JP2020201882A - Harvesting robot system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a harvesting robot system having high applicability to a farm form.SOLUTION: A harvesting robot system includes harvesting robots 102, collecting robots 103, and a server 101. In the server 101, when the harvesting robot 102 recognizes a full state of a first housing basket of a plurality of mounted housing baskets, a determination unit determines, on the basis of farm map information, current position information of the harvesting robot 102, and current position information of the collecting robot 103, a placing position where the harvesting robot 102 is caused to separate the first housing basket from itself and to place it, and a collection route where the collecting robot 103 is caused to collect the first housing basket placed by the harvesting robot 102 and to convey it to a collection station. A first transmitting/receiving unit transmits, to the harvesting robot 102, first collection instructing information including information of the placing position, and transmits, to the collecting robot 103, second collection instructing information including information of the route.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a harvesting robot system that automatically harvests fruits such as tomatoes and apples and also automatically collects them.

As a future social issue in Japanese society, there is concern that the working-age population will decrease due to aging. Especially for agriculture, which is the primary industry, the environment surrounding Japan is extremely aging and is in a very difficult situation from the viewpoint of labor shortage. According to the basic data of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the number of key agricultural workers in 2014 was 1.68 million, a decrease of about 230,000 in five years. In addition, the average age is 66.5 years old, the number of new farmers is decreasing, and the labor shortage due to aging is highlighted. As a result, the abandoned cultivated land has reached 400,000 ha, which adversely affects the local farming environment and living environment. Especially in regions where there are many cultivated lands, depopulation is progressing due to the declining birthrate and aging population, and this problem is becoming more apparent because there are no farmers.

Under such circumstances, expectations are rising for responding to labor shortages through agricultural automation. According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's "2012 Robot Industry Market Trends," the domestic market for agricultural robots is expected to grow significantly from 2018 to 2024, reaching a scale of approximately 220 billion yen. In fact, developments that lead to the automation of agriculture, such as management using drones, automatic driving of tractors, and systems for navigating cultivation, are becoming active. In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has also enhanced the subsidy system to support the automation of agriculture, and the government has high expectations for this field.

Among them, research on harvest automation technology has been advanced in companies and universities, and many harvesting robots that automatically harvest various fruits, fruit vegetables, and fruits and vegetables have been proposed. .. However, there are few proposals for a harvesting robot system that includes harvesting of what kind of distribution system the harvesting robot efficiently transports the harvested object to the collection station. That is, in most of the proposed harvesting robots, the storage basket containing the harvested object is manually collected. However, it goes without saying that in order to further save labor in harvesting work, it is necessary to construct a harvesting robot system that takes into consideration not only the automation of harvesting work itself but also the automation of harvesting. In addition, since the form of the harvesting robot changes depending on the harvested product collection system, it is necessary to consider the harvesting robot and the collection and distribution system as an integrated system.

Under such circumstances, as a conventional harvesting robot system that automatically collects storage baskets, one harvesting robot is accompanied by two collection robots, and the collection robots alternately transport the storage baskets to the collection station. (See, for example, Patent Document 1). The harvesting robot system described in Patent Document 1 stores the object harvested by the harvesting robot in a storage cage provided by the collection robot that follows the harvesting robot, and the collection robot leaves the harvesting robot when the storage cage is full. Head to the pickup station. During that time, the harvesting robot stores the harvested object in the storage cage of another recovery robot located on the opposite side of the harvesting robot in the front-rear direction of the ridge, so that the harvesting work of the harvesting robot is continuously performed without interruption. Will be done.

JP-A-2017-87404

However, the conventional configuration requires two recovery robots for each harvesting robot, and has a problem that the harvesting robot system is not cost-effective. In addition, two collection robots are placed across the harvesting robot on a narrow ridge that cannot pass each other, and because each of them goes from the ridge to the collection station, the applicable farm form is to use the collection stations at both ends of the ridge. It has the problem of needing a passage to continue. By the way, from the viewpoint of area productivity, many farms take the form of a dead end at one end of the ridge.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a harvesting robot system having high applicability to a farm form.

The main disclosure that solves the above-mentioned problems is
It is possible to communicate with the harvesting robot that harvests the object in the farm, the recovery robot that collects the storage basket that the harvesting robot holds the object and transports it to the collection station, and the harvesting robot and the collection robot, respectively. A harvesting robot system that includes a configured server,
The server
When the harvesting robot recognizes the full state of the storage basket mounted on the harvesting robot, or when the predetermined harvesting is completed, the farm that defines the harvest target area, the travelable area, and the position of the collection station in the farm. Based on the map information, the current position information of the harvesting robot, and the current position information of the collecting robot, the mounting position for causing the harvesting robot to place the storage basket separately from itself, and the collecting robot. A determination unit that determines a collection route for collecting the storage basket on which the harvesting robot is placed and transporting it to the collection station.
A first transmission / reception unit that transmits the first collection instruction information including the above-described location information to the harvesting robot and the second collection instruction information including the route information to the collection robot.
It is a harvesting robot system equipped with.

As described above, according to the harvesting robot system of the present invention, it can be applied to various farm forms.

