TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a sampling system suitable for sampling ore during a drilling operation.

More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an automated sampling system forming part of a drill rig used in mineral exploration during a drilling operation for filling a sample bag with an ore sample and closing the sample bag.

BACKGROUND

A typical sampling operation at a mining or mineral exploration drill hole involves using a suitable drilling rig to drill one or more holes into the ground in a target area to obtain subterranean cutting or rock samples at predetermined depth intervals. Reverse circulation drilling sampling, diamond bit drilling sampling, and open pit mining blast hole rig sampling are examples of some of the sampling techniques that can be used to obtain subterranean cutting/rock samples in mining or mineral exploration operations.

Typically, rock samples that are obtained from a drill hole during a sampling operation are placed in sample bags, with all the sample bags for the drill hole being numbered for identification purposes. Normally a record is kept for each sample bag including information relating to the drill hole from which the rock sample was obtained, the depth at which the rock sample was obtained, the type of drill rig that was used to drill the hole, etc.

In early times, the sample bags were filled and collated manually. This tended to be a rather hazardous procedure for the drill operator due to the environment in which the drilling was conducted and the need for the operator to work in proximity to the drill rig itself, with its various moving parts, sludge, heat and noise, when holding sample bags beneath the discharge chute while filling the bag.

More recently, use has been made of automated sampling systems to reduce the need of the operator to work in such hazardous environments. An example of such an automated sampling system is described in AU 2020202531. However, there tend to be difficulties in loading a supply of empty sample bags into such system because the bag loading and discharge location is the same - thus it is not possible to easily restock the supply of empty sample bags while the sampling system and/or the drill rig are in operation. There also tend to be difficulties in automatically conveying the bags through the sampling system due to the dirty and muddy conditions present at the drill site that hinder the sample bags from sliding along the conveying rails.

The above references to the background art and any prior art citations do not constitute an admission that the art forms part of the common general knowledge of a person of ordinary skill in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

According to the disclosure, there is provided an automated sampling system for a drill rig that is used in mineral exploration during. The sampling system is used during a drilling operation to fill a sample bag with an ore sample and close the sample bag prior to discharging the sample bag from the sampling system and drill rig.

According to a first aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a sampling system for use in a drilling operation for sampling ore dispensed from a discharge chute of a drilling rig, the sampling system comprising a tray arranged to support a supply of sample bags arranged in an upright stack, wherein each sample bag has a drawstring for closing a mouth of its sample bag; a transfer assembly arranged to selectively open the mouth of one sample bag and transfer the open sample bag from the tray and locate the open sample bag beneath the discharge chute; a trapping and closing assembly arranged to trap opposed sides of the open sample bag to the discharge chute while ore is dispensed from the chute, and further being arranged to partially release the sample bag from the discharge chute while trapping a part of the drawstring to cause the drawstring to close the sample bag after the sample bag has been filled, whereafter the sample bag is fully released; and a support and discharge assembly arranged to support the open sample bag beneath the discharge chute while ore is dispensed from the discharge chute into the open sample bag, and further being arranged to discharge the filled sample bag from the sampling system after the sample bag has been closed. The transfer assembly may include a suction tube arranged to partially open the mouth of the sample bag positioned uppermost on the tray. In one embodiment the suction tube is pneumatically operable to exert a suction force on a part of the sample bag near to its mouth.

The transfer assembly may further comprise a pair of arms each being provided with a pair of fingers, wherein the arms and fingers are able to be moved from a proximal position, enabling insertion of the fingers into the mouth of the sample bag, to a distally spaced position, wherein the fingers are moved sufficiently far apart to engage and fully open the mouth of the sample bag. The fingers may have an undulating, grooved or roughened outer surface arranged to improve frictional contact between the fingers and the sample bag.

