US 12,004,451 B2Granted

Autonomous crop harvester

AssigneeAdvanced Farm Technologies, Inc.

InventorsCedric Jeanty, Carl Allendorph, Marc Grossman

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Abstract

Systems and methods capable of selecting and positively grasping objects of interest within a cluttered environment are described. Some aspects of the present disclosure provide for real-time control of a robot that uses various sensors and reacts to sensor input in real time to adjust the robots path. In some embodiments, a robotic item picker includes an end effector having a shaft extending along a longitudinal axis between a proximal end and a distal end, a carriage configured to rotate about and translate along an intermediate portion of the shaft between a proximal position and a distal position, a suction device coupled to the distal end of the shaft, and a plurality of fingers spaced radially about the carriage. The robot may be a t-bot including a longitudinal member rotatable about a lengthwise axis of the longitudinal member, a carriage translatable along the lengthwise axis, and a radial member slidably mounted to the carriage. The end effector may be rotatably coupled at a distal end of the radial member.

Claims25

Dependent claims

An end effector for a picking robot, the end effector comprising:

a shaft extending along a longitudinal axis between a proximal end and a distal end;
a carriage configured to rotate about and translate along an intermediate portion of the shaft between a proximal position and a distal position;
a suction device coupled to the distal end of the shaft;
and
a plurality of fingers spaced radially about the carriage, each finger coupled to the carriage by a hinge and extending distally from the carriage, the plurality of fingers configured to envelop the intermediate portion of the shaft when the carriage is in the proximal position, the plurality of fingers further configured to envelop a target object space comprising the distal end of the shaft and the suction device when the carriage is in the distal position;
wherein the suction device comprises at least one sensor configured to detect the presence of an object within the target space, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a linear position sensor or a 3D force sensor, wherein the object within the target object space is tethered to a stationary object, and wherein the at least one sensor is configured to detect a direction at which the object is tethered to the stationary object.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/282,995Filed 3 Oct 2019 · us provisional application
Priority: 8 Oct 2018
Published: US 2021/0337734 A14 Nov 2021
Granted: 11 Jun 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification21 codes

A01D 46/30
Picking of fruits, vegetables, hops, or the like; Devices for shaking trees or shrubs: robotic devices for individually picking crops
B65G 47/90
Feeding, transfer, or discharging devices of particular kinds or types: devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials
B25J 5/007
Manipulators mounted on wheels or on carriages: mounted on wheels
B25J 9/0087
Comprising a plurality of manipulators: dual arms

Family

Application62/742,698Us provisional application · filed 8 Oct 2018
Application62/854,264Us provisional application · filed 29 May 2019
US 2021/0337734 A1Pre-grant publication · published 4 Nov 2021
US 12,004,451 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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