US 2019/0313583 A1 · METHOD FOR AUTOMATING TRANSFER OF PLANTS WITHIN AN AGRICULTURAL FACILITY

Abstract

One variation of a method for automating transfer of plants within an agricultural facility includes: dispatching a loader to autonomously deliver a first module—defining a first array of plant slots at a first density and loaded with a first set of plants at a first growth stage—from a first grow location within an agricultural facility to a transfer station within the agricultural facility; dispatching the loader to autonomously deliver a second module—defining a second array of plant slots at a second density less than the first density and empty of plants—to the transfer station; recording a module-level optical scan of the first module; extracting a viability parameter of the first set of plants from features detected in the module-level optical scan; and if the viability parameter falls outside of a target viability range, rejecting transfer of the first set of plants from the first module.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for automating transfer of plants within an agricultural facility, the method comprising:

receiving, at a transfer station within the agricultural facility:
a first module defining a first array of plant slots at a first density and loaded with a first set of plants at a first growth stage;
a second module defining a second array of plant slots at a second density less than the first density;
for each plant in a first subset of plants in the first set of plants:
recording a scan of the plant;
calculating a viability parameter of the plant based on features detected in the scan;
and
in response to the viability parameter falling within a target viability range, triggering a robotic manipulator at the transfer station to transfer the plant from the first module into a plant slot in the second array of plant slots in the second module.

5 more elements

A method for automating transfer of plants within an agricultural facility, the method comprising:

dispatching a loader to autonomously deliver a first module from a first grow location within the agricultural facility to a transfer station, the first module defining a first array of plant slots at a first density and loaded with a first set of plants at a first growth stage;
dispatching the loader to autonomously deliver a second module to the transfer station, the second module defining a second array of plant slots at a second density less than the first density;
dispatching the loader to autonomously deliver a third module to the transfer station, the third module defining a third array of plant slots at the second density;
triggering a robotic manipulator at the transfer station to transfer a first subset of plants, in the first set of plants in the first module, from the first module into the second array of plant slots in the second module;
and
in response to transfer of the first subset of plants into the second module:
dispatching the loader to autonomously deliver the second module from the transfer station to a second grow location within the agricultural facility;
and
triggering the robotic manipulator to transfer a second subset of plants, in the first set of plants in the first module, from the first module into the third array of plant slots in the third module.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method for automating transfer of plants within an agricultural facility

Life of this patent

Method for automating transfer of plants within an agricultural facility

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20