Robotic systems for handling objects
First Claim
1. An apparatus for transferring objects comprising:
- a grabber assembly having at least one grabber for holding objects to be transferred;
a carriage along which the grabber assembly travels;
a sensing device for determining the relative geometric positions of the objects to be transferred;
a positioning unit for positioning the grabber in up to four degrees of motion in response to the determined geometric positions; and
, at least one power source for driving the travel of the grabber assembly and the positioning of the grabber.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An automated handling system for moving objects from one location to another location is provided with a self-mobile system having a grabber subsystem for grasping objects, including assemblies for movement in four directions, along X, Y and Z axes and through an angle θ. The system also has a translating carriage assembly for moving the grabber subsystem and power supply and drive systems. A sensing device, such as an imager, is provided to determine the geometric position of the objects and to move the grabber subsystem accordingly. Another embodiment of the system is provided as an accessory to a prime mover. It includes an alignment articulation system, a gross advance system, a tine storage system, a loading head system, and pot grabbers. This automated handling system can be used to move plant containers in nurseries from the ground to a trailer bed and/or from a trailer bed to the ground in a variety of container configurations.
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Citations
43 Claims
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1. An apparatus for transferring objects comprising:
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a grabber assembly having at least one grabber for holding objects to be transferred;
a carriage along which the grabber assembly travels;
a sensing device for determining the relative geometric positions of the objects to be transferred;
a positioning unit for positioning the grabber in up to four degrees of motion in response to the determined geometric positions; and
,at least one power source for driving the travel of the grabber assembly and the positioning of the grabber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A system for transferring objects from one location to another comprising:
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a vehicle having a power source;
a drive subsystem;
a sensing subsystem for determining the geometric orientation of the objects;
a grabber subsystem for grasping the objects, including a positioning assembly for aligning the grabber subsystem with the objects in response to the determined geometric positions;
a carriage subsystem for moving the grabber subsystem; and
,a conveyor subsystem for conveying the objects.
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Specification