JP2012110257A - Mechanism for cutting fruit stem - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To smoothly position a fruit stem at a fruit stem-cutting position to prevent the damage of the fruit stem.SOLUTION: A dent portion 152a dented in the direction of +X' from the direction of Z' is formed in a second finger 52b-facing portion of a first finger 52a, and a cutting blade 64 is disposed to cover the dent portion from the direction of +Z'. The edge of the cutting blade is set to the same end face as the -X end face (portion except the dent portion 152a) of the first finger. When a fruit stem is inserted between the edge of the cutting blade and the second finger, the contact of the fruit stem with the cutting blade can thereby be prevented.

Description

  The present invention relates to a fruit pattern cutting mechanism.

  Traditionally, fruits (crop) such as strawberries have been harvested manually because they are easily damaged when handled by machines. Recently, with the progress of hydroponic cultivation and the like, the possibility of harvesting by machine has been opening up, so a harvesting device (harvesting robot) to greatly reduce working hours and labor Is under development (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 5).

JP 2001-95348 A JP 2009-5589 A JP 2008-206438 A JP 2008-22737 A JP 2001-145411 A

  Whether the fruit is manually harvested as described above or the fruit is harvested using a machine, the cutting position of the mechanism for cutting the fruit pattern (for example, cutting) It is necessary to position the fruit handle in the vicinity of the blade edge). However, during this positioning, if the fruit handle or fruit comes into contact with a part of the mechanism for cutting the fruit handle, the fruit handle may not be positioned smoothly or the fruit handle or fruit may be damaged. .

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a fruit cutting mechanism capable of smoothly positioning a fruit pattern at a fruit cutting position and suppressing damage to the fruit pattern. Objective.

  The fruit pattern cutting mechanism of the present invention is a fruit pattern cutting mechanism for cutting a fruit pattern of a fruit to be harvested, and extends in a first direction and is movable in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; The first finger is disposed in the vicinity of the second direction, extends in the first direction, is movable in the second direction, and has a plate shape having a surface including the first and second directions. And a cutting blade provided in the first finger, the first and second portions of the first finger facing the second finger. A recess that is recessed in the second direction as viewed from a third direction orthogonal to the direction is formed, the cutting blade is provided on the first finger so as to cover the recess from the third direction, and the cutting edge is , The surface of the first finger facing the second finger The second finger is set to be flush with a portion other than the concave portion or at a position farther from the second finger than the portion, and the first finger and the second finger are located at a portion facing the concave portion of the second finger. A convex portion is provided that can enter the concave portion when approaching in the second direction, and when the first and second fingers approach in the second direction, the convex portion and the cutting blade are located between the convex portion and the cutting blade. A fruit cutting mechanism for cutting the fruit pattern of the fruit to be harvested located between the first and second fingers by a shearing force.

  According to this, a concave portion that is recessed in the second direction when viewed from the third direction is formed in a part of the first finger that faces the second finger, and the cutting blade is provided so as to cover the concave portion from the third direction. In addition, the cutting edge of the cutting blade is set to be flush with a surface (a portion other than the concave portion) facing the second finger of the first finger or at a position far from the second finger. Thereby, the contact of the fruit handle to the cutting blade when the fruit handle is caused to enter between the first and second fingers between the cutting edge of the cutting blade and the second finger can be suppressed. Accordingly, the fruit handle can be smoothly penetrated between the cutting edge of the cutting blade and the second finger (that is, the cutting position of the fruit handle), and damage to the fruit handle due to contact with the cutting blade can be suppressed. it can. Moreover, since the convex part which can penetrate | invade in a recessed part is provided in the part facing a recessed part of a 2nd finger, when a 1st, 2nd finger approaches, it is between a cutting blade and a protruding part. It becomes possible to cut the fruit handle with the shearing force.

  In this case, the fruit pattern of the harvest target fruit enters between the first and second fingers from one end in the first direction, and the one end in the first direction of the first and second fingers is The predetermined gap may be maintained even when the first and second fingers are closest to each other in the second direction.

  In the fruit pattern cutting mechanism of the present invention, a buffer material may be provided in the recess of the first finger. In such a case, it is possible to hold the fruit between the first and second fingers while suppressing damage to the fruit handle.

  The fruit pattern cutting mechanism of the present invention has an effect that the fruit pattern can be positioned smoothly at the cutting position of the fruit pattern and damage to the fruit pattern can be suppressed.

