NEED STATEMENT:- GRAIN SEGREGATION MACHINE

Problem Definition — Grain Segregation Machine

3.1 QUSTION AND ANSWERS

No.	Questions	Answers	Objective	Function	Constraint
1	What is the main purpose of the machine?	To obtain refined grains.	✓
2	How is grain introduced into the machine?	Feeding grain into the machine at a controlled rate.		✓
3	How much grain should the machine hold?	Holding approximately 150-200grams of grain per batch.			✓
4	How can grain flow be maintained?	Regulating the flow of grain during operation.		✓
5	What level of separation accuracy is required?	Achieving at least 85% separation accuracy.			✓
6	How can grain damage be reduced?	Grain quality retention.	✓
7	How much grain should be processed per minute?	Processing at least 1 kg of grain per minute.			✓
8	How are separated materials handled?	Directing clean grain and impurities to separate collection areas.		✓
9	What is the overall budget of the project?	Keeping the total cost within ₹4,000.			✓
10	What should be the overall machine weight?	Keeping the total weight between 5 and 8 kg.			✓
11	What should be the overall machine size?	Keeping the dimensions within 600 × 400 × 500 mm.			✓
12	What power supply is required?	Operating with a 12 V DC power supply.			✓
13	How can grain contamination be prevented?	Maintaining grain cleanliness throughout processing.	✓
14	How should the machine be maintained?	Proper grain sanitation.	✓
15	How can safe operation be ensured?	User-friendly and non-hazardous operation.	✓
16	How should the separation process operate?	Maintaining consistent separation throughout processing.		✓
17	How should clean grain be collected?	Transferring clean grain to a designated collection area.		✓
18	How can processing time be reduced?	Efficient grain separation.	✓
19	What power supply is required for the machine?	Operating with a 12 V DC power supply.			✓

3.2 BASIC SURVEY AND REQUIREMENTS

The basic survey was conducted to understand the requirements of the grain segregation machine, the problems faced during manual grain separation, and the essential features required for developing an efficient and affordable prototype.

Sl. No.	Survey Question	Requirement / Finding
1	What is the main purpose of the machine?	To separate good grains from unwanted impurities and foreign materials.
2	What type of grain is considered?	The machine is primarily designed for wheat grains and can be adapted for similar grains.
3	How is the grain fed into the machine?	Grain is fed through a hopper placed at the top of the machine.
4	How should the grain flow be maintained?	The grain should flow continuously and at a controlled rate to avoid overloading.
5	How are grains transported?	A conveyor belt is used to move the grains through different stages of the machine.
6	What controller is required?	An ESP32 is used for processing and controlling the segregation operation.
7	How should unwanted materials be removed?	A servo-operated flap or gate directs the detected unwanted material into a separate outlet.
8	What type of separation is required?	Separation should be accurate while causing minimum damage to the grains.
9	How should the machine handle the grains?	The grains should be handled gently to minimize breakage and damage.
10	How should the separated grains be collected?	Separate collection containers should be provided for accepted grains and rejected materials.
11	What should be the size of the machine?	The prototype should be compact and preferably occupy less than approximately 3 sq. ft.
12	What should be the power requirement?	The machine should operate using a suitable low-voltage electrical power supply for the electronic components.
13	What should be the cost of the machine?	The prototype should be affordable and use easily available components wherever possible.
14	How should contamination be prevented?	Clean and hygienic collection containers and suitable material-handling surfaces should be used.
15	What should be the overall operation?	The machine should provide a continuous sequence of feeding, conveying, detection, segregation and collection with minimum manual intervention.

Key Requirements

• Controlled and continuous grain feeding.
• Conveyor-based transportation of grains.
• ESP32-based control system.
• Servo-operated segregation mechanism.
• Separate collection of accepted and rejected materials.
• Minimum grain damage during operation.
• Compact and affordable prototype.
• Safe and reliable operation.

3.3 IDENTIFYING CLIENT'S OBJECTIVES

Sl. No.	Client's Objectives
1	Less manual effort
2	Minimum grain wastage
3	less time required
4	clean output
5	portability
6	low operating cost

Problem Definition VERSION1.1

The system should separate good grains from unwanted impurities effectively while reducing the manual effort and time required for grain segregation and minimizing the wastage of usable grains.

3.4 IDENTIFYING CONSTRAINTS

Sl. No.	Constraints
1	Budget ≤ ₹5,000
2	Weight ≤ 5 kg
3	Compact size
4	Safe operation
5	Low power consumption

PROBLEM DEFINITION VERSION 1.2

The grain segregation system must provide clean and consistent grain output while being simple, convenient, and suitable for user handling.

3.5 ESTABLISHING THE FUNCTIONS

Sl. No.	Functions
1	Accept grain input
2	Hold grain for segregation
3	Identify unwanted impurities
4	Separate good grains from impurities
5	Direct materials to outputs
6	Collect separated materials

PROBLEM DEFINITION VERSION 1.3

Design and develop a grain segregation system that separates good grains from unwanted impurities efficiently, provides clean and consistent output, minimizes grain wastage, reduces manual effort and segregation time, and is safe, easy to operate, maintain, and transport