Adaptable container handling system

• US 20090214324A1
• Filed: 02/18/2009
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harvest Automation, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Harvest Automation, Inc.
• Inventors: Sandin, Paul E., Jones, Joseph L., Vu, Clara, Grinnell, Charles M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,915,692 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/467
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/088 Handling or transferring pots
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/143 Equipment for handling produce in greenhouses
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/38 with automatic control
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/44 Industrial trucks or floor conveyors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/32 Auto pilot mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/60 using power supplied by batteries in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/04 mechanical
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2201/0235 Containers
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2203/0233 Position of the article
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2203/041 Camera
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2814/0302 Central control devices
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 63/004 for containers
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 65/005 Control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/063 Automatically guided
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/25 Greenhouse technology, e.g. cooling systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/60 Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

An adaptable handling system featuring a boundary subsystem and one or more robots. Each robot typically includes a chassis, a container lift mechanism moveable with respect to the robot chassis for transporting at least one container, a drive subsystem for maneuvering the chassis, a boundary sensing subsystem, a container detection subsystem, and a controller. The controller is responsive to the boundary sensing subsystem and the container detection subsystem and is configured to control the drive subsystem to follow a boundary once intercepted until a container is detected and turn until another container is detected. The controller then controls the container lift mechanism to place a transported container proximate the second detected container.

Claims

1. An adaptable container handling system comprising:

a boundary subsystem; and

one or more of robots each including;

a chassis,

a container lift mechanism moveable with respect to the robot chassis for transporting at least one container,

a drive subsystem for maneuvering the chassis,

a boundary sensing subsystem,

a container detection subsystem, and

a controller responsive to the boundary sensing subsystem and the container detection subsystem and configured to;

control the drive subsystem to follow a boundary once intercepted until a container is detected and turn until another container is detected, and

control the container lift mechanism to place a transported container proximate the second detected container.

2. The system of claim 1 in which the controller is further configured to control the drive subsystem to return the robot to a prescribed container source location.

3. The system of claim 1 in which the controller is further configured to control the container lift mechanism to retrieve another container at the source location.

4. The system of claim 2 further including a transmitting beacon located at the source location transmitting a signal and each robot further includes a receiver for receiving the transmitted beacon signal.

5. The system of claim 1 in which the boundary subsystem includes reflective tape.

6. The system of claim 5 in which the reflective taping includes non-reflective portions denoting distance.

7. The system of claim 5 in which the boundary sensing subsystem includes at least one infrared emitter and at least one infrared detector.

8. The system of claim 1 in which the container detection subsystem includes a linear array of infrared emitters and infrared detectors.

9. The system of claim 1 in which the container detection subsystem includes a camera based subsystem.

10. The system of claim 9 in which the camera based subsystem includes a laser source which emits a beam intersecting the field of view of the camera between x_min and x_max.

11. The system of claim 10 in which the container detection subsystem determines the distance between the robot and a container as a function of the angle of the beam.

12. The system of claim 10 in which the camera is mounted such that pixels are read out as columns rather than rows.

13. The system of claim 12 in which the beam is turned off between read outs of adjacent columns and laser off columns are subtracted from laser on columns.

14. The system of claim 1 in which the container detection subsystem includes a system configured to detect if a container is present in said container lift mechanism.

15. The system of claim 1 in which said system includes an infrared source and an infrared detector.

16. The system of claim 1 in which the drive subsystem includes a pair of driven wheels one on each side of the chassis.

17. The system of claim 1 in which the container lift mechanism includes:

a rotatable yoke,

a pair of spaced forks extending from the yoke for grasping a container, and

a drive train driven in one direction to rotate the yoke to simultaneously extend and lower the forks and driven in the opposite direction to simultaneously retract and raise the forks.

18. The system of claim 17 in which the drive train includes:

a first sprocket rotatable with respect to the yoke,

a second sprocket rotatable with respect to the chassis, and

a moving link associated with the yoke interconnecting the first and second sprockets.

19. The system of claim 18 further including means for driving the second sprocket.

20. The system of claim 19 in which said means includes:

a motor driving a gearbox,

a driver sprocket driven by the gearbox, and

a third sprocket driven by the driver sprocket and fixed to the second sprocket.

21. The system of claim 18 in which a fork extends from the moving link.

22. The system of claim 1 further including a forward skid plate mounted to the robot chassis.

23. The system of claim 1 further including a user interface and the controller is responsive to the user interface.

24. The system of claim 23 in which the user interface includes an input for setting the width of a bed.

25. The system of claim 23 in which the user interface includes an input for setting a desired container spacing.

26. The system of claim 23 in which the user interface includes an input for setting the desired spacing pattern.

27. The system of claim 23 in which the user interface includes an input for setting the desired container diameter.

28. The system of claim 1 in which the controller is further configured to detect a container/boundary condition and to operate the drive subsystem and the container lift mechanism in response based on the condition.

