Tree Climbing Machine with Adhesive Wheels and Articulated Saw
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for pruning tall trees are hazardous and require specialized skills and equipment, posing risks to operators and others due to the need for manual climbing and anchoring on fragile branches, and often necessitate the use of sophisticated machinery.
Innovation Solution
A climbing and pruning machine with a rigid support structure, extendable arms with wheels and disc brakes, and a circular electric saw with lifting, moving, and orienting mechanisms, all remotely controlled from the ground, allowing autonomous ascent and descent and precise pruning without the need for specialized operators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual climbing and anchoring systems are used, then operators can reach tall branches for pruning, but safety risks increase due to fragile branches and height dangers
Solution Approach 1:
The machine performs climbing and pruning operations autonomously without requiring human operators to physically ascend the tree. The self-climbing mechanism with adhesive wheels and the automated saw system enable the device to service itself in reaching and cutting branches, eliminating safety risks to operators while requiring minimal operational skill.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical climbing system (anchor belts, lifting ropes, spiked shoes) with an automated robotic system featuring electric motors, adhesive wheels, and programmable control. This substitution eliminates the need for operators to use fragile anchoring systems on tree branches, significantly improving safety while reducing skill requirements.
2Reliability
If specialized machinery like baskets with cranes are used, then safety is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into modular functional components: a self-climbing module with adhesive wheels, a pruning module with circular saw, a control module with sensors, and a power module with battery. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while maintaining overall safety, avoiding the need for complex integrated systems like crane-mounted baskets.
Solution Approach 2:
The climbing machine integrates multiple functions into a single device: it can climb trees, position itself at various heights, prune branches using a circular saw, and apply treatments to foliage. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate specialized machinery like cranes and baskets, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining safety.
3Productivity
If operators work at height with power saws, then pruning can be performed, but harmful factors increase due to falling branches and head injury risks
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic pruning system acts as an intermediary between the operator and the tree. The operator controls the machine from ground level, and the machine's automated saw and positioning systems perform the cutting operation. This intermediary eliminates direct exposure to falling branches and head injury risks while maintaining full pruning capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual power saw operation at height with an automated robotic saw system. The circular saw is mounted on the climbing machine and controlled by sensors and programmable logic, eliminating the need for operators to manually operate saws while positioned on fragile branches, thereby removing the hazard of falling branches and head injuries.
4Ease of operation
If non-specialized operators are to use the machine, then ease of operation improves, but control precision at height may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates sensors that detect branch positions, distances, and characteristics, providing real-time feedback to the control system. This feedback enables automated adjustment of the saw position and cutting parameters, ensuring precise pruning operations even when controlled by non-specialized operators from ground level.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual visual estimation and manual positioning with an automated sensor-based positioning system. Optical sensors and range finders automatically calculate the precise location and orientation of branches, allowing non-specialized operators to achieve accurate pruning results without requiring expertise in spatial judgment or manual positioning skills.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables safe, efficient, and precise pruning of tall trees without the need for specialized operators or equipment, reducing hazards and allowing for easy use by non-specialized personnel, while also facilitating the application of anti-parasitic substances.
Implementation Method 1
respective wheels connected at the ends of the arms such as to be placed in contact and adhering stably to the bark of the tree and such as to be able to roll on it
Implementation Method 2
each arm consisting of an extendable and amortized bar by means of a spring mechanism or hydraulic jacks
Implementation Method 3
each arm consisting of an extendable and amortized bar by means of a spring mechanism or hydraulic jacks
Implementation Method 4
a disc brake installed on its axis of rotation
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~8
Figure 9~11
AI summary
Climbing and pruning machine (100), applied to a trunk (101) of a tree (102), said machine (100) characterized by the fact that it comprises: - a rigid support structure (103), having a hollow cylindrical shape, and having an axis aligned with the longitudinal axis of the tree (102), so as to radially wrap the trunk (101) of the tree (102) with an opening and closing mechanism that allows installation and removal of the same machine (100); during installation the machine (100) is open with its two respective semi-cylindrical parts (104, 105) disjointed and rotated with respect to a common pivot (106), so as to pass the trunk (101) of the tree (102) in the internal hollow part of the machine (100); subsequently the two semi-cylindrical parts (104, 105) are made to rotate with respect to the common pivot (106), in such a way as to join and then be locked in a single body, by means of a proper locking element; to uninstall the machine (100) the above operations are carried out in reverse; - a first series of arms (107a, 107b, ...), each of which consists of an extendable and amortized bar, by means of a spring mechanism or hydraulic jacks, installed on the lateral surface of the above said structure (103), with the axis directed in the radial direction towards the above said trunk (101) of the tree (102); at the ends of the arms (107a, 107b, ...) respective wheels (108a, 108b, ...) are connected such as to be placed in contact and adhering stably to the bark of the tree (102), and such as to be able to roll on it; each of the wheels (108a, 108b, ...) comprises a respective electric motor (109a, 109b, ...) and a disc brake (112a, 112b, ...) installed on its axis of rotation; - a pruning unit (200) with a circular electric saw (113), the above said unit (200) being installed in the upper part of the rigid support structure (103), comprising an articulated mechanism for lifting, moving and orienting the cutting direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the trunk (101) of the tree (102); - electric and electronic means, with respective sensors and actuators, designed to: acquire electricity from a common external battery, exert a motive force of clockwise or counterclockwise rotation on the above said wheels (108a, 108b, ...), braking force of the same wheels (108a, 108b, ...), operating the above said circular electric saw (113) with respective lifting, moving and orienting mechanism, and exchanging operating data with a logic control unit.