It is a figure which shows a part of strawberry farm of one embodiment and the high cultivation farm where the said strawberry harvesting apparatus was installed. FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating a state in which the hand mechanism is viewed from the + Z ′ direction, and FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating a state in which the hand mechanism is viewed from the −X ′ direction. FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing a first finger (including a cutting blade and a stopper) and a second finger, and FIG. 3B is a view showing the first finger, and FIG. These are the BB sectional drawing of Fig.3 (a). It is a block diagram which shows the control system of a strawberry harvesting apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows a series of processes of a strawberry harvesting apparatus. FIG. 6A is a perspective view showing a state in which the strawberry fruit pattern has entered between the first finger and the second finger, and FIG. 6B shows a cutting blade and a stopper from FIG. 6A. It is a perspective view which shows the state removed. Fig.7 (a) is a perspective view which shows the state which cut | disconnected the strawberry fruit pattern, FIG.7 (b) is a perspective view which shows the state which removed the cutting blade and the stopper from Fig.7 (a).

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 shows a part of a strawberry harvesting apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment and a part of a high cultivation farm on which the strawberry harvesting apparatus 100 is installed. In this elevated farm, a cultivation bed 40 for cultivating strawberries to hang down at the time of fruiting of strawberries by soil cultivation or hydroponics, and the cultivation bed 40 is supported at a predetermined height (for example, 1 m). A plurality of legs 43 are provided. The height of the cultivation bed 40 is set in consideration of the workability of the worker (for example, whether or not the worker can work without bending down). In this embodiment, the longitudinal direction of the cultivation bed 40 will be described as the Y-axis direction, the short direction as the X-axis direction, and the gravity direction perpendicular to the X-axis and the Y-axis as the Z-axis direction.

  The strawberry harvesting apparatus 100 includes rails 32A and 32B laid on the ground along the Y-axis direction, a carriage 30 that moves in the Y-axis direction along the rails 32A and 32B, and a robot provided on the carriage 30. An arm 20, a hand mechanism 10 as a fruit pattern cutting device provided at the tip of the robot arm 20, a tray 50 provided on a carriage 30 for collecting harvested strawberries, a stereo camera 60, It has. The rails 32A and 32B have substantially the same length as the length of the cultivation bed 40 in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction).

  The carriage 30 has a two-step staircase shape, the robot arm 20 is provided on the lower step portion 30a, and the tray 50 is provided on the upper step portion 30b. This carriage 30 is driven by a driving force of a drive unit 106 (not shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 4) under the direction of a drive control unit 95 (not shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 4) of the control device 90, with a rail 32A. , 32B, move in the Y-axis direction. The tray 50 is made of a flexible material such as urethane, and is provided with a plurality of recesses that can accommodate strawberries.

  The robot arm 20 is operated by an electric motor controlled by a motor driver. Since the robot arm 20 has two joint portions each capable of rotating about two axes, and has two mechanisms capable of rotating about one axis, the tip portion (the hand mechanism 10 is provided). Is movable in the direction of 6 degrees of freedom with respect to the carriage 30. That is, the hand mechanism 10 moves along a plane (predetermined plane) defined by the X axis and the Y axis and can approach the strawberry to be harvested, and moves in the Z axis direction or the X axis. The posture around the Y axis and the Z axis can also be changed. The operation of the robot arm 20 is controlled by the drive control unit 95 of the control device 90 of FIG.

  The hand mechanism 10 is a mechanism for cutting a strawberry pattern to be harvested and harvesting the strawberry. Hereinafter, the hand mechanism 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 2A is a plan view of the hand mechanism 10 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a side view of the hand mechanism 10. In the following description, the vertical direction in FIG. 2B is defined as the Z′-axis direction, the direction perpendicular to the Z′-axis direction, the direction perpendicular to the Z′-axis and the X′-axis as the Y′-axis direction. To do.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), the hand mechanism 10 includes a first finger 52a, a second finger 52b, a fruit pattern detection camera 54, and first and second fingers 52a, 52b. The air chuck 56 as a moving unit that drives the X-direction along the X ′ direction, and a support base 55 that supports the air chuck 56 and the fruit pattern detection camera 54.

  FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing a state where the first finger 52a and the second finger 52b are taken out. As shown in FIG. 3A, the first and second fingers 52a and 52b extend in the Y ′ direction as the first direction, and the first and second fingers 52a and 52b are in the second direction. Are arranged close to the X ′ direction.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, a cutting blade 64 and a substantially L-shaped stopper 66 are provided near the + Y ′ end of the first finger 52a. The cutting blade 64 has a plate shape (thin plate shape) having an X′Y ′ surface, and the −X ′ end portion is a blade edge extending in the Y ′ direction. The cutting blade 64 is fixed to the first finger 52 a together with the stopper 66 by a screw. That is, a replacement blade can be used as the cutting blade 64. The stopper 66 is a member that keeps the strawberry fruit pattern at a position where it can be cut by the cutting blade 64.

  FIG. 3B shows a state in which the cutting blade 64 and the stopper 66 are removed from the first finger 52a of FIG. As shown in FIG. 3B, a concave portion 152a recessed in the + X ′ direction is formed in the portion of the first finger 52a facing the second finger 52b as viewed from the Z ′ direction as the third direction. Has been. A thin plate-like cushioning material 62 is provided in the recess 152a. As the buffer material 62, for example, rubber or the like can be used. As can be seen from FIG. 3A, the cutting blade 64 is fixed to the first finger 52a so as to cover the recess 152a from the + Z ′ direction. Further, as can be seen from FIGS. 6A and 2A, the cutting edge 64 extending in the Y ′ direction of the cutting blade 64 has a −X ′ end surface (second finger 52b) of the first finger 52a (a portion other than the recess 152a). Is set to be flush with the surface facing the surface. Here, as shown in FIG. 3C, which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 3A, the cutting blade 64 protrudes in the −X ′ direction from the cushioning material 62 provided in the recess 152 a. It is provided in the 1st finger 52a so that it may be in a state. Further, as the protruding amount d of the cutting blade 64 with respect to the cushioning material 62, an amount similar to the diameter (diameter) of the fruit handle is employed. By doing so, it is possible to hold the fruit pattern by the first finger 52a (buffer material 62) and the second finger 52b substantially simultaneously with cutting the fruit pattern by the cutting blade 64. In addition, by setting the protruding amount d as described above, the cushioning material 62 does not hinder the approaching operation of the first finger 52a and the second finger 52b when the fruit handle is cut.

  Returning to FIG. 3A, a convex portion 152b having a shape capable of entering the concave portion 152a is formed at a position of the second finger 52b facing the concave portion 152a of the first finger 52a. The convex portion 152b enters the concave portion 152a with the first finger 52a and the second finger 52b approaching each other in the X ′ direction (see FIG. 7B).

  As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, when the first finger 52a and the second finger 52b are closest to each other in the X ′ direction, the + Y ′ end of the first finger 52a, A gap 72 is formed between the second finger 52b and the + Y ′ end. The gap 72 has a size (for example, about 3 mm) slightly larger than the diameter of the strawberry fruit pattern.

  Returning to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the air chuck 56 drives the first and second fingers 52a and 52b along the X′-axis direction under the instruction of the drive control unit 95 (FIG. 4). Then, the fingers 52a and 52b are moved close to each other and opened and closed. Specifically, the first finger 52a and the second finger 52b are opened by simultaneously performing the movement of the first finger 52a in the + X ′ direction and the movement of the second finger 52b in the −X ′ direction. can do. Further, the first finger 52a and the second finger 52b are closed by simultaneously performing the movement of the first finger 52a in the −X ′ direction and the movement of the second finger 52b in the + X ′ direction. it can.

  The fruit pattern detection camera 54 photographs the strawberry to be harvested and the fruit pattern of the strawberry, and outputs the photographed image to the fruit pattern cutting position determination unit 86 (see FIG. 4) of the control device 90. The image captured by the fruit pattern detection camera 54 is used to determine the cutting position of the fruit pattern of the strawberry to be harvested.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the stereo camera 60 simultaneously acquires two images from a direction intersecting the XY plane (predetermined plane) (here, the Z direction) using two optical systems and two imaging elements. The stereo camera 60 outputs the acquired image to the fruit three-dimensional position calculation unit 84 (see FIG. 4) of the control device 90. In addition, the image image | photographed with the stereo camera 60 is used for the identification of the strawberry of the harvest target, and the identification of the three-dimensional position (X, Y, Z direction position) of the strawberry.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control system of the strawberry harvesting apparatus 100 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the control system of the present embodiment includes a control device 90 that comprehensively controls each unit and an input device 99 connected to the control device 90 in addition to the above-described units. The control device 90 is an information processing device having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and each function shown in the block of the control device 90 in FIG. 4 is realized by executing a control program in the CPU. Specifically, the control device 90 functions as a fruit three-dimensional position calculation unit 84, a fruit pattern cutting position determination unit 86, and a drive control unit 95.

