Patent Application
20160192588
The present specification generally relates to an operational assemblage to selectively harvest agricultural crops.
Labor costs for harvesting crops constitute a major expense for farmers. There is much interest in reducing labor costs by means of mechanical harvesting.
Mechanical harvesting has usually been achieved through use of combs or rakes in various configurations. The combs or rakes come into contact with crops and capture and channel them; often into a receptacle. These systems and methods pose liabilities; particularly damaging the crops and harvesting both ripe produce and unripe crops in the same operation. There is a need for a harvesting method that addresses the liabilities of current systems and methods.
Art is provided, described, explained, and illustrated for an operating assemblage that mechanically harvests crops from their growth media. The art includes both a system and a method. The system links a power source to multiple vacuum motors, each of which is connected to a collection hose. The collection hose ends in a nozzle assembly equipped with an array of sensors. The hose transmits the force of suction from a vacuum motor to pull at least a single crop item from growth media through a collection hose that meets the requirement for harvesting as specified by an operator and measured by an array of sensors in a crop facing nozzle at the end of the collection hose to detect ripeness. The end of the collection hose is encased in a nozzle assembly sized for units of the crop and includes at least one sensor to detect parameters and degrees of ripeness as the collection nozzle assembly comes into sufficiently close proximity with the growth media. The sensors are connected to an electronic processor via a Wi-Fi direct multi-channel and multi role capability chip set or by electric conduction wires connected to the electronic processor. The electronic processor is also connected to a power supply sufficient to drive the vacuum motors and other components of the operational assemblage, such as a mobile unit.
The system arranges collection receptacles for crops channeled through one or more sensor equipped collection nozzle assemblies on collection hoses arranged and stabilized along a horizontal heavy duty adjustable tension rod. Collection receptacles are seated and stabilized on a mobility device. The collection hoses are positioned to come into sufficient proximity with growth media as the mobile unit traverses the path between crops to enable the sensors to detect ripeness of individual units of a crop. The collection hoses, at intervals along the horizontal heavy duty adjustable tension rod, are positioned to hang downward sufficiently to enable a collection nozzle to partially encase at least one unit of a crop as the operating assemblage traverses the terrain. The collection hoses are of sufficient rigidity to enable forward or backward motion of the mobile unit to pull them through the growth medium, thus enabling the collection nozzle to come into sufficient proximity with the crop for electronic sensors embedded in them to assess ripeness and trigger wireless signals to an electronic processer for the electronic processor to signal a vacuum motor to generate necessary and sufficient suction for a unit of a crop of sufficient ripeness to be collected and channeled into a collection receptacle.
The method of the invention uses the operational assemblage to harvest crops; such as fruits, berries, vegetables or nuts. As the mobile unit carries the operating assemblage through a path between rows of growth media and the collection hoses with their attached crop facing nozzle assemblies contact growth media on each side of row or path, the collection nozzles enable the sensors housed in the nozzle assemblies to come into sufficient proximity with a fruit, berry, vegetable or nut to assess the ripeness of individual units of produce. When a ripe fruit, berry, vegetable or nut is detected, the vacuum motor suctions the ripe produce and channels it into a curved deflection path, then into a channeling chute, and then into a drop pipe positioned over a collection receptacle. While the fruit, berry, vegetable or nut traverses the collection hose and the channeling chute to the drop pipe they are separated by properties of gravity and bounce into firmer and softer produce, with the firm produce being routed into a portion of the collection receptacle containing for ripe produce. In the case of a large mobile unit, the collection receptacle houses a shelf stack of lugs set at a 45 degree angle with the front panel open to receive the fruit, berry, vegetable or nut.
The soft fruit, berry, or vegetable can be routed into a separate section of a collection receptacle because the amount of moisture and other properties of overripe fruits, berries or vegetables cause them to move through the hose and chute and drop pipe at a slower rate. When the operating assemblage has completed the collection process, the assemblage is routed to an unloading facility. Operators also remove the overripe fruit, berry, or vegetable section of the collection receptacle. The collection receptacle is reloaded with empty lugs and an empty overripe fruit, berry, or vegetable section. In some embodiments, the power source for the operational assemblage is then recharged. In some embodiments the operational assemblage is then cleaned or serviced. The operational assemblage is then routed to collect produce from another section of the farm.
