Apparatus and system for arranging package assemblies of seeds

Abstract

A system and apparatus for placing package assemblies of seeds in a planting container comprises a robot, a controller, and a scanner. The scanner scans an initial arrangement of package assemblies of seeds. A controller determines the initial receiver of the seed packages based upon the scanned data and then determines a final receiver location in the planting container for each package assembly of seeds based upon a predetermined planting order. The controller then instructs the robot to individually pick up and move the seed packages into a corresponding receiver of the planting container until they are arranged in the predetermined planting order. The robot may comprise a robotic arm that includes a first pair of fingers and a second pair of fingers that move toward each other to clamp onto a flange portion of each package assembly when the robotic arm picks up each package assembly.

Description

APPARATUS AND SYSTEM FOR ARRANGING PACKAGE ASSEMBLIES OF SEEDSCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority to and benefit of U.S. Application No. 63 / 448,758 filed on February 28, 2023, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] This disclosure relates to an apparatus and system to arrange package assemblies of seeds within a container. In particular, an apparatus and system to arrange package assemblies of seeds in a predetermined order within the container.BACKGROUND

[0003] When harvesting grain or other crops, identifying and understanding the exact species of the crops is important. Knowing the location and exact type of seeds when they are planted can help to identify the crops at harvest. A system for arranging packages of seeds in a particular order in a container, such that the seeds can be planted in the same order is helpful to ensure the seeds are planted in known locations.BRIEF SUMMARY

[0004] The following presents a general summary of aspects of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. The following summary merely presents some concepts of the invention in a general form as a prelude to the more detailed description provided below.

[0005] Aspects of this disclosure may relate to a system for sorting a plurality of package assemblies of seeds in a container comprising: (a) the container comprising a plurality of receivers, where the plurality of receivers is arranged in an array that comprises a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns; (b) a scanner configured to read marking indicia on each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies; (c) a robot configured to individually pick up each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies; and a controller that includes a processor and non-transitory memory. Thenon-transitory memory may store instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the controller to: (a) instruct the scanner to read the indicia on each package assembly; (b) determine an initial receiver for each package assembly; (c) determine a location of any empty receivers in the container; (d) instruct the robot to pick up a first package assembly from its corresponding initial receiver and place it into a temporary receiver of the plurality of receivers; and (e) instruct the robot to pick up a second package assembly from its corresponding initial receiver and place it into a first final receiver of the plurality of receivers. When instructed by the controller, the robot may pick up the first package assembly from the temporary receiver and place it into a second final receiver of the plurality of receivers. The first final receiver may be designated by a predetermined array order, where the predetermined array order designates a final receiver for each package assembly located in the container. The predetermined array order may correspond to a planting order of seeds that are contained in each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies in the container. In addition, the controller may instruct the robot to move the plurality of package assemblies until each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies are placed in their corresponding final receiver as determined by predetermined array order. The temporary receiver may be an empty receiver in the container or a designated holding receiver located adjacent the container. Each package assembly may have a clamshell structure with a flange portion. The robot may comprise a first pair of fingers and a second pair of fingers that move toward each other to clamp onto the flange portion of the package assembly when the robotic arm picks up the package assembly., and the first pair of fingers and the second pair of fingers move away from each other to release the package assembly. Each receiver of the plurality of the receivers may have a slot that receives the flange portion of the clamshell structure. The plurality of columns may be within a range of 2 and 10 and, the plurality of rows may be within a range of 2 and 50. The scanner may comprise a plurality of scanners such that each scanner of the plurality of scanners is configured to scan two columns of the plurality of columns of the array. The controller may send an alert if an error has occurred during placement of one of the plurality of package assemblies.

[0006] Other aspects of this disclosure may relate to a system for sorting a plurality of package assemblies of seeds in a container comprising: (a) the container comprising a plurality of receivers, where the plurality of receivers is arranged in an array that comprises aplurality of rows and a plurality of columns; (b) each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies has a clamshell structure with a flange portion with an indicia on an external surface of the package assembly; (c) a scanner configured to read the indicia on each package assembly; and (d) a robot configured to individually pick up each package assembly. The system may also comprise a controller comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by a controller, causes the controller to at least: (a) instruct the scanner to read the indicia on each package assembly; (b) determine an initial receiver for each package assembly; (c) determine a location of any empty receivers in the container; (d) read a predetermined array order of the plurality of package assemblies, wherein the predetermined array order includes a final receiver for each package assembly; (e) identify a first final receiver for a first package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies from the predetermined array order; (f) determine if the first final receiver is empty; (g) instruct the robotic arm to pick up the first package assembly from its corresponding receiver and place the first package assembly in the first final receiver. The non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by the controller, may also cause the controller to at least: upon determining the first final receiver has a second package assembly in the first final receiver, instruct the robotic arm to pick up the second package assembly to a temporary receiver. The temporary receiver may be an empty receiver in the container or a designated holding receiver located adjacent the container. In some examples, the non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by the controller, may cause the controller to at least: (a) identify a second final receiver for a second package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies from the predetermined array order; (b) determine if the second final receiver is empty; and (c) instruct the robotic arm to pick up the second package assembly from its corresponding initial receiver and place the second package assembly in the second final receiver. The predetermined array order may correspond to a planting order of seeds contained in each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies in the container. The robot may comprise a robotic arm that includes a first pair of fingers and a second pair of fingers that move toward each other to clamp onto the flange portion of the package assembly when the robotic arm picks up the package assembly. The system may also comprise the controller instructing the robot to move the plurality of package assemblies until each package assembly of theplurality of package assemblies are placed in their corresponding final receiver as determined by predetermined array order.

[0007] Still other aspects of this disclosure may relate to a system for sorting a plurality of seed packages into a predetermined planting order within a container, comprising: (a) a plurality of seed packages, where each seed package is filled with seeds of a single plant variety, and multiple seed packages are filled with seed of the same plant variety; (b) the container comprising a plurality of receivers, where the plurality of receivers is arranged in an array that comprises a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, and where the plurality of seed packages are incorrectly ordered; (c) a controller comprising a processor; (d) a scanner configured to read indicia on each package assembly; and (e) a robot configured to individually pick up each package assembly. The system also includes a non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by a controller, causes the controller to at least: (a) instruct the scanner to read the indicia on each seed package; (b) determine an initial receiver for each seed package based on data from the scanned indicia of each seed package; (c) determine a location of any empty receivers in the container; (d) read a predetermined array order with the predetermined planting order, wherein the controller determines a final receiver for each seed package; (e) identify a first final receiver for a first seed package of the plurality of seed packages from the predetermined array order; and (f) instruct the robot to pick up the first seed package from its corresponding receiver and place the first seed package in the first final receiver. The robot may comprise a robotic arm, where the robotic arm comprises fingers configured to individually pick up each seed package. Each seed package of the plurality of seed packages may comprise a clamshell structure with a flange portion with an indicia on an external surface of each seed package, and each seed package is oriented in the same direction within the container. The system may further comprise the processor instructing the robot to move the plurality of seed packages until each seed package of the plurality of seed packages are placed in their corresponding final receiver as determined by predetermined array order. The controller may determine a path for the robot by selecting a nearest seed package that contains a seed variety to be planted next in the predetermined planting order.

