Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
Detailed Description Of The Invention
This delivery system will consist of a track or wheeled system that will move
the robot
around from stall to stall. The type of transportation system will vary
between the needs of
individual barns. Examples of the bases that will be available can be seen in
figure 2 (page 7) in
the drawings section.
The barn will be outfitted with a sand reserve that should always be filled
with at least a
one day supply or 200 lbs. for 3 stalls. This should provide enough sand to
keep the stalls full
and prevent the robot running out. The sand pile should be monitored
occasionally by a human,
but there will be the option for the sand pile to be measured for both volume
and for moisture
to ensure there is plenty of dry sand available. Updates would then be sent to
the individual
running the farm about the sand pile if this automated method was used. An
example of the
robot's sand reserve at the home base/charging station can be seen in figure 1
(page 7) in the
drawings section.
The robot will be able to read where it is in the barn and be able to
correctly position
itself accordingly using RFID tags, GPS or a similar technology. Multiple
methods for the robot
to tell its location would reduce the greatly reduce the amount of potential
errors as in the
system which would improve the systems' efficiency. The communication between
the various
aspects of the system is illustrated in figure 6 (page 11) in the drawings
section.
Each gate that will have to be opened for the robot will have magnets, a
simple
mechanism or a similar technology that will not require any physical
interaction from a human.
This can be done through utilizing electromagnets to turn on and off to allow
the various gates
to be open and closed. A simple mechanical gate latch could be opened by the
robot when it
needs to pass through by utilizing a robotic arm. Sensors that could ensure
that theses gates
are closed that could be used include but are not limited to reed switches.
This type of gate has
been illustrated in figure 5 (page 11) in the drawings section.
The robot has to be able to sense objects that are around it to avoid
potentially injuring
animals or damaging the robot. It will be outfitted with sensors with similar
technology to
ultrasonic sensors or infrared sensors. Figure 3 (page 8) in the drawings
section shows how the
robot will have full 360 degree awareness to ensure that it will not hit
anything to prevent
damage to itself and the its surroundings.
The main hub where all of the controls are kept will be located nearby which
will allow
farmers to keep the robot on a schedule or have it clean stalls only when it
need to. This hub
will provide an easy user interface with electrical and/or mechanical
switches. There will be a
controller present for an individual to use if they wanted to take it off of
the autonomous
mode. There could be a controller attached through wire or wireless means in
the barn, at the
home base or on the robot itself. This controller would also be available
through the farmers
personal device.
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These controls are expected to be expanded upon where the farmer will be able
to
monitor this online or on a mobile phone application to ensure everything from
the sand
reservoir levels to the daily schedules to the robot's condition is good. This
interface could
allow users to monitor individual rows and stalls and have the robot replenish
these areas even
while the user is away from the farm.
The robot will utilize pressurized air, electricity, a moving robotic arm or a
combination
of these in order to get the cow to move out of the stall. This is important
as the cow needs to
be out of the stall before any work can be done as the sand needs to be sent
throughout the
stall, which the cow would prevent. Figure 7 (page 12) in the drawings section
shows this idea
further with the utilization of the various systems.
This system is designed in order to be able to work independently or work
alongside
other robotic or mechanical systems. An example of this is how this system
could be utilized to
deliver the sand to a row and a different system such as the Boomerang dairy
sand bedding
system can be used to ensure that the sand is used for the full duration of
it's useful life. They
will be able to communicate through the barn's network through various mediums
including
wired, Bluetooth, WIFI and cellular.
This system can utilize various means to transport the sand including robotic
arms,
conveyor belts, augers and transported buckets with controlled shoots. The way
that the means
of sand transportation is decided is based on a case-by-case basis as each
barn has its' own
needs and each of the methods above have their own advantages.
The robot can run off an engine and/or a motor.
The robot can refuel and refill simultaneously when it is at the main base.
This will
improve the efficiency of this system as it will reduce the amount of off-time
the robot
requires. An example of the robot's sand reserve at the home base/charging
station can be
seen in figure 1 (page 7) in the drawings section.
Below are two examples of arrangements that this system could be arranged in
order to
fit the barns' needs.
The first example of how this can be utilized is when there is a row of head
to head
cattle which requires more sand to be added only to the one side, the robot
will sense that only
the one side is low and only deliver the sand to where it is needed. This
reduces wasted sand by
directly providing more sand to where it is required. The sensors or farmer
could then tell the
machine to activate in order to replenish this deficiency. In this case, as
the barn has the sand
reservoir located across the barn, the robot with wheels could be used in
order to pick the sand
up. This reservoir would be able to be filled by the sand robot as well when
it is getting low
from a bigger/main sand reservoir. The robot would then have its bucket filled
through either
submerging the bucket in the pile of sand or by an auger turning on to fill it
up. The robot would
CA 2974519 2017-07-26
then move to the required row by locating it based on RFID tags and/or GPS
coordination to
then have it dump the sand directly into the stall that requires the extra
sand.