A sub-system of the operational assemblage enables the onboard processor to transmit and receive Wi-Fi signals to and from a mobile communications device. A GUI on the mobile communications device is used by an operator to configure the functions of the operating assemblage and the parameters of the collection method.
A definition we offer for the term “growth media” as it relates to this specification is “any plant, bush, shrub or tree.” A definition we offer for the term “produce” is a crop of “any fruit, nut, berry, or vegetable harvested from growth media.” A definition we offer for “produce” is “any intentionally harvested fruit, nut, berry, or vegetable.” A definition we offer for a “collection nozzle” is “any configuration of a nozzle appended or attached to the end of a hose that can be placed in sufficiently close proximity to a fruit, nut, berry, or vegetable to enable vacuum suction to overcome the tensile strength of the connection of the produce to its growth medium.” A “nozzle assembly” is a collection nozzle equipped with at least one sensor. Other terms should be familiar to those of ordinary skill in the art and reference to standard dictionaries should be sufficient for clarification.
There are multiple sets of activities involved in using an operational assemblage to harvest ripe agricultural produce:
Embodiments of the invention disclosed herein use an electronic processor connected to a chip set with Wi-Fi direct multi-channel and multi role capability or Bluetooth capability to communicate with one or more Wi Fi or Bluetooth capable sensors housed in a collection nozzle assembly attached to a produce collection hose. Alternate embodiments requiring alternate types and numbers of sensors can be implemented if a human operator manually directs the collection hose to enable the collection nozzle at the end of a sufficiently rigid or sufficiently flexible collection hose to partially surround or encase the fruit, berry, vegetable or nut selected by the operator. Some embodiments will use wireless signaling to the collection hose based on input from one or more sensors to direct the collection hose mechanically using spatial and proximity algorithms. The mechanical components of the operating assemblage can be configured as a series of default settings to be adjusted via artificial intelligence algorithms or set by a human operator using multiple setup screens of a GUI on a mobile electronic communication device equipped with an electronic processor. Figures illustrating the invention show screens on a mobile phone as an example of a human operator arranging mechanical components. Motorized arrangement of mechanical components will drive pulleys and gears using supplemental motors connected to a power source. It can be assumed by a person of ordinary skill in the art that an embodiment that uses motorized adjustment of mechanical components will include an operator using a mobile communication device to use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth communication protocols to further calibrate the motors and to set the parameters and positioning of mechanical components.
The invention disclosed herein offers alternative mobility methods to transport the operational assemblage to harvest produce through paths between growth media in a farming operation. These alternative mobility methods lend themselves to different price points and allocations of labor resources and are expected to be used by farmers according to their degree of capitalization, their ownership of different numbers of acres under cultivation, and their cost benefit assessments for use of a particular embodiment for a specific crop. It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art of the invention that the mobility methods can be combined, adjusted, and reconfigured in alternative embodiments and are not rigorously restricted by the acreage under cultivation. It will be further understood that the produce collection receptacle can be readily separated from a mobility option for servicing and for placement onto an alternative mobility format. The collection components of the operation assemblage can further be separated from the collection receptacle.
Mobility methods of alternate embodiments include:
Some alternative embodiments will place the operational assemblage onto a wheeled platform that can be carried or towed by a vehicle, such as a tractor. A series of operating assemblages can be linked together to be towed by a powerful vehicle equipped with a tow bar in cases where massive harvesting of produce from growth media laden with fruits, berries, vegetables or nuts, or when harvesting most of the produce in a single pass is necessary. Alternative embodiments can be configured to mount the operational assemblage on a two or three wheeled mobile unit, such as a golf bag carrier. Another embodiment mounts two operational assemblages onto a vehicle; such as a golf cart, enabling two human operators to each direct the sensor equipped collection nozzle of a collection hose into growth media to suction up produce. The number of collection hoses can be reduced to as few as one. Alternate embodiments also include the operational assemblage built into a vehicle as the vehicle is manufactured.