[0008] Additional aspects of this disclosure may relate to a system for ordering a plurality of package assemblies of seeds in a planting container that comprises (1) a robot configured to individually pick up each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies, where each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies has a clamshell structure with a flange portion, and where the robot may comprises a robotic arm that includes a first pair of fingers and a second pair of fingers that move toward each other to clamp onto the flange portion of each package assembly when the robotic arm picks up each package assembly. The first pair of fingers may contact a first side of the flange portion and the second pair of fingers contact a second side of the flange portion, where the second side of the flange portion is opposite the first side. The first pair of fingers and the second pair of fingers may move in sync such that a clamping force on the flange portion is applied equally. Each finger of the first pair of fingers may have a notch that receives a hinge portion of each package assembly when the first pair of fingers and the second pair of fingers clamp onto the flange portion of each package assembly. In addition, each finger of the first pair of fingers has a tapered inner edge. The first pair of fingers and the second pair of fingers move away from each other to release each package assembly when placing each package assembly into the planting container. The robot may further comprise an optical sensor, where the optical sensor is located in a sensor receiver between the first pair of fingers. The planting container comprises an array of receivers, where each receiver of the array of receivers has a slot that receives the flange portion of the clamshell structure prior to the first pair of fingers and the second pair of fingers moving away from each other to place each package assembly into the planting container. The plurality of supply containers, the planting container, and the robot may be located in an enclosure, wherein the robot is slidably coupled to a support beam located within the enclosure, wherein the support beam extends across a portion of the enclosure. The planting container may be coupled to the robot such that the planting container slides with the robot, where the plurality of supply containers comprises a first supply container and a second supply container such that the support beam is located between the first supply container and the second supply container. Additionally, the system may further comprise: (a) a scanner configured to read marking indicia on each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies, and (b) a controller comprising: a processor and a non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the controller to: (1) obtain scanned information from the marking indicia on each package assembly;(2) determine an order of each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies for each receiver of the planting container based upon a desired planting order of the seeds in each package assembly; and (3) instruct the robot to place each package assembly into its designated receiver of the planting container that corresponds to the desired planting order for the seeds in each package assembly. If a first package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies is initially located in an incorrect receiver in the planting container compared to its designated receiver, the controller may instruct the robot to place the first package assembly into a temporary receiver. The plurality of package assemblies may be moved from one or more supply containers into the planting container. The desired planting order may be arranged to represent a replicated experimental field design, and wherein the controller determines each package assembly to select for transfer based upon a distance of the package assembly to a current location of the robotic arm. In some examples, the system may further comprise a plurality of supply containers, each supply container comprising a plurality of receivers, wherein the plurality of receivers are arranged in an array that comprises a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, wherein each supply container of the plurality of supply containers comprises the plurality of package assemblies of seeds located individually in at least a portion of the plurality of receivers of the plurality of supply containers, and where the scanner is configured to read the marking indicia on each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies of seeds located in the plurality of supply containers. Also, in some examples, the non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the controller to: (a) instruct the robot to pick up a first package assembly of seeds of the plurality of package assemblies from its corresponding initial receiver in one of the plurality of supply containers and place it into a first final receiver of the planting container that corresponds to the desired planting order for the seeds of the first package assembly. The controller may continue to instruct the robot to repeatedly pick up subsequent package assemblies and place each subsequent package assembly into a corresponding receiver of the planting container until the plurality of package assemblies are in the desired planting order.

[0009] Still additional aspects of this disclosure may relate to a robot configured to place a plurality of package assemblies of seeds in a container comprising: (a) the robot is configured to individually pick up a first package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies, where the robot comprises a robotic arm that includes an adapter connectedto a first pair of fingers arranged on a first side of the adapter and a second pair of fingers arranged on a second side of the adapter; and where the container comprises a plurality of receivers and the plurality of receivers is arranged in an array that comprises a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns. The first package assembly may have a clamshell structure with a flange portion, a hinge portion, and a cavity portion such that when the robot picks up the first package assembly, the first pair of fingers and the second pair of fingers move toward each other to clamp onto the flange portion of the first package assembly. The first pair of fingers may be spaced apart from each other such that each finger of the first pair of fingers contacts on either side of the cavity portion such that the cavity portion is between each finger of the first pair of fingers when the robot picks up the first package assembly. The first pair of fingers may be connected by a first connecting member, where the first pair of fingers and the first connecting member form a unitary member. Each finger of the first pair of fingers may have a notch that receives the hinge portion of each package assembly, wherein the notch is between each finger of the first pair of fingers and the first connecting member.DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] To allow for a better understanding of the present disclosure, it will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram for a system to arrange package assemblies of seeds in a container, in accordance with aspects of the disclosure;

[0012] FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart for a method to arrange package assemblies of seeds in a predetermined order in a container, in accordance with aspects of the disclosure;

[0013] FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary apparatus for arranging package assemblies of seeds in a container, in accordance with aspects of the disclosure;

[0014] FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the exemplary apparatus of FIG. 3, in accordance with aspects of the disclosure;

[0015] FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a portion of the exemplary apparatus of FIG. 3, in accordance with aspects of the disclosure;

[0016] FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of a robot of the apparatus of FIG. 3 picking up a package assembly of seeds, in accordance with aspects of the disclosure;

[0017] FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of a robot of the apparatus of FIG. 3 picking up a package assembly of seeds, in accordance with aspects of the disclosure;

[0018] FIGS. 8A-8F illustrate perspective views of the robot of the apparatus of FIG. 3 arranging a package assembly of seeds in a container, in accordance with aspects of the disclosure;

[0019] FIGS. 9A-9B illustrate a perspective view of the fingers of the robotic arm of the apparatus of FIG. 3 picking up a package assembly of seeds, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure;

[0020] FIGS. 10A-10B illustrate perspective views of one type of fingers of the robotic arm as shown in FIGS. 9A-9B, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure;

[0021] FIGS. 11A-11B illustrate perspective views of another type of fingers of the robotic arm as shown in FIGS. 9A-9B, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure;

[0022] FIG. 12 illustrate a schematic perspective view of scanners of the apparatus of FIG. 3, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure;

[0023] FIGS. 13A-13B illustrate perspective views of a package assembly of seeds that is arranged by the apparatus, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure;

[0024] FIG. 14 illustrates a schematic view of a field that is planted with randomized seed arrangement;

[0025] FIG. 15 illustrates a schematic diagram for an alternate system for arranging package assemblies of seeds in a container, in accordance with aspects of the disclosure;

[0026] FIG. 16 illustrates a perspective view of an alternate apparatus for arranging package assemblies of seeds in a container, in accordance with aspects of the disclosure;

[0027] FIG. 17 illustrates a perspective view of the alternate apparatus of FIG. 16, in accordance with aspects of the disclosure;

[0028] FIG. 18 illustrates a top view of the alternate apparatus of FIG. 16, in accordance with aspects of the disclosure;

[0029] FIG. 19 illustrates a right side view of the alternate apparatus of FIG. 16, in accordance with aspects of the disclosure;

[0030] FIG. 20 illustrates a perspective view of the alternate apparatus of FIG. 16, in accordance with aspects of the disclosure;

[0031] FIG. 21 illustrates a top view of the alternate apparatus of FIG. 16, in accordance with aspects of the disclosure; and

[0032] FIG. 22 illustrates a flowchart for a method to arrange package assemblies of seeds in a predetermined order in a planting container when moved from a supply container, in accordance with aspects of the disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail example embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated. In the following description of various example structures according to the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration various example devices, systems, and environments in which aspects of the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other specific arrangements of parts, example devices, systems, and environments may be utilized and structural and functional modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0034] Also, while the terms "top," "side," "bottom," “above”, “below”, and the like may be used in this specification to describe various example features and elements of the invention, these terms are used herein as a matter of convenience, e.g., based on the example orientations shown in the figures or the orientation during typical use. Nothing in this specification should be construed as requiring a specific three-dimensional orientation of structures in order to fall within the scope of this invention. Also, the reader is advised that the attached drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0035] The following terms are used in this specification, and unless otherwise noted or clear from the context, these terms have the meanings provided below.

