JP2022102223A - Farm crop harvesting apparatus and farm crop harvesting system - Google Patents

Abstract

To individually harvest harvesting targets fruiting in a bunch state efficiently and in a short period of time.SOLUTION: A farm crop harvesting apparatus (1) comprises: a retention mechanism (20) that is configured to be openable/closable and is capable of holding and retaining a fruit stem in a closed state; and a separation mechanism (30) that is configured to be openable/closable and separates a fruit from the fruit stem by moving to the tip side of the fruit stem in a closed state after disposing the fruit stem inside. The separation mechanism includes rotatable rotary members (38) provided at positions that face each other in the closed state and are in contact with the fruit stem.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a crop harvesting apparatus for harvesting crops that have set on main stems and branches, and a crop harvesting system.

In recent years, various devices have been developed to improve the efficiency of agricultural work. For example, there is a device for individually harvesting harvested objects that bear fruit in a bunch, such as cherry tomatoes. However, in the conventional configuration, since one fruit is harvested by one operation, the time required for harvesting is long and the efficiency is poor.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-51104

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a crop harvesting device and a crop harvesting system capable of efficiently and individually harvesting a harvesting object that bears fruit in a bunch state in a short time. To do.

The crop harvesting apparatus (1) according to claim 1 is used to separate the fruit (91) bearing fruit in the state of the bunch (90) from the fruit stalk (93) and harvest the fruit individually. .. The crop harvesting device is open in a state of being larger than the outer diameter of the entire bunch so that the entire bunch can be inserted inside, and the outer diameter of the fruit stalk is smaller than the outer diameter of the entire bunch. A holding mechanism (20) that is configured to be switchable between a closed state that closes to a smaller state and a holding mechanism (20) that can hold the fruit handle by sandwiching the fruit handle in the closed state, and a holding mechanism on the tip side of the fruit handle with respect to the holding mechanism. An open state in which the entire tuft is provided and opened to a state larger than the outer diameter of the entire tuft so that the entire tuft can be inserted inside, and a state smaller than the outer diameter of the entire tuft and larger than the outer diameter of the fruit stalk. It is configured to be switchable between a closed state in which it is closed to a large state and a predetermined gap is formed inside, and the fruit stalk is arranged inside and moved to the tip side of the fruit stalk in the closed state. Is provided with a separation mechanism (30) for separating the stalk from the fruit stalk. The separation mechanism has a rotatable rotary member (38) provided at a position facing each other in the closed state and at a position in contact with the fruit stalk.

According to this, since multiple fruits attached to the bunch can be individually separated and harvested in one operation, the harvested object that bears fruit in the bunch state can be efficiently and individually harvested in a short time. be able to.

Further, according to this configuration, for example, when constructing a crop harvesting system that automatically harvests using a visual device, the visual device only needs to recognize the entire bunch or the main stem, and it is necessary to recognize all the fruits individually. There is no. For this reason, the recognition accuracy of the visual device can be made lower than in the case of recognizing individual fruits and harvesting them individually, and as a result, the altitude for recognizing and harvesting individual fruits is high. Since no control is required, a simple control configuration can be obtained, and as a result, the control load can be reduced.

Here, for example, in the case of a configuration in which the fruit stalk is cut and harvested by a scissors-shaped end effector, the cutting edge portion comes into contact with the main stem or branch when moving the scissors-shaped end effector, damaging the main stem or branch. There is a risk that it will be cut off or even cut off. Damage and cutting of the main stems and branches causes various diseases of the plant, and in severe cases, it withers, resulting in a subsequent decrease in yield.

On the other hand, according to this configuration, since the fruit can be separated from the fruit stalk and harvested without using a blade, damage and cutting of the main stem and branches can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to suppress plant diseases, prevent the decrease of fruits, and greatly improve the harvesting efficiency.

Here, the rotating member actually contacts and exerts a force to move the separation mechanism to the tip side of the fruit stalk, and separates the fruit from the fruit stalk. In this case, in order to properly separate the fruit from the fruit stalk, it is important that the rotating member exerts a force only on the fruit without exerting a force on the fruit stalk. Therefore, for example, if the rotating member is composed of a simple rod-shaped member that does not rotate, when the separation mechanism is rotated toward the tip end side of the fruit handle in the separation process, the rod-shaped member is caught by the fruit handle or the like and the entire tuft is formed. As a result, it becomes difficult to properly separate the fruit from the fruit stalk.

On the other hand, in this configuration, the separation mechanism has a rotating member. The rotating member is rotatably configured so as to be provided at a position facing each other and in contact with the fruit stalk in the closed state. Therefore, for example, when the separation mechanism is rotated toward the tip end side of the fruit stalk in a separation process or the like, the rotating member can move along the fruit stalk while rotating. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the rotating member from being caught by the fruit stalk and pulling the entire tuft, and as a result, the fruit can be efficiently separated from the fruit stalk.

Further, the rotating member is not actively driven by a motor or the like, but is driven by a frictional force or the like from a fruit handle or the like. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the calyx and the calyx attached to the fruit from being involved. As a result, it is possible to prevent the fruit from being damaged, and it is possible to harvest the crop while maintaining the commercial value of the crop in a high state.

