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Agricultural robot system and method

  • US 7,854,108 B2
  • Filed: 02/15/2006
  • Issued: 12/21/2010
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2003
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An agricultural robot system comprising:

  • a scouting robot programmed to autonomously scout an agricultural field without operator intervention comprising at least one camera, wherein said scouting robot is programmed to;

    autonomously move to a first grapevine in said agricultural field;

    use said at least one camera to obtain data associated with agricultural elements of said first grapevine, wherein said data is geo-referenced;

    autonomously move to a second grapevine in said agricultural field;

    use said at least one camera to obtain data associated with agricultural elements of said second grapevine, wherein said data is geo-referenced;

    at least one computer programmed to generate a pruning plan using said data associated with agricultural elements of said first grape vine and said data associated with agricultural elements of said second grapevine, said pruning plan comprising;

    locations of pruning sites to prune in said first grapevine and said second grapevine, wherein said pruning sites are determined using said data associated with agricultural elements of said first grapevine and said data associated with agricultural elements of said second grapevine;

    a pruning order for said pruning sites;

    a first grapevine location;

    a second grapevine location;

    a robot motion path based on said first grapevine location and said second grapevine location; and

    at least one robot arm motion path, wherein each robot arm motion path is based on said location of pruning sites and any other potentially interfering robot arm motion paths, wherein said at least one robot arm motion path is programmed to minimize a path entanglement risk;

    a pruning robot programmed to autonomously prune said agricultural field without said operator intervention comprising;

    at least one arm programmable to autonomously move according to said at least one robot arm motion path;

    a platform coupled with said at least one arm; and

    a drive wheel coupled with said platform programmable to autonomously move said pruning robot according to said robot motion path;

    wherein said scouting robot does not perform an agricultural operation that transforms said agricultural elements of said first or said second grapevines within said agricultural field;

    wherein said pruning robot is programmed to prune said first grapevine and said second grapevine at said pruning sites according to said pruning plan.

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