Unmanned autonomous vehicle for displacing feed

• US 8,543,276 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2010
• Issued: 09/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lely Patent N.V. (Lely)
• Original Assignee: Lely Patent N.V. (Lely)
• Inventors: Van Den Berg, Karel
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US12/789,473
• Publication Number:
  US 20100230183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,215 Days
• Field of Search: 701/26, 701/36, 701/41, 701 69- 71, 701/200, 701/205, 701/300, 701/1, 701/22, 701/23, 701/38, 701/82, 318/3, 318/5, 318/580, 180/6.2, 180/167, 180/6.48, 340/438, 340/441
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/105 Movable feed barriers, slides or fences
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 5/0266 with stable trolleys, e.g. suspended

Abstract

An unmanned autonomous vehicle for substantially lateral displacement of feed lying on a ground, comprising two wheels separately drivable by separate drive units, a torque difference adjusting device for adjusting the torque difference between the wheels, a control unit for controlling the vehicle and moving it in a direction of travel by controlling at least one of the separate drive units, a feed displacing device for substantially lateral displacement of the feed, and an adjusting device which is arranged to adjust the height and/or the position of a lowest point of the feed displacing device. The adjusting device comprises a vehicle tilting device which is arranged in such a manner that the lowest point will be located at least substantially off the center line of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An unmanned autonomous vehicle for substantially lateral displacement of feed lying on a ground, comprising:

two wheels separately drivable by separate drive units;

a torque difference adjusting device for adjusting the torque difference between the wheels;

a control unit for controlling the vehicle and moving it in a direction of travel by controlling at least one of the separate drive units;

a feed displacing device for substantially lateral displacement of the feed; and

an adjusting device which is arranged to adjust the height and/or the position of a lowest point of the feed displacing device, and which comprises a vehicle tilting device which is arranged in such a manner that the lowest point will be located at least substantially off the center line of the vehicle.

2. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising an additional supporting point for supporting the vehicle.

3. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the adjusting device comprises a height adjuster which is arranged to adjust the height of at least one of the wheels or the additional supporting point.

4. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting device is arranged for an automatic height adjustment to adjust the feed displacing device to exert a substantially constant pressure on the ground.

5. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the unmanned vehicle is provided with an orientation determining device to determine the orientation of the center line of the vehicle relative to the wall portion.

6. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the control unit is programmed so that, during operation, the center line of the vehicle remains in an orientation determined by the orientation determining device relative to the wall portion, the orientation being at least substantially equal to a pre-adjusted orientation.

7. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the pre-adjusted orientation is adjustable during operation of the vehicle.

8. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a touch protection device which extends around the outer side of the vehicle and which is arranged to supply to the control unit a signal which depends on an encountered force or pressure.

9. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the control unit is arranged to change the orientation when the signal exceeds a predetermined threshold.

10. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor which is arranged to supply a signal to the control unit upon recognizing a detecting device located on or in the ground.

11. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the sensor comprises an inductive or optical sensor, and wherein the detecting device comprises a conductive or magnetic or optical detecting device.

12. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor device which recognizes the kind or condition of the ground, and wherein the control device is arranged to adjust, by means of a signal from the sensor device, the height and/or the position of the feed displacing device.

13. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a distance determining device for determining a distance from the vehicle to a wall portion, and wherein the control unit is adapted to maintain a distance determined by the distance determining device to the wall portion, which distance is greater than or equal to a pre-adjusted minimum distance to the wall portion.

14. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the pre-adjustable distance is adjustable during operation.

15. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the feed displacing device comprises a freely rotatable annular element whose outer circumference forms the outer circumference of the vehicle.

16. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 15, wherein the annular element is tilted in such a manner that the lowest point is located closest to the ground at least substantially in a direction of travel of the vehicle.

17. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the unmanned vehicle is provided with a storage container for containing feed, and with a discharge device for discharging feed towards the ground, and wherein the control unit controls the operation of the discharge device on the basis of data from the torque difference determining device and/or the speed of the vehicle and/or the weight decrease of the storage container.

18. An unmanned autonomous vehicle for displacement of feed, comprising:

at least two wheels and at least two drive units for separately driving the wheels;

a control unit for controlling at least one of the drive units to move the vehicle in a direction of travel;

an adjustable feed displacing device for displacing the feed at least laterally to the direction of travel, the feed displacing device being tiltable to have a single lowest point; and

an adjusting device adapted to tilt the vehicle to adjust the feed displacing device so that the lowest point of the feed displacing device is positioned at a point not on the center line of the vehicle.

19. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 18, further comprising an additional supporting point for supporting the vehicle, and wherein the adjusting device adjusts the height of at least one of the wheels or the additional supporting point.

20. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 18, wherein the adjusting device is arranged for automatic adjustment to adjust the feed displacing device to exert a substantially constant pressure on the ground.