AUTOMATED SAND GROOMING ROBOT

ROBOT DE SABLAGE AUTOMATISE

English Abstract

The automated sand grooming robot will utilize a revolutionary grooming blade
on
either a fixed-track, mobile-track or mobile-wheeled base in order to groom
bodies of uneven
sand into a predetermined slope. The grooming blade will be divided into
sections which each
have their own purpose including a piece to divert sand in a certain direction
and another to
clean the sand and remove unwanted articles. The autonomous system will
utilize a variety of
sensors to prevent collisions and damage. The blade will utilize a conveyer
system in order to
constantly remove all unwanted articles that are groomed out of the sand into
a predetermined
disposal location. The pressure-sensitive angled grooming blades are designed
to be mounted
on a hinge which provides damage protection. Notifications from the system and
controls for
the system will be available wirelessly and/or wired for the owner of the
system.

Claims

The Embodiments Of The Invention In Which An Exclusive Property Or Privilege
Is Claimed Are
Defined As Follows
1. The ability for the automated sand grooming robot to utilize a specialized
grooming
blade.
2. The ability for the grooming blade to be customized and adjusted on a per
application
basis.
3. The ability for the robot to travel on either a fixed-track, mobile-track
or mobile-
wheeled base which will vary for each application.
4. The ability for the autonomous system to utilize a variety of sensors to
prevent collisions
and damage which will include optical, load cell and pressure sensors.
5. The ability for a portion of the blade to be angled forward to divert sand
that is above a
certain threshold away to a place when there may be a deficiency.
6. The ability for a portion of the blade to have pressure sensitive grooming
blades to
provide a proper groom without having to worry about damaging the system which
will
work through the grooming blades being angled on a hinge.
7. The ability for the size of the entire blade to vary for each location as
stalls vary length.
8. The ability for the size of each portion to be controlled either
mechanically or by an
automated actuator. This is so the machine or farmer can control how much of
the
entire blade the first portion will take up as this could vary as the job
progresses as
there may need to be more or less sand diverted based on how much sand is
present.
9. The ability for the blade to have an option to utilize a conveyer system in
order to
constantly remove all unwanted articles that are groomed out of the sand into
a
predetermined disposal location.
10. The ability for notifications from the system and controls for the system
to be available
wirelessly for the owner of the system.
11. The ability for notifications from the system and controls for the system
to be available
wired for the owner of the system.

12. The ability for the unit to be outfitted with lights, padding and sirens
to alert and living
organism that it is approaching or nearby and protect objects that it may bump
into as
well as protecting itself.
13. The ability for the robot to have the option to utilize a guide rail in
order to stay on track
which will be a bar with multiple grooves available for the robot's spring-
loaded rollers
to roll across.
14. The ability for a vibrating sand sifter to be present in the unit to
ensure that all solid
waste it sifted out of the sand to provide cleaner sand.
15. The ability for the robot to have the option for there to be onboard
storage for the
waste to be kept until it can be disposed of.
16. The ability for the robot to have the capability to have attachments
mounted onto the
unit after it has been made as new attachments become available.
17. The ability for communication to be between the system, the server, the
onsite
computer and any other systems involved will occur through Wi-Fi, cellular,
Bluetooth
and/or radio.
18. The ability for the size of the rollers on the track(s) to vary based on
the application and
the mass of the load to be pushed and dragged.
19. The ability for the number of tracks and the number of the rollers on the
track(s) to vary
based on the application and the mass of the load to be pushed and dragged.
20. The ability for the angle of the grooming blades to have the options to be
fully
adjustable both mechanically and automatically based on the amount of load on
the
blades and how often the load on the blades will fluctuate.
21. The ability for the wheeled base to have an option to have additional
wheel(s) for
support.
22. The ability for areas to utilize malleable and strong material in order to
provide a
cleaner sweep of the material being groomed.
23. The ability for there to be an option for pressurized air to be utilized
as an attachment.
24. The ability for there to be an option for an electric prodder to be
utilized as an
attachment.

25. The ability for the grooming arm to either be fixed onto a base and tracks
or be able to
rotate around a base depending on the application.

Description

Summary Of The Invention
The automated sand grooming robot will utilize a revolutionary grooming blade
on either a
fixed-track, mobile-track or mobile-wheeled base in order to groom bodies of
uneven sand into
a predetermined slope. The grooming blade that the system utilizes includes a
portion of the
blade that is angled forward to divert sand that is above a certain threshold
toward the other
part of the blade which is design to have pressure sensitive grooming blades
to provide a
proper groom without having to worry about damaging the system. The blade will
utilize a
conveyer system in order to constantly remove all unwanted articles that are
groomed out of
the sand into a predetermined disposal location. The angled grooming blades
are designed to
be mounted on a hinge which provides damage protection. Notifications from the
system and
controls for the system will be available wirelessly and/or wired for the
owner of the system.
There will be a variety of sensors strategically placed around the robot to
improve its safety and
its efficiency when performing a task. There is the option for an onboard sand-
sifter and
onboard storage to be attached for certain applications. More attachments can
be attached
and utilized as they become available in the future.
CA 2990374 2017-12-29

Automated Sand Grooming Robot Therefore
Will provide an automated way for the user to efficiently groom sand
accurately as it utilizes a
revolutionary custom blade to effectively clean in any application, without
having to be as
involved which should overall improve the efficiency of the operation that the
groomer is used
in.
CA 2990374 2017-12-29

