Robotic weed control apparatus and method
AssigneeGreenfield Robotics Corporation
InventorsClinton W. Brauer, Royce A. Steinert
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for weed removal includes a chassis and at least two end effectors mechanically coupled to the chassis, each end effectors including a rotary axle, each rotary axle coupled to a drive unit for receiving a mechanical force to cause the rotary axle to rotate. The rotary axles, along with weed abrasion members coupled thereto, are at least partially covered by a deflector. A front end effector is configured to dislodge a crown and/or stem portion of unwanted plant material from the ground, while another end effector is configured to convert the unwanted plant material that has been dislodged from the ground into mulch.
Claims23
An apparatus for control of unwanted plant material comprising:
- a chassis;
- and
- two or more end effectors mechanically coupled to the chassis, the two or more end effectors including a first end effector comprising a first rotary axle and a second end effector comprising a second rotary axle, each of the first and second rotary axles coupled to a drive unit for receiving a mechanical force to cause the rotary axle to rotate,
- wherein the first end effector comprises a first deflector at least partially covering the first rotary axle and a first plurality of weed abrasion members removably coupled to the first rotary axle in a first radial pattern, and
- wherein the second end effector comprises a second deflector at least partially covering the second rotary axle and a second plurality of weed abrasion members removably coupled to the second rotary axle in a second radial pattern.
A method, comprising:
- disturbing a top portion of soil using a first plurality of abrasion members of a first end effector, thereby dislodging at least a portion of an unwanted plant material from a ground;
- converting the at least the portion of the unwanted plant material into mulch using a second plurality of abrasion members of a second end effector;
- and
- depositing the mulch back onto the ground, at least in part by a rotational motion of the second plurality of abrasion members within a deflector of the second end effector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.