公开(公告)号：US10653103B2

公开(公告)日：2020-05-19

申请号：US15948400

申请日：2018-04-09

Applicant: Technologies Holdings Corp.

Inventor： Joel R. Henry ,  Bruce A. Schroeder ,  Adam R. Hachey ,  Rizwan Ajaz ,  Peter Willem van der Sluis

IPC: A01J7/04 ,  B25J9/16 ,  B25J15/00 ,  B25J15/04 ,  B25J5/02 ,  A01J5/017 ,  A01K1/12

Abstract: An apparatus includes a carriage, a platform, an extension member, and a spray tool member. The carriage moves along the track in a lateral direction. The platform is coupled to and positioned above the carriage. The length of the platform is greater than and orthogonal to the width of the platform and transverse to the lateral direction when in an operational state. The platform pivots about a fulcrum positioned between the platform and the carriage such that the front end and the back end of the platform move vertically in opposite directions. The extension member is movably coupled to the platform and has a longitudinal axis parallel to the length of the platform. The extension member extends away from the carriage in a first mode and retracts towards the carriage in a second mode. The spray tool member is coupled to the front end of the extension member.

公开(公告)号：US10595500B2

公开(公告)日：2020-03-24

申请号：US15828553

申请日：2017-12-01

Applicant: TECHNOLOGIES HOLDINGS CORP.

Inventor： Henk Hofman ,  Peter Willem van der Sluis ,  Ype Groensma

IPC: A01J7/04 ,  A01K13/00 ,  G06T7/73 ,  G06T7/13 ,  B25J9/16 ,  A01K29/00 ,  A01J5/003 ,  A01J5/007 ,  A01J5/017 ,  A01K1/12 ,  G06T1/00 ,  A01J7/00 ,  B25J11/00 ,  G06T7/00 ,  B25J9/00 ,  H04N7/18 ,  G05B19/042

Abstract: A system for operating a robotic arm, comprises a controller and a robotic arm. The controller accesses an image of the rear of dairy livestock located in a stall of a rotary milking platform and, in conjunction with the stall of the rotary milking platform in which a dairy livestock is located moving into an area adjacent a robotic arm, determines whether a milking cluster is attached to the dairy livestock based at least in part upon the image. The robotic arm is communicatively coupled to the controller and extends between the legs of the dairy livestock if the controller determines that the milking cluster is not attached to the dairy livestock. The robotic arm does not extend between the legs of the dairy livestock if the controller determines that the milking cluster is attached to the dairy livestock.

公开(公告)号：US10477827B2

公开(公告)日：2019-11-19

申请号：US15455382

申请日：2017-03-10

Applicant: Technologies Holdings Corp.

Inventor： Mark A. Foresman ,  Alireza Janani ,  Peter Willem van der Sluis ,  Robert J. Godfrey

IPC: A01J5/017 ,  G06K9/46 ,  G06T7/00 ,  A01J5/007 ,  G01B11/24 ,  B25J19/02 ,  G06K9/00 ,  B25J9/16

Abstract: A system includes a robotic arm, a laser, and a processor. The processor is configured to determine that a teat cup is to be attached to a front teat of a dairy livestock, and in response, determine an amount of separation between the front teat and a rear teat. The processor is further configured to calculate, if the amount of separation between the front and rear teats is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance, an updated front teat position based on the amount of separation between the front and rear teats and command the robotic arm to move to the updated front teat position. The processor is further configure to determine whether the front teat is found in a scan of the dairy livestock by the laser, and if so, command the robotic arm to attach the teat cup to the front teat.

公开(公告)号：US10383305B1

公开(公告)日：2019-08-20

申请号：US16157673

申请日：2018-10-11

Applicant: Technologies Holdings Corp.