The invention disclosed herein considers two methods and sets of components for the operational assemblage to engage growth media;
The invention disclosed herein offers methods and components for using sensors in an operational assemblage to assess which fruit, berry, vegetable or nut attached to a growth medium is at an appropriate stage of ripeness for picking.
The invention disclosed herein offers methods and components for the operational assemblage to;
The invention disclosed herein offers methods and components for the operational assemblage to load produce into lugs housed in a collection receptacle.
The invention disclosed herein offers methods and components of an operational assemblage that include electronic communication using a Wi-Fi chipset with Wi-Fi direct multi-channel and multi role capability linked to a processor in a housing proximal to a collection receptacle to set up or configure:
There are significant benefits to continuous measurement and feedback loops enabled by the use of sensors within the operating assemblage. A farmer is always calculating and apportioning his available labor to harvest his produce. He is also calculating the ideal degree of ripeness of his produce for his particular marketing and distribution purposes; such as days between shipment and arrival at a shipping destination, or a degree of ripeness for immediate processing into value added products. When the tensile strength calculation is compared against the ripeness requirement, the operator or computer readable instructions can instruct the electronic processor to implement a signal for an adjustment to the amount of suction power delivered by the vacuum motor, with the caveat that produce riper than the ideal degree of ripeness are also captured. If the tensile strength of connections of produce to growth media is too strong to trigger the vacuum motor to initiate suction, the operator may determine that the operating assemblage should be brought back to the home base or routed to a different set of rows.
Also optionally attached to the collection nozzle as part of the assembly is a live streaming video camera to display a view of the harvesting process.
In embodiments of the invention utilizing mechanized transportation of the operating assemblage by mobile units, the tops of the collection receptacles that support the channel for the horizontal heavy duty adjustable tension rod will be higher than that of the growth media. The width of the tension rod will be adjustable by an operator or by algorithms calculating the speed of collection of units of produce. The telescoping capacity of both sides of the horizontal heavy duty adjustable tension rod will be responsive to instructions to accommodate the spacing between rows of growth media. Mobile units in various embodiments will be configured and sized to traverse the spaces between rows.
Sensor data also informs the spacing of the collection hoses on the horizontal heavy duty adjustable tension rod. If a number of units of growth media traversed by the operating assemblage yields a specific count of produce in a unit of time that fails to correlate with a default standard, the processor signals the motors in the telescoping horizontal heavy duty adjustable tension rod to shift right or left one measurement unit. After a large enough sample number of growth media have been traversed, the processor calculates ideal position of the collection hoses on the horizontal heavy duty adjustable tension rod for collection of the largest number of units of ripe produce. Variance in embodiments of the invention of the distance between the collection hoses on each side of the horizontal heavy duty adjustable tension rod and numbers of collection hoses is dependent on the configuration best suited to the growth media and spacing of rows. Continuous and real time sampling will enable the operating assemblage to adjust to variance in the configuration of rows and variance in the height and width of growth media if the field is planted with more than one variety of produce.
The flexibility of branches and stems and leaves of the growth media will vary according to the crop and the age of the growth media. A calculation of the count from all the collection hoses as against a timeline for a sample number of units of growth media traversed compared against the current single unit of growth media will result in an estimate of the time the collection hose should be in contact with the following or upcoming unit of growth media. This calculation will be performed by the onboard processor and continuously transmitted to the acceleration and steering system of the mobile unit, instructing the mobile unit to speed up or slow down to achieve an optimal speed for pulling the collection hose through a unit of growth media. The onboard processor can use the same sampling method and calculation to adjust the steering mechanism of the mobile unit, moving the mobile unit laterally within the path between two rows of growth media so the collection nozzles come into contact with more of the growth media. This combination of adjustment to forward speed and use of lateral motion in combination will enable the operating assemblage to maximize the harvest of ripe produce. It should be noted that this is a feature of the fully mechanized robotic embodiment. A person of ordinary skill in the art will understand how a human operator can adjust speed and lateral motion of the mobile unit in alternative embodiments.
