US 11,910,751 B1Granted

Robotic system for harvesting and maintaining date palms

AssigneeKing Saud University

InventorsMohamed Amine Mekhtiche, Mansour Mohammed A. Alsulaiman, Yousef Ahmed M. Alohali, Mohamed Abdelkader Bencherif, Ghulam Muhammad, Abdul Wadood, Mohammed Faisal Abdulqader Naji, Hassan Ismail H. Mathkour, Mohammed Mahdi Algabri, Hebah Abdulaziz Elgibreen, Hamid Abdulsalam Ghaleb, Hamdi Taher Altaheri, Taha Mohammed Ahmed Alfaqih, Muneer Hamid Ahmed Al-Hammadi

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Abstract

The robotic system for harvesting, and performing pre- and post-harvesting tasks of date palm trees includes three main parts: a truck platform, a scissor lift, and a multi-task system. The truck platform provides mobility for the whole system, while the scissor lift raises the multi-task system to the top of the palm tree. The multi-task system is fixed on top of the scissor lift and includes a large basin that catches fruits during harvesting. A circular track is fixed within the basin and includes a 2-degree-of-freedom (DOF) slider base mounted thereon. On top of the 2-DOF slider base is a robotic arm fitted with the proper tool (harvesting tool, maintenance tool or bagging system) for the task to be performed. The circular track has pivoting sections, and the basin has a flexible portion in the rear of the truck platform to allow the system to surround the palm tree.

A robotic system for harvesting and maintaining date palms, comprising:

a truck platform including a flatbed chassis having a front end, a tail end and an upper surface;
a scissor lift system supported on the upper surface of the flatbed chassis;
a multi-task platform having a front end and a tail end and supported by the scissor lift system, the multi-task platform including:
a basin having a bottom, a front end and a tail end;
a circular track mounted within the basin;
a slider base mounted on the circular track;
a tool platform mounted on the slider base, the tool platform having an upper surface;
means for moving the slider base around the circular track;
and
a palm handling system mounted on the upper surface of the tool platform, the truck platform, the scissor lift system and the multi-task platform having centers of gravity substantially aligned vertically,
wherein the scissor lift system comprises:
a lifting sub-system for raising and lowering the multi-task platform;
and
an inclining sub-system for raising and lowering the front end of the multi-task platform relative to the tail end of the multi-task platform;
wherein:
the lifting sub-system comprises a left lifting sub-system and a right lifting sub-system;
and
the inclining sub-system comprises a left inclining sub-system and a right inclining sub-system;
and
wherein each of the lifting sub-systems comprises:
a lower rear linkage having a lower end and an upper end, the lower end of the lower rear linkage being rotatably attached to the upper surface of the flatbed chassis proximate the tail end of the flatbed chassis:
an upper rear linkage having a lower end and an upper end, the lower end of the upper rear linkage being rotatably mounted to the upper end of the lower rear linkage, the upper end of the upper rear linkage being rotatably attached to the bottom of the basin proximate the tail end of the basin;
a lower front linkage having a lower end and an upper end, the lower end of the lower front linkage being rotatably and slidably attached to the upper surface of the flatbed chassis proximate the front end of the flatbed chassis;
and
an upper front linkage having a lower end and an upper end, the lower end of the upper front linkage being rotatably mounted to the upper end of the lower front linkage and the upper end of the upper front linkage rotatably supporting one of the inclining sub-systems.

22 more elements

Abstract

Claims17