Inventor： Mark A. Foresman ,  Bradley J. Prevost ,  Marijn Van Aart ,  Peter Willem van der Sluis ,  Alireza Janani

IPC: A01J5/00 ,  A01J5/007 ,  A01J5/017 ,  A01K1/12 ,  A01J7/04 ,  A01K11/00 ,  A01J5/08

Abstract: A leg (205) detection system comprising: a robotic arm (200) comprising a gripping portion (208) for holding a teat cup (203, 210) for attaching to a teat (1102, 1104, 1106, 1108, 2038, 203) of a diary livestock (200, 202, 203); an imaging system coupled to the robotic arm (200) and configured to capture a first three-dimensional (3D) image (138, 2400, 2500) of a rearview of the dairy livestock (200, 202, 203) in a stall (402), the imaging system comprising a 3D camera (136, 138) or a laser (132), wherein each pixel of the first 3D image (138, 2400, 2500) is associated with a depth value; one or more memory (104) devices configured to store a reference (3D) 3D image (138, 2400, 2500) of the stall (402) without any dairy livestock (200, 202, 203); and a processor (102) communicatively coupled to the imaging system and the one or more memory (104) devices, the processor (102) configured to: access the first 3D image (138, 2400, 2500) and the reference (3D) 3D image (138, 2400, 2500); subtract the first 3D image (138, 2400, 2500) from the reference (3D) 3D image (138, 2400, 2500) to produce a second 3D image (138, 2400, 2500); perform morphological image (138, 2400, 2500) processing on the second 3D image (138, 2400, 2500) to produce a third 3D image (138, 2400, 2500); perform image (138, 2400, 2500) thresholding on the third 3D image (138, 2400, 2500) to produce a fourth 3D image (138, 2400, 2500); cluster (2616, 2618, 2626, 2628) data from the fourth 3D image (138, 2400, 2500); identify, using the clustered data from the fourth 3D image (138, 2400, 2500) to avoid the identified one or more legs (205) while attaching the teat cup (203, 210) to the teat (1102, 1104, 1106, 1108, 203S, 203) of the dairy livestock (200, 202, 203).

公开(公告)号：US10357015B2

公开(公告)日：2019-07-23

申请号：US14534766

申请日：2014-11-06

Applicant: Technologies Holdings Corp.

Inventor： Peter Willem van der Sluis ,  Brad A. Schaller ,  Kent B. Toepfer ,  Robert J. Godfrey

IPC: A01J5/017 ,  A01K1/12

Abstract: A robotic attacher comprises a main arm suspended from a rail, a supplemental arm coupled to the main arm, and a gripping portion coupled to an extension of the supplemental arm. The gripping portion comprises a first grabber positioned side-by-side with a second grabber. The first grabber is operable to attach a first teat cup to a first teat of a dairy livestock and the second grabber is operable to tilt downward independent of the first grabber in conjunction with the first grabber attaching the first teat cup. The second grabber is operable to attach a second teat cup to a second teat of the dairy livestock and the first grabber is operable to tilt downward independent of the second grabber in conjunction with the second grabber attaching the second teat cup.

公开(公告)号：US10143179B2

公开(公告)日：2018-12-04

申请号：US14663072

申请日：2015-03-19

Applicant: TECHNOLOGIES HOLDINGS, CORP.

Inventor： Henk Hofman ,  Cor de Ruijter ,  Menno Koekoek ,  Peter Willem van der Sluis

IPC: A01J5/017 ,  A01K1/12 ,  A01J5/007

Abstract: A robotic attacher comprises a main arm, a supplemental arm coupled to the main arm, and a gripping portion coupled to the supplemental arm. The supplemental arm moves in an x-direction and a y-direction. The gripping portion moves in a first z-direction in relation to the supplemental arm. The gripping portion also moves in a second z-direction opposite the first z-direction in relation to the supplemental arm.

公开(公告)号：US20180054998A1

公开(公告)日：2018-03-01

申请号：US15800234

申请日：2017-11-01

Applicant: Technologies Holdings Corp.

Inventor： Peter Willem van der Sluis ,  Henk Hofman

IPC: A01J5/017 ,  A01K1/12 ,  A01J5/04

CPC classification number: A01J5/017 ,  A01J5/0175 ,  A01J5/041 ,  A01K1/126

Abstract: A milking robot comprises a movable arm having a length in a longitudinal direction, and at least one gripper swivably mounted to the movable arm such that it moves between a first position parallel to the movable arm's longitudinal direction and a second position at which the gripper extends sideways in a horizontal plane away from the movable arm's longitudinal direction.

