Robotic system for harvesting and maintaining date palms

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11910751-B1
Application number	US-202318123242-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 17, 2023
Priority date	Mar 17, 2023
Publication date	Feb 27, 2024
Grant date	Feb 27, 2024

Abstract

The robotic system for harvesting, and performing pre- and post-harvesting tasks of date palm trees includes three main parts: a truck platform, a scissor lift, and a multi-task system. The truck platform provides mobility for the whole system, while the scissor lift raises the multi-task system to the top of the palm tree. The multi-task system is fixed on top of the scissor lift and includes a large basin that catches fruits during harvesting. A circular track is fixed within the basin and includes a 2-degree-of-freedom (DOF) slider base mounted thereon. On top of the 2-DOF slider base is a robotic arm fitted with the proper tool (harvesting tool, maintenance tool or bagging system) for the task to be performed. The circular track has pivoting sections, and the basin has a flexible portion in the rear of the truck platform to allow the system to surround the palm tree.

First claim

We claim:

1. A robotic system for harvesting and maintaining date palms, comprising:
a truck platform including a flatbed chassis having a front end, a tail end and an upper surface;
a scissor lift system supported on the upper surface of the flatbed chassis;
a multi-task platform having a front end and a tail end and supported by the scissor lift system, the multi-task platform including:
a basin having a bottom, a front end and a tail end;
a circular track mounted within the basin;
a slider base mounted on the circular track;
a tool platform mounted on the slider base, the tool platform having an upper surface;
means for moving the slider base around the circular track; and
a palm handling system mounted on the upper surface of the tool platform, the truck platform, the scissor lift system and the multi-task platform having centers of gravity substantially aligned vertically,
wherein the scissor lift system comprises:

a lifting sub-system for raising and lowering the multi-task platform; and
an inclining sub-system for raising and lowering the front end of the multi-task platform relative to the tail end of the multi-task platform;
wherein:
the lifting sub-system comprises a left lifting sub-system and a right lifting sub-system; and
the inclining sub-system comprises a left inclining sub-system and a right inclining sub-system; and
wherein each of the lifting sub-systems comprises:
a lower rear linkage having a lower end and an upper end, the lower end of the lower rear linkage being rotatably attached to the upper surface of the flatbed chassis proximate the tail end of the flatbed chassis:
an upper rear linkage having a lower end and an upper end, the lower end of the upper rear linkage being rotatably mounted to the upper end of the lower rear linkage, the upper end of the upper rear linkage being rotatably attached to the bottom of the basin proximate the tail end of the basin;
a lower front linkage having a lower end and an upper end, the lower end of the lower front linkage being rotatably and slidably attached to the upper surface of the flatbed chassis proximate the front end of the flatbed chassis; and
an upper front linkage having a lower end and an upper end, the lower end of the upper front linkage being rotatably mounted to the upper end of the lower front linkage and the upper end of the upper front linkage rotatably supporting one of the inclining sub-systems.

2. The robotic system as recited in claim 1 , wherein each of the lifting sub-systems further comprises a lifting cylinder for rotating the upper rear linkage relative to the lower rear linkage to raise and lower the multi-task platform.

3. The robotic system as recited in claim 2 , wherein:
the truck platform further comprises:
left and right rear scissor lift bearing supports on the upper surface of the flatbed chassis proximate the tail end of the flatbed chassis; and
left and right front scissor lift sliding bearing housings on the upper surface of the flatbed chassis proximate the front end of the flatbed chassis;

the basin further comprises:
left and right rear scissor lift bearing supports mounted on the bottom of the basin proximate the tail end of the basin; and
left and right front scissor lift sliding bearing housings mounted on the bottom of the basin proximate the front end of the basin; and

each of the lifting sub-systems further comprises:
a lower lift rotational bearing extending through one of the rear scissor lift bearing supports and through the lower end of the lower rear linkage;
a lower sliding bearing extending through one of the front scissor lift sliding bearing housings and through the lower end of the lower front linkage; and
an upper rear scissor lift bearing extending through one of the rear scissor lift bearing supports and through the upper end of the upper rear linkage.

