truck then proceeds to the outbound scale and is again automatically identified by the RFID tag, photo eyes confirm the truck is fully on the scale, and the tare weight is taken automatically by the system and the scale ticket prints.”
203-262-9400 | www.compuweigh.com
Reprinted from Grain Journal May/June 2020 Issue