Overall system configuration diagram of the harvesting robot system according to the embodiment of the present invention Block diagram of the server according to the embodiment of the present invention Configuration diagram of the harvesting robot according to the embodiment of the present invention Configuration diagram of the recovery robot according to the embodiment of the present invention Block diagram of a pickup station according to an embodiment of the present invention Block diagram of a home station according to an embodiment of the present invention Schematic layout of the entire farm according to the embodiment of the present invention Harvesting / Recovery / Storage Basket Supply Basic Operation Flow Diagram in the Embodiment of the Present Invention

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is an overall system configuration diagram of the harvesting robot system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, the server 101 is input / output by a plurality of harvesting robots 102, one or more collection robots 103, a collection station 104, a home station 105 in which the harvesting robot 102 or the collection robot 103 stands by, and an operator 106. The harvesting robot system is organically related to the input / output means 107 for performing the above and the Internet 109 which can be connected to the server 108 of another farm by wire or wirelessly.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the server 101.

As shown in FIG. 2, the server 101 transmits and receives information to the harvesting robot 102 and the collecting robot 103 by wireless LAN or the like, the first transmission / reception unit 201, the collection station 104, the home station 105, and the input / output means. An input / output unit 202 that outputs or inputs information to 107 and a server 108 of another farm via the Internet 109 by wire or wirelessly, and an area to be harvested based on image data with a map address and harvesting conditions. Judgment unit 203 that determines, determines the collection order and collection route of stored storage baskets, and determines the empty storage cage supply and allocation plan, and a large-capacity storage device 204 that can store a large amount of information including image data with map addresses. And consists of.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the harvesting robot 102 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the harvesting robot 102 has a photographing unit 301 that photographs the harvested object and the storage basket with a camera, and the first self that identifies its own position by GPS, laser radar, white line marker, landscape recognition collation, or the like. The position detection means 302, the second transmission / reception unit 303 that sends information including image data with a map address to the server by wireless LAN or the like, and receives the instruction information from the server, and the object 306 is collected by the manipulator and stored in the storage basket 307. The harvesting section 304 to be stored in, the first lifter mechanism 305 that grips and lifts the lowermost storage basket 307 of the stacked storage basket 307 placed on the ground, and the second stage from the bottom of the stacked storage basket 307. It is composed of a third lifter mechanism 309 that sequentially grips and lifts and separates an empty storage basket 307 above, and a self-propelled trolley unit 308 that is equipped with all the above-mentioned devices and can automatically travel on the ridge 705 and the main passage 703.

It is desirable that the photographing unit 301 is a stereo camera. A normal two-dimensional area camera may be used if it is used only for acquiring image data with a map address for determining the harvest target area, but in the embodiment of the present invention, the photographing unit 301 is used for harvesting work and storage basket 307. Also used when picking up. The distance information to the object 306 is required for harvesting, and the distance information to the storage basket 307 is required to pick up the storage basket 307. If a normal two-dimensional area camera is used, a distance measuring device such as a laser sensor is required separately.

The form of the harvesting unit 304 differs depending on the type of object to be harvested. Since various harvesting robots, harvesting manipulators, and harvesting hands have been proposed in the past, detailed description thereof will be omitted. In FIG. 3, the manipulator that collects the object 306 directly stores the object 306 in the storage basket 307. However, the manipulator that collects the object 306 and the storage mechanism that stores the object 306 in the storage basket 307 are provided. It may be divided into. In that case, the manipulator to be collected and the storage mechanism are combined to form the harvesting unit 304.

The storage basket 307 is, for example, a so-called container-type box that is made of plastic and can be stacked with objects stored therein.

Further, the automatic guided vehicle unit 308 is generally called an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle), and detailed description thereof will be omitted. Although FIG. 3 shows an example of traveling on wheels, a crawler or the like may be adopted depending on the characteristics of the farm.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the recovery robot 103 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, the recovery robot 103 includes a second lifter mechanism 401 having the same function as the first lifter mechanism 305, and a second self-position detecting means 402 having the same function as the first self-position detecting means 302. A third transmission / reception unit 403 having the same function as the second transmission / reception unit 303, and a self-propelled trolley unit 404 equipped with all the above-mentioned devices and capable of automatically traveling in the main passage 703.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the pickup station 104 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, the collection station 104 receives a plurality of harvested storage baskets 307 from the collection robot 103, and receives, for example, a harvested storage basket stock unit 501 that can be stocked on a roller conveyor and a plurality of empty storage baskets 307. For example, it is composed of an empty storage basket stock unit 502 that can be stocked on a roller conveyor and can deliver an empty storage basket 307 to the collection robot 103 at the request of the server 101 or the collection robot 103.

The collection station 104 transmits the empty space information of the harvested storage basket stock unit 501 to the server 101, and transmits the inventory information including the stock amount of the empty storage basket existing in the empty storage basket stock unit 502 to the server 101. It also has a fourth transmitter / receiver (not shown).

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the home station 105 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The home station 105 is a place where the harvesting robot 102 or the collecting robot 103 is moored when the harvesting work or the collecting work is not performed, and parking spaces for a plurality of cars are prepared.