[0036] "Plurality,” as used herein, indicates any number greater than one, either disjunctively or conjunctively, as necessary, up to an infinite number.

[0037] In general, this disclosure relates to a system and an apparatus for arranging package assemblies of seeds in a predetermined order within a container. The predetermined order may be a designated planting order to make it easier to plant the seeds in the package assemblies in the designated planting order. Such container, which also may be designated herein as a “planting container” when the container is intended for this purpose, may be a cassette that is inserted directly into the planter, or a holding container, such a cardboard box, that is designed for easy transfer to the planting mechanism of the planter while maintaining the planting order of the seed varieties in the package assemblies. One such planting mechanism and / or planting cassette for clamshell package assemblies that may be utilized in this manner is described in US12 / 558,062, filed Sept. 11, 2009, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Thesystem may arrange a full or partially full container of seed packages using a particular method for ordering the package assemblies in a predetermined planting order to allow them to be easily planted in the same order.

[0038] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic of system 100 for arranging the package assemblies 10 of seeds within a planting container 110. The system 100 may comprise a container 110 to hold the package assemblies 10 of seeds, a scanner 120 or scanners to read an indicia 12 or marking on an external surface of each package assembly 10, a robot 130 that includes a robotic arm 131 that can pick up and move each individual package assembly 10, and a controller 140 to direct the operation of the scanner(s) 120 and the robot 130. The system 100 may include a rearranging apparatus 105 that may have an enclosure 106 that contains the robot 130, the scanner 120, the controller 140 along with the container(s) 110 and a holding receiver 113. The package assemblies 10 of seeds may also be referred to as seed packages 10. As shown in FIGS. 4-7, the container 110 may comprise a plurality of receivers 112, where the plurality of receivers 112 may be arranged in an array 114 that comprises a plurality of rows 115 and a plurality of columns 116 where each receiver 112 receives a single package assembly 10 of seeds. The seed packages 10 may be initially placed in the receivers 112 randomly in any order when the package assemblies 10 are initially loaded into the container 110 such that the seed packages 10 are in an incorrect order when compared to a designated planting order. Once the container 110 of seed packages 10 is ready to be sorted, the container of seed packages 10 may be placed into the rearranging apparatus 105. The system 100 may rearrange the package assemblies 10 into a predetermined array order, where the predetermined array order designates a final receiver 112 for each package assembly 10 of seeds in the container 110 to organize the seed packages 10 into the predetermined planting order. The rearranging apparatus 105 may comprise an enclosure 106 that may hold a pair of containers 110 that are arranged side by side with a robot 130 located in between the two containers 110. The robot 130 using its robotic arm 131 may be able to sort the package assemblies 10 of seeds in either container 110. In this arrangement, the robotic arm 131 may be sorting the package assemblies 10 of seeds in a first container 110 while a second container 110 is loaded or removed from the apparatus 105 as shown in FIG. 3.

[0039] The system 100 may perform a method 200, shown in FIG. 2, to sort and rearrange the seed packages 10. The method may include obtaining a plurality of package assemblies 10 (210) filled with seeds, where each package assembly 10 is filled with seeds of asingle plant variety. In some examples, each package assembly 10 may contain seeds of a different plant variety, or multiple package assemblies 10 may be filled with seeds of the same plant variety, such that the plurality of package assemblies 10 may have groups of package assemblies 10 that have seeds of the same plant variety. The plurality of package assemblies 10 of seeds may be inserted into a container 110, where each package assembly 10 is individually placed into a receiver 112 of the container 110, where the seed package assemblies 10 are not in a correct planting order (215). The package assemblies 10 are inserted such that all of the package assemblies 10 are oriented in the same direction within the container 110 with the indicia 12 of each package assembly 10 being visible from above the container 110. The container 110 may then be placed into the apparatus 105 to rearrange the package assemblies 10 of seeds into a proper planting order (220). The controller 140 may then instruct the scanner 120 to read the marking indicia 12 located on each package assembly 10 of seeds (225). From the information obtained by the scanner 120, the controller 140 may determine an initial receiver 112 for each package assembly 10 and also determine a location of any empty receivers 112 in the container 110 (230).

[0040] Next, the controller 140 may read a predetermined array order of the plurality of package assemblies 10, where the predetermined array order includes a final receiver 112 for each package assembly 10. The controller 140 may also determine a final receiver 112 for each package assembly 10 from the predetermined array order (235). After the final receivers 112 are determined, the controller 140 may compare the initial receivers 112 of each package assembly 10 to the final receiver 112 of each package assembly 10 (240) to determine if any package assemblies 10 are in the incorrect receiver 112 (245). If a package assembly 10 is in the incorrect receiver 112, the controller 140 selects the package assembly 10 to move to its corresponding final receiver 112 (250). Prior to moving the selected package assembly 10, the controller 140 determines if the selected package assembly’s final receiver 112 is empty (255). If the selected package assembly’s final receiver 112 is empty, the controller 140 instructs the robot 130 to pick up the selected package assembly 10 and move it to its corresponding final receiver 112 (265). If the selected package assembly’s final receiver 112 is not empty (e.g., an unselected package assembly 10 is in the selected package assembly’s final receiver 112), the controller 140 may instruct the robot 130 to pick up an unselected package assembly 10 located in the final receiver 112 of the selected package assembly 10 and place it in a temporary receiver 112 (260). Thisprocess is repeated until all of the package assemblies 10 are located in their corresponding final receivers 112 as designated by the predetermined array order (270).

