Patent ID: 7677119

Claim:
An apparatus for obtaining samples in a soil or material having a powdery or granular nature, said apparatus comprising: a picking-up device having a vertical stem provided with a groove intended for collecting the soil or material sample, on the edge of which a lip is formed for scraping the soil or the material to be picked up; at least one first power-driven system for causing the picking-up device to be moved down into the soil or the material to be picked up and to be moved up away from the soil or the material to be picked up; means for vertically guiding the picking-up device during the downward movement, and for allowing a rotation of the stem around its axis; and a second power-driven system for causing the rotation of the stem in the soil or the material to be picked up, allowing scraping of the soil or the material to be picked up, by the scraping lip of the stem, and collection of the scraped-up soil or material in the groove of the stem, said first and second power-driven systems being provided above the stem; and a bracket having a plate making a base at its lower end, a bore being made in the plate to provide vertical guidance on the side of the lower end of the stem of the picking-up device; and a supporting device movable with respect to the plate along the bracket and having vertical guiding means on the upper side of the picking-up device during the moving down of the picking-up device.