As shown in FIG. 6, the home station 105 replaces the tool at the tip of the manipulator for harvesting the harvesting unit 304 of the harvesting robot 102 with a tool for harvesting other types of objects or a tool used for other work. It is composed of a tool change unit 601 for charging and a charging unit 602 for charging the rechargeable battery for driving the harvesting robot 102 or the collecting robot 103.

FIG. 7 is a schematic layout diagram of a typical farm as a whole in the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 7, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those in FIGS. 1 and 5, and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, the farm is largely composed of a cultivation yard 701 for cultivating crops and a sorting and shipping yard 702 for sorting and shipping the harvested crops. The cultivation yard 701 may be an open field or a greenhouse such as a greenhouse. Further, the cultivation yard 701 and the sorting and shipping yard 702 may be directly connected or may be connected by an aisle.

In the center of the cultivation yard 701, there is a relatively wide main passage 703 in which the harvesting robot 102 and the collecting robot 103 run. The main aisle 703 is directly connected to the sorting and shipping yard 702. Several ridges 704 on which agricultural products such as tomatoes and strawberries are cultivated are vertically arranged on both sides of the main passage 703. The ridges 704 may be literally raised ridges, cultivation boxes for elevated cultivation found in Dutch Venlo-type facility cultivation, or rows of standing fruit trees. The area where the object 306 to be cultivated and harvested in this ridge 704 exists is the harvest area. There is a ridge 705 between the ridges 704 and 704 to allow the harvesting robot 102 to pass through. The harvesting robot 102 can harvest the object 306 from the ridges 704 on both sides. The ridge 705 may be laid with a hot water pipe on the soil surface or in the case of a greenhouse. When the hot water pipe is laid, the harvesting robot 102 can use the hot water pipe as a track for running on the ridge. As shown in FIG. 7, the end opposite to the main passage 703 of the ridge 705 may be a dead end. The harvesting robot 102 turns back the ridge 705 after harvesting, goes out to the main passage 703, lowers the harvested storage basket 307, and heads for the next ridge 705. At this time, the harvesting robot 102 is efficient if, for example, the outward route is the harvest of the ridge 704 on the right side and the return route is the harvest of the ridge 704 on the left side. By the way, many farms have a dead end on the opposite side of the ridge as shown in FIG. This is to increase the area productivity of the cultivation yard 701.

The storage basket 307 or the empty storage basket 307 containing the harvested object 306 is temporarily placed at a position that does not interfere with other work of the main aisle 703, for example, at a ridge on the side of the main aisle 703.

The harvested storage basket 307 temporarily placed on the side of the main passage 703 by the harvesting robot 102 is collected by the collection robot 103, carried to the harvested storage basket stock section 501 of the collection station 104, and stocked. The harvested storage basket stock unit 501 stocks the storage basket 307 and conveys the storage basket 307 to the vicinity of the sorting and bagging worker 706 by, for example, a roller conveyor. There is a step-off unit 708 on the way, and after separating the stacked storage baskets 307 one by one, they are transported to the sorting bagging worker 706.

The sorting bagging worker 706 takes out the object 306 from the storage basket 307, sorts it, stores it in a bag according to a predetermined procedure, and puts it on the shipping conveyor 707. The bags containing the harvest are transported by conveyor to the next process, after which the bags are boxed and shipped.

On the other hand, the empty storage basket 307 is placed on the conveyor connected to the empty storage basket stock section 502 by the sorting bag packing worker 706. The empty storage basket 307 is conveyed to the empty storage basket stock section 502 by a conveyor, but there is a stacking unit 709 in the middle, and the empty storage basket 307 is stacked in a predetermined number of stages, and then the empty storage basket stock section 502. Transported to and stocked. After that, according to the request from the server 101, the empty storage basket 307 is transported to the cultivation yard 701 by the recovery robot 103 and placed in a designated place beside the main passage 703. The harvesting robot 102 picks up the placed empty harvest basket 307 and heads for harvesting. In this way, the circulation distribution system of the storage basket 307 functions.

The server 101 and the input / output means 107 are installed at appropriate locations in the farm.

The home station 105 is installed in a space close to the main passage 703, and a plurality of harvesting robots 102 or recovery robots 103 can be moored. Tools are replaced and rechargeable batteries are charged at the moored area.

Since a plurality of harvesting robots 102 and recovery robots 103 come and go in the main passage 703, it is advisable to determine the basic traveling route and rules in the main passage 703. For example, the main passage 703 is divided into two lanes to limit the direction of travel. That is, the outward route and the return route are completely separated so that they can always pass each other. The basic travel route of the recovery robot 103 is folded back at the end of the main aisle 703, and is connected to the main aisle 703 → harvested storage basket stock section 501 → empty storage basket stock section 502 → main aisle 703 in the sorting and shipping yard 702 to form a closed circuit. It is desirable to do. The plurality of recovery robots 103 circulate in one direction along the closed circuit. The travel route may be indicated by a white line, a magnetic tape may be attached, or may be defined by the farm map information.

Of course, the recovery robot 103, which has completed the installation of the empty storage basket 307 and the collection of the harvested storage basket 307 near the sorting and shipping yard 702, should immediately head to the collection station 104 without tracing the closed circuit until the end. Shortcut. This route instruction is also issued from the server 101.

