# US 11,576,305 B2 · Harvesting of crops

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- Number: US 11,576,305 B2
- Document ID: US11576305B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/956,415
- Filed: 2018-12-21
- Published: 2020-12-17
- Granted: 2023-02-14
- Earliest claimed: 2017-12-21
- Assignees: Kms Projects Limited
- Applicants: Kms Projects Limited
- Inventors: Estwick George; Peter Keeling
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11576305B2

## CPC

- A01D 46/30: Robotic devices for individually picking crops
- A01B 79/005: {Precision agriculture}
- A01D 46/00: Picking of fruits, vegetables, hops, or the like; Devices for shaking trees or shrubs
- A01D: HARVESTING; MOWING
- A01B: SOIL WORKING IN AGRICULTURE OR FORESTRY; PARTS, DETAILS, OR ACCESSORIES OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINES OR IMPLEMENTS, IN GENERAL (making or covering furrows or holes for sowing, planting or manuring A01C5/00; mowers convertible to soil working apparatus or capable of soil working A01D42/04; mowers combined with soil working implements A01D43/12; soil working for engineering purposes E01, E02, E21)

## Abstract

Method and Apparatus for harvesting crops, the apparatus (1) comprising a carriage (2) provided with a harvesting device (41), a ground height measuring device to measure or estimate the ground height (S2) at each harvested crop, a crop height measuring device to measure the height of a crop(S4), a processor operatively connected to the ground height measuring device to generate baseline ground data (S3) and operatively connected to the crop height measuring device to determine a desired harvest height (S5), a comparator to compare the baseline ground data to the desired harvest height to determine if a particular crop is to be harvested by the harvesting device.

## Claims

### Claim 1

Apparatus for harvesting crops, the apparatus comprising a carriage provided with a harvesting device, a ground height measuring device to measure or estimate the ground height at each harvested crop, a crop height measuring device to measure the height of a crop, a processor operatively connected to the ground height measuring device to generate baseline ground data and operatively connected to the crop height measuring device to determine a desired harvest height, a comparator to compare the baseline ground data to the desired harvest height to determine if a particular crop is to be harvested by the harvesting device.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to control the harvesting device.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to control the harvesting device to prevent harvest of a crop if desired harvest height is within a threshold value of the baseline ground data.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a device for measuring the distance travelled by carriage, the device comprising an encoder having an axle and a non-driven wheel for being moved, in use, across a surface over which the carriage is travelling, the non-driven wheel having a central axle which is connected to the axle of the encoder by a gear system arranged such that one 360 degree turn of the central axle of the non-driven wheel results in less than one 360 degree turn of the axle of the encoder.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the device for measuring the distance travelled is operatively connected to the processor.

### Claim 6

A method of harvesting crops using a carriage provided with a harvesting device, the method comprising:
a) harvesting plural crops using the harvesting device;
b) measuring or estimating the ground height at each harvested crop in order to generate baseline ground data;
c) determining a height of a subsequent crop to determine a desired harvest height; and
d) comparing the baseline ground data to the desired harvest height to decide whether to harvest the subsequent crop.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

Method according to claim 6, wherein the generated baseline ground data comprises average ground height data and/or variations in ground height.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

Method according to claim 6, comprising a step e) of preventing the harvesting device from harvesting the subsequent crop if the comparison of the baseline ground data to the desired harvest height is negative.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

Method according to claim 8, comprising a step f) of harvesting a crop if the comparison of the baseline ground data to the desired harvest height is positive.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

Method according to claim 6, comprising measuring the distance travelled by the carriage using an encoder having an axle and a non-driven wheel for being moved, in use, across a surface over which the carriage is travelling, the non-driven wheel having a central axle which is connected to the axle of the encoder by a gear system arranged such that one 360 degree turn of the central axle of the non-driven wheel results in less than one 360 degree turn of the axle of the encoder.