In one embodiment the trapping and closing assembly may comprise a pair of gripping members arranged to move between a first position wherein inner ends of the gripping members are spaced away from the discharge chute and a second position wherein the inner ends of the gripping members are adjacent and/or abut the discharge chute. In one embodiment the gripping members are located on diametrically opposed sides of the discharge chute. The gripping members may be separately or simultaneously movable relative to the discharge chute. During use both gripping members are arranged to move from their first positions to their second positions to trap opposed sides of the sample bag to the discharge chute. In this way the drawstring is trapped operatively above each of the gripping members. After the sample bag is filled, one of the gripping members is arranged to move from its second back to its first position to partially release the sample bag on one side while its drawstring remains trapped by the opposing gripping member. While the drawstring is so trapped, the sample bag is allowed to drop away from the discharge chute to cause the gripping member to pull on the drawstring to close the bag. Subsequently the opposing gripping member is arranged to also move back to its first position to fully release the drawstring and sample bag from the discharge chute.

In one embodiment the trapping and closing assembly may comprise a spike arranged to move between a first position wherein the spike is spaced away from the discharge chute, a second position wherein the spike fully traverses the discharge chute, and an intermediate position wherein the spike extends partially into but not through the discharge chute. The discharge chute may have a lateral through-hole and wherein the spike extends through the through-hole when in its second position, and wherein the spike extends into the through-hole when in its intermediate position. The spike may be diametrically aligned with the discharge chute. The spike may be arranged to extend from its first position to its second position to trap opposed sides of the sample bag to the discharge chute. In this way the drawstring is trapped operatively above the spike where it protrudes beyond the opposed annual side of the discharge chute. After the sample bag is filled, the spike is arranged to be partially retracted to its intermediate position to release a distal side of the drawstring while a proximal side of the drawstring remains trapped by the spike. While the drawstring is so trapped, the sample bag is allowed to drop away from the discharge chute thereby to cause the spike to pull on the drawstring to close the bag. Subsequently the spike is arranged to be fully retracted to is first position to fully release the drawstring and sample bag from the discharge chute.

The support and discharge assembly may comprise a support shelf located operatively beneath the discharge chute, which support shelf is movable between a raised position and a lowered position relative to the discharge chute. The support shelf, in its lowered position, is configured to function as a slide for the sample bag as it is discharged whereby the support shelf is configured to discharge the sample bag towards a lateral side of the sampling system. In one embodiment the support shelf is rotatable through about 45°-70°. In one embodiment the support shelf comprises a weight scale. The support and discharge assembly may comprise a conveyor arranged to receive discharged sample bags from the support shelf and to convey the discharged sample bags to a location remote from the discharge chute.

The tray may be accessible from a lateral side or axially distal from the discharge chute, thereby enabling the tray to be restocked with new sample bags during the drilling operation from a position or direction remote from the discharge chute.

In one embodiment the sampling system comprises an RFID scanner arranged to read and write information to an RFID tag housed on each sample bag. The RFID scanner may be mounted on a part of the transfer assembly. In one embodiment the sampling system comprises a barcode scanner arranged to read a barcode attached to each sample bag.

According to a second aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a sampling system for use in a drilling operation for sampling ore dispensed from a discharge chute of a drilling rig, the sampling system comprising a supply of sample bags, wherein each sample bag has a drawstring for closing a mouth of its sample bag, and wherein each sample bag is arranged to be opened and located beneath the discharge chute; and a trapping and closing assembly arranged to trap opposed sides of the opened sample bag to the discharge chute while ore is dispensed from the discharge chute, and further being arranged to partially release the sample bag from the discharge chute while trapping a part of the drawstring to cause the drawstring to close the mouth of the sample bag after the sample bag has been filled with ore, whereafter the sample bag is fully released.

The trapping and closing assembly of the second aspect of the disclosure is equivalent to the various embodiments disclosed in relation to the first aspect of the disclosure.

According to a third aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method of operating a sampling system used in a drilling operation for sampling ore dispensed from a discharge chute of a drilling rig, the method comprising the steps of: i) providing a supply of sample bags, wherein each sample bag has a drawstring for closing a mouth of its sample bag, ii) consecutively locating each sample bag beneath the discharge chute and trapping opposed sides of the sample bag to the discharge chute iii) dispensing ore from the discharge chute into the sample bag, iv) partially releasing the sample bag from the discharge chute while trapping a part of the drawstring to cause the drawstring to close the sample bag, and v) subsequently fully releasing the drawstring to discharge the filled sample bag from the sampling system.