The second example of how this can be utilized is when there is a single row
of cattle
which requires more sand to be added as a general top-up. The schedule that
has been setup
by the farmer would have the robot activate in order to replenish this
deficiency. The robot
would then be filled up by the nearby sand reservoir using an auger or
conveyor belt, and then
would transport the sand using the tracks. This sand would then be transported
to the storage
bin located in the row which holds the surplus of sand that is to be sent out
to the stalls when a
certain level of deficiency has been recognized by the sensors. If on the way,
a foreign body is
found on the track, the robot will act accordingly to slow down, emit a loud
and irritating
frequency, and then proceed with caution until the hazard is no longer
present. This foreign
body could be noticed through a variety of sensors including a contact switch,
an ultrasonic
sensor, an infrared sensor or a similar sensor. If necessary, the robot would
stop which could
set off an alarm or would notify him through his phone if the farmer has
either of those options
or both set up.
As the needs and design vary by case to case, the steps of each system will be
unique
but will feature most of the components that have been mentioned above in the
description.
There are a variety of arrangements that could be utilized, which are not
limited to the two
examples mentioned above. Overall, the aim of this system is to solve the
problem of animals in
barns not having the proper amount of bedding available which can be fixed by
eliminating the
need for people to have to check as the sand is kept at the appropriate level
automatically.
The recharge station will have a vibrating sand sifting screen to ensure that
all of the
sand has been checked for any unwanted stones.
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Background Of The Invention
As cow barn stalls are cleaned, they have the excrement removed and the sand
repositioned into a sloped pattern. In the past, this has been done using
basic tools such as
shovels and rakes. Eventually, this has been partially replaced with the
utilization of heavier
equipment such as groomers to go in and clean up the sand. However, as this
takes place, sand
is lost which reduces the amount of bedding that the cattle rely on.
Traditionally, tractors
would have to pick up the sand and deliver it to the rows and then even it
out. But, with this
sand transportation stall robot, the sand can be delivered to the stalls and
rows where it is
needed. This method eliminates human intervention in this stage, which
improves efficiency as
you no longer have to rely on people to remember to check the sand levels and
move the sand
to the desired location. With this system working alongside other systems such
as the
Boomerang dairy sand bedding system, this would make everything related to the
sand on the
farm after its delivery automated. This routine would be programmed directly
into the robot(s)
involved. This minimal wait time for animals to receive more sand would
drastically improve the
comfort of the animals. With dairy cattle, this automation system would
hopefully lead to a
greater return with milk production with the cows due to the increased
comfort.
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Summary Of The Invention
This delivery system will consist of a track or wheeled system that will move
the robot
around from stall to stall. The type of transportation system will vary
between the needs of
individual barns. The barn will be outfitted with a sand reserve that should
always be filled with
at least a one day supply or 200 lbs. for 3 stalls. The robot will be able to
read where it is in the
barn and be able to correctly position itself accordingly using RFID tags, GPS
navigation or a
similar technology. Each gate that will have to be opened for the robot will
have magnets, a
simple mechanical mechanism or a similar technology that will not require any
physical
interaction from a human. The robot has to be able to sense everything that is
around it to
avoid injuring animals or breaking so it will be outfitted with sensors
related to this which will
be of a similar technology to ultrasonic sensors or infrared sensors. The main
hub where all of
the controls are kept will be located nearby which will allow farmers to keep
the robot on a
schedule or have it clean stalls only when it need to. These controls are
expected to be
expanded upon where the farmer will be able to monitor this online or on a
mobile phone
application to ensure everything from the sand reservoir levels to the daily
schedules to the
robot's condition is good. This communication can take place over various
mediums including
wired, Bluetooth, WIFI and cellular. The robot will utilize pressurized air,
electricity, a moving
arm to apply light pressure on the animal or a combination of these in order
to get the cow to
move out of the stall. This system is designed in order to be able to work
independently or work
alongside other robotic or mechanical systems. This system will be able to
utilize various means
to transport the sand including robotic arms, conveyor belts, augers and
movable buckets on
tracks and wheels. The auger would be mounted on the robot and have the option
to spin on a
base which is powered by a linear actuator and/or by a motor. The bucket may
be divided into
sections to allow sand to be divided among various stalls by each of the
sections being dumped
individually. The bucket is designed in a v-trough/ tapered design in the
bottom to ensure the
sand flows properly and little to none is left in the bucket. The robot is
able to run off an engine
and/or a motor. The robot can refuel and refill simultaneously when it is at
the main base. This
will improve the efficiency of this system as it will reduce the amount of off-
time the robot
requires.
CA 2974519 2017-07-26
