Human assisted milking robot and method
AssigneeMirobot Ltd.
InventorTal Bareket
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A human operated control device for assisting a plurality of milking robots includes a controller adapted for controlling communication with a plurality of milking robots operated substantially simultaneously, graphical user interface (GUI) adapted for displaying information received from at least one milking robot and for receiving input from a human supervisor for operating the at least one milking robot based on the displayed information, and a processor adapted to convert the input received from the human supervisor into a command for operating the at least one milking robot from which the information was received. A milking robot for operating milking equipment is adapted to operate in one of an automated mode of operation and a human assisted mode of operation.
Claims23
A milking robot for operating milking equipment comprising:
- a location computation unit configured to compute a three dimensional model of at least one teat for milking during an automated mode of operation;
- at least one robotic arm or robotic platform configured to maneuver milking equipment;
- a motion control unit configured to control movement of the at least one robotic arm or robotic platform;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- control operation of the milking robot and the milking equipment;
- detect failure of the location computation unit to locate the at least one teat during the automated mode of operation;
- operate in the automated mode of operation as long as the failure is not detected by the controller;
- and
- operate in an assisted mode of operation based on the controller detecting the failure;
- and
- a control device including a human input device from which human input is received;
- wherein during the assisted mode of operation, the control device is configured:
- to be in remote communication with the controller,
- to display a graphical representation of the three dimensional model overlaid on a real time image of the at least one teat;
- to correct positioning of the graphical representation with respect to the real time image based on a user graphically manipulating the graphical representation;
- to translate the corrected position indicated by the user to data based on which the location computation unit corrects the three dimensional model;
- and
- to transmit the data to the location computation unit via the controller;
- wherein the milking robot is configured to locate the at least one teat based on the data from the correction.
A method for performing milking tasks on a dairy animal with a milking robot, the method comprising:
- operating a milking robot in an automated mode without human intervention, wherein the milking robot is configured to compute a three dimensional model of at least one teat of the dairy animal for milking, to maneuver milking equipment with at least one robotic arm or robotic platform of the milking robot and to perform a milking task on the at least one teat;
- detecting failure in locating the at least one teat, wherein the failure is detected by the milking robot;
- switching operation of the milking robot from the automated mode of operation to an assisted mode of operation based on detecting the failure;
- transmitting information via remote communication from the milking robot to a control device that is operable by a human during the assisted mode of operation;
- displaying a graphical representation of the three dimensional model overlaid on a real time image of the at least one teat;
- receiving a correction to a position of the graphical representation with respect to the real time image based on a user graphically manipulating the graphical representation, from the control device that is operable by a human responsive to the information transmitted and the displaying;
- translating the correction data to correct the three dimensional model;
- transmitting the data to the milking robot;
- and
- locating the at least one teat based on the three dimensional model and the data transmitted to the milking robot.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.