In one embodiment, the sampling system comprises a pair of gripping members arranged to move between a first position wherein inner ends of the gripping members are spaced away from the discharge chute and a second position wherein the inner ends of the gripping members are adjacent and/or abut the discharge chute, and wherein, in the method of operating a sampling system, step (ii) includes moving both gripping members from their first positions to their second positions, step (iv) includes moving one of the gripping members from its second to its first position, and step (v) includes moving the opposing gripping member from its second position to its first position.

In one embodiment, the sampling system comprises a spike arranged to move between a first position wherein the spike is spaced away from the discharge chute, a second position wherein the spike fully traverses the discharge chute, and an intermediate position wherein the spike extends partially into but not through the discharge chute, and wherein, in the method of operating a sampling system, step (ii) includes extending the spike from its first position to its second position, step (iv) includes retracting the spike to its intermediate position, and step (v) includes retracting the spike to its first position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The above and other features will become more apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings. In the drawings, which are given for purpose of illustration only and are not intended to be in any way limiting:

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a sampling system according to a first embodiment of the disclosure, seen from one end thereof;

Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of the sampling system shown in

Figure 1 , seen from an opposed end thereof;

Figure 3 shows one embodiment of a sample bag for use in the sampling system;

Figures 4 to 7 are enlarged partial side views of a part of the sampling system of Figure 1 showing sequential operational steps thereof, wherein

- Figure 4 shows a bag transfer assembly opening a sample bag and transferring the sample bag to an ore discharge chute;

- Figure 5 shows a bag trapping and closing assembly trapping the sample bag against the ore discharge chute for filling of the sample bag;

- Figure 6 shows the bag closing assembly partially releasing the sample bag to close its drawstring; and

- Figure 7 shows the sample bag being discharged from the sampling system after being fully released by the bag closing assembly;

Figures 8 to 12 are enlarged partial side views of a part of a second embodiment of the sampling system showing sequential operational steps thereof, wherein

- Figure 8 shows a bag pick and transfer assembly opening a sample bag and transferring the sample bag to an ore discharge chute; - Figure 9 shows a bag closing assembly trapping the sample bag against the ore discharge chute for filling of the sample bag;

- Figure 10 shows the same operational step as in Figure 8 seen from a different viewpoint;

- Figure 11 shows the bag closing assembly partially releasing the sample bag to close its drawstring; and

- Figure 12 shows the sample bag being discharged from the sampling system after being fully released by the bag closing assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates to a sampling system suitable for sampling ore during a drilling operation. In particular, the present disclosure relates to an automated sampling system configured to be mounted to a drill rig (not shown) used in mineral exploration for sampling ore during a drilling operation.

Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings show a first embodiment of a sampling system 110 supported on a frame 112. It should be appreciated that the particular structure of the frame 112 is shown for schematic purposes only to support the various sub-assemblies of the sampling system 110 because the sampling system 110 is not shown operationally attached to a drill rig. Accordingly, the structure of the frame 112 will change to operationally attach and suspend the sampling system 110 from a drill rig. The sampling system 110 is configured to be joined to the drill rig so that ore samples can be received from an ore discharge chute 114 extending from the drill rig.

The skilled addressee will understand that the sampling system 110 comprises various operational control units, electrical boxes and electrical, hydraulic, or pneumatic pipes. However, these are not described herein in detail as their working should be clear to the skilled addressee.

As generally indicated in Figures 1 and 2, the sampling system 110 comprises a supply or feed tray 116, a transfer assembly 118, a trapping and closing assembly 120, and a support and discharge assembly 122. In the description hereafter it is considered that the tray 116 and discharge chute 114 are axially aligned along an axis A-A extending centrally through the tray 116 and discharge chute 114. Accordingly, reference to an axial direction relates to a direction along axis A-A, while reference to a lateral direction relates to a direction transversely away from axis A-A.

The tray 116 has an open end 124, facing towards the discharge chute 114, which tray 116 is arranged to support a supply of sample bags 126. The sampling system 110 may include a removable lid (not shown) arranged to enclose the tray 116 to reduce the likelihood of the sample bags 126 being impacted by environmental conditions, e.g. from being blown away by wind and/or being splashed with mud during a drilling operation.

