Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Robot control
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-26
2003-12-30
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Robot control
C700S258000, C700S259000, C700S264000, C701S028000, C701S041000, C701S050000, C701S213000, C701S214000, C701S215000, C701S300000, C342S357490, C342S357490, C342S357490, C342S463000, C348S120000, C047S05810R, C047S00101T, C356S073000, C250S339110, C250S341200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06671582
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,348—System and method for performing mobile robotic work operations
The current patent references this as prior art. This patent describes a superficially similar device, but does not contain the three basic elements to a successful flexible automation system, namely: (a) sensing, (b) utilization of sensors by computers or some types of electronics, to (c) adaptively guide robot arms and machinery. Additionally, this prior art makes use of on the ground beacons, and does not provide for a human operator as integral to the operation either locally or remotely.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,052,647—Method and system for automatic control of vehicles based on carrier phase differential GPS.
The current patent may incorporate this patent for controlling the attitude of the robot on uneven terrain.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,000—Methods and apparatus for precision agriculture operations utilizing real time kinematic global positioning system systems.
The current patent improves on this prior art by using a combination of sensing and computing to refine the position.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,374,538—Vineyard apparatus, system, and method for vineyard mechanization
The current patent improves on this prior art by using robotics, sensing and computing or artificial intelligence techniques and other electronics to provide flexibility and selectivity on a plant by plant basis. The named patent does this by a large number of well designed mechanical attachments.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,415,229—System for position determination of mobile objects, in particular vehicles.
The current patent improves on this prior art by using sensing and computing for guidance in addition to this system.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable
REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to the application of integrated flexible robotics techniques from industry to agriculture, specifically to the use of robotic armatures, a computer or artificial intelligence system that can sense and decide before acting on the work object, alerting a human operator where intervention is required coupled with, machine vision, laser rastering, radar, infrared, ultrasound, touch or chemical sensing.
2. Prior Art
The genesis of this invention came with the observation of a problem in agriculture with labor costs. This was confirmed by various scholars such as these who stated: “Because of the increasingly high cost and scarcity of experienced pruners, efforts have been underway since the late 1960s to mechanize grapevine pruning in the United States. To date, these efforts have proved unacceptable because commercial mechanized pruning devices lack selectivity.” [University of Michigan Extension, Pruning Grapevines in Michigan, Gordon S. Howell & R. Keith Striegler MSU Department of Horticulture]
This quote summarizes for the viticulture agricultural niche the problems with purely mechanical methods lacking an intelligent robotic component that can sense and decide. Many areas of agriculture today still require large amounts of fairly skilled labor to plant, cultivate, prune, harvest and spray crops. The problem is how to accomplish that? This flexible agricultural robot provides a solution to this class of problem.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,374,538 contains an excellent discussion of the problems with prior art in the area of refined agricultural machinery as it relates to viticulture. This discussion summarizes the drawbacks of a large number of patents granted all of which are purely mechanical methods. This patent, is, to date, the most complete work for purely mechanical methods of viticulture pruning.
All purely mechanical approaches to problems in agriculture such as vineyard or orchard pruning and harvesting, ground crop harvesting or weeding suffer from the inability of mechanical methods to easily adapt to variant conditions without human operator intervention. Vineyards are able to harvest by mechanical methods, and many do. However, mechanical methods are not practical for harvesting of grapes in intact clusters. To date, pruning, harvesting of intact clusters, suckering and tying of vineyards is practiced manually virtually without exception. This is extremely costly for vineyards since it is very labor intensive. The labor-intensive nature of this type of farming also puts the farmers at risk from union activity. Similar problems pertain to fruit orchards, which share a similar business model.
In other situations, for instance in organic farming, weeds must be removed without use of herbicides. This again, results in the farmer making use of a large amount of expensive labor. Organic farming also suffers problems from insect pests that can, in some cases be controlled during critical parts of their life cycle by removal of leaves, and affected material. These types of tasks can never be accomplished by purely mechanical means because purely mechanical methods are not able to intelligently respond to their environment on a selective beyond a very simple level of complexity. In addition, farming in general is receiving greater and greater pressure to minimize use of chemical methods because of environmental issues.
There have been devices, such as that of Slaughter and Lamm at UC Davis in 2000 for machine vision based weed control, which have not been patented. (Found by a thesis search.) However, their system did not control a robot arm, but simply controlled a sprayer, which required precise timing of the motion of the device as it was dragged behind a tractor. Nor did this system perform any but the most rudimentary machine vision operations. They did not attempt to make use of more than one modality for sensing, nor did they consider any of the other elements that make the present invention unique such as intelligent integration of the operator or semi-autonomous limited self guidance during its primary duty execution.
There are other devices, which have been known for a considerable period in industrial automation, which couple robot arms with machine vision for performing tasks, even with a high degree of selectivity, and flexible robot systems which are trainable and easily programmable. However, these are not mobile machines, they are unable to rove around or be steered by an operator. Nor do they incorporate a communications system which allows the experience of each machine to be collated so as to improve the performance of all. Nor, as far as can be determined, have any of these environmentally responsive robotic techniques have been applied to agriculture to date. There are other innovations, such as the use of multiple sensor modalities (i.e. combining machine vision with radar data to produce a better 3 dimensional mapping of an object) which are not typically used in industry, but which can be important in field applications to produce a robust system. Another innovation is the use of GPS incorporated into the robot arms themselves as a way of tracking the motion of the robot's arms.
This is a system integration invention, which brings together in a new way components which are available and used today in various settings, mostly industrial facilities of various kinds. In addition to improving the labor situation, it results in new capacities which are not available now, such as detailed mapping of croplands traversed. Accordingly, this invention is novel and not obvious within the field of agriculture.
Some aspects of this invention, such as the use of GPS to track motion of robot arms are novel within the field of robotics. Another novel aspect of this invention within the field of robotics is the use of a communications system connected to the manufacturer or manufacturer's agent which can be used to collect sensing, decision and error information so that other robots can make use of the solutions created for one to benefit all. Current systems for industry, where they have such communications, use them for maintenance and diagnostics purposes. A
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Marc McDieunel
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