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 3-12, the robot 130 may have a robotic arm 131 that is configured to pick up individual package assemblies 10 from the receivers 112 of the container 110 and place each individual package assembly 10 into its corresponding final receiver 112. The robotic arm 131 may include an adapter 132 that connects to a first pair of fingers 133 arranged on a first side of the adapter 132 and a second pair of fingers 136 arranged on a second side of the adapter 132 opposite the first side. The first pair of fingers 133 and the second pair of fingers 136 may move toward each other to clamp onto a flange portion 16 of the package assembly 10 when the robotic arm 131 picks up a package assembly 10. When picking up a package assembly 10 the first pair of fingers 133 may contact a first side of a flange portion 16 of the package assembly 10 and the second pair of fingers 136 contact a second side of the flange portion 16, where the second side is opposite the first side. As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, each finger of the first pair of fingers 133 are spaced apart such that the fingers 133 contact the flange portion 16 on either side of the cavity portion 13 of the package assembly 10, such that the cavity portion 13 is between the fingers 133. Similarly, each finger of the second pair of fingers 136 are spaced apart the same distance as the first pair of fingers 133 to effectively clamp the seed package 10. In addition, the first pair of fingers 133 may move away from the second pair of fingers 136 to release the package assembly 10 when the robotic arm 131 places each package assembly 10 into a receiver 112. The first pair of fingers 133 and the second pair of fingers 136 move in sync with each other so the clamping force applied to the flange portion 16 of the package assembly 10 is applied equally. The fingers 133, 136 may open apart approximately 8 to 10 mm to grip each package assembly 10. To prevent the seed package 10 from inadvertently opening, each finger of both pairs of fingers 133, 136 may have a notch 135 that receives the hinge portion 17 of the package assembly 10, where the notch 135 is a recess spaced below the contact surfaces 141 of the fingers 133, 136. The contact surfaces 141 contact the first side and the second side of the flange portion 16 of a package assembly 10 when the pairs of fingers 133, 136 clamp onto the flange portion 16 of a package assembly 10. Additionally, the fingers 133, 136 may have a length that extends approximately 30 percent of the length of the flange portion 16, or within a range of 20 percent and 50 percent of the length of the flange portion 16 to prevent the clamshell structure 14 from opening when each package assembly 10 is moved.Alternatively, the robotic arm 131 may pick up the package assemblies 10 using a vacuum or other means known to one skilled in the art.

[0042] FIGS. 10A-10B illustrate the pair of fingers 133, and FIGS. 11A-1 IB illustrate the pair of fingers 136. The pair of fingers 133 may be connected by a connecting member 134, such that the pair of fingers 133 and the connecting member 134 form a unitary member (i.e. a one-piece member). Each notch 135 may be located between the connecting member 134 and each finger 133. Similarly, the pair of fingers 136 may be connected by a connecting member 137, such that the pair of fingers 136 and the connecting member 137 also form a unitary member. Each notch 135 may be located between the connecting member 137 and each finger 136. Each finger 133, 136 may have a tapered inner edge 138 to help center or nudge the seed package 10 between each finger 133 when the fingers 133 are moved to contact the flange portion 16. In addition, each finger 133, 136 may have a tapered outer edge 139, such when the fingers 133, 136 are inserted into a receiver 112, the tapered outer edge 139 may help to guide each finger 133, 136 into a receiver 112. For instance, if the robotic arm 131 is not aligned properly with the receiver 112, a tapered outer edge 139 of one or more of the fingers 133, 136 may contact a surface of the receiver 112 and help align the fingers 133, 136 with the receiver 112. The fingers 133, 136 along with their connecting member may be formed from a non-metallic material to reduce the weight, or alternatively may be formed from a metallic material.

[0043] The robot 130 may include a local optical sensor 150 to confirm that the fingers 133, 136 have picked up a seed package 10. For instance, the sensor 150 may detect if the robotic arm 131 has picked up a package assembly 10 and send a signal to the controller 140 confirming that a package assembly 10 has been picked up. The sensor 150 may be received in a sensor receiver 152 on the robot 130. In the illustrated example, the sensor receiver 152 and sensor 150 are located between the pair of fingers 133 as shown in FIGS. 10A-10B. The sensor receiver 152 may have an aperture to allow the sensor 150 to have a field of view of the package assemblies 10 and container 110. Alternatively, the sensor 150 and sensor receiver 152 may be located between the fingers 136 or in another location on the robot 130.

[0044] The controller 140 may include a processor 142 that controls the operation of the system 100. The controller 140 may also include non-transitory memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor 142, cause the controller 140 to rearrange the package assemblies 10 within the container 110 using the method 200.FIGS. 8A-8F illustrate the steps 255-265 of the method 200 described above. Prior to the illustration shown in FIG. 8 A, the controller 140 has determined that an unselected package assembly 10B is located in the final receiver 112A of the selected package assembly 10A, and will move the unselected package assembly 10B into a temporary receiver 112B. FIG. 8A illustrates the robotic arm 131 using its fingers 133, 136 to pick up the unselected package assembly 10B. FIGS. 8B and 8C illustrate the robotic arm 131 placing the unselected package assembly 10B into a temporary receiver 112B. Next, FIG. 8D illustrates the robotic arm 131 picking up the selected package assembly 10A from its initial receiver 112C. FIGS. 8E and 8F illustrate the robotic arm 131 moving and placing the selected package assembly 10A into its corresponding final receiver 112A.

[0045] The package assemblies 10 of seeds may be a collapsible structure that holds the seeds. Each package assembly 10 may have a clamshell structure 14 with a hinge portion 17 at one end and a flange portion 16 extending along the perimeter of the clamshell structure as shown in FIG. 13A-13B. The flange portion 16 may be located between top and bottom portions of each package assembly 10. The bottom portion may include the cavity portion 13 that holds the seeds, while the top portion may comprise a lid. The package assembly 10 is configured to open by the lid rotating about the hinge portion 17 to allow access to the seeds inside the cavity portion 13. In some examples, the flange portion 16 may only extend along each side of the package assembly 10. Each package assembly 10 may have a similar or identical size. Similarly, each receiver 112 of the container 110 may have a similar or identical size and be sized to hold a single package assembly 10. Each package assembly 10 may have a marking indicia or marking 12 on an end of the package assembly 10. The indicia or marking 12 may be used to indicate the type of seeds contained within the package assembly 10. The seed packages 10 may be similar to the package assemblies of seeds described in U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 774,256 filed on July 6, 2007 and also U.S. Patent Application No. 12 / 476,880 filed on June 2, 2009. Both of these applications are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0046] The container 110 may have a rectangular shape that includes a plurality of receivers 112 that are arranged in an array 114. The array 114 may comprise a plurality of rows 115 and a plurality of columns 116 where each receiver 112 receives a single package assembly 10 of seeds. Each receiver 112 may include a slot 118 that receives the flange portion 16 of the clamshell structure 14 of each package assembly 10. The slot 118may help to guide and orient each package assembly 10 into its receiver 112. The size of each receiver 112 along with its corresponding slot 118 may help to arrange and control the spacing of each package assembly 10 within the container 110 to help the robot 130 pick-up and place the package assemblies 10. While the illustrated exemplary container 110 includes 240 receivers with 30 rows 115 and 8 columns 116, the container 110 may have any number of rows 115 and columns. For instance, the container 110 may have a plurality of rows 115 within a range between 2 and 50, and a plurality of columns 116 within a range between 2 and 10. In some examples, the container 110 may be a plurality of rows 115 and a single column 116, or alternatively, the container 110 may have a single row 115 and a plurality of columns 116. The container 110 may be formed from a non-metallic material such as a wooden, paper, or polymeric material or some combination thereof or may be formed from a combination of metallic and non-metallic materials. While the exemplary figures illustrate the container 110 oriented in a horizontal orientation, the container 110 may be oriented in a vertical orientation where the robot arm 131 moves vertically up and down to pick up and place the package assemblies 10 in the appropriate receivers.

[0047] The temporary receiver 112 may be an empty receiver 112 in the container 110 or a designated holding receiver 113 located adjacent the container 110. A temporary receiver 112 may be used at any time during the rearranging process.

[0048] The processor 142 may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application- specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. The one or more implementations described throughout this disclosure may utilize logical blocks, modules, and circuits that may be implemented or performed with a processor.