The form of the farm is not limited to the form illustrated in FIG. 7. The collection robot 103 collects with the harvest robot 102 on the main passage 703 in a form in which the collection robot 103 comes out from the ridge to the main passage 703 after the harvesting robot 102 finishes harvesting in the ridges and the main passage 703 that can go to and from the collection station 104. All that is required is that there is a contact point that the robot 103 can share.

Further, although the form of the harvested storage basket stock section 501 and the empty storage basket stock section 502 of the collection station 104 is a roller conveyor, this is not particular. For example, it may be a simple space in which each storage basket 307 is placed. In that case, the sorting and bagging worker 706 goes to the space to pick up the storage basket, and after the work is completed, returns it to the empty storage basket stock space. The recovery robot 103 detects the position of an empty storage basket in a predetermined space by, for example, a photographing device, and picks it up by the second lifter mechanism 401.

Further, in the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 7, the sorting and shipping work is performed by the worker, but an automatic sorting and bagging machine may be used. By the way, automation of sorting and shipping work has been realized for some fruits. In addition to this embodiment, these automatic sorting and bagging machines and an automatic boxing machine are introduced and connected to the server 101 as a shipping system, and the server 101 manages the shipping plan in addition to the harvesting plan and the collection plan. By doing so, an automatic harvesting and shipping system can be constructed, and a series of unmanned harvesting operations will be further promoted.

Further, since the worker works only in the daytime, and the harvesting robot 102 and the collecting robot 103 operate both day and night, a shift difference occurs. Therefore, the harvested storage basket stock unit 501 and the empty storage basket stock unit 502 A conveyor length that can stock the number of storage baskets that can absorb the shift difference is required. A larger amount of storage basket 307 is required. As described above, if all the operations including sorting and shipping are automated, the shift difference is eliminated, and the conveyor can be operated with a shorter conveyor length and the number of storage cages.

An operation example of the harvesting robot system configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 8 is a basic operation flow diagram of harvesting / collecting / empty storage basket supply according to the embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the server 101 first accepts the input of the harvesting conditions (S1). The harvesting condition is input to the input / output unit 202 by the operator 106 operating the input / output means 107. The harvesting condition input by the operator 106 is information to be given in advance for the determination unit 203 to determine the harvesting target area. For example, the farm required for the harvesting robot 102 to automatically travel and photograph or harvest the target object 306. It is map information, is a harvesting criterion including a threshold for determining whether or not the object 306 imaged by the harvesting robot 102 should be harvested, and is a harvesting robot spec including the number of harvesting robots 102 and harvesting ability. Is. The farm map information typically defines the harvest target area, the travelable area, and the location of the collection station 104 in the farm.

Next, the determination unit 203 determines the route to be photographed by the harvesting robot 102 based on the farm map information and the like (S2). Next, the server 101 outputs the shooting instruction information including the shooting route to the harvesting robot 102 through the first transmission / reception unit 201.

The harvesting robot 102, which has been input with the shooting instruction information through the second transmission / reception unit 303, shoots the object 306 in the farm using the shooting unit 301 while moving on the self-propelled trolley unit 308 according to the instruction (R1). The self-position of the harvesting robot 102 at the time of photographing is acquired by the first self-position detecting means 302. The own position may be the farm coordinate data or the address code defined in the farm map. When the photographing unit 301 is not a fixed camera but a camera whose orientation can be freely changed, the image data with a map address includes the own position in the farm and the posture information of the camera. The harvesting robot 102 transmits the acquired image data with a map address to the server 101 via the second transmission / reception unit 303.

The determination unit 203 of the server 101 that receives the image data with the map address in the farm from the harvesting robot 102 by the first transmission / reception unit 201 is the most efficient, that is, the most mature object based on the harvesting conditions input in advance. The area with a large amount of water is determined as the harvest target area (S3). Specifically, the number of the ridge 705 facing the determined harvest target area is assigned to each harvesting robot 102 in consideration of the harvesting ability of the harvesting robot 102. Basically, one harvesting robot 102 is assigned to one ridge 705. In principle, only one harvesting robot 102 is allowed to enter one ridge 705 at a certain moment. The harvesting robot 102 may be assigned a plurality of ridges 705. In addition, all the ridges 704 on both sides of the ridge 705 may be the harvest target area, or only one part of the ridge 704 on one side may be the harvest target area. These are the harvest instruction information.

The first transmission / reception unit 201 of the server 101 transmits the harvest instruction information including the harvest target area to the harvest robot 102.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the harvest target area to be harvested by the harvesting robot 102 is determined by the determination unit 203 of the server 101 based on the image data with the map address of the harvested product and the harvesting conditions. Visually confirms the growing condition of the harvested object in the farm, determines the harvested area based on the conventional experience, and determines the number of the ridge 705 and the harvested section to be harvested by each harvesting robot 102 through the input / output means 107. It may be directly input as harvest instruction information.

