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

• Current Assignee: Vision Robotics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Vision Robotics Corporation
• Inventors: Wallach, Bret, Koselka, Harvey
• Primary Examiner(s): Torres; Alicia M
• Application Number:
  US11/354,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20060213167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,770 Days
• Field of Search: 56/102.R, 56/102.A, 563/281, 56D/IG.7
• US Class Current: 56/10.20A
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 51/026 of the automotive vehicle type, e.g. including driver accommodation A01B51/023 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 46/30 Robotic devices for individually picking crops
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 75/00 Accessories for harvesters or mowers
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 91/00 Methods for harvesting agricultural products
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/021 specially adapted to land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

An agricultural robot system and method of harvesting, pruning, culling, weeding, measuring and managing of agricultural crops. Uses autonomous and semi-autonomous robot(s) comprising machine-vision using cameras that identify and locate the fruit on each tree, points on a vine to prune, etc., or may be utilized in measuring agricultural parameters or aid in managing agricultural resources. The cameras may be coupled with an arm or other implement to allow views from inside the plant when performing the desired agricultural function. A robot moves through a field first to “map” the plant locations, number and size of fruit and approximate positions of fruit or map the cordons and canes of grape vines. Once the map is complete, a robot or server can create an action plan that a robot may implement. An action plan may comprise operations and data specifying the agricultural function to perform.

Claims

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.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one actuator coupled with said at least one arm, wherein said at least one actuator is programmed to interact with said agricultural elements in said agricultural field to prune said agricultural elements.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one camera is coupled with an actuator.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one camera produces a plurality of images that are processed by an optical flow algorithm.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one camera comprises a plurality of cameras programmed to provide stereo vision.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising an object selected from the group consisting of GPS, communications device, sensor, refractometer, hydration sensor, at least one harvester bin, and a server;

wherein said object is coupled with said at least one platform or with an actuator that is coupled with said at least one mobile platform.

7. The system of claim 2 wherein said at least one actuator comprises a light source and wherein said light source is utilized to illuminate said agricultural elements in said agricultural field.

8. The system of claim 2 further comprising a harvest bin.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising a server wherein said server is programmed to create said pruning plan associated with said agricultural field.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising a communications device programmed to communicate between a processor associated with said scouting robot and said server.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein said scouting robot is programmed to scout said agricultural field before a pruning or during a pruning of said agricultural field.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein said pruning robot is programmed to process a first agricultural element selected from said agricultural elements after said first agricultural element is picked.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said process comprises an action selected from the group consisting of cleaning, packaging, and removing stems.

14. The system of claim 1 further comprising an agricultural database which comprises a map and agricultural element health or environment status of said agricultural field.

15. The system of claim 1 further comprising an agricultural database that is used to estimate crop yield or improve farming techniques.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein said scouting robot transmits said pruning plan to said pruning robot.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein said robot motion path is further based on said at least one location of pruning sites.