Background Of The Invention
In daily life, sand is used in a variety of applications from the beach to the
golf course to
a dairy barn. However, the problem with sand is that it can often become
contaminated with
unwanted articles such as rocks at a golf course, cigarette butts at a beach
and feces in a dairy
barn. For a golf course and a beach, a sand groomer mounted on a to a tractor
or a separate
hand operated unit is often used to go through the sand and find debris. This
time consuming
process requires more manpower than it should as the operator either has to
cover an entire
beach or several holes with multiple sand bunkers of sand. The cost-savings of
using an
automated system would become obvious overtime as the required level of
manpower would
by thrashed. For a barn, a sand groomer attachment is often attached to a skid
steer which will
then go through the dairy sand beds and try to level and attempt to clean out
the sand.
However, unless an individual goes through each stall and scrapes all of the
cows feces out of
the stall, the groomer will often work the feces back into the sand and leave
it there to be a hub
of bacteria. The automated sand groomer no longer requires the sand level of
manpower to
clean and groom the sand beds as it will perform these tasks simultaneously
and provide a
more comprehensive clean. This will result in healthier beds for the cattle to
lay in which will
prevent diseases and less time required by the farmer to maintain the beds.
CA 2990374 2017-12-29

Detailed Description Of The Invention
The automated sand grooming robot will utilize a revolutionary grooming blade
on
either a fixed-track, mobile-track or mobile-wheeled base in order to groom
bodies of uneven
sand into a predetermined slope. This has been illustrated in figure one.
The autonomous system will utilize a variety of sensors to prevent collisions
and
damage. This will include a variety of optical, load cell and pressure sensors
that are
strategically placed in order to maximize the safety and effectiveness of the
system. This should
virtually eliminate all possible damage or hazard based incidences involving
the robot. This
should also virtually maximize the efficiency of the system when collecting
waste from the
sand. This has been illustrated in figure two.
The grooming blade that the system utilizes includes a portion of the blade
that is
angled forward to divert sand that is above a certain threshold toward the
other part of the
blade which is design to have angled, pressure-sensitive grooming blades to
provide a proper
groom without having to worry about damaging the system. These angled blades
will be
adjusted and determined on a by-location basis as the angle will be required
to be different for
different applications (examples include the coarseness of the sand and the
tolerance for
rocks). The size of the entire blade will vary for each location as stalls
vary length. The size of
each portion can also be controlled either mechanically or by an automated
actuator which can
control how much of the entire blade the first portion will take up as this
could vary as the job
progresses as there may need to be more or less sand diverted based on how
much sand is
present. The grooming section can occupy almost the full length of the blade
if the application
deems it necessary. This has been illustrated in figure three and figure four.
The blade will have the option to utilize a conveyer system in order to
constantly
remove all unwanted articles that are groomed out of the sand into a
predetermined disposal
location. This will be useful in a dairy barn where feces is either being
pushed into a disposal bin
or into the alleyway to be either dropped off at a predetermined location or
to later be
collected by an alley scraper. This has been illustrated in figure five.
Notifications from the system and controls for the system will be available
wirelessly
and/or wired for the owner of the system. This will be available through
computer applications,
a website, and/or a phone application that will provide alerts. There will be
an onboard control
and manual shut-off available in the event the user wanted to take manual-
control or wanted
to perform an emergency shutdown of the unit. There will be an option for the
user to have the
controls available wirelessly through a wireless controller or through their
personal device. The
amount of control a user has can be limited based on where the user is such as
if the user is
outside a certain threshold for range, it can be programmed so they cannot
drive the unit
manually but start it to drive autonomously for safety reasons. This has been
illustrated in
figure two.
CA 2990374 2017-12-29

The unit will be outfitted with lights and sirens to alert and living organism
that it is
approaching or nearby. The unit will have the safety feature to stop when it
senses that an
object is in the way. The farmer would then be notified of this and provided
with a live image of
what the object is. The farmer could then command the robot to continue or
halt. The robot
will be encased with protective material so it can bump into objects with
harming itself or the
object. This has been illustrated in figure two.
The robot will have the option to utilize a guide rail in order to stay on
track which will
be a bar with multiple grooves available for the robot's spring-loaded rollers
to roll across. This
will provide a more accurate groom as it will provide the robot with another
point of reference
when grooming in the event the robot is bumped by an external force. This has
been illustrated
in figure one and figure six.
A vibrating sand sifter will be present in the unit to ensure that all solid
waste it sifted
out of the sand to provide cleaner sand. This optional attachment will be
available for the user
to select. This has been illustrated in figure five.
The robot will have the option for there to be onboard storage for the waste
to be kept
until it can be disposed of. This will vary for each application but it can be
selected and
mounted onto the unit at the command of the user. When the additional storage
component
has been attached, the drive unit may be modified to be mounted onto the
container. This has
been illustrated in figure five.
The robot will have the capability to have attachments mounted onto the unit
after it
has been made as new attachments become available.
The robot will be able to work with other systems. An example of this is if
the sand
groomer is in a barn and notices through its external force sensors that there
isn't enough sand,
then the sand transportation robot will be able to deliver more sand to the
designated location.
This has been illustrated in figure two.
CA 2990374 2017-12-29

Representative Drawing