公开(公告)号：US20180049396A1

公开(公告)日：2018-02-22

申请号：US15455382

申请日：2017-03-10

Applicant: Technologies Holdings Corp.

Inventor： Mark A. Foresman ,  Alireza Janani ,  Peter Willem van der Sluis ,  Robert J. Godfrey

IPC: A01J5/007 ,  A01J5/017 ,  G01B11/24 ,  B25J19/02

Abstract: A system includes a robotic arm, a laser, and a processor. The processor is configured to determine that a teat cup is to be attached to a front teat of a dairy livestock, and in response, determine an amount of separation between the front teat and a rear teat. The processor is further configured to calculate, if the amount of separation between the front and rear teats is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance, an updated front teat position based on the amount of separation between the front and rear teats and command the robotic arm to move to the updated front teat position. The processor is further configure to determine whether the front teat is found in a scan of the dairy livestock by the laser, and if so, command the robotic arm to attach the teat cup to the front teat.

公开(公告)号：US20180049392A1

公开(公告)日：2018-02-22

申请号：US15448761

申请日：2017-03-03

Applicant: Technologies Holdings Corp.

Inventor： Mark A. Foresman ,  Marijn Van Anart ,  Peter Willem van der Sluis

IPC: A01J5/007 ,  A01J5/017 ,  G01B11/24

CPC classification number: A01J5/007 ,  A01J5/017 ,  A01J5/0175

Abstract: A system includes a robotic arm, a laser, and a processor. The processor is configured to determine whether a distance between a left and right teat of a dairy livestock is less than or equal to a predetermined distance, and if so, command the robotic arm to move to a scan location that is between the left and right teats. The processor is further configured to command the laser to perform a scan of the teats after the robotic arm is at the scan location and to determine whether the left and right teats are found in the scan. If both the left and right teats are found in the scan, the processor commands the robotic arm to attach a teat cup to either the left or right teat.

公开(公告)号：US20170265425A1

公开(公告)日：2017-09-21

申请号：US15614693

申请日：2017-06-06

Applicant: TECHNOLOGIES HOLDINGS CORP.

Inventor： Henk Hofman ,  Peter Willem van der Sluis ,  Ype Groensma

IPC: A01J7/04 ,  A01K13/00 ,  A01K29/00 ,  A01K1/12 ,  G06T7/00 ,  B25J11/00 ,  A01J5/003 ,  A01J5/007 ,  A01J5/017 ,  G06T1/00 ,  A01J7/00 ,  G06T7/73 ,  G06T7/13 ,  H04N7/18 ,  B25J9/00 ,  B25J9/16

CPC classification number: A01J7/04 ,  A01J5/003 ,  A01J5/007 ,  A01J5/0175 ,  A01J7/00 ,  A01K1/126 ,  A01K13/001 ,  A01K29/00 ,  B25J9/0027 ,  B25J9/0093 ,  B25J9/0096 ,  B25J9/1679 ,  B25J9/1684 ,  B25J9/1697 ,  B25J11/0045 ,  G05B19/042 ,  G05B2219/2661 ,  G05B2219/45113 ,  G06T1/0014 ,  G06T7/0004 ,  G06T7/13 ,  G06T7/73 ,  G06T7/74 ,  G06T2200/04 ,  G06T2207/10004 ,  G06T2207/10021 ,  G06T2207/10028 ,  H04N7/183 ,  Y10S901/02 ,  Y10S901/06 ,  Y10S901/07 ,  Y10S901/09 ,  Y10S901/41 ,  Y10S901/43 ,  Y10S901/47

Abstract: A system for operating a robotic arm, comprises a camera, a controller and a robotic arm. The camera captures an image of a rear of a dairy livestock located in a stall of a rotary milking platform. The controller receives the image and in conjunction with the stall of the rotary milking platform in which a dairy livestock is located moving into an area adjacent a robotic arm, determines whether a milking cluster is attached to the dairy livestock based at least in part upon the image. The robotic arm is communicatively coupled to the controller and extends between the legs of the dairy livestock if the controller determines that the milking cluster is not attached to the dairy livestock. The robotic arm does not extend between the legs of the dairy livestock if the controller determines that the milking cluster is attached to the dairy livestock.