[0049] In some examples, the controller 140 may send an alert if an error has occurred during any step in the process, such as a misplaced package assembly 10 or if a package assembly 10 fails to be properly received within its corresponding receiver 112. The alert may be an audible tone or may be a visible alert such as a flashing light.Optionally, the alert may include sending a message to a computer via a network or wireless connection to alert an operator that an error has occurred. In addition, the controller 140 may stop all of the processes if it determines an error has occurred.

[0050] The scanner 120 or plurality of scanners 120 may be located within the apparatus 105 and be configured to scan the indicia 12 that is located on an end of each package assembly 10. Each scanner 120 may be an optical scanner and in some cases may be able to scan multiple columns 116 of receivers 112 in a few seconds. For example, each scanner 120 may be configured to read 2 columns 116 of the container 110 at the same time as the scanner 120 is moved above the container 110. In addition, each scanner 120 may transmit data back to the processor 142 of the controller 140 so the initial receiver 112 of each package assembly 10 can be determined or a location of any empty receivers 112 may be determined. The scanner(s) 120 may be positioned above the container 110 on an actuator assembly 122 that moves above the container 110 to allow the scanner(s) 120 to read the indicia 12 on the package assemblies 10. As shown in FIG. 12, the actuator assembly 122 may move a support beam 124 that secures multiple scanners 120 to allow a single pass of the scanners 120 to determine the initial receiver 112 of each package assembly 10.

[0051] In some examples, the seed packages 10 within the container 110 may comprise multiple seed packages 10 that are used for seed development or advancement of seed varieties. Some of the seed packages 10 may contain seeds of the same plant variety. In those cases, the system 100 may arrange the seed packages 10 in groups that contain the same plant variety. As discussed above, the corresponding final receiver 112 of each package assembly 10 may be determined by a predetermined array order, where the predetermined array order represents and corresponds to a planting order of the seeds that are contained in each package assembly 10 in the container 110. In some examples, the most efficient path of the robot 130 may be determined by choosing the nearest package assembly 10 of the seed variety designated by the predetermined array order that comprises the desired planting order.

[0052] The desired planting order may be arranged to represent a replicated experimental field design such that groups of identical seeds are planted in different areas depending on the variables being tested. These seed plots may include replicated seed varieties and various control seed varieties. For example, FIG. 14 illustrates a schematic of a possible field with different seed varieties planted. Seeds of Type I, Type II, and Type III may be planted in each designated region of the field shown in FIG. 14, where Type I and IImay be new seed varieties and Type III may be a control seed. Each designated region may be randomly assigned. To help facilitate the planting in a planting order to best evaluate the new seed varieties, the seed packages 10 may be arranged in the container 110 in the order needed for the planting device (not shown) to load and plant the variety of seeds contained in the seed packages 10 in the designated region of the field.

[0053] FIGS. 15-21 illustrate an alternate rearranging apparatus 305 for use with the system 300 of arranging seed packages 10 into a receiving or planting container 310A. The rearranging apparatus 305 shown in FIGS. 15-21 have features that are referred to using similar reference numerals under the “3xx” series of reference numerals, rather than “Ixx” as used in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-13. Accordingly, certain features of the rearranging apparatus 305 that were already described above with respect to rearranging apparatus 105 of FIGS. 1-13 may be described in lesser detail, or may not be described at all. Rearranging apparatus 305 may include an enclosure 306 that contains the robot 330, the scanner 320, the controller 340 along with a plurality of containers 310A, 310B. The plurality of containers 310A, 310B, may be similar to container 110 described above such that each container 310A, 310B may comprise a plurality of receivers 312, where the plurality of receivers 312 may be arranged in an array 314. Each array 314 may comprise a plurality of rows 315 and a plurality of columns 316 where each receiver 312 receives a single package assembly 10 of seeds. Apparatus 305 may include a pair of supply containers 310B that may each contain a plurality of seed packages 10 and a planting container 310A that is configured to receive a plurality of seed packages 10. While not shown, the apparatus 305 may include any number of supply containers 310B. The plurality of supply containers 310B may comprise supply containers 310B of different sizes.

[0054] The robot 330 may be movably arranged within the enclosure 306 of the apparatus 305. As shown in the example of FIGS. 15-21, the robot 330 may be movably or slidably coupled to a support member 307 located within the enclosure 306 where the support member 307 extends across at least a portion of the enclosure 306. The support member 307 may be oriented in a longitudinal or a horizontal direction. In some examples, the support member 307 may comprise multiple support members 307 that are oriented in both longitudinal and horizontal directions to allow the robot 330 to move in both a longitudinal and horizontal direction. In addition, the planting container 310A may be received in a tray or platform 308 that is fixedly coupled to the robot 330. A bracket 309 may extend between the base of the robot 330 and the platform 308 to fixedlycouple the platform 308 and the base of the robot 330 a predetermined distance. Thus, the platform 308 and its corresponding planting container 310A are movably arranged within the enclosure 306. In some examples, the platform 308 may be movably or slidably coupled to the support member 307. Accordingly, the tray 308 and its corresponding planting container 310A moves in conjunction with any movement of the robot 330 and along the sliding member 307. In some examples, any type of suitable coupling mechanism may be used to connect the planting container 310A with the robotic arm 331, so that the two components slide together along the support member 307, including but not limited to clips, brackets, adhesion bands, or any other temporary or permanent, or rigid or flexible, coupling mechanism. The supply containers 310B may be spaced apart from each other with the support member 307 located between a first supply container 310B and a second supply container 310B. The supply containers 310B may be spaced apart by a predetermined distance that is sized to allow the planting container 310A and the robot 330 to move between the supply containers 310B.

[0055] The robot 330 may use its robotic arm 331 to remove seed packages 10 from any of the supply containers 310B and move them into the planting container 310A such that when the seed packages 10 are moved into the planting container 310A, the seed packages 10 are arranged in a predetermined array order. As discussed above, the predetermined array order designates a final receiver 312 for each seed package 10 in the planting container 310A to organize the seed packages 10 into the predetermined planting order. The seed packages 10 may be initially placed in the receivers 312 randomly in any order when they are initially loaded into the supply containers 310B. The supply containers 310B, once loaded with seed packages 10, may be placed into the rearranging apparatus 305. The system 300 may operate using method 400, which is similar to method 200 described above. The robot 330 may use its robotic arm 331 to take seed packages 10 from any of the supply containers 310B and move them to the planting container 310A. The robotic arm may include an adapter 332 like adapter 132 described above that connects to a first and second pair of fingers 133, 136 to pick up and place the seed packages 10. When the seed packages 10 are placed the planting container 310A, each seed package 10 is individually placed into a receiver 312 and arranged in the predetermined array order.