One embodiment of a sample bag is shown in Figure 3. Each sample bag 126 is a drawstring-type bag comprising a bag body 128 having an open mouth 130 that is surrounded by a drawstring 132 arranged to close the mouth 130. The bag body 128 can be made of cloth, canvas, plastics or any other suitably flexible material. In the exemplary embodiment the sample bags 126 are substantially rectangular in shape, but any other shaped bags can be utilised. Each sample bag 126 has a label plate 134 attached to one side of the bag body 128 at or near to its mouth 130. In some embodiments the label plate 134 may extend along the full length of the bag body 128 from its mouth 130 to its base. Alternatively, each label plate 134 may cover a substantial portion of its side of the bag body 128. Each sample bag 126 further has cut-out openings 136 in the opposed sides of the bag body 128 so that the drawstring 132 traverses the opening 136.

The sample bags 126 are stacked in a pile on the tray 116, one-on-the-other in a substantially flat manner, so that they lie with their mouths 130 aligned to face the open end 124 of the tray 116. In some embodiments the pile of sample bags 126 is placed directly onto the tray 116, while in other embodiments a supply box in which the sample bags 126 are sourced, can be torn open and placed onto the tray 116 - thereby avoiding the need to remove the sample bags 126 from the supply box and stacking or packing them onto the tray 116.

The transfer assembly 118 comprises a suction tube 138 mounted operatively above the tray 116, wherein the suction tube 138 is reciprocally movable by a piston in an up- down direction relative to the tray 116 and aligned with the label plate 134 of the uppermost sample bag 126. The suction tube 138 is pneumatically operable and arranged to selectively open the mouth of one sample bag by exerting a suction force through the suction tube 138. In use, the suction tube 138 is lowered to contact or press against the sample bag 126, preferably against the label plate 134, activated to exert a suction force thereon and then raised a desired preselected distance to lift one side panel of the bag body 128 to thereby partially open the mouth 130 of the sample bag 126.

In embodiments wherein the bag body 128 is made of material that has a sufficient air impermeability, the suction tube 138 can be arranged to contact and exert its suction force directly onto a suitable part of the body 128 and is not restricted to contacting the label plate 134. In such case, the label plate 134 may be integral with the bag body 128 and merely comprise a designated labelling area of the bag body 128. In some embodiments, the suction tube 138 may also be laterally movable, i.e. being movable in a 3-dimensional manner through XYZ planes, so that it can be aligned with different areas of the label plate 134 and/or sample bag 126.

In some embodiments (not shown), the transfer assembly 118 may include needle grippers to be used in combination with suction tube 138 or as a replacement of the suction tube 138, to open the sample bag 126.

The transfer assembly 118 further comprises opposed arms 140 that are both pivotally and rotatably mounted to the frame 112, with each arm 140 being provided with two fingers 142 extending at substantially right angles from the arms 140. The fingers 142 on each arm 140 are movable relative to each other along the arms 140. The arms 140 are mounted to the frame 112 by a hinge drive 144 (see Figure 2) that is configured to rotate the arms 140 through roughly 90° as indicated by arrow 143 between an “upright” position (shown in Figure 1 and 2), wherein the arms 140 extend down towards the tray 116 to allow insertion of the fingers 142 into an open sample bag 126, and a “level” position wherein the arms 140 are pivoted to extend towards and locate the sample bag 126 beneath the discharge chute 114 (shown in Figure 5). The hinge drive 144 is further configured to simultaneously laterally pivot the arms 140 to locate their free ends, i.e. the fingers 142, closer together or further apart. It is envisaged that the hinge drive 144 may be configured in other embodiments to rotate the arms through different angular extents, i.e. so that the arms 140 are rotated through greater or lesser than 90° and/or stepwise rotated through smaller intermediate increments between the upright and level positions. Each pair of fingers 142 on each arm 140 are arranged substantially parallel to each other. In the exemplary embodiment, one of the fingers 142 is fixedly mounted to each of the arms 140, while its opposing finger is movably mounted to its arm 140. In the exemplary embodiment, the outer finger 142.1 provided furthest from the hinge drive 144 is the fixed finger, while its associated and opposed inner finger 142.2 extends from a sleeve 146. Sleeve 146 is slidably mounted on its arm 140 and is configured to be moved to-and-fro along the arm 140 by piston 148 thereby to reciprocally locate the fingers 142 close together (as shown in Figure 1 and 2) and spaced apart (as shown in Figure 4 to 7). In other embodiments, the outer finger 142.1 may be movably mounted on the arm 140 while the inner finger 142.2 may be fixedly mounted. In yet further embodiments, both fingers 142 may be movably mounted on each of the arms 140.