A plan view showing an open state of a holding mechanism and a separating mechanism for an example of a crop harvesting device according to an embodiment. A perspective view showing from above the state in which the holding mechanism and the separating mechanism are open for an example of the crop harvesting device according to one embodiment. A plan view showing a state in which the holding mechanism and the separating mechanism are closed for an example of the crop harvesting apparatus according to one embodiment. A perspective view showing from above the state in which the holding mechanism and the separating mechanism are closed for an example of the crop harvesting apparatus according to one embodiment. A perspective view showing from above an example of the crop harvesting apparatus according to one embodiment, in which the holding mechanism and the separating mechanism are closed and the separating mechanism is moved away from the holding mechanism. A plan view showing an example of a rotating member together with the peripheral configuration of the crop harvesting device according to one embodiment. Regarding an example of the crop harvesting apparatus according to one embodiment, it is a cross-sectional view showing a rotating member as a peripheral configuration, in which (a) shows a state in which the rotating member is open, and (b) shows a state in which the rotating member is closed. A plan view showing another example of the rotating member together with the peripheral configuration of the crop harvesting device according to one embodiment. A plan view showing another example of the rotating member together with the peripheral configuration of the crop harvesting device according to one embodiment. A plan view showing an example of the configuration of the drive mechanism for the crop harvesting device according to one embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the crop harvesting apparatus by one Embodiment along the X11-X11 line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the crop harvesting apparatus by one Embodiment along the X12-X12 line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the crop harvesting apparatus by one Embodiment along the line X13-X13 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the crop harvesting apparatus by one Embodiment from the direction of the arrow X14 of FIG. A diagram schematically showing the configuration of a crop harvesting system according to one embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the visual information acquired by the visual apparatus in the crop harvesting system by one Embodiment. A diagram conceptually showing an example of a case where each position is specified by the position identification processing unit in the crop harvesting system according to one embodiment. A side view showing an example of the movement mode and the operation mode of the crop harvesting device at each time point when the harvesting operation is executed in the crop harvesting system according to one embodiment (No. 1). A plan view showing a crop harvesting apparatus in FIG. 18 for a crop harvesting system according to an embodiment. A side view showing an example of the movement mode and the operation mode of the crop harvesting device at each time point when the harvesting operation is executed in the crop harvesting system according to one embodiment (Part 2). A side view showing an example of the movement mode and the operation mode of the crop harvesting device at each time point when the harvesting operation is executed in the crop harvesting system according to one embodiment (Part 3). A plan view showing the crop harvesting apparatus in FIG. 21 for one embodiment. A side view showing an example of the movement mode and the operation mode of the crop harvesting device at each time point when the harvesting operation is executed in the crop harvesting system according to one embodiment (No. 4). It is sectional drawing which shows the structure around the rotating member about the crop harvesting system by one Embodiment, (a) is the figure which shows the case where the rotating member actually touches, (b) shows the case where the rotating member actually touches. figure A side view showing an example of the movement mode and the operation mode of the crop harvesting device at each time point when the harvesting operation is executed in the crop harvesting system according to one embodiment (No. 5). It is sectional drawing which shows the structure around the rotating member about the crop harvesting system by one Embodiment, and shows the state which the rotating member is not in contact with fruit stalks, etc. A side view showing an example of the movement mode and the operation mode of the crop harvesting device at each time point when the harvesting operation is executed in the crop harvesting system according to one embodiment (No. 6). A flowchart showing an example of the control contents of the harvesting operation executed in the crop harvesting system according to one embodiment.

Hereinafter, one embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
<Crop harvesting equipment>

First, the configuration of the crop harvesting apparatus 1 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14. The crop harvesting device 1 (hereinafter referred to as the harvesting device 1) of the present embodiment targets fruit vegetables and fruit trees in which a plurality of fruits grow in a bunch, such as cherry tomatoes and grapes. By using the harvesting apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to separate the fruits that are bearing fruit in the state of the bunch from the fruit stalk and harvest the fruits individually.

The harvesting device 1 is used by being attached to the tip of a robot arm or the like, for example. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the harvesting device 1 includes a base member 10, a holding mechanism 20, a separation mechanism 30, and a drive mechanism 40. In the following description, in the harvesting apparatus 1, the base member 10 side is the base end side, and the side opposite to the base member 10 and the tip end side. Further, in the present embodiment, the direction perpendicular to the direction connecting the proximal end side and the distal end side may be referred to as the width direction of the harvesting apparatus 1.

The base member 10 is configured to serve as a base for mounting the holding mechanism 20, the separation mechanism 30, and the drive mechanism 40. In the case of this embodiment, the drive mechanism 40 is attached to the base member 10. The holding mechanism 20 and the separating mechanism 30 are attached to the base member 10 via the driving mechanism 40. The base member 10 is detachably configured at the tip of the robot arm 52 or the like shown in FIG.

Both the holding mechanism 20 and the separating mechanism 30 are configured to be switchable between the open state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the closed state shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In the open state, the holding mechanism 20 and the separating mechanism 30 are opened to a state larger than the entire outer diameter of one bunch of crops to be harvested, and the entire bunch can be inserted inside. Further, in the closed state, the holding mechanism 20 and the separating mechanism 30 are closed so as to be smaller than the outer diameter of the entire bunch of crops to be harvested and smaller than the outer diameter of the fruit stalk.

Then, the holding mechanism 20 can hold the fruit stalk between the inside of the holding mechanism 20 in the closed state. Further, the separation mechanism 30 can be arranged in such a manner that the fruit stalk is not held inside the separation mechanism 30 in the closed state. The separation mechanism 30 is configured to be movable in a direction away from the holding mechanism 20 while the fruit stalk is arranged inside the separation mechanism 30 in a closed state. In the case of the present embodiment, the holding mechanism 20 holds the fruit stalk between the tips of the holding mechanism 20 in the closed state. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the separation mechanism 30 is configured to be movable in a direction in which at least the tip end side of the separation mechanism 30 approaches and separates from the holding mechanism 20 with the drive mechanism 40 as a fulcrum, while remaining in the closed state. There is.

The holding mechanism 20 is configured to be openable and closable by combining a plurality of link members. The holding mechanism 20 includes two first holding link members 21, two second holding link members 22, two third holding link members 23, and one holding drive member 24. There is. The two first holding link members 21, the two second holding link members 22, the two third holding link members 23, and the one holding drive member 24 are relative to the center O in the width direction of the holding mechanism 20. They are arranged symmetrically.

The first holding link member 21 is arranged on the most distal end side of the holding link members 21, 22, and 23. The two first holding link members 21 are rotatably connected to each other on the tip side via a bearing or the like (not shown). The two first holding link members 21 have a shape that expands from the distal end side to the proximal end side as shown in FIG. 1 in the open state, and are parallel to each other as shown in FIG. 4 in the closed state. The base end side of each first holding link member 21 is rotatably connected to the tip end side of the second holding link member 22 via a bearing or the like (not shown). In the present specification, the fulcrum of rotation between the two first holding link members 21, that is, the axis of rotation may be referred to as the first holding joint 201. Further, the fulcrum of rotation between the first holding link member 21 and the second holding link member 22, that is, the axis of rotation may be referred to as a second holding joint 202.