[0056] The system 300 may perform a method 400, shown in FIG. 22, to move the seed packages 10 from the one or more supply containers 310B to the planting container 310A where the seed packages 10 when moved into the planting container 310A arearranged into the desired predetermined array order. The method 400 may include obtaining a plurality of package assemblies 10 (410) filled with seeds, where each package assembly 10 is filled with seeds of a single plant variety, or different plant varieties. The plurality of seed packages 10 may be inserted into one or more supply containers 310B, where each seed package 10 is individually placed into a receiver 312 of the supply container 310B (415). The package assemblies 10 are inserted such that all of the package assemblies 10 are oriented in the same direction within the supply container 310B with the indicia 12 of each package assembly 10 being visible from above the supply container 310B. The one or more supply containers 310B may then be placed into the apparatus 305 to allow for the movement of seed packages 10 from the supply containers 310B to the planting container 310A (420). The planting container 310A, which may not contain any seed packages 10 may be placed into the apparatus 305 at any time or may be placed into the apparatus 305 at the same time as the supply containers 310B. The controller 340 may include a processor 342 that controls the operation of the system 300. The controller 340 may then instruct the scanner 320 to read the indicia 12 located on each package assembly 10 of seeds in the supply containers 310B (425). From the information obtained by the scanner 320, the controller 340 may determine an initial receiver 312 for each package assembly 10 and also determine a location of any empty receivers 312 in the supply container 310B (430). Next, the controller 340 may read a predetermined array order of the plurality of package assemblies 10, where the predetermined array order includes a final receiver 312 for each package assembly 10 in the planting container 310A. The controller 340 may also determine a final receiver 312 for each package assembly 10 from the predetermined array order (435). After the final receivers 312 of the planting container 310A are determined, the controller 340 may compare the initial receivers 112 of each package assembly 10 in the supply containers 310B to the final receiver 312 of each package assembly 10 (440). The controller 340 then selects the package assembly 10 from a supply container 310B to move to its corresponding final receiver 312 in the planting container 310A (445). The controller 340 may then instruct the robot 330 to pick up the selected package assembly 10 and move it to its corresponding final receiver 312 (450). The controller 340 may continue to instruct the robot 330 to repeatedly pick up subsequent package assemblies 10 and place them into a corresponding receiver of the planting container 310A until the plurality of package assemblies are in the desired planting order of the planting container 310A (455).

[0057] The various embodiments described herein enable the rearrangement of a plurality of package assemblies of seeds within a container. It is also understood that the systems, methods, and machines described herein may be constructed with similar structural and functional elements having different configurations, including different ornamental appearances. Still other benefits may be recognized by those skilled in the art. Accordingly, while the specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying claims.

[0058] For the avoidance of doubt, the present application includes at least the subject matter described in the following numbered Clauses:

[0059] Clause 1. A system for sorting a plurality of package assemblies of seeds in a container comprising: the container comprising a plurality of receivers, wherein the plurality of receivers is arranged in an array that comprises a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns; a scanner configured to read marking indicia on each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies; a robot configured to individually pick up each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies; a controller comprising: a processor; and non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the controller to: instruct the scanner to read the indicia on each package assembly; determine an initial receiver for each package assembly; determine a location of any empty receivers in the container; instruct the robot to pick up a first package assembly from its corresponding initial receiver and place it into a temporary receiver of the plurality of receivers; and instruct the robot to pick up a second package assembly from its corresponding initial receiver and place it into a first final receiver of the plurality of receivers.

[0060] Clause 2. The system of clause 1, wherein the first final receiver is designated by a predetermined array order.

[0061] Clause 3. The system of clause 2, wherein the predetermined array order designates a final receiver for each package assembly located in the container.

[0062] Clause 4. The system of clause 3, wherein the predetermined array order corresponds to a planting order of seeds contained in each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies in the container.

[0063] Clause 5. The system of clause 1, further comprising the controller instructing the robot to move the plurality of package assemblies until each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies are placed in their corresponding final receiver as determined by predetermined array order.

[0064] Clause 6. The system of clause 1, wherein when instructed by the controller, the robot picks up the first package assembly from the temporary receiver and places it into a second final receiver of the plurality of receivers.

[0065] Clause ?. The system of clause 1, wherein the temporary receiver is an empty receiver in the container or a designated holding receiver located adjacent the container.

[0066] Clause 8. The system of clause 1, wherein each package assembly has a clamshell structure with a flange portion.

[0067] Clause 9. The system of clause 8, wherein the robot comprises a robotic arm that includes a first pair of fingers and a second pair of fingers that move toward each other to clamp onto the flange portion of the package assembly when the robotic arm picks up the package assembly.

[0068] Clause 10. The system of clause 9, wherein the first pair of fingers and the second pair of fingers move away from each other to release the package assembly.

[0069] Clause 11. The system of clause 8, wherein each receiver of the plurality of the receivers has a slot that receives the flange portion of the clamshell structure.

[0070] Clause 12. The system of clause 1, wherein the plurality of columns is within a range of 2 and 10 and the plurality of rows is within a range of 2 and 50.

[0071] Clause 13. The system of clause 1, wherein the scanner comprises a plurality of scanners such that each scanner of the plurality of scanners is configured to scan two columns of the plurality of columns of the array.

[0072] Clause 14. The system of clause 1, wherein the controller sends an alert if an error has occurred during placement of one of the plurality of package assemblies.

[0073] Clause 15. A system for sorting a plurality of package assemblies of seeds in a container comprising: the container comprising a plurality of receivers, wherein the plurality of receivers is arranged in an array that comprises a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns; each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies has a clamshell structure with a flange portion with an indicia on an external surface of the package assembly; a scanner configured to read the indicia on each package assembly; a robot configured to individually pick up each package assembly; and a controller comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by a controller, causes the controller to at least: instruct the scanner to read the indicia on each package assembly; determine an initial receiver for each package assembly; determine a location of any empty receivers in the container; read a predetermined array order of the plurality of package assemblies, wherein the predetermined array order includes a final receiver for each package assembly; identify a first final receiver for a first package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies from the predetermined array order; determine if the first final receiver is empty;instruct the robot to pick up the first package assembly from its corresponding receiver and place the first package assembly in the first final receiver.

[0074] Clause 16. The system of clause 15, wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by the controller, causes the controller to at least: upon determining the first final receiver has a second package assembly in the first final receiver, instruct the robot to pick up the second package assembly to a temporary receiver.

[0075] Clause 17. The system of clause 16, wherein the temporary receiver is an empty receiver in the container or a designated holding receiver located adjacent the container.

[0076] Clause 18. The system of clause 15, wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by the controller, causes the controller to at least: identify a second final receiver for a second package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies from the predetermined array order; determine if the second final receiver is empty; and instruct the robot to pick up the second package assembly from its corresponding initial receiver and place the second package assembly in the second final receiver.

[0077] Clause 19. The system of clause 15, wherein the predetermined array order corresponds to a planting order of seeds contained in each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies in the container.

[0078] Clause 20. The system of clause 15, wherein the robot comprises a robotic arm that includes a first pair of fingers and a second pair of fingers that move toward each other to clamp onto the flange portion of the first package assembly when the robotic arm picks up the first package assembly.

[0079] Clause 21. The system of clause 15, further comprising the controller instructing the robot to move the plurality of package assemblies until each package assembly ofthe plurality of package assemblies are placed in their corresponding final receiver as determined by predetermined array order.