Figures 4 to 7 show various consecutive steps during use of the sampling system 110, wherein the arms 140 are initially rotated and pivoted with both pairs of the fingers 142 located proximal to each so that all the fingers 142 can be inserted into the open mouth 130 of the sample bag 126 as opened by the suction tube 138. The respective pistons 148 are then activated to distally space the fingers 142 apart while the hinge drive 144 pivots the arms 140 apart laterally to further extend and fully open the mouth 130 of the sample bag 126. The fingers 142 are moved sufficiently far apart that the sample bag 126 is taut and frictionally held by the fingers 142. Each of the fingers 142 can optionally have an undulating, grooved or otherwise roughened outer surface to improve the frictional contact between the bag body 128 and the fingers 142. In some instances, the mouth 130 may be slightly elastic and stretched open by the fingers 142. The four fingers 142 open the mouth 130 into a rectangular shape having a lateral width being larger than its axial length, and wherein the axial length is slightly larger than the diameter of the discharge chute 114 (or slightly larger than a maximum outer dimension of the discharge chute 114 if it has a non-circular cross-section). In one embodiment of the sample bag 126, the mouth 130 has a perimeter of about 40cm and is opened into a rectangle having dimensions of 6cm x 14cm.

Subsequently, after deactivating the suction tube 138, the arms 140 are rotated to transfer the now open sample bag 126 from the tray 116 and locate the open sample bag 126 beneath the discharge chute 114 in a manner that the discharge chute 114 extends through the mouth 130 and partially into the sample bag 126, e.g. to a depth of about 2cm-5cm. Referring now to Figures 5 and 6, the trapping and closing assembly 120 comprises two opposed gripping members 150,152 that are located on diametrically opposed sides of the discharge chute 114 and longitudinally aligned along axis A-A. The gripping members 150,152 are arranged to move between a first “open” position wherein inner ends of the gripping members 150,152 are spaced away from the discharge chute 114 (see Figure 4) and a second “closed” position wherein the inner ends of the gripping members 150,152 are adjacent and/or abut the discharge chute 114 (see Figure 5). In their second “closed” position, the gripping members 150,152 are arranged to trap the open sample bag 126 to and/or against the discharge chute 114, i.e. in use gripping member 150 presses the label plate 134 or sample bag material against the discharge chute 114 and the opposed gripping member 152 extends through the opening 136 to trap the drawstring 132 above the gripping member 152 while the sample bag 126 hangs below gripping member 152. In the exemplary embodiment the gripping members 150,152 are bars or rods that are pivotally movable between the first and second positions. However, it is also envisioned that in other embodiments the gripping members 150,152 are bars or rods that are laterally movable to-and-fro along axis A-A between the first and second positions. Where the sample bag 126 has openings 136 in both opposed sides of the bag body 128, both the gripping members 150, 152 can extend through the respective openings 136 to trap the drawstring 132 operatively above the gripping members 150, 152 while the bag body 128 is located operatively below the gripping members 150, 152.

After the sample bag 126 has been located beneath the discharge chute 114 and trapped in place by the gripping members 150,152, ore can be dispensed from the discharge chute 114 into the sample bag 126.

In some embodiments of the sampling system, after the sample bag 126 has been located beneath the discharge chute 114 and trapped in place by the gripping members 150,152, each pair of fingers 142 can be moved to again lie closely adjacent to each other along each arm 140 to release their applied outward tension from the mouth 130 of the sample bag 126. However, the mouth 130 of the sample bag 126 remains open because it is trapped around the discharge chute 114 by the gripping members 150,152 so that ore can be dispensed from the discharge chute 114 into the sample bag 126. At this stage, the hinge drive 144 may optionally further rotate the arms 140 upward beyond the “level” position to remove the fingers 142 from the sample bags 126, e.g. to avoid potential damage to the fingers 142 and/or crosscontamination of ore samples received in different sample bags 126.

