Cutting Placement System Using Camera Recognition and Indentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for placing plant cuttings in a cultivation medium are inefficient, with manual processes being time-consuming and unreliable, and automated systems suffer from insufficient uniformity and limited throughput due to issues with pick-up tool orientation and logistics.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a separate pick-up tool and planting system that uses a camera for pattern recognition to identify and orient cuttings, a planting unit for multiple cuttings, and an indentation unit to ensure uniform placement, allowing for simultaneous planting and improved throughput.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If sequential picking of adjacent cuttings is used, then cuttings can be picked up individually, but the orientation of picked cuttings changes due to interaction between adjacent cuttings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-forming indentations in the cultivation medium before placing the cuttings. The indentation unit creates standardized cavities that guide and constrain the cuttings into correct orientations during placement. This preliminary preparation of the reception environment ensures that even if cuttings are picked with varying orientations, they are reliably positioned correctly when placed into the pre-formed indentations, thus resolving the orientation consistency issue.
2Ease of operation
If a rotating device is used to grip individual cuttings, then cuttings can be transferred individually, but the assembly occupies a lot of space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical rotating device with a camera-based optical system for identifying and guiding cutting placement. Instead of using a physical rotating mechanism to handle and transfer cuttings, the system uses image capture and pattern recognition to identify cutting positions and orientations, then guides a picking tool to place cuttings directly into corresponding indentations. This substitution of mechanical rotation with optical detection and digital processing significantly reduces the spatial footprint of the apparatus while maintaining individual cutting transfer capability.
3Manufacturing precision
If sequential picking and placement is used, then individual cuttings can be processed, but the throughput is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuity of useful action by operating the indentation unit and picking/placement operations in parallel and continuously. The indentation unit continuously forms cavities in the cultivation medium while the picking tool simultaneously picks and places cuttings into these pre-formed indentations. This continuous, synchronized operation eliminates idle time between picking and placement, allowing the system to process multiple cuttings in sequence without interruption, thereby significantly increasing throughput while maintaining precise individual placement.
4Reliability
If strict spacing boundaries are enforced for supplied cuttings, then individual cutting processing is ensured, but the throughput decreases when cuttings are supplied too close together
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the cutting supply system adaptable to variable spacing conditions. The camera system dynamically identifies the actual positions and orientations of supplied cuttings regardless of their spacing, and the control system adjusts the picking tool's movement and placement strategy in real-time based on this information. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to process cuttings supplied at varying distances from each other without requiring strict spacing boundaries, maintaining processing accuracy while maximizing throughput by accepting whatever cutting supply rate is provided.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to an apparatus for placing cuttings of plants in a cultivation medium. The apparatus comprises a cuttings supply system for supplying a plurality of cuttings, a camera system for identifying cuttings among the plurality of cuttings that are suitable for individual pick up using pattern recognition, a pick-up tool for picking up cuttings identified by the camera system, and a planting system for simultaneously planting multiple cuttings in the cultivation medium. The planting system and the pick-up tool are separate entities. Furthermore, the pick-up tool is arranged for suitably placing picked-up cuttings in the planting system.