The harvesting robot 102 enters the ridge 705 designated by the self-propelled trolley unit 308 based on the harvest instruction information received by the second transmission / reception unit 303, and makes full use of the harvesting unit 304 to obtain the object 306 in the harvest target area. Harvest and store in storage basket 307 (R2). In the harvesting robot 102, it is assumed that the first lifter mechanism 305 holds the lowermost storage basket 307 of the empty storage baskets 307 laminated in advance. This inherits the state of R5 described later. When the harvesting robot 102 receives the harvesting instruction information, the third lifter mechanism 309 grips and lifts the second-stage storage basket 307 from the bottom from that state. Then, a space is formed above the storage basket 307 in the lowermost layer. Utilizing this space, the harvesting unit 304 stores the object 306 in the storage basket 307 of the lowermost layer. When the lowermost storage basket 307 is full, the third lifter mechanism 309 is lowered, and once all the storage baskets 307 are stacked, the grip of the second storage basket 307 from the bottom is released, and the height of the storage basket 307 is released. It rises by one piece, grips the third storage basket 307 from the bottom, and rises. As a result, the harvesting unit 304 resumes the harvesting operation using the space formed above the storage basket 307 in the second stage from the bottom, and the object 306 is stored in the storage basket 307 in the second stage from the bottom. .. FIG. 3 shows the state at this time. Hereinafter, the harvesting robot 102 that repeats this operation and either all of the mounted storage baskets 307 are full or has completed the planned harvesting of the harvesting target area receives a harvesting completion signal from the second transmitter / receiver 303 to the server 101. Sends harvest status information and current location information including.

The server 101, which has received the harvest status information including the harvest completion signal in the first transmission / reception unit 201, heads to the next harvest target area if the storage basket 307 mounted on the server 101 still has free space. Is given to the harvesting robot 102. If all of the loaded harvest baskets 307 are full, information for collecting the storage baskets is collected (S4). The operator 106 has already input to the input / output unit 202 through the input / output means 107 in advance the collection conditions necessary for making the collection plan of the harvested storage basket 307. The collection condition is the farm map information including the position of the collection station 104, and the collection robot specifications including the number of the collection robots 103 in operation and the traveling speed. From the collection station 104, the vacant space information of the harvested storage basket stock unit 501 is obtained through the input / output unit 202, and it is confirmed whether or not the collection station 104 has room to accept the harvested storage basket 307. However, the harvested storage basket stock section 501 is designed to have ample space at all times, and in the worst case, the recovery robot 103 may wait for the harvested storage basket 307 to be loaded and unloaded in front of the collection station 104. This free space information is not needed.

Next, the server 101 transmits a request signal from the first transmission / reception unit 201 to the recovery robot 103 in order to grasp the status of the recovery robot 103.

The collection robot 103 that received the request signal in the third transmission / reception unit 403 detects the own position by the second own position detecting means 402, and the own position data, the presence / absence of the current storage basket loading, and the work content currently being executed. For example, the third transmitter / receiver 403 transmits the loading status information such as whether the battery is being charged at the home station 105, whether it has been harvested or empty, and which storage basket 307 is on the way to somewhere. (K1).

In this way, the server 101, which has obtained all the information necessary for the collection work of the harvested storage basket 307, determines the position of the harvesting robot 102 that has completed the harvesting work by the judgment unit 203 based on the information. The basket 307 is unloaded, and which collection robot 103 determines which route the storage basket 307 placed by the harvesting robot 102 is to be collected and which route is taken to the collection station 104 (S5). These are the collection instruction information, and the first transmission / reception unit 201 outputs the collection instruction information to the harvesting robot 102.

The harvesting robot 102 that received the collection instruction information from the server 101 in the second transmission / reception unit 303 moves to the position instructed by the collection instruction information by the self-propelled carriage unit 308, and when it arrives, lowers the first lifter mechanism 305. The harvested storage basket 307 is lowered to the ground (R3). When the harvesting robot 102 transmits the fact that the storage basket 307 has been lowered from the second transmission / reception unit 303 to the server 101 (harvest status information including the completion signal and the current position information), the server 101 sends the first transmission / reception unit 201 to the collection robot 103. Send the collection instruction information (S6). Based on the collection instruction information received by the third transmission / reception unit 403, the collection robot 103 heads to the instructed place by the self-propelled trolley unit 404, raises the harvested storage basket 307 placed on the ground, and raises the second lifter mechanism 401. Let me pick it up (K2).

Here, the collection instruction information transmitted to the harvesting robot and the collection instruction information transmitted to the collection robot are the same information, but the collection instruction information transmitted to the harvesting robot includes the full storage basket itself. It suffices to include information on the placement position to be placed separately from the harvesting robot, and the collection instruction information sent to the collection robot is a collection route for collecting the storage basket on which the harvesting robot is placed and transporting it to the collection station. It suffices if the information of is included.

After that, the collection robot 103 heads for the collection station 104 (K3) through the route instructed by the server 101 by the self-propelled trolley unit 404, and puts the storage basket 307 in the harvested storage basket stock unit 501 of the collection station 104 and the second lifter. The mechanism 401 is lowered and lowered (K4).

Next, the third transmission / reception unit 403 of the recovery robot 103 transmits the loading status information including the completion signal and the current position information to the server 101. The server 101, which receives the loading status information including the completion signal of the collection robot 103 in the first transmission / reception unit 201, obtains the inventory information of the empty storage basket stock unit 502 of the collection station 104 (S7). At this time, if there is a sufficient distribution amount of the storage basket and a sufficient stock capacity of the empty storage basket, and in the worst case, the collection robot 103 can be allowed to stand by in front of the collection station 104, this inventory information can be obtained. Can be omitted.