The second holding link member 22 is arranged closer to the proximal end side than the first holding link member 21. The second holding link member 22 has a shape that is parallel to each other as shown in FIG. 1 in the open state and expands from the distal end side to the proximal end side as shown in FIG. 4 in the closed state. The base end side of the two second holding link members 22 is bent at a right angle toward the center side in the width direction of the harvesting device 1, and is directly or jointly rotated to the base member 10 via a bearing (not shown) or the like. It is movably connected. In the case of the present embodiment, the base end side of the second holding link member 22 is attached to the base member 10 via the attachment member 11. In the present specification, the fulcrum of rotation between the second holding link member 22 and the base member 10, that is, the axis of rotation may be referred to as the third holding joint 203. In this case, the second holding joint 202 is configured to be relatively immovable with respect to the base member 10.

Of both ends of the third holding link member 23, one is in the middle of the second holding link member 22 in the longitudinal direction, in this case, not shown in the proximal end side of the center of the second holding link member 22 in the longitudinal direction. It is rotatably connected via bearings and the like. Further, the other end of the third holding link member 23 is rotatably connected to the end of the holding drive member 24 via a bearing or the like (not shown). In the specification, the fulcrum of rotation between the second holding link member 22 and the third holding link member 23, that is, the axis of rotation may be referred to as a fourth holding joint 204. Further, the fulcrum of rotation between the third holding link member 23 and the holding drive member 24, that is, the axis of rotation may be referred to as the fifth holding joint 205. The third holding link member 23 is inclined so as to approach the holding drive member 24 toward the fifth holding joint 205 side from the fourth holding joint 204 side.

The holding drive member 24 is formed in a rod shape extending in the width direction of the harvesting device 1, for example, and the second holding link member 22 is rotatably connected to both ends in the longitudinal direction. The holding drive member 24 is connected to the drive mechanism 40, and is pushed and pulled in the direction connecting the front end side and the rear end side of the harvesting device 1 by the drive mechanism 40 in this case, in the direction along the center line O.

When the holding drive member 24 is pulled toward the proximal end side, the holding mechanism 20 closes and changes from the open state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to the closed state shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The holding mechanism 20 can hold the fruit handle by sandwiching it between the first holding link members 21 facing each other in the closed state. Further, when the holding drive member 24 is pushed toward the tip end side, the holding mechanism 20 opens, and the closed state shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 changes to the open state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. As a result, the inside of the holding mechanism 20, specifically, the two first holding link members 21, the two second holding link members 22, the two third holding link members 23, and the holding drive member 24. It is possible to pass the entire tuft 90 within the area surrounded by, in this case, the heptagonal or octagonal area.

The holding mechanism 20 has a contact member 25. The contact member 25 is attached to each of the two first holding link members 21, and is a portion that comes into direct contact with the fruit stalk when holding the fruit stalk. The contact members 25 attached to the first holding link members 21 are arranged at positions facing each other in the closed state of the holding mechanism 20. In this case, in the closed state of the holding mechanism 20, a predetermined gap is formed between the facing contact members 25. In this case, the predetermined gap is a gap slightly smaller than the outer shape of the fruit stalk, and is a gap that does not cut the fruit stalk when the holding mechanism 20 is closed and the contact member 25 sandwiches and holds the fruit stalk. ..

The contact member 25 can be made of, for example, a member having rigidity such as metal or resin, or a member having elasticity such as rubber. In the case of the present embodiment, the contact member 25 has one or a plurality of recesses 251. The recess 251 is formed by cutting out or recessing a part of the contact member 25. When the fruit handle is sandwiched and held by the contact member 25, the recess 251 bites into the fruit handle, so that the holding force of the holding mechanism 20 can be improved.

The separation mechanism 30 is arranged at a position where it overlaps with the holding mechanism 20 in a plan view. The separation mechanism 30 is provided at a position on the tip end side of the fruit stalk with respect to the holding mechanism 20 when the harvesting device 1 is used. Like the holding mechanism 20, the separation mechanism 30 is configured to be switchable between the open state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In the open state, the separation mechanism 30 is opened to a state larger than the outer diameter of the entire bunch to be harvested, and the entire bunch can be inserted inside. Further, in the closed state, the separation mechanism 30 is closed in a state of being smaller than the outer diameter of the entire bunch to be harvested and larger than the outer diameter of the fruit stalk, and a predetermined gap is formed inside.

The principle of opening and closing the separation mechanism 30 is the same as that of the separation mechanism 30. The separation mechanism 30 is configured to be openable and closable by combining a plurality of link members. The separation mechanism 30 includes two first separation link members 31, two second separation link members 32, two third separation link members 33, and one separation drive member 34. There is. The two first separation link members 31, the two second separation link members 32, the two third separation link members 33, and the one separation drive member 34 are relative to the center O in the width direction of the separation mechanism 30. They are arranged symmetrically. In the present embodiment, the second separation link member 32, the third separation link member 33, and the separation drive member 34 are the second holding link member 22, the third holding link member 23, and the holding drive member 24 of the holding mechanism 20 thereof. It is arranged at a position where it overlaps with in a plan view.

The first separation link member 31 is arranged on the most distal end side of the separation link members 31, 32, 33. The two first separation link members 31 are rotatably connected to each other on the tip side via a bearing or the like (not shown). The two first separation link members 31 have a shape that expands from the distal end side to the proximal end side as shown in FIG. 1 in the open state, and are parallel to each other as shown in FIG. 4 in the closed state. The base end side of each first separation link member 31 is rotatably connected to the tip end side of the second separation link member 32 via a bearing or the like (not shown). In the present specification, the fulcrum of rotation between the two first separation link members 31, that is, the axis of rotation may be referred to as the first separation joint 301. Further, the fulcrum of rotation of the first separation link member 31 and the second separation link member 32, that is, the axis of rotation may be referred to as a second separation joint 302.

The second separation link member 32 is arranged closer to the proximal end side than the first separation link member 31. The second separation link member 32 has a shape that is parallel to each other as shown in FIG. 1 in the open state and expands from the distal end side to the proximal end side as shown in FIG. 4 in the closed state. The base end side of the two second holding link members 22 is bent at a right angle toward the center side in the width direction of the harvesting device 1, and is directly or jointly rotated to the base member 10 via a bearing (not shown) or the like. It is movably connected. In the case of the present embodiment, the proximal end side of the second separation link member 32 is attached to the drive mechanism 40, and can rotate with the proximal end side as a fulcrum in a direction away from the holding mechanism 20 and in a direction approaching the holding mechanism 20. There is. In the present specification, the fulcrum of rotation, that is, the axis of rotation between the second separation link member 32 and the drive mechanism 40, in this case, the receiving member 47, which will be described later, may be referred to as a third separation joint 303. In this case, the second separation joint 302 is configured to be relatively immovable with respect to the receiving member 47.