The support and discharge assembly 122 comprises a support shelf 154 rotatably mounted on the frame 112 by a hinge 156, which allows the support shelf 154 to be moved between a raised position (shown in Figures 1 and 2) and a lowered position relative to the discharge chute 114. Hinge 156 is orientated at right angles to hinge drive 144 so that when the support shelf 154 is rotated into its lowered position it defines a slide towards a lateral side of the sampling system 110, i.e. also being directed towards a lateral side of the drilling rig to which the sampling system 110 is mounted. Typically, the support shelf 154 will be lowered through an angle of about 45°-70°. It should be appreciated that there are various drives that are suitable to move support shelf 154 between its raised and lowered positions, e.g. such a worm drive or a piston 158.

Support shelf 154 is arranged to move to its raised position and support the sample bag 126 beneath the discharge chute during use while ore is dispensed from the chute into the sample bag 126. Support shelf 154 therefore carries the weight of an ore sample dispensed from the discharge chute 114 and accordingly alleviates any ore weight being borne by the transfer assembly 118 or by the trapping and closing assembly 120. This avoids the likelihood of the sample bag 126 becoming dislodged from the discharge chute 114 while being filled.

Support shelf 154 includes a weight scale (not illustrated) to measure the weight of the ore sample dispensed into the sample bag 126.

Once the desired volume of ore has been dispensed into the sample bag 126, the sample bag 126 is released from the discharge chute 114 in a step wise manner to first close the sample bag 126 and then discharge it to a lateral side of the sampling system 110. Firstly, the support shelf 154 is moved to its lowered position wherein it is able to function as a slide directed towards the lateral side of the sampling system 10. Subsequently, as shown in Figure 6, gripping member 150 only is moved to its first “open” position so that its side of sample bag 126 is released and can drop away from the discharge chute 114, while gripping member 152 is retained in its second “closed” position trapping drawstring 132. Under the action of gravity, the now filled and partially released sample bag 126 drops down suddenly and its own weight causes drawstring 132 to close the mouth 130 of the sample bag 126. A short, predetermined time later, e.g. about 2-5 seconds, gripping member 152 also is moved to its first “open” position, as shown in Figure 7, to release the drawstring 132 and allow the sample bag 126 to drop away from the discharge chute 114, slide down support shelf 154 and drop off onto the ground.

The sampling system 110 can optionally include a conveyor (not shown) located beneath the support shelf 154 for receiving the released sample bags 126 and conveying these to a selected location remote from the discharge chute 114, thereby to avoid the released sample bags 126 from piling up too close to the discharge chute 114 and hinder proper working of the sampling system 110. In one embodiment the conveyor may extend from the vicinity of the support shelf to beneath and beyond the tray 116.

A second embodiment of the sampling system 210 is shown in Figures 8 to 12, which has a different type of trapping and closing assembly 220. The other parts of the sampling system 210 are the same as those of the sampling system 110 and those parts will therefore be indicated using the same reference numerals. Accordingly, the sampling system 210 has a feed tray 116, a transfer assembly 118, and a support and discharge assembly 122. Figures 8 to 12 show various consecutive steps by which the trapping and closing assembly 220 operates during use of the sampling system 210.

The trapping and closing assembly 220 comprises a pin or spike 222 that is aligned along the diameter of the discharge chute 114. In the exemplary embodiment the spike 222 is axially aligned along axis A-A. Spike 222 is axially movable along axis A-A so that it can be move between a first “open” position where spike 222 is spaced away from the discharge chute 114 as shown in Figure 8, and a second “closed” position where spike 222 traverses the discharge chute 114 as shown in dashed lines in Figure 9. In its second “closed” position spike 222 extends through a through-hole 224 provided in the discharge chute 114. The operational movement of spike 222 is controlled by a piston.