If the empty storage basket is in stock, the determination unit 203 determines the empty storage basket supply / dispatch plan for loading the empty storage basket 307 and directing the collection robot 103 to (S8). These are the storage basket supply instruction information, and the server 101 transmits the storage basket supply instruction information from the first transmission / reception unit 201 to the collection robot 103. The collection robot 103 that received the storage basket supply instruction information in the third transmission / reception unit 403 goes to the empty storage basket stock unit 502 of the collection station 104 by the self-propelled trolley unit 404, and lifts the empty storage basket 307 by the second lifter mechanism 401. , Installed (K5).

After that, the recovery robot 103 moves to the place instructed by the server 101 by the self-propelled trolley unit 404, and when it arrives, the second lifter mechanism 401 descends and the empty storage basket 307 is lowered (K6). The recovery robot 103 transmits the loading status information including the completion signal and the current position information from the third transmission / reception unit 403 to the server 101.

The server 101 receives the loading status information including the completion signal and the current position information in the first transmission / reception unit 201, and the first transmission / reception unit 201 transmits the storage basket supply instruction information to the harvesting robot 102 (S9).

The harvesting robot 102, which has received the storage basket supply instruction information in the second transmission / reception unit 303, moves to the designated place by the self-propelled trolley unit 308, and lifts the empty storage basket 307 placed on the ground by the first lifter mechanism 305. Hold (R4). The harvesting robot 102 waits until the next instruction is given from the server 101 (R5). This state is a state at the time of photographing the harvesting area of R1 or immediately before moving to the harvesting / storing operation of R2. After that, this is repeated.

The above operation flow is a basic pattern, and in reality, the plurality of harvesting robots 102 and the plurality of collection robots 103 operate in a complex manner according to the harvesting situation, and are operated so as to operate efficiently as a whole.

For example, in the operation flow diagram of FIG. 8, the operations of one harvesting robot 102 and one collecting robot 103 are shown separately for the basic harvesting flow, the basic collecting flow, and the basic empty storage basket supply flow. , Actually, it may be operated as one. That is, the server 101 constantly grasps the statuses of the plurality of harvesting robots 102 and the recovery robot 103 to determine the harvest target area, the collection order and the collection route, and the empty storage basket supply / dispatch plan at the same time. Do. For example, if the point where the harvested storage basket 307 should be collected at a certain point and the point where the empty harvesting basket 307 should be supplied are relatively close to each other, the collection robot 103 supplies the empty storage basket 307 on the outbound route from the collection station 104. However, if the harvested storage basket 307 is collected on the return route to the collection station 104, the collection robot 103 has almost no section in which it travels with no load, and the collection robot 103 does not have a wasteful waiting time. Similarly, after unloading the harvested storage basket 307, the harvesting robot 102 immediately heads to the nearby empty storage basket mounting point, picks up the storage basket 307, and ridges 705 of the next harvest target area instructed by the server 101. If the harvesting work is started by entering the harvesting robot 102, the harvesting robot 102 does not have to wait a long time.

Since the harvesting robot 102 and the collecting robot 103 are not paired and the storage basket 307 is once placed on the ground, the harvesting robot 102 and the collecting robot 103 do not have to synchronize the delivery operation of the storage basket 307. Further, since there may be a considerable time lag between the placement of the harvested storage basket 307 of the harvesting robot 102 and the picking up by the collecting robot 103, the server 101 can develop such efficient operation programming. As a result, the minimum number of recovery robots 103 can be used for the number of harvesting robots 102. This is because the harvesting span from the start of harvesting of the harvesting robot 102 to the completion of harvesting is basically long, while the collection and supply span from the collection of the harvested storage basket 307 of the recovery robot 103 to the installation of the empty storage basket 307 is short. ..

In this harvesting robot system, the harvesting plan, the collecting plan, and the storage cage supply plan are optimally programmed by the server 101 so that the harvesting robot 102 and the collecting robot 103 do not wait. Game theory, queuing theory, etc. may be applied to the process.

In addition, the harvest schedule may be programmed by applying AI or the like to make some predictions in advance. However, unlike industrial products, fruits do not grow uniformly and uniformly, and fluctuate greatly depending on the weather and other factors. It is possible to make a prediction first, but the prediction is wrong, and it is necessary to have a feedback mechanism that constantly changes the program flexibly with the latest information.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, when the harvesting robot 102 has the third lifter mechanism 309, a plurality of storage baskets 307 can be mounted on the harvesting robot 102, and more harvested products can be stored at one time. That is, the collection lot size by the collection robot 103 increases, and the collection frequency of the storage basket 307 of the collection robot 103 decreases. That is, the number of required harvesting robots 102 is reduced. If possible, the stock amount is preferably larger than the yield amount per ridge 705.