Of both ends of the third separation link member 33, one is an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the second separation link member 32, in this case, not shown in the proximal end side portion from the center in the longitudinal direction of the second separation link member 32. It is rotatably connected via bearings and the like. Further, the other end of the third separation link member 33 is rotatably connected to the end of the separation drive member 34 via a bearing or the like (not shown). In the specification, the fulcrum of rotation of the second separation link member 32 and the third separation link member 33, that is, the axis of rotation may be referred to as a fourth separation joint 304. Although not shown, the rotation fulcrum, that is, the axis of rotation between the third separation link member 33 and the separation drive member 34 may be referred to as a fifth separation joint. The third separation link member 33 is inclined so as to approach the separation drive member 34 toward the fifth separation joint side from the fourth separation joint 304 side.

The separation driving member 34 is formed in a rod shape extending in the width direction of the harvesting device 1, for example, and the second separation link member 32 is rotatably connected to both ends in the longitudinal direction. The separation drive member 34 is connected to the drive mechanism 40, and is pushed and pulled in the direction connecting the front end side and the rear end side of the harvesting device 1 by the drive mechanism 40 in this case, in the direction along the center line O. In the case of the present embodiment, the separation driving member 34 is configured to be movable in the same direction as the holding driving member 24 of the holding mechanism 20.

When the separation driving member 34 is pulled toward the proximal end side, the separation mechanism 30 closes, and the open state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 changes to the closed state shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The separation mechanism 30 can be arranged in a closed state without holding the fruit stalk between the opposing first separation link members 31. Further, when the separation driving member 34 is pushed toward the tip end side, the separation mechanism 30 opens, and the closed state shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 changes to the open state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. As a result, the inside of the separation mechanism 30, specifically, the two first separation link members 31, the two second separation link members 32, the two third separation link members 33, and the separation drive member 34. It is possible to pass the entire tuft 90 within the area surrounded by, in this case the heptagonal or octagonal area.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the separation mechanism 30 has a rotation shaft 35, a first support member 36, a second support member 37, and a rotation member 38. The rotation shaft 35, the first support member 36, and the second support member 37 function as hinges for rotating the rotation member 38 with respect to the first separation link member 31. The rotating shaft 35 is, for example, a shaft member formed in a long columnar shape extending along the longitudinal direction of the first separation link member 31, and is attached to the first separation link member 31. In this case, the first separation link member 31 has a bearing portion 311. The bearing portions 311 are provided at both ends of the first separation link member 31 in the longitudinal direction, and for example, holes having an inner diameter similar to the outer shape of the rotating shaft 35 are formed. The rotating shaft 35 is supported by inserting the rotating shaft 35 into the bearing portion 311.

The first support member 36 is rotatably attached to the first separation link member 31 via a rotation shaft 35. The first support member 36 is formed in a long shape along the longitudinal direction of the first separation link member 31 as a whole, and has a shaft insertion portion 361. The shaft insertion portion 361 is provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the first support member 36, and has a hole having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer shape of the rotating shaft 35 through which the rotating shaft 35 can pass, for example. ing. The first support member 36 is rotatably attached to the rotation shaft 35 by passing the rotation shaft 35 through the shaft insertion portion 361.

The second support member 37 is formed as a whole in a long shape along the longitudinal direction of the first separation link member 31. The second support member 37 is detachably attached to the first support member 36 and rotatably supports the rotary member 38. The second support member 37 has a rotating member support portion 371. The rotating member support portion 371 is provided at both ends of the second support member 37 in the longitudinal direction, and has holes through which both ends of the rotating shaft 35 can pass, for example. The rotating member 38 rotatably supports the rotating member 38 by passing both ends of the rotating member 38 through the rotating member support portion 371. The rotating member 38 does not have a drive source and rotates by receiving an external force.

The rotating member 38 is provided at a position facing each other and in contact with the fruit stalk in the closed state of the separation mechanism 30. In this case, the rotating member 38 forms a predetermined gap S1 between the rotating members 38 facing each other in the closed state of the separation mechanism 30. The predetermined gap S1 is set to such a gap that the rotation of the rotating member 38 is not hindered when the separating mechanism 30 is closed and the rotating member 38 comes into contact with the fruit handle.

The separation mechanism 30 is configured so that a predetermined gap S1 can be adjusted. In the case of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the first support member 36 and the second support member 37 are provided with, for example, a round hole 362 and an elongated hole 372 at positions overlapping each other. The round hole 362 is a circular hole, and the long hole 372 is a long hole that is long in the width direction of the harvesting device 1 and has the same width as the diameter of the round hole 362. The first support member 36 and the second support member 37 are fixed to each other by passing bolts (not shown) through round holes 362 and elongated holes 372 and sandwiching nuts (not shown). Then, the first support member 36 and the second support member 37 adjust the positions of the elongated hole 372 and the round hole 362, so that, for example, the dimensions of the predetermined gap S1 can be adjusted according to the type of the plant to be harvested. Can be adjusted. In this case, the elongated hole 372 and the round hole 362 function as an adjusting unit for adjusting the dimension between the opposing rotating members 38. The elongated hole 372 and the round hole 362 may be applied in combination, and may be provided in either the first support member 36 or the second support member 37.

The rotating member 38 is formed in a long shape along the longitudinal direction of the first separation link member 31, and is formed in a cylindrical or cylindrical shape as a whole. The rotating member 38 has protrusions 381 at both ends, and the protruding portions 381 are fitted into the rotating member support portion 371 of the second support member 37, so that the second support member 37 receives an external force. It is rotatably attached to. The rotating member 38 may be made of metal or resin and has rigidity, or may have a flexible surface. The rotating member 38a in FIG. 6 is an example of the rotating member 38, and is composed of, for example, an elongated cylinder or a roller formed in a cylindrical shape. The rotating member 38a of FIG. 6 is formed in a simple cylindrical or cylindrical shape having the same outer diameter over the entire longitudinal direction in a portion other than the protruding portion 381.