  The fruit three-dimensional position calculation unit 84 acquires an image photographed by the stereo camera 60, performs image recognition of the acquired image, and drives the image recognition result (a three-dimensional direction position of the strawberry to be harvested). Output for.

  The fruit pattern cutting position determination unit 86 acquires an image photographed by the fruit pattern detection camera 54, and calculates the position of the fruit pattern of the strawberry to be harvested from the image. Then, the fruit pattern cutting position determination unit 86 determines the fruit pattern cutting position based on the calculated fruit pattern position, and outputs the determination result to the drive control unit 95.

  The drive control unit 95 controls driving of the drive unit 106, the robot arm 20, and the air chuck 56 based on information input from the fruit three-dimensional position calculation unit 84 and the fruit pattern cutting position determination unit 86.

  Next, the process by the strawberry harvesting apparatus 100 configured as described above will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a series of processes performed by the strawberry harvesting apparatus 100. The processing in FIG. 5 is executed by each unit of the control device 90.

  First, in step S10 of FIG. 5, the drive control unit 95 determines whether or not a harvest start instruction has been issued. The harvest start instruction is input from the input device 99 connected to the control device 90 by the operator. The drive control unit 95 waits until the determination in step S10 is affirmed, and proceeds to step S12 when the determination in step S10 is affirmed.

  If transfering it to step S12, the fruit three-dimensional position calculation part 84 will calculate the three-dimensional position of the strawberry of the harvest object from the image image | photographed in the stereo camera 60. FIG. In this case, the fruit three-dimensional position calculation unit 84 recognizes the color of the strawberry (red or greenish white) from the image, determines the red fruit as the strawberry to be harvested, and calculates the position of the strawberry to be harvested. . The fruit three-dimensional position calculation unit 84 outputs the three-dimensional position of the strawberry to the drive control unit 95.

  Next, in step S14, the drive control unit 95 causes the hand mechanism 10 to approach the harvest target strawberry via the robot arm 20 and the drive unit 106 based on the calculated three-dimensional position of the harvest target strawberry.

  Next, in step S16, an image is photographed using the fruit pattern detection camera 54 mounted on the hand mechanism 10 in the state close to the strawberry to be harvested in step S14, and the fruit pattern cutting is performed using the photographed image. The position determination unit 86 calculates the position of the strawberry fruit pattern to be harvested. And the fruit pattern cutting position determination part 86 determines the position of predetermined height from the lower end of a fruit pattern as a fruit pattern cutting position, for example.

  Next, in step S20, the drive control unit 95 drives the robot arm 20 and moves the hand mechanism 10 to the handle cutting position. Specifically, the drive control unit 95 moves the hand mechanism 10 straight so that the strawberry fruit pattern to be harvested enters between the first finger 52a (the cutting edge of the cutting blade 64) and the second finger 52b. Let In addition, the state in which the fruit handle was located between the blade edge | tip of the cutting blade 64 and the 2nd finger 52b is shown by Fig.6 (a). Moreover, the state which removed the cutting blade 64 and the stopper 66 from the state of Fig.6 (a) is shown by FIG.6 (b). Here, as described above, the cutting edge of the cutting blade 64 is set to be flush with the −X ′ end surface of the first finger 52a (the portion other than the concave portion 152a). By adopting such a configuration, the fruit handle and the cutting when the fruit handle enters between the cutting edge of the cutting blade 64 and the second finger 52b along the direction of arrow A in FIG. Contact with the blade 64 can be suppressed. That is, compared with the case where the cutting edge of the cutting blade 64 is present in the −X ′ direction with respect to the −X ′ end surface of the first finger 52a, the handle is disposed between the cutting blade 64 and the second finger 52b. Can smoothly enter.