In that case, the position where the storage boxes 307 stacked so as to correspond one-to-one with each of the ridges 705 can be determined in advance. Further, in that case, the storage basket 307 may not be placed directly on the ground, but a dedicated fixedly installed storage basket stand may be provided. The fixedly installed storage basket stand makes it possible to reliably and easily deliver the storage basket 307 to and from each robot. In either case, if it is determined that the existence of an empty storage basket 307 at that location is a steady state, management is easy and more efficient operation is possible. That is, as soon as the harvest target area, that is, the ridge 704 is determined, the harvesting robot 102 picks up the empty storage basket 307 at the position corresponding to the ridge 704, enters the ridge 705, harvests, and finishes the harvest. After placing the harvested storage basket 307 in the same position as it was originally and sending a harvest completion signal to the server 101, a new harvest instruction was received from the haircut side dish server 101 and it was paired with the next harvest target area. Head to the place where the empty storage basket 307 is placed. The recovery robot 103 places an empty storage basket 307 in a fixed position where the nearby harvested storage basket 307 has been collected and becomes empty, and picks up the harvested storage basket 307 on the return route in response to a collection instruction from the server 101. I'll give you. After that, after issuing a collection signal to the server 101, it heads for the collection station 104. After that, this is repeated.

As a mechanism in which the harvesting robot 102 mounts a plurality of storage baskets 307 and sequentially stores them in each storage basket 307, the first lifter mechanism 305 and the third lifter mechanism 309 are coaxial in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. Although the structure in which the harvested object is stored by utilizing the gap created by lifting the empty storage basket 307 that is arranged and the third lifter mechanism 309 remains in sequence is illustrated, this is not particular. In short, the structure may be such that a plurality of storage baskets 307 can be mounted, the object 306 can be stored in each of them, and the storage baskets 307 stacked from the ground or a fixed stand can be loaded and unloaded.

Further, in an extreme case, the storage baskets 307 are not laminated, and only one storage basket 307 may be used. In that case, the third lifter mechanism 309 is unnecessary. However, since the harvesting span is shortened, the recovery efficiency is deteriorated, and the number of required recovery robots 103 is increased. Of course, if the ridge length is short and the object to be harvested is a small fruit such as cherry, one storage basket can be used for each ridge, so this is not the case.

A harvesting robot system is also conceivable in which the recovery robot enters the ridge and receives the harvested storage basket directly from the harvesting robot, but the recovery robot needs to match the delivery timing to the harvesting robot, which improves the operational efficiency of the recovery robot. The problem arises that it drops significantly. To put it in the extreme, one harvesting robot is required for each harvesting robot in order for the harvesting robot to rush immediately when requested by the harvesting robot. That is, if the recovery robot is engaged in the recovery work of another harvesting robot, the harvesting robot must interrupt the harvesting work until it is finished. By the way, since the harvesting work time of the harvesting robot varies greatly depending on the situation at that time, it is not possible for each robot to synchronize the work and proceed according to a predetermined schedule mechanically like in a factory.

In order to avoid the above situation, the harvesting robot releases the harvested storage basket in the middle of the ridge, and then the recovery robot goes to collect it. Since the ridge is a narrow straight road, the storage basket left on the ground. Not only does this interfere with other work, but the harvesting robot cannot receive new empty storage baskets until the released storage baskets are collected, so the harvesting work cannot be continued after all. Therefore, this harvesting robot system is the most suitable system.

[effect]
As described above, in the harvesting robot system according to the above-described embodiment, the harvesting robot 102 harvests while holding a plurality of storage baskets 307, and when the harvesting robot 102 is full, the storage baskets 307 are placed in the main passage 703 near the ridge edge. take down. The collection robot 103 collects the storage basket 307, carries it to the collection station 104, loads the empty storage basket 307, and lowers it into the main passage 703 on the ridge side. The harvesting robot 102 picks it up and heads for the next harvest.

As a result, one recovery robot 103 can cover a plurality of harvesting robots 102, and a cost-effective harvesting robot system can be constructed.

Further, since the server 101 manages all the harvesting robots 102 and the collecting robots 103 in an integrated manner, pairing is not required, and the harvesting basket 307 is not delivered directly to the ground of the main passage 703 that does not interfere with other work. Since the step of temporary placement is included, there may be a time lag in delivery, and it is not necessary to synchronize the movements of the harvesting robot 102 and the collecting robot 103, so that a more cost-effective harvesting robot system can be constructed. Specifically, a system that requires the minimum number of recovery robots can be built.

For example, in a large-scale farm, 20 harvesting robots 102 can be operated with only two recovery robots 103. By the way, in the conventional harvesting robot system of Patent Document 1, 40 recovery robots are required in that case.

Further, since the empty storage basket 307 can be supplied by the same system, the circulation distribution system of the storage basket 307 can be constructed more efficiently.

With such a harvesting robot system, it is possible to realize efficient automation of the harvesting work of the farm including not only the harvesting but also the collection of the harvested product.

Further, since only one harvesting robot 102 can enter one ridge road, the ridge road end may be a dead end, and the area productivity of the farm can be increased accordingly.

In the harvesting robot system of the present invention, the harvesting robot efficiently supplies an empty storage basket from the collection station to the harvesting robot, and the harvesting robot performs harvesting work in a wide harvesting area and stores the harvested material in the storage basket. It has a circulation type harvesting and distribution system function that the collection robot collects the storage basket and transports it to the collection station. It not only automates the harvesting work of the farm, but also organically, for example, the assembly process yard and warehouse yard of industrial products. It can also be applied to the automation of complex factories.