The first support member 36, the second support member 37, and the rotating member 38 can rotate about the rotation shaft 35 between FIGS. 7A and 7B. In this case, the rotation of the first support member 36, the second support member 37, and the rotating member 38 does not require the power of a motor or the like, and is performed by its own weight. The range of rotation is set to about 40 ° downward with reference to the state shown in FIG. 7 (b). In this case, the rotation downward from FIG. 7 (a) and the rotation upward from FIG. 7 (b) are performed by, for example, a stopper (not shown) in contact with the first support member 36 or the second support member 37. It is regulated.

In this configuration, when the surface direction of the separation mechanism 30 is, for example, the horizontal direction and no external force is applied to the rotating member 38, the first support member 36, the second support member 37, and the rotating member 38 As shown in FIG. 7A, the rotation shaft 35 is rotated downward with the rotation shaft 35 as a fulcrum due to its own weight. As a result, the two opposing rotating members 38 are wide open, that is, the gap between them is widened, and finally the two rotating members 38 are opened until the distance S2 is reached. The gap S2 at this time is larger than the predetermined dimension S1 described above.

On the other hand, when the surface direction of the separation mechanism 30 is the horizontal direction, the rotating member 38 comes into contact with the fruit handle or the fruit, and an external force acts on the rotating member 38 in the direction of lifting from below. As shown in FIG. 7B, the 1 support member 36, the second support member 37, and the rotary member 38 are in a state of being rotated upward with the rotary shaft 35 as a fulcrum. As a result, the two rotating members 38 facing each other are closed, that is, the gap between the two members is reduced. Then, in the case of the present embodiment, the opposing rotating members 38 are closed until they reach the closest position, that is, the predetermined dimension S1, and then the upward rotation is restricted.

As the rotating member 38, for example, the rotating member 38b shown in FIG. 8 or the rotating member 38c shown in FIG. 9 can be applied. The rotating member 38b shown in FIG. 8 and the rotating member 38c shown in FIG. 9 are both composed of, for example, a long thin cylinder or a roller formed in a cylindrical shape as a whole. In this case, the rotating member 38b of FIG. 8 is formed in a shape in which a large cylinder or a cylindrical shape and a cylinder or a cylindrical shape having a small outer diameter are alternately arranged over the entire longitudinal direction in a portion other than the protruding portion 381. There is. Further, the rotating member 38c in FIG. 9 is formed in a shape in which the outer diameter continuously changes in size over the entire longitudinal direction in the portion other than the protruding portion 381.

The drive mechanism 40 has a function of opening and closing the holding mechanism 20, opening and closing the separation mechanism 30, and moving the separation mechanism 30 away from and approaching the holding mechanism 20 in this case. The drive mechanism 40 of the present embodiment can open / close the holding mechanism 20, open / close the separation mechanism 30, and rotate the separation mechanism 30 with one drive source, that is, one motor 401.

The drive mechanism 40 includes a motor 401, a guide member 402, a drive shaft 41, a cam member 42, a first slave member 43, a second slave member 44, a drive clutch member 45, a driven clutch member 46, a receiving member 47, and a regulating member. It has 48 and a release member 49. As the motor 401, for example, a stepping motor, a servomotor, or the like that can rotate in the forward direction and the reverse direction can be used, and the rotation speed and the rotation position can be arbitrarily controlled. In the present specification, the rotation direction of the motor 401 when the holding mechanism 20 and the separating mechanism 30 close and the separating mechanism 30 moves away from the holding mechanism 20 may be referred to as forward rotation. Further, the rotation direction of the motor 401 when the separation mechanism 30 moves closer to the holding mechanism 20 and the holding mechanism 20 and the separation mechanism 30 move in the closing direction may be referred to as reverse rotation.

The first slave member 43 is fixed to the holding drive member 24 and has a function of pushing and pulling the holding drive member 24 in response to the rotation of the motor 401. The first slave member 43 has a connecting portion 431 formed in a cylindrical or columnar shape, and by inserting the connecting portion 431 into the first cam groove 421, the first slave member 43 can be relatively movable with respect to the cam member 42. It is connected. In this case, the first cam groove 421 is formed in an arc shape to connect the rotation of the cam member 42 with the transmission region 421a formed in a linear shape and capable of transmitting the rotation of the cam member 42 to the connecting portion 431. It has a non-transmission region 421b that is prevented from transmitting to the unit 431.

In this configuration, when the cam member 42 rotates in the clockwise direction of FIG. 11 from the state where the holding drive member 24 shown in FIG. 11A is extruded, the period during which the connecting portion 431 is located in the linear region 421a. Moves linearly in the direction in which the first slave member 43 is pulled toward the cam member 42. After that, when the cam member 42 further rotates in the clockwise direction while the connecting portion 431 reaches the arc-shaped region 421b, the cam member 42 idles with respect to the connecting portion 431, whereby the rotation of the cam member 42 is connected. It will not be transmitted to unit 431.

As shown in FIG. 12, the second subordinate member 44 is fixed to the separation drive member 34 and has a function of pushing and pulling the separation drive member 34 in response to the rotation of the motor 401. In the case of the present embodiment, the second subordinate member 44 has a second cam groove 441. The connecting portion 431 of the first subordinate member 43 is passed through the second cam groove 441 and is connected to the first subordinate member 43. The second cam groove 441 is formed by hollowing out the second slave member 44 in an arc shape in the thickness direction.

In this configuration, with the separation drive member 34 shown in FIG. 12 (a) extruded, the first follower member 43 is straight toward the cam member 42 as shown in FIGS. 11 (a) to 11 (b). When the first slave member 43 moves, the connecting portion 431 also moves linearly toward the cam member 42. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 12 (a) and 12 (b), the connecting portion 431 is located at the end of the second cam groove 441. Therefore, due to the movement of the connecting portion 431, the second subordinate member 44 also moves linearly in the direction of being pulled toward the cam member 42 side. After that, when the separation mechanism 30 rotates downward with the drive mechanism 40 as a fulcrum, as shown in FIG. 13, the second subordinate member 44 rotates together with the rotation of the separation drive member 34.