29. The system of claim 28 in which a first condition is no containers are detected before three boundaries are detected.

30. The system of claim 29 in which a response to the first condition is to locate the third boundary or obstruction and place a transported container proximate the boundary or obstruction to place the first container in the first row.

31. The system of claim 28 in which a second condition is no container is detected before two boundaries are detected.

32. The system of claim 31 in which a response to the second condition is to follow the second boundary, detect a container, and place a transported container proximate the detected container to fill the first row with containers.

33. The system of claim 28 in which a third condition is a first boundary is followed, a container is detected, the robot turns, but no additional containers are detected before a second boundary or obstacle is detected.

34. The system of claim 33 in which a response to the third condition is to place a transported container proximate the second boundary or obstruction to fill a row with its first container.

35. A container handling robot comprising:

a chassis;

a drive subsystem for maneuvering the chassis;

a container detection subsystem; and

a container lift mechanism including;

a rotatable yoke,

a pair of spaced forks extending from the yoke for grasping a container, and

a drive train driven in one direction to rotate the yoke to simultaneously extend and lower the forks and drivable in an opposite direction to simultaneously retract and raise the forks.

36. The robot of claim 35 further including a controller responsive to the container detection subsystem and configured to control the drive subsystem until a container is detected and control the container lift mechanism to place a container carried by the forks proximate the detected container.

37. The robot of claim 36 in which the controller is further configured to control the drive subsystem to return the robot to a prescribed container source location.

38. The robot of claim 37 in which the controller is further configured to control the container lift mechanism to retrieve another container at the source location.

39. The robot of claim 35 in which the container detection subsystem includes a linear array of infrared emitters and infrared detectors.

40. The robot of claim 35 in which the drive subsystem includes a pair of driven wheels.

41. The robot of claim 40 in which the pair of wheels are located on opposite sides of the robot chassis.

42. The robot of claim 35 further including a forward skid plate mounted to the robot chassis.

43. The robot of claim 35 further including a user interface.

44. The robot of claim 43 in which the user interface includes an input for setting the width of a bed.

45. The robot of claim 43 in which the user interface includes an input for setting a desired container spacing.

46. The robot of claim 43 in which the user interface includes an input for setting the desired spacing pattern.

47. The robot of claim 43 in which the user interface includes an input for setting the desired container diameter.

48. An adaptable plant container handling robot comprising:

a chassis;

a container lift mechanism moveable with respect to the robot chassis for retrieving at least one container in a field at a first location;

a drive subsystem for maneuvering the chassis to transport the container to a second location;

a boundary sensing subsystem;

a container detection subsystem; and

a controller responsive to the boundary sensing subsystem and the container detection subsystem and configured to;

control the drive subsystem to follow a boundary once intercepted until a container at the second location is detected and turn until another container is detected, and

control the container lift mechanism to place a transported container proximate the second detected container.

49. The robot of claim 48 in which the controller is further configured to control the drive subsystem to return the robot to the first location.

50. A plant container handling robot comprising:

a chassis;

a drive subsystem for maneuvering the chassis;

a container detection subsystem including;

a subsystem which detects containers on the ground, and

a subsystem which detects a container carried by the robot, a container lift mechanism including;

a rotatable yoke,

a pair of spaced forks extending from the yoke for grasping a container, and

a drive train which simultaneously extends and lowers the forks and simultaneously retracts and raises the forks; and

a controller responsive to the container detection subsystem and configured to;

control the drive subsystem to maneuver the robot until a container is detected,

control the container lift mechanism drive train to place a container carried by the forks proximate the detected container,

control the drive subsystem to maneuver the robot to return the robot to a prescribed source location, and

control the container lift mechanism drive train to retrieve another container at the source location.

51. An adaptable object handling system comprising:

a boundary subsystem; and

one or more of robots each including;

a chassis,

a lift mechanism moveable with respect to the robot chassis for transporting at least one object,

a drive subsystem for maneuvering the chassis,

a boundary sensing subsystem,

an object detection subsystem, and

a controller responsive to the boundary sensing subsystem and the object detection subsystem and configured to;

control the drive subsystem to follow a boundary once intercepted until a object is detected and turn until another object is detected, and

control the lift mechanism to place a transported object proximate the second detected object.

52. An object handling robot comprising:

a chassis;

a drive subsystem for maneuvering the chassis;

a detection subsystem; and

an object lift mechanism including;

a rotatable yoke,

a pair of spaced forks extending from the yoke for grasping an object, and

a drive train driven in one direction to rotate the yoke to simultaneously extend and lower the forks and drivable in an opposite direction to simultaneously retract and raise the forks.