101 Server 102 Harvesting robot 103 Harvesting robot 104 Collection station 105 Home station 106 Operator 107 Input / output means 108 Servers of other farms 109 Internet 201 1st transmission / reception unit 202 Input / output unit 203 Judgment unit 204 Large-capacity storage device 301 Imaging unit 302 1st Self-position detection means 303 2nd transmission / reception unit 304 Harvesting unit 305 1st lifter mechanism 306 Object 307 Storage basket 308 Self-propelled trolley unit 309 3rd lifter mechanism 401 2nd lifter mechanism 402 2nd self-position detection means 403 3rd transmission / reception unit 404 Self-propelled trolley part 501 Harvested storage basket stock part 502 Empty storage basket stock part 601 Tool change part 602 Charging part 701 Cultivation yard 702 Sorting shipping yard 703 Main passage 704 Ridge 705 Ridge road 706 Sorting bagging worker 707 Shipping conveyor 708 Stacking unit 709 Stacking unit

Claims (14)

It is possible to communicate with the harvesting robot that harvests the object in the farm, the recovery robot that collects the storage basket that the harvesting robot holds the object and transports it to the collection station, and the harvesting robot and the collection robot, respectively. A harvesting robot system that includes a configured server,
The server
When the harvesting robot recognizes the full state of the storage basket mounted on the harvesting robot, or when the predetermined harvesting is completed, the farm that defines the harvest target area, the travelable area, and the position of the collection station in the farm. Based on the map information, the current position information of the harvesting robot, and the current position information of the collecting robot, the mounting position for causing the harvesting robot to place the storage basket separately from itself, and the collecting robot. A determination unit that determines a collection route for collecting the storage basket on which the harvesting robot is placed and transporting it to the collection station.
A first transmission / reception unit that transmits the first collection instruction information including the above-described location information to the harvesting robot and the second collection instruction information including the route information to the collection robot.
Harvesting robot system equipped with. The determination unit determines the previously described placement position and the collection route based on the loading status information that defines the current presence / absence of loading of the collection robot and the work content currently being executed.
The harvesting robot system according to claim 1. The determination unit determines whether or not the storage basket is full based on the harvest status information that defines the free capacity in the storage basket of the harvesting robot received from the harvesting robot.
The harvesting robot system according to claim 1 or 2. The determination unit determines the previously described placement position and the collection route based on the travel specifications of each of the harvesting robots, the travel specifications of the collection robot, and the information relating to the acceptable amount of the storage basket at the collection station. decide,
The harvesting robot system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The harvesting robot
A harvesting section that harvests the object and stores it in the storage basket.
Based on the first collection instruction information from the server, the first lifter mechanism for lowering the gripped storage basket to the ground, and
The first self-position detecting means for detecting its own current position,
A second transmitter / receiver that sends its current location information to the server,
The harvesting robot system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The recovery robot
Based on the second collection instruction information from the server, the second lifter mechanism that lifts and grips the storage basket from the ground and unloads it at the collection station, and
A second self-position detecting means for detecting its own current position,
A third transmitter / receiver that sends its current location information to the server,
The harvesting robot system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. Based on the previous farm map information, the current position information of the harvesting robot, and the current position information of the collection robot, the determination unit mounts an empty storage basket on the collection robot at the collection station. Determine the empty storage basket supply route to be transported to the predetermined position in the harvest target area,
The first transmission / reception unit transmits the storage basket supply instruction information related to the empty storage basket supply route to the harvesting robot and the collection robot.
The harvesting robot system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The harvesting robot operates its own first lifter mechanism based on the storage basket supply instruction information from the server, and lifts the empty storage basket that is transported to the recovery robot and placed on the ground. To grasp,
The harvesting robot system according to claim 7. The collection robot operates its own second lifter mechanism based on the storage basket supply instruction information from the server to lift and grip the empty storage basket placed on the collection station.
The harvesting robot system according to claim 7 or 8. The collection station
A fourth transmitter / receiver that transmits information on the empty space in the space for stocking the storage basket carried by the collection robot to the server.
The harvesting robot system according to any one of claims 1 to 9. The fourth transmission / reception unit transmits inventory information including an inventory amount of an empty storage basket existing at the collection station to the server.
The harvesting robot system according to claim 10. Including the multiple harvesting robots,
The harvesting robot system according to any one of claims 1 to 11. The harvesting robot has two or more of the storage baskets.
It is configured so that the two or more storage baskets can be placed separately from themselves one by one.
The harvesting robot system according to any one of claims 1 to 12. The harvesting robot has a first lifter mechanism and a third lifter mechanism for gripping two or more of the storage baskets so as to be stacked vertically.
The first lifter mechanism grips the first storage basket in which the object located on the lower side of the two or more storage baskets is stored.
The third lifter mechanism grips an empty second storage basket located on the upper side of the two or more storage baskets.
Every time the first storage basket is full, the second storage basket is shifted from the gripping state in the third lifter mechanism to the gripping state in the first lifter mechanism.
The harvesting robot system according to claim 13.

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