The drive clutch member 45 and the driven clutch member 46 form a clutch mechanism. The drive clutch member 45 and the driven clutch member 46 have a function of switching between a state in which the rotation of the drive clutch member 45 is transmitted to the driven clutch member 46 and a state in which the rotation is not transmitted to the driven clutch member 46 according to the rotation angle of the drive shaft 41. In this case, the drive clutch member 45 is formed in a disk shape, for example, and has a sliding groove 451 and a deep groove 452.

The sliding groove 451 is formed in an arcuate groove arranged along a concentric circle centered on the drive shaft 41 in this case, the center of rotation of the drive clutch member 45. In this case, two sliding grooves 451 are arranged point-symmetrically with respect to the rotation center of the drive clutch member 45. Further, the deep groove 452 is provided at one end of the arc shape of the sliding groove 451. In this case, the sliding groove 451 and the deep groove 452 are formed, for example, in a shape in which the drive clutch member 45 is dug down, that is, a shape that does not penetrate. The depth dimension of the deep groove 452 is larger than the depth dimension of the sliding groove 451. That is, the deep groove 452 is formed deeper than the sliding groove 451.

The driven clutch member 46 is formed in a circular shape as a whole or in a block shape in which a part of the circular shape is cut off. The driven clutch member 46 has a bearing portion 461 shown in FIG. 10 and a pin member 462 shown in FIG. The bearing portion 461 is provided around the central portion of the driven clutch member 46, and the drive shaft 41 is passed through the inside. As a result, the driven clutch member 46 can rotate about the drive shaft 41 as the center of rotation.

The pin member 462 is provided in the driven clutch member 46 at a position where it protrudes from the surface facing the drive clutch member 45 and corresponds to the sliding groove 451, that is, can be fitted. The pin member 462 is composed of, for example, a rod-shaped pin having a thin tip or a hemispherical shape, and is configured to be elastically pushable and pushable by an elastic member such as a spring.

In this configuration, when the drive clutch member 45 rotates, the rotation of the drive clutch member 45 is not transmitted to the driven clutch member 46 while the sliding groove 451 slides on the pin member 462. When the deep groove 452 reaches the position of the pin member 462, the pin member 462 fits into the deep groove 452 and the rotation of the drive clutch member 45 is transmitted to the driven clutch member 46. The rotation of the motor 401 is transmitted to the driven clutch member 46 via the drive clutch member 45, and further transmitted to the release member 49.

The receiving member 47 is connected to the driven clutch member 46 and is configured to be rotatable integrally with the driven clutch member 46. Further, the receiving member 47 is fixed to the separation mechanism 30. In the case of the present embodiment, the receiving member 47 is fixed to the base end portion of the third separation link member 33 with bolts or the like. That is, the receiving member 47 has a function of connecting the driven clutch member 46 and the separation mechanism 30 in this case, the third separation link member 33, and transmitting the rotation of the driven clutch member 46 to the separation mechanism 30.

The regulating member 48 is a receiving member 47 in a state where the drive clutch member 45 and the driven clutch member 46 are not meshed with each other, that is, in a state where the pin member 462 of the driven clutch member 46 is not fitted into the deep groove 452 of the drive clutch member 45. The rotation of the receiving member 47 is restricted, that is, the rotation of the separation mechanism 30 is restricted. The regulating member 48 is not connected to the drive shaft 41.

The regulating member 48 has a locked portion 481 and a release receiving portion 482. The locked portion 481 is formed in a shape in which a part of the regulating member 48 is cut out. On the other hand, the receiving member 47 has a locking portion 471. The locking portion 471 is configured to be able to be locked to the locked portion 481 at a predetermined rotation angle. The restricting member 48 is given an elastic force in the direction of pressing the locked portion 481 toward the locking portion 471 by an elastic member such as a spring (not shown). As a result, the locking portion 471 fits into the locked portion 481, and the rotation of the receiving member 47, that is, the rotation of the separation mechanism 30 is restricted.

The release receiving portion 482 comes into contact with the release member 49 when the release member 49 rotates, and the restricting member 48 receives the rotational force of the release member 49 to separate the locked portion 481 from the locking portion 471, that is, release. It has a function to move in the direction of movement. As a result, the restriction on the rotation of the receiving member 47 by the regulating member 48 is released, and the separating mechanism 30 can be rotated downward.

Next, a series of operations of the holding mechanism 20 and the separating mechanism 30 in the harvesting device 1 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a state in which the holding mechanism 20 and the separating mechanism 30 are open and the separating mechanism 30 is close to the holding mechanism 20, that is, a state in which the separating mechanism 30 is closed in the vertical direction, is shown. The initial state of the harvesting device 1 is set. In this state, when the motor 401 is driven to rotate the drive shaft 41 in the clockwise direction in FIGS. 11 to 14, the cam member 42 becomes the first slave as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B. The member 43 is pulled toward the cam member 42, and as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the second subordinate member 44 is also pulled toward the cam member 42 as the first subordinate member 43 moves. .. As a result, the holding mechanism 20 and the separating mechanism 30 are closed as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

While the holding mechanism 20 and the separating mechanism 30 are switched from the open state to the closed state, or from the closed state to the open state, the pin member 462 of the driven clutch member 46 is sliding in the sliding groove 451 of the drive clutch member 45. The drive clutch member 45 and the driven clutch member 46 are not meshed with each other. Therefore, the rotation of the motor 401 is not transmitted to the separation mechanism 30 via the driven clutch member 46 and the receiving member 47. In this state, the driven clutch member 46 is rotatable relative to the drive clutch member 45, but the separating mechanism 30 is held because the rotation of the receiving member 47 is restricted by the regulating member 48. It does not rotate in the direction away from the mechanism 20.

When the motor 401 is further rotated, as shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, the pin member 462 of the driven clutch member 46 is fitted into the deep groove 452 of the drive clutch member 45, and the rotation of the motor 401 is driven. It can be transmitted to the receiving member 47 via the clutch member 46. Further, at about the same time, as shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the release member 49 connected to the drive shaft 41 comes into contact with the regulation member 48, and the receiving member 47 by the regulation member 48 Remove the rotation restrictions. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 13 (c) and 14 (c) due to the rotation of the motor 401, the separation mechanism 30 connected to the receiving member 47 is held by the tip end side of the separation mechanism 30 with the receiving member 47 as a fulcrum. It rotates in a direction away from the mechanism 20.

Further, during the period during which the separation mechanism 30 is rotating, the connection portion 431 of the first slave member 43 is located in the non-transmission region 421b as shown in FIG. 11C, so that the rotation of the motor 401 does not occur. It is not transmitted to the first slave member 43 via the cam member 42. Therefore, the holding mechanism 20 does not open or close while the separation mechanism 30 is rotating.

Further, while the separation mechanism 30 is rotating, the connecting portion 431 of the first slave member 43 moves in the second cam groove 441 of the second slave member 44 as shown in FIG. 12 (c). ing. Therefore, the second cam groove 441 has a function of suppressing the second slave member 44 from obstructing the rotation of the separation mechanism 30.

After that, when the motor 401 is rotated in the reverse direction, that is, in the counterclockwise direction in FIGS. 11 to 14, the holding mechanism 20 and the separation mechanism 30 operate in the reverse order of those described above, and return to the initial state. That is, when the harvesting device 1 reversely rotates the motor 401 while the holding mechanism 20 and the separating mechanism 30 are in the open state and the separating mechanism 30 is rotating in the direction away from the holding mechanism 20, the separating mechanism 1 first. 30 rotates in a direction approaching the holding mechanism 20, and then the holding mechanism 20 and the separating mechanism 30 open.
<Crop harvesting system>

Next, an example of a crop harvesting system using the harvesting apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 28. The crop harvesting system 50 shown in FIG. 15 is an example in which cherry tomatoes are set as the crop of the crop to be harvested. In the crop harvesting system 50 of the present embodiment, each fruit 91 that bears fruit in the bunch 90 is used as a harvesting object, and the fruit 91 can be separated from the main stem 92 and the fruit stalk 93 and harvested individually.

As shown in FIG. 16 and the like, the harvested object 91 such as a cherry tomato bears fruit in a state of hanging from the main stem 92 via the fruit stalk 93 and the small fruit stalk 94. In this case, the small fruit pattern 94 is a handle portion connecting the fruit 91 and the fruit pattern 93. Further, the fruit stalk 93 is a stalk portion extending from the main stem 92. Mini tomatoes for commercial use are often grown in greenhouses. In this case, the tip of the main stem 92 is suspended from a rail arranged near the ceiling of the greenhouse. As a result, the main stem 92 extends so as to incline diagonally upward from the ground toward the vicinity of the ceiling.

The harvesting object of the crop harvesting system 50 of the present embodiment is not limited to cherry tomatoes as long as the fruit hangs from the main stem or the fruiting mother branch and bears fruit as a bunch. In addition, the harvested object does not necessarily have to hang vertically downward from the main stem or the fruiting mother branch. Further, the harvested object may be one that grows upward from the main stem or the fruiting mother branch. In the present embodiment, the main stem and the branch are both intended to be protected from damage caused by the harvesting work, and are technically treated as having the same meaning.

The crop harvesting system 50 of the present embodiment further includes a visual device 51, a robot arm 52, a conveyor 53, and a collection box 54 in addition to the harvesting device 1. The visual device 51 is a device capable of acquiring visual information including the position information of the harvesting object 91. The visual device 51 is a device capable of measuring a three-dimensional space and an object such as a stereo camera, a ToF (Time of Flight) camera, and a structured light scanner.

In the case of the present embodiment, the visual information acquired by the visual apparatus 51 includes color information as well as position information and external shape information of the harvesting object 91. Further, the visual information acquired by the visual device 51 includes the position information, the outer shape information, and the color information of the main stem 92, but includes the position information, the outer shape information, and the color information of the fruit pattern 93. It does not have to include. That is, in the case of the present embodiment, the visual device 51 acquires the position information, the outer shape information, and the color information of the harvesting object 91 and the main stem 92, but the position information, the outer shape information, and the outer shape information of the fruit stalk 93. It is not always necessary to acquire color information.

In the case of the present embodiment, the visual device 51 can be attached to the base member 10 of the harvesting device 1 via a stay for attachment (not shown). That is, the harvesting device 1 can be configured to include the visual device 51. In this case, as the harvesting device 1 moves, the visual device 51 also moves. The visual device 51 does not necessarily have to be attached to the harvesting device 1. The visual device 51 may be attached to, for example, the robot arm 52 or the transport device 53. Further, the visual device 51 may be attached to, for example, a structure of a vinyl house (not shown) to maintain a fixed position at all times.

The robot arm 52 is, for example, a 6-axis vertical articulated robot having a plurality of drive axes, in this case six drive axes. The harvesting device 1 is attached to the hand of the robot arm 52. The robot arm 52 can move the harvesting device 1 to an arbitrary position and rotate it to an arbitrary posture.

The transporting device 53 is configured to transport the robot arm 52 to which the harvesting device 1 is attached and the collection box 54 to the harvesting object 91. The transport device 53 has, for example, a motor (not shown) for driving the tire 531 and can be moved to an arbitrary position by external control or the like. The collection box 54 is a box for storing and collecting the fruit 91 separated from the fruit stalk 93 by, for example, the harvesting device 1. The collection box 54 is formed, for example, in the shape of a container with an open upper side, and is installed in the transport device 53. If the equipment such as a vinyl house is equipped with a device for transporting the harvested object 91 such as a belt conveyor, the number of collection boxes 54 can be reduced. Further, instead of the collection box 54, a bag or a container may be provided below the harvesting device 1.

Further, the crop harvesting system 50 includes a harvesting device control unit 55, a visual device control unit 56, a robot arm control unit 57, and a transport device control unit 58. The harvesting device control unit 55, the visual device control unit 56, the robot arm control unit 57, and the conveyor control unit 58 are, for example, dedicated devices attached to the harvesting device 1, the visual device 51, the robot arm 52, and the conveyor 53, respectively. For example, it is provided in the transport device 53.

The harvesting device control unit 55, the visual device control unit 56, the robot arm control unit 57, and the transport device control unit 58 each have a storage area such as a CPU (not shown), a ROM, a RAM, and a rewritable flash memory, respectively. It is mainly composed of a computer, a motor 401 of the harvesting device 1, a visual device 51, a robot arm 52, a power circuit for supplying electric power as a driving force to the transport device 53, and the like. The motor 401, the visual device 51, the robot arm 52, and the conveyor 53 of the harvesting device 1 are instructed by the harvesting device control unit 55, the visual device control unit 56, the robot arm control unit 57, and the conveyor control unit 58, respectively. Drive control is based on.

