Adaptable container handling system

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.