One embodiment of the invention will enable an operator to manually adjust spacing of collection hoses along the horizontal heavy duty adjustable tension rod by using snap locks to push or pulling the telescoping cylinders into the desired configuration. An alternative embodiment enables a remote operator to use the GUI on a Wi-Fi enabled mobile communication device to implement motorized lengthening or contracting of the telescoping cylinders of the horizontal heavy duty adjustable tension rod as he responds to a real time streaming video image of the harvesting process.
In alternate embodiments of the invention, the conversion of the vacuum motor into a blower enables expulsion of debris and twigs from the collection hoses. This embodiment will enable a horticulturalist to walk the rows of growth media to examine small piles of expelled debris and diagnose diseased soil and diseased plants, catalog the insects in the field and assess other risks to crops.
In comparison to prior art for harvesting, this operating assemblage will collect more produce of the appropriate degree of ripeness, damage less produce, separate ripe produce from unripe produce, and place produce into lugs for ready sorting distribution and shipment.
When the rows of growth media have a high number of ripe units of produce, the lower the speed of the mobile unit or movement of the mobile unit into reverse and forward several times as it traverses the growth media to fill collection receptacles will result in a satisfactory amount of harvested produce in fewer passes through rows of growth media.
In alternate embodiments a single large vacuum engine can be substituted for multiple vacuum motors for farmers with supplemental produce sorting equipment, making the onboard produce sorting capability redundant. In this configuration, the use of sensors becomes secondary and the use of vacuum power to harvest masses of produce moves to the fore. This embodiment reduces the ecological advantage of using the invention to limit wastage, but this capability can be important when conditions such as weather shifts speed up the ripening process or access to the growth media is physically blocked for a time.
In alternate embodiments, the size of the collection hose, the size of the collection nozzle casing, the configuration and placement of sensors within the nozzle assembly and the number of vacuum motors can be adjusted to accommodate the need to partially encase different varieties and species of produce. Alternate configurations and arrangements of both collection hoses and the nozzles upon the collection hoses in circular or linear fashion or stack arrangements in a single layer or multiple layers will further enable collection of produce to be adapted to specific varieties and species of produce.
Embodiments will utilize alternate guidance subsystems to adapt to different navigation paths for the mobile unit carrying the operating assemblage. Embodiments will also vary in the configuration and placement of the horizontal heavy duty adjustable tension rod for a particular growth media. Different configurations of ripeness sensors and counters can be implemented for the operating assemblage as the type of crop and layout of the field changes.
The operational assemblage is well suited to produce from ordered rows of growth media, however it will be understood those of ordinary skill in the art that the assemblage can be adapted to a variety of planting configurations and terrain. An example of an alternate embodiment using the operational assemblage for collection of produce growing in terrain not traversable by a conventional wheeled mobile unit is the use of a drone as the mobility unit. In this embodiment, a drone is outfitted with the electronic processor and vacuum motors and collection hoses with sensor equipped collection nozzle assemblies. The drone is equipped with a hamper to carry smaller amounts of produce to a collection receptacle placed nearby. When the hamper on the drone is full, as measured by a weight sensor in the hamper, the drone flies to the nearest collection receptacle and empties the hamper into the collection receptacle. In this embodiment, the separation of overripe from ripe produce is not practical, but use of other features and benefits of the collection receptacle remain practical and applicable. This embodiment is particularly well suited to picking currents, cranberries or wild blueberries where terrain is craggy and hilly and inaccessible to wheeled mobility options. It should be noted that many desirable crops grow in terrain that is difficult to configure for row planting, but still can be harvested by vacuum suction sufficient to overcome the tensile connection of the individual unit of produce to the growth medium or plant stem. Wild mushrooms are an example of a candidate for implementation of this embodiment.
In a large scale embodiment, multiple collection hoses are spaced along the horizontal heavy duty adjustable tension rod. The relative spacing of the collection hoses can be adapted to the actual rows of growth media. The operating assemblage, in alternate embodiments, will vary the position of parts of the assemblage. Fewer or more parts will be included into different embodiments. Therefore, the examples described above and illustrated in the figures are intended to be exemplary only. The scope of the invention is intended to be determined by the appended claims.
Parts of the operating assemblage
Further features and advantages will become apparent from the appended figures, in which:
