UNMANNED VEHICLE FOR DISPLACING DUNG

• US 20100006127A1
• Filed: 09/23/2009
• Published: 01/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Maasland N.V.
• Original Assignee: Maasland N.V.
• Inventors: VAN DEN BERG, Karel
• Application Number:
  US12/565,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20100006127A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/57.R
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/01 Removal of dung or urine, e.g. from stablesA01K1/015 takes precedence; from poultry houses A01K31/04
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/0128 by means of scrapers or the like moving continuously
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/36 with phase comparison between the received signal and the contemporaneously transmitted signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0231 using optical position detecting means position-fixing by using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. optical position detecting means G01S5/16
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means

Abstract

An unmanned vehicle for displacing material, in particular dung, from the floor of a shed includes a frame, with disposed thereon a material displacer, propulsion mechanism and navigator with a sensor for forming an image of an observation area, the sensor including a source of radiation for modulated electromagnetic radiation, a receiver device for electromagnetic radiation reflected by an object in the observation area, and a sensor image processor, wherein the receiver device includes a matrix with a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns of receivers, and the sensor image processor is configured to determine for each of the receivers a phase difference between the emitted and the reflected electromagnetic radiation in order to calculate a distance from the receiver to the object. Such a vehicle is capable of detecting and displacing material in a very reliable manner by utilization of the depth image obtained by the sensor.

Claims

18-1. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the sensor image processor is arranged to recognize at least one of a heap of material to be displaced and a leg of the dairy animal.