  Next, in step S22, the drive control unit 95 controls the air chuck 56 to move the pair of fingers 52a and 52b in a direction approaching each other (closed state), so that the fruit pattern is cut into the fruit pattern cutting position. Cut with. The state of the first finger 52a and the second finger 52b at this time is shown in FIG. In the state of FIG. 7A, the convex portion 152b of the second finger 52b enters the concave portion 152a of the first finger 52a. Thus, when the convex part 152b penetrates into the concave part 152a, the shearing force by the convex part 152b and the cutting blade 64 acts on the fruit pattern, so that the fruit pattern is cut by the shearing force. Become.

  FIG. 7B shows a state where the cutting blade 64 and the stopper 66 are removed from the state of FIG. As shown in FIG. 7B, in the state where the fruit pattern has been cut, the fruit pattern after cutting (the lower side (−Z ′ side) than the cutting blade 64) is interposed via the cushioning material 62. It is clamped by the convex part 152b of the 2nd finger 52b, and the recessed part 152a of the 1st finger 52a.

  Even though the fruit handle has entered between the first and second fingers 52a and 52b, the fruit handle is positioned in the gap 72 even if it cannot enter between the cutting blade 64 and the second finger 52b. Will do. In this case, it is possible to avoid damage to the fruit handle caused by being crushed between the first and second fingers 52a and 52b.

  Returning to FIG. 5, in the next step S <b> 24, the drive control unit 95 drives the robot arm 20 to position the hand mechanism 10 above the tray 50. Then, the drive control unit 95 controls the air chuck 56 to move the first and second fingers 52a and 52b away from each other (open state), thereby holding the strawberry held by the hand mechanism 10. Is placed on the tray 50. That is, the strawberry is harvested by the process of step S24. Since the tray 50 is made of a flexible member such as urethane as described above, the strawberry is not damaged even if the strawberry is dropped from above the tray 50.

  Next, in step S26, the drive control unit 95 determines whether or not a harvesting end instruction has been issued. If the determination here is negative, the process returns to step S12, and the next strawberry is harvested by the same method as described above. On the other hand, if the determination in step S26 is affirmative, that is, if a harvesting end instruction is input from the operator via the input device 99, the entire process of FIG.

  As described above in detail, according to the present embodiment, a concave portion recessed in the + X ′ direction as viewed from the + Z ′ (or −Z ′) direction is formed in a part of the first finger 52a facing the second finger 52b. 152a is formed, and the cutting blade 64 is provided so as to cover the concave portion 152a from the + Z ′ direction, and the cutting edge of the cutting blade 64 is flush with the −X end surface (the portion other than the concave portion 152a) of the first finger 52a. Is set. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the contact of the fruit handle to the cutting blade 64 when the fruit handle enters between the cutting edge of the cutting blade 64 and the second finger 52b. As a result, the fruit handle can smoothly enter between the cutting edge of the cutting blade 64 and the second finger 52b, and damage to the fruit handle can be suppressed. Further, in the present embodiment, a convex portion 152b that can enter the concave portion 152a when the first and second fingers 52a and 52b approach in the X ′ direction is provided in a portion facing the concave portion 152a of the second finger 52b. Therefore, even if the cutting edge of the cutting blade 64 and the -X end surface of the first finger 52a are set to be flush with each other as described above, there is no problem between the cutting blade 64 and the convex portion 152b. It becomes possible to cut the fruit handle with the shearing force.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the gap 72 is maintained at the + Y ′ ends of the first and second fingers 52a and 52b even when the first and second fingers 52a and 52b are closest to each other in the X ′ direction. . Thus, even if the fruit handle cannot enter between the cutting edge of the cutting blade 64 and the second finger 52b and the cutting blade 64 cannot cut, the fruit handle is positioned in the gap 72. Therefore, it can suppress that a fruit handle is crushed by the 1st, 2nd finger 52a, 52b etc., and is damaged.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the cutting blade 64 can be a detachable spare blade, so that it is possible to improve the maintainability. Moreover, in this embodiment, even if it uses a spare blade as the cutting blade 64, it is effective at the point which can acquire the effect of the above-mentioned fruit pattern damage suppression.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, since the buffer material 62 is provided in the recessed part 152a of the 1st finger 52a, it becomes possible to hold | maintain the strawberry after fruit pattern cutting | disconnection reliably.