The movement of spike 222 can selectively be stopped or interrupted at any position between its first “open” position and its second “closed” position. Accordingly spike 222 can be moved to an intermediate position wherein the spike 222 extends partially into but not through the discharge chute 114 as shown in Figure 11. While spike 222 is in its first “open” position spaced away from the discharge chute 114, the sample bag 126 can be moved into place beneath the discharge chute 114. Spike 222 is then moved to its second “closed” position to trap the open sample bag 126 to and/or against the discharge chute 114, i.e. in use the spike 222 extends through the opposed openings 136 to trap the drawstring 132 operatively above the spike 222 while the bag body 128 is located operatively below the spike 222. The sample bag 126 is then filled with ore.

Once the desired volume of ore has been dispensed into the sample bag 126, the sample bag 126 is released from the discharge chute 114 in a step wise manner to close the sample bag 126, whereafter it is discharged in the same manner as described above.

Closing the sample bag 126 is achieved by partially retracting the spike 222 to its intermediate position, as shown in Figure 11, so that it extends into but not through the discharge chute 114. In this way the distal side of the drawstring 132 is released while the proximal side of the drawstring 132 remains trapped by the spike 222. Under the action of gravity, the now filled and partially released sample bag 126 drops down suddenly and its own weight causes the trapped drawstring 132 to close the mouth 130 of the sample bag 126. A short, predetermined time later, e.g. about 2-5 seconds, spike 222 is fully retracted from the discharge chute 114 and moved to its first position, as shown in Figure 12, to release the drawstring 132 and allow the sample bag 126 to drop away from the discharge chute 114, slide down support shelf 154 and drop off onto the ground.

While spike 222 is in its intermediate position its terminal end remains projecting partially into the discharge chute 114. Accordingly, the terminal end of spike 222 is supported by a sidewall of the discharge chute 114 and spike 222 is not cantilevered. This assists the spike 222 in supporting the weight of the filled sample bag 126 as it drops under gravity and reduces any tendency of the spike 222 to be bent by the sample bag 126.

Although the above description relates to the spike 222 being aligned along axis A-A, in other examples, the spike 222 can be angled or orthogonal to axis A-A. In such cases, suitable realignment of the sample bag 126 and the openings 136 will be required so that the openings 136 are aligned along the longitudinal direction of spike 222. Once the supply of sample bags 126 in tray 116 are depleted, the supply can be restocked with new sample bags 126 being stacking onto the tray 116. Such restocking of the sample bags 126 can be performed at any time during a drilling operation from a direction remote from the discharge chute 114, i.e. laterally from the sides of the sampling system 110 / tray 116 or axially from behind the tray 116. It should thus be appreciated that the restocking can occur while the sampling system 110 is in operation and it is not necessary to wait until the supply is fully depleted or for the drill ing/sampl ing operations to be stopped.

In some embodiments the label plate 134 can include a programmable RFID tag. In such case a complementary RFID scanner/writer is co-mounted with the suction tube 138, thereby allowing the RFID scanner to program information onto each RFID tag as its sample bag 126 is partially opened. Such information can include: the location of the drill hole from which the rock sample was obtained, the depth at which the rock sample was obtained, the type of drill rig that was used to drill the hole, etc.

In an alternative embodiment, the label plate 134 can include a barcode. In such case a complementary barcode scanner is co-mounted with the suction tube 138, thereby allowing the barcode scanner to scan each sample bag 126 as it is partially opened. This allows the sampling system to identify each sample bag 126 and to store information specific to each sample bag 126 in a related computer processing unit. Such information can include: the location of the drill hole from which the rock sample was obtained, the depth at which the rock sample was obtained, the type of drill rig that was used to drill the hole, etc.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the sampling system as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

In the claims which follow and in the preceding description, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word “comprise” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” is used in a non-limiting and an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in the various embodiments. A reference to an element by the indefinite article "a" does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the elements is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be one and only one of the elements.

Reference numerals

110, 210 sampling system

112 frame

114 discharge chute

116 tray

118 transfer assembly

120, 220 trapping and closing assembly

122 support and discharge assembly

124 open end

126 sample bag/s

128 bag body

130 mouth

132 drawstring

134 label plate

136 opening

138 suction tube

140 arms

142 fingers

142.1 outer finger

142.2 inner finger

143 arrow

144 hinge drive

146 sleeve

148 piston

150,152 gripping member

154 support shelf

156 hinge

158 piston

222 spike

224 through-hole

A-A axis