4. The robotic system as recited in claim 3 , wherein each of the inclining sub-systems comprises:
a primary linkage having a lower end, an upper end and a center, the lower end of the primary linkage being rotatably attached to the upper end of the upper front linkage, the upper end of the primary linkage being rotatably and slidably attached to one of the front scissor lift sliding bearing housings; and
a secondary linkage having a lower end and an upper end, the lower end of the secondary linkage being rotatably attached to the center of the primary linkage, the upper end of the secondary linkage being rotatably and slidably attached to the one of the front scissor lift sliding bearing housings.

5. The robotic system as recited in claim 4 , wherein each of the inclining sub-systems further comprises an inclining cylinder for rotating the secondary linkage relative to the primary linkage to raise and lower the front end of the multi-task platform relative to the tail end of the multi-task platform.

6. The robotic system as recited in claim 5 , wherein each of the inclining sub-systems further comprises:
an upper front scissor lift bearing extending through the upper ends of the upper front linkage and through the lower end of the primary linkage;
a primary upper bearing extending through the one of the front scissor lift sliding bearing housings and through the upper end of the primary linkage;
a secondary lower bearing extending through the center of the primary linkage and through the lower end of the secondary linkage; and
a secondary upper bearing that extending through the one of the front scissor lift sliding bearing housings and through the upper end of the secondary linkage.

7. The robotic system as recited in claim 6 , wherein all the linkages are dual-bar linkages.

8. The robotic system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the truck platform further comprises a driver/operator cabin mounted on the front end of the flatbed chassis, the driver/operator cabin having:
a rotatable base; and
a seat mounted on the rotatable base, the base being rotatable to alternately position the seat in a driving position facing the front of the truck platform and an operator position facing the tail end of the truck platform.

9. The robotic system as recited in claim 8 , wherein the driver/operator cabin further comprises a hand-operated controller for controlling components of the palm handling system.

10. The robotic system as recited in claim 9 , wherein the driver/operator cabin further comprises an adjustable arm for supporting the hand-operated controller.

11. The robotic system as recited in claim 8 , wherein the driver/operator cabin further comprises a touch screen for displaying streaming views from cameras on the multi-task platform, the touch screen being used to control the slider base on the circular track and the scissor lift.

12. The robotic system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the basin has a slot defined in the tail end of the basin, the slot having two longitudinal sides extending from the tail end of the basin and a semicircular section connecting the two sides, the basin further comprising an insert filling the slot, the insert having sloping opposite sides and being made of a flexible material, the insert having a circular hole and a slit extending longitudinally from the circular hole to a point near the tail of the basin, where the opposite sides of the insert diverge into two walls forming a flared out section.

13. The robotic system as recited in claim 12 , wherein the basin further comprises two rear discharge doors on the tail end of the basin, and hydraulic jacks attached to the two rear discharge doors for opening and closing the doors.

14. The robotic system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the

Assignees

• Univ King Saud

Inventors

• Mekhtiche Mohamed Amine
• Alsulaiman Mansour Mohammed A
• Alohali Yousef Ahmed M
• Bencherif Mohamed Abdelkader
• Muhammad Ghulam
• Wadood Abdul
• Naji Mohammed Faisal Abdulqader
• Mathkour Hassan Ismail H
• Algabri Mohammed Mahdi
• Elgibreen Hebah Abdulaziz
• Ghaleb Hamid Abdulsalam
• Altaheri Hamdi Taher
• Alfaqih Taha Mohammed Ahmed
• Al-Hammadi Muneer Hamid Ahmed

Classifications

• A01D46/30 Primary

  Robotic devices for individually picking crops · CPC title

• A01D46/20 Primary

  Platforms with lifting and lowering devices · CPC title