  In addition, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the handle cutting mechanism of this invention was employ | adopted as the hand mechanism, it is not restricted to this. For example, it is also possible to act on scissors for cutting fruit such that the first finger 52a and the second finger 52b are moved manually.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the blade edge | tip of the cutting blade 64 and the -X 'end surface of the 1st finger 52a were flush | planar, it is not restricted to this. From the viewpoint of smooth invasion of the handle between the cutting blade 64 and the second finger 52b, the cutting edge of the cutting blade 64 is positioned on the + X ′ side from the −X ′ end surface of the first finger 52a ( It may be set at a position away from the second finger 52b.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the buffer cutting material 62 was provided in the fruit pattern cutting mechanism, and the cut strawberries (the fruit pattern and strawberries below the cutting blade 64) were able to be hold | maintained. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the fruit pattern cutting mechanism may not be able to hold the fruit. In this case, the cushioning material 62 may not be provided. In this case, the cutting blade 64 may be provided on the −Z ′ side of the first finger 52a.

  In the above embodiment, the gap 72 is provided between the first and second fingers 52a and 52b. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the gap 72 may not be provided.

  In addition, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the Z position of the strawberry of the harvesting target was detected using the stereo camera 60, it is not restricted to this. For example, the Z position of the strawberry to be harvested may be detected using a distance sensor or the like. When using a distance sensor or the like as described above, a normal camera (having one optical system and one image sensor) may be used instead of the stereo camera 60.

  In addition, the strawberry harvesting apparatus 100 of the said embodiment moves the trolley | bogie 30 in which the robot arm 20 was mounted in the Y-axis direction along the rails 32A and 32B laid on the ground, The case where the relative movement in the Y-axis direction with the fixed cultivation bed 40 is realized has been described. However, it is not restricted to this, For example, as disclosed in JP 2010-57448 A, the cultivation bed 40 is configured to be movable in the Y-axis direction, and the robot arm 20 is fixed. The relative movement between the robot arm 20 and the cultivation bed 40 may be realized. Moreover, both the cultivation bed 40 and the robot arm 20 may be movable in the Y-axis direction.

  Although not specifically mentioned in the above embodiment, a light source for securing a light amount at the time of photographing may be provided in the vicinity of the stereo camera 60. Further, a light source may be provided in the vicinity of the fruit pattern detection camera 54. In this case, a light source that emits green light may be provided in the vicinity of the fruit pattern detection camera 54. By providing a light source that emits green light, it is possible to detect a green portion such as a fruit pattern or a candy with high accuracy.

  In addition, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the fruit cutting apparatus of this invention was used for the fruit cutting of a strawberry, not only this but other fruits, such as grape, a peach, a pear, an apple, and a tomato ( It is also possible to use it for cutting the fruit of vegetables such as eggplant, eggplant, cucumber and bitter gourd.

  The above-described embodiment is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

10 Hand mechanism (fruit cutting mechanism)
52a First finger 52b Second finger 56 Moving part (air chuck)
62 Buffer material 64 Cutting blade 72 Gap 152a Concave portion 152b Convex portion

Claims (3)

A fruit pattern cutting mechanism that cuts the fruit pattern of the fruit to be harvested,
A first finger extending in a first direction and movable in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction;
A second finger disposed in the vicinity of the second direction of the first finger, extending in the first direction, and movable in the second direction;
A plate shape having a surface including the first and second directions, a cutting edge provided in the first finger, having a cutting edge extending in the first direction;
A portion of the first finger facing the second finger is formed with a recess recessed in the second direction when viewed from a third direction orthogonal to the first and second directions.
The cutting blade is provided on the first finger so as to cover the recess from the third direction, and the cutting edge is a portion of the surface of the first finger facing the second finger other than the recess. It is set at a position that is flush or farther from the second finger than the part,
A portion of the second finger facing the recess is provided with a protrusion that can enter the recess when the first and second fingers approach in the second direction,
When the first and second fingers approach in the second direction, the fruit to be harvested located between the first and second fingers by a shearing force between the convex portion and the cutting blade. A fruit pattern cutting mechanism characterized in that the fruit pattern is cut. The fruit pattern of the harvest target fruit enters between the first and second fingers from one end in the first direction,
2. A predetermined gap is maintained at one end in the first direction of the first and second fingers even when the first and second fingers are closest to each other in the second direction. The fruit pattern cutting mechanism described in 1.   The fruit pattern cutting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a buffer material is provided in the concave portion of the first finger.

Images