Robotic Vine Tying Tool for Consistent Trellis Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for tying or twisting agricultural items, such as grape vine canes, to support structures like wire trellises in vineyards are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and lack consistency, affecting the health and quality of the grape vines.
Innovation Solution
A robotic agricultural tool equipped with a main gear and a robotic arm that positions agricultural items and support structures within receiving spaces, using a motor-driven pulley system to securely tie or twist them together, ensuring reliable attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If manual labor is used to tie or twist agricultural items to support structures, then the process can be performed with simple tools, but the labor cost and time consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations with an automated robotic system that uses a motor-driven main gear to perform tying/twisting operations. The robotic arm positions the tool, and the motorized gear system executes the tying action, substituting human labor with an automated mechanical system that maintains operational simplicity while dramatically improving productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The agricultural tool is designed to be self-positioning through the robotic arm, which automatically locates and captures the agricultural item and support structure within the receiving spaces. The system serves itself by autonomously completing the entire tying process without human intervention, reducing labor costs while maintaining tool simplicity
2Ease of manufacture
If manual methods are used for tying agricultural items, then the equipment cost is low, but the consistency and reliability of attachment decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces inconsistent manual operations with a standardized automated system. The motor-driven main gear executes identical tying motions with precise control, ensuring consistent attachment reliability. The robotic positioning system maintains uniform capture of agricultural items and support structures, eliminating variability introduced by different operators
Solution Approach 2:
The system controls critical parameters such as gear rotation angle, receiving space positioning, and attachment force through motor control. By precisely managing these parameters, the system achieves reliable and consistent attachment results while maintaining cost-effectiveness through automated control rather than expensive manual expertise
3Productivity
If automated robotic systems are used to tie agricultural items, then productivity and consistency improve, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The automated system is divided into distinct functional modules: a robotic arm for positioning, a main gear mechanism for tying/twisting, and a receiving structure for capturing items. This segmentation allows each component to be independently optimized and maintained, managing overall system complexity while achieving high productivity through coordinated automation
Solution Approach 2:
The agricultural tool is designed with universal receiving spaces that can accommodate different agricultural items and support structures. The main gear mechanism performs multiple functions including capturing, tying, and twisting operations. This multi-functionality reduces the need for multiple specialized devices, managing complexity while maintaining high automation efficiency
4Ease of operation
If manual tying processes are used, then the operation can be performed flexibly by different people, but the time consumption and labor costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic system performs all operations autonomously without requiring human operators to physically perform the tying actions. The system serves itself by automatically positioning, capturing, and tying agricultural items, eliminating time loss associated with manual operations while maintaining operational flexibility through programmable control
Solution Approach 2:
The motor-driven main gear enables continuous tying operations without the interruptions inherent in manual processes. The robotic arm maintains continuous positioning control, and the automated system can operate without breaks, significantly reducing time per attachment while preserving flexibility through programmable operation sequences
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention concerns a method for tying and/or twisting an agricultural item of interest (A) and a support structure (S) together includes capturing the agricultural item of interest (A) with an agricultural tool (100), capturing the support structure (S) with the agricultural tool (100), and tying and/or twisting the agricultural item of interest (A) and the support structure (S) together such that the agricultural item of interest (A) is supported by the support structure (S).