[0080] Clause 22. A system for sorting a plurality of seed packages into a predetermined planting order within a container, comprising: a plurality of seed packages filled with seeds, wherein each seed package is filled with seeds of a single plant variety, and multiple seed packages are filled with seed of the same plant variety; the container comprising a plurality of receivers, wherein the plurality of receivers is arranged in an array that comprises a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, and wherein the seed packages are incorrectly ordered; a controller comprising a processor; a scanner configured to read indicia on each seed package; a robot configured to individually pick up each seed package; and a non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by a controller, causes the controller to at least: instruct the scanner to read the indicia on each seed package; determine an initial receiver for each seed package based on data from the scanned indicia of each seed package; determine a location of any empty receivers in the container; read a predetermined array order with the predetermined planting order, wherein the controller determines a final receiver for each seed package; identify a first final receiver for a first seed package of the plurality of seed packages from the predetermined array order; instruct the robot to pick up the first seed package from its corresponding receiver and place the first seed package in the first final receiver.

[0081] Clause 23. The system of clause 22, wherein the robot comprises a robotic arm.

[0082] Clause 24. The system of clause 23, wherein the robotic arm comprises fingers configured to individually pick up each seed package.

[0083] Clause 25. The system of clause 22, wherein each seed package of the plurality of seed packages comprises a clamshell structure with a flange portion with an indicia onan external surface of each seed package, and each seed package is oriented in the same direction within the container.

[0084] Clause 26. The system of clause 22, further comprising the processor instructing the robot to move the plurality of seed packages until each seed package of the plurality of seed packages are placed in their corresponding final receiver as determined by predetermined array order.

[0085] Clause 27. The system of clause 22, wherein the controller determines a path for the robot by selecting a nearest seed package that contains a seed variety to be planted next in the predetermined planting order.

[0086] Clause 28. A system for arranging a plurality of package assemblies of seeds comprising: a planting container comprising a first plurality of receivers, wherein the first plurality of receivers is arranged in a first array that comprises a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns; a supply container comprising a second plurality of receivers, wherein the second plurality of receivers is arranged in a second array that comprises a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, wherein the supply container has a plurality of package assemblies of seeds located individually in the second plurality of receivers; a scanner configured to read marking indicia on each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies of seeds located in the supply container; a robot configured to individually pick up each package assembly of seeds of the plurality of package assemblies of seeds; a controller comprising: a processor; and a non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the controller to: instruct the scanner to read the indicia on each package assembly of seeds; and instruct the robot to pick up a first package assembly of seeds of the plurality of package assemblies from its corresponding initial receiver of the second plurality of receivers of the supply container and place it into a first final receiver of the first plurality of receivers of the planting container.

[0087] Clause 29. The system of clause 28, wherein the first final receiver of the first plurality of receivers is designated by a predetermined array order.

[0088] Clause 30. The system of clause 29, wherein the predetermined array order designates a final receiver of the planting container for each package assembly of seeds of the plurality of package assemblies of seeds.

[0089] Clause 31. The system of clause 30, wherein the predetermined array order corresponds to a planting order of seeds contained in each package assembly of seeds of the plurality of package assemblies of seeds in the planting container.

[0090] Clause 32. The system of clause 28, further comprising the controller instructing the robot to move the plurality of package assemblies until each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies are placed in their corresponding final receiver as determined by predetermined array order.

[0091] Clause 33. The system of clause 28, wherein each package assembly has a clamshell structure with a flange portion.

[0092] Clause 34. The system of clause 33, wherein the robot comprises a robotic arm that includes a first pair of fingers and a second pair of fingers that move toward each other to clamp onto the flange portion of the package assembly when the robotic arm picks up the package assembly.

[0093] Clause 35. The system of clause 34, wherein the first pair of fingers and the second pair of fingers move away from each other to release the package assembly.

[0094] Clause 36. The system of clause 33, wherein each receiver of the first plurality of receivers has a slot that receives the flange portion of the clamshell structure.

[0095] Clause 37. The system of clause 28, wherein the plurality of columns is within a range of 2 and 10 and the plurality of rows is within a range of 2 and 50.

[0096] Clause 38. The system of clause 28, wherein the scanner comprises a plurality of scanners such that each scanner of the plurality of scanners is configured to scan two columns of the plurality of columns of the second array.

[0097] Clause 39. The system of clause 28, wherein the controller sends an alert if an error has occurred during placement of one of the plurality of package assemblies.

[0098] Clause 40. The system of clause 28, wherein the planting container, the supply container, and the robot are located in an enclosure.

[0099] Clause 41. The system of clause 40, wherein the robot is movably arranged within the enclosure.

[0100] Clause 42. The system of clause 41, wherein the robot is slidably coupled to a support beam located within the enclosure, wherein the support beam extends across a portion of the enclosure.

[0101] Clause 43. The system of clause 42, wherein the planting container is received in a tray that is fixedly coupled to the robot such that the tray is also slidably coupled to the support beam.

[0102] Clause 44. The system of clause 28, wherein the supply container comprises a plurality of supply containers, wherein the robot is located between a first supply container and a second supply container of the plurality of supply containers.

[0103] Clause 45. A system for ordering a plurality of package assemblies of seeds in a planting container comprising: a robot configured to individually pick up each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies; wherein each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies has a clamshell structure with a flange portion; and wherein the robot comprises a robotic arm that includes a first pair of fingers and a second pair of fingers that move toward each other to clamp onto the flangeportion of each package assembly when the robotic arm picks up each package assembly.

[0104] Clause 46. The system of clause 45, wherein the first pair of fingers contact a first side of the flange portion and the second pair of fingers contact a second side of the flange portion, wherein the second side of the flange portion is opposite the first side.

[0105] Clause 47. The system of clause 45, wherein the first pair of fingers and the second pair of fingers move in sync such that a clamping force on the flange portion is applied equally.

[0106] Clause 48. The system of clause 45, wherein each finger of the first pair of fingers has a notch that receives a hinge portion of each package assembly when the first pair of fingers and the second pair of fingers clamp onto the flange portion of each package assembly.

[0107] Clause 49. The system of clause 45, wherein each finger of the first pair of fingers has a tapered inner edge.

[0108] Clause 50. The system of clause 45, wherein the robot further comprises an optical sensor, wherein the optical sensor is located in a sensor receiver between the first pair of fingers.

[0109] Clause 51. The system of clause 45, wherein the first pair of fingers and the second pair of fingers move away from each other to release each package assembly when placing each package assembly into the planting container.

[0110] Clause 52. The system of clause 45, wherein the planting container comprises an array of receivers, wherein each receiver of the array of receivers has a slot that receives the flange portion of the clamshell structure prior to the first pair of fingers and the second pair of fingers moving away from each other to place each package assembly into the planting container.

[0111] Clause 53. The system of cause 45, further comprising:a scanner configured to read marking indicia on each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies; a controller comprising: a processor; and a non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the controller to: obtain scanned information from the scanner regarding the marking indicia on each package assembly; determine an order of each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies for each receiver of the planting container based upon a desired planting order of the seeds in each package assembly; and instruct the robot to place each package assembly into a designated receiver of the planting container that corresponds to the desired planting order for the seeds in each package assembly.

[0112] Clause 54. The system of clause 53, wherein if a first package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies is initially located in an incorrect receiver in the planting container compared to the designated receiver, the controller instructs the robot to place the first package assembly into a temporary receiver.

[0113] Clause 55. The system of clause 53, wherein the plurality of package assemblies is moved from one or more supply containers into the planting container.

[0114] Clause 56. The system of clause 53, wherein the desired planting order is arranged to represent a replicated experimental field design, and the controller determines each package assembly to select for transfer based upon a distance of the package assembly to a current location of the robotic arm.

