Why is BinSentry more accurate than my Estimations?

We've learned a lot from all of the data we've collected from our sensors.

Estimations are often good enough depending on the purposes, but if you have a BinSentry sensor you may find your estimate does not match the measurement BinSentry provides.

For example, you may estimate that there is about 9 tons left in the bin, while BinSentry tells you there is 6.1 tons. There are many reasons why your estimate could be off by 2.9 tons, and you may even find it doesn’t matter most of the time which is why as far as estimates go it’s not bad, but not so great either.

However, you are here because you want to know why, so here are some of the most common reasons why estimates will disagree with precise measurements.

1. Feed does not lay flat in bins

Depending where we knock on the bin above, we may estimate anywhere between 3T and 8T of feed and this is a large difference. A 3D sensor will be much more precise as it will measure  multiple points of the uneven surface. 

Ratholes - They're bigger than you think

A common remark from our field technicians is that it is really difficult to get a good sense of depth from the top of the bin. Bins can be huge and there is a relatively small hole to view inside. A common strategy is to count rings inside the bin. This can tell you where the feed meets the outside of the bin, however this does not help to determine how deep the hole in the middle is. 

The image above paints a picture of how big this hole actually is. An average human standing 5'10 could stand in the hole and their head would not reach the highest point of the feed. (This was independently verified by a third party with an accurate measuring tool).

Even more surprising is how much feed can fit in the empty space the hole leaves behind. The space not filled with feed is almost 40% larger than the space filled with feed. 

The space coloured in red in the image above represents 6T of missing feed while the space filled with feed, coloured in brown is 4.3T. This may be hard to believe but we have double-checked the math. Hoppers hold far less feed than you may think as you near the bottom of the bin. 

Pop Quiz

If a hopper can hold 6.00T of feed and the feed is half way up the hopper how much feed is in the hopper?

A) 3.00T

B) 0.75T

How much feed is in a hopper?

The standard cone shape impacts how much feed is in the hopper. It may surprise you to learn that 87.5% of the total volume in a hopper is in the top half. That means, if a hopper can hold 6.00T of feed and the feed is half way up the hopper, the feed in the bottom half is 0.75T.