[0115] Clause 57. The system of clause 53, further comprising: a plurality of supply containers, each supply container comprising a plurality of receivers, wherein the plurality of receivers is arranged in an array that comprises a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, wherein each supply container of the plurality of supply containers comprises the plurality of package assemblies of seedslocated individually in at least a portion of the plurality of receivers of the plurality of supply containers; and wherein the scanner is configured to read the marking indicia on each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies of seeds located in the plurality of supply containers; and wherein the non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the controller to: instruct the robot to pick up a first package assembly of seeds of the plurality of package assemblies from its corresponding initial receiver in one of the plurality of supply containers and place it into a first final receiver of the planting container that corresponds to the desired planting order for the seeds of the first package assembly.

[0116] Clause 58. The system of clause 57, wherein the controller instructs the robot to repeatedly pick up subsequent package assemblies of the plurality of package assemblies and place each subsequent package assembly into a corresponding receiver of the plurality of receivers of the planting container until the plurality of package assemblies are in the desired planting order.

[0117] Clause 59. The system of clause 57, wherein the plurality of supply containers, the planting container, and the robot are located in an enclosure.

[0118] Clause 60. The system of clause 59, wherein the robot is slidably coupled to a support beam located within the enclosure, wherein the support beam extends across a portion of the enclosure; and wherein the planting container is coupled to the robot such that the planting container slides with the robot.

[0119] Clause 61. The system of clause 60, wherein the plurality of supply containers comprises a first supply container and a second supply container, wherein the support beam is between the first supply container and the second supply container.

[0120] Clause 62. A robot configured to place a plurality of package assemblies of seeds in a container comprising:the robot is configured to individually pick up a first package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies, wherein the robot comprises a robotic arm that includes an adapter connected to a first pair of fingers arranged on a first side of the adapter and a second pair of fingers arranged on a second side of the adapter; wherein the container comprises a plurality of receivers, wherein the plurality of receivers is arranged in an array that comprises a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns; wherein the first package assembly has a clamshell structure with a flange portion, a hinge portion, and a cavity portion; and wherein when the robot picks up the first package assembly, the first pair of fingers and the second pair of fingers move toward each other to clamp onto the flange portion of the first package assembly.

[0121] Clause 63. The robot of clause 62, wherein the first pair of fingers are spaced apart from each other such that each finger of the first pair of fingers contacts on either side of the cavity portion such that the cavity portion is between each finger of the first pair of fingers when the robot picks up the first package assembly.

[0122] Clause 64. The robot of clause 62, wherein the first pair of fingers is connected by a first connecting member, wherein the first pair of fingers and the first connecting member form a unitary member.

[0123] Clause 65. The robot of clause 64, wherein each finger of the first pair of fingers has a notch that receives the hinge portion of each package assembly, wherein the notch is between each finger of the first pair of fingers and the first connecting member.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A system for ordering a plurality of package assemblies of seeds in a planting container comprising: a robot configured to individually pick up each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies; wherein each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies has a clamshell structure with a flange portion; and wherein the robot comprises a robotic arm that includes a first pair of fingers and a second pair of fingers that move toward each other to clamp onto the flange portion of each package assembly when the robotic arm picks up each package assembly.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first pair of fingers contact a first side of the flange portion and the second pair of fingers contact a second side of the flange portion, wherein the second side of the flange portion is opposite the first side.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first pair of fingers and the second pair of fingers move in sync such that a clamping force on the flange portion is applied equally.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each finger of the first pair of fingers has a notch that receives a hinge portion of each package assembly when the first pair of fingers and the second pair of fingers clamp onto the flange portion of each package assembly.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each finger of the first pair of fingers has a tapered inner edge.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the robot further comprises an optical sensor, wherein the optical sensor is located in a sensor receiver between the first pair of fingers.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first pair of fingers and the second pair of fingers move away from each other to release each package assembly when placing each package assembly into the planting container.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the planting container comprises an array of receivers, wherein each receiver of the array of receivers has a slot that receives the flange portion of the clamshell structure prior to the first pair of fingers and the second pair of fingers moving away from each other to place each package assembly into the planting container.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a scanner configured to read marking indicia on each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies; a controller comprising: a processor; and a non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the controller to: obtain scanned information from the scanner regarding the marking indicia on each package assembly; determine an order of each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies for each receiver of the planting container based upon a desired planting order of the seeds in each package assembly; and instruct the robot to place each package assembly into a designated receiver of the planting container that corresponds to the desired planting order for the seeds in each package assembly.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein if a first package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies is initially located in an incorrect receiver in the planting container compared to the designated receiver, the controller instructs the robot to place the first package assembly into a temporary receiver.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of package assemblies is moved from one or more supply containers into the planting container.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the desired planting order is arranged to represent a replicated experimental field design, and the controller determines each package assembly to select for transfer based upon a distance of the package assembly to a current location of the robotic arm.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising: a plurality of supply containers, each supply container comprising a plurality of receivers, wherein the plurality of receivers is arranged in an array that comprises a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, wherein each supply container of the plurality of supply containers comprises the plurality of package assemblies of seeds located individually in at least a portion of the plurality of receivers of the plurality of supply containers; and wherein the scanner is configured to read the marking indicia on each package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies of seeds located in the plurality of supply containers; and wherein the non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the controller to: instruct the robot to pick up a first package assembly of seeds of the plurality of package assemblies from its corresponding initial receiver in one of the plurality of supply containers and place it into a first final receiver of the planting container that corresponds to the desired planting order for the seeds of the first package assembly.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the controller instructs the robot to repeatedly pick up subsequent package assemblies of the plurality of package assemblies and place each subsequent package assembly into a corresponding receiver of the plurality of receivers of the planting container until the plurality of package assemblies are in the desired planting order.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of supply containers, the planting container, and the robot are located in an enclosure.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the robot is slidably coupled to a support beam located within the enclosure, wherein the support beam extends across a portion of the enclosure; and wherein the planting container is coupled to the robot such that the planting container slides with the robot.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of supply containers comprises a first supply container and a second supply container, wherein the support beam is between the first supply container and the second supply container.

18. A robot configured to place a plurality of package assemblies of seeds in a container comprising: the robot is configured to individually pick up a first package assembly of the plurality of package assemblies, wherein the robot comprises a robotic arm that includes an adapter connected to a first pair of fingers arranged on a first side of the adapter and a second pair of fingers arranged on a second side of the adapter; wherein the container comprises a plurality of receivers, wherein the plurality of receivers is arranged in an array that comprises a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns; wherein the first package assembly has a clamshell structure with a flange portion, a hinge portion, and a cavity portion; and wherein when the robot picks up the first package assembly, the first pair of fingers and the second pair of fingers move toward each other to clamp onto the flange portion of the first package assembly.

19. The robot of claim 18, wherein the first pair of fingers are spaced apart from each other such that each finger of the first pair of fingers contacts on either side of the cavity portion such that the cavity portion is between each finger of the first pair of fingers when the robot picks up the first package assembly.

20. The robot of claim 18, wherein the first pair of fingers is connected by a first connecting member, wherein the first pair of fingers and the first connecting member form a unitary member.

21. The robot of claim 20, wherein each finger of the first pair of fingers has a notch that receives the hinge portion of each package assembly, wherein the notch is between each finger of the first pair of fingers and the first connecting member.

Images