The control device 60 is the harvesting device 1, the visual device 51, the robot arm 52, and the transporting device 53, respectively, via the harvesting device control unit 55, the visual device control unit 56, the robot arm control unit 57, and the transporting device control unit 58, respectively. Is for controlling. The control device 60 is communicably connected to each of the harvesting device control unit 55, the visual device control unit 56, the robot arm control unit 57, and the conveyor control unit 58 by wire or wirelessly. In this case, the control device 60 controls the harvesting device control unit 55, the visual device control unit 56, the robot arm control unit 57, and the transport device control via, for example, a LAN, a WAN, or a telecommunication line N such as the Internet or a mobile phone line. It may be connected to the unit 58.

As shown in FIG. 15, the control device 60 is mainly composed of a microcomputer having a storage area 602 such as a CPU 601 and a ROM, RAM, and a rewritable flash memory. The control device 60 issues a drive command to the harvesting device 1, the visual device 51, the robot arm 52, and the transporting device 53, and receives feedback from the harvesting device 1, the visual device 51, the robot arm 52, and the transporting device 53. .. The control device 60 is a general-purpose control device that is not attached to any of the harvesting device 1, the visual device 51, the robot arm 52, and the transport device 53. That is, the control device 60 is a higher-level device that issues a command to the harvesting device control unit 55, the visual device control unit 56, the robot arm control unit 57, and the transport device control unit 58. The control device 60 can be configured by, for example, a personal computer, a server, or the like.

The storage area 602 stores a program for the crop harvesting system. The control device 60 executes a program for the crop harvesting system in the CPU 601 to execute a harvest target detection processing unit 61, a position information specifying processing unit 62, a movement route generation processing unit 63, a movement processing unit 64, and a holding processing unit 65. , The arrangement processing unit 66, the separation processing unit 67, the return processing unit 68, and the like are virtually realized by software. The harvest object detection processing unit 61, the position information identification processing unit 62, the movement route generation processing unit 63, the movement processing unit 64, the holding processing unit 65, the arrangement processing unit 66, the separation processing unit 67, and the return processing unit 68. May be realized in terms of hardware, for example, as an integrated circuit integrated with the control device 60.

The harvest target detection processing unit 61 can execute the harvest target detection processing. The harvesting object detection process includes a process of detecting whether or not the harvesting object 91 exists in the visual field of the visual device 51 from the visual information acquired by the visual device 51. In this case, the visual information acquired by the visual device 51 is composed of point cloud data called a point cloud, as shown in FIG. This visual information is composed of, for example, a group of points arranged on an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system, and includes RGB (R: Red, G: Green, B: Blue) color information for each point. It includes depth information (D: Depth) with respect to the visual device 51, that is, position information in the XYZ Cartesian coordinate system. In the case of the example of FIG. 16, red color is detected for the cherry tomato 91, which is the harvest target, and green color is detected for the main stem 92. The visual device 51 may acquire a monochrome value as visual information by, for example, an infrared camera.

By recognizing the outer shape of the point cloud, the harvest target detection processing unit 61 can recognize the outer shape of the harvest target 91 and the main stem 92. In this case, the fruit stalk 93 is thinner than the harvest target 91 and the main stem 92. Therefore, when the visual device 51 tries to acquire the visual information of the fruit pattern 93, it is necessary to improve the performance and the resolution of the visual device 51, and the hardware cost increases. Further, the processing load of the visual device 51 and the processing load of the control device 60 using the acquired visual information also increase. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the visual device 51 is configured not to positively acquire the visual information of the fruit pattern 93. As a result, the processing load of the visual device 51 and the control device 60 can be reduced.

First, the harvesting object detection processing unit 61 extracts point group data having a high color value of the harvesting object 91 from the visual information acquired by the visual device 51. In the case of the present embodiment, the harvesting object detection processing unit 61 extracts point cloud data having a high red value, which is the color of the cherry tomato 91. Then, for example, when the acquired visual information includes a point group having a high red value in a predetermined range or more, the harvested object detection processing unit 61 includes the harvested object 91 in the acquired visual information. That is, it is determined that the mini tomato 91, which is the object to be harvested, exists in the field of view of the visual device 51.

On the other hand, when the point group having a high red value existing in the acquired visual information is less than a predetermined range, the harvested object detection processing unit 61 does not include the harvested object 91 in the acquired visual information. That is, it is determined that the mini tomato 91, which is the object to be harvested, does not exist in the field of view of the visual device 51. As described above, the harvesting object detection processing unit 61 recognizes the point cloud having a high red value among the acquired visual information as the mini tomato 91 which is the harvesting object. The harvesting object detection processing unit 61 is to harvest the object from the information of the point cloud arranged on the XYZ Cartesian coordinate system included in the visual information, that is, the three-dimensional point cloud information and the monochrome value by the infrared camera. It may be configured to recognize the object 91 and the main stem 92.

The position information specifying processing unit 62 can execute the position specifying process. In the position specifying process, as shown in FIG. 17, the tip position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the base end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting object 91 are obtained from the visual information acquired by the visual device 51. It includes a process of identifying the position of the harvested object 91 to be included. In the present embodiment, the tip position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) means the position on the tip side of the entire harvesting object 91 with respect to the main stem 92, and is the farthest from the main stem 92 in the entire harvesting object 91. It is the end. Further, the base end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) means the position on the base end side of the entire harvesting object 91 with respect to the main stem 92, and the end closest to the main stem 92 in the entire harvesting object 91. It is a department.

In this case, the outside of the tip position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) is the outside of the entire harvesting object 91 with respect to the tip position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb), that is, the tip position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb). ) Means the direction away from the main stem 92. Further, the outside of the base end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) is the outside of the entire harvesting object 91 with respect to the base end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt), that is, the base end position Pt (Xt, Yt). , Zt) means the direction closer to the main stem 92.

The harvested object 91, such as a cherry tomato, hangs from the main stem 92. Therefore, in this case, the tip position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) is the lower end position of the harvesting object 91, and the proximal end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) is the upper end position of the harvesting object 91. In the following, the tip position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the harvesting object 91 is set as the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb), and the base end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) is set as the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt). , Zt). In this case, the outer side of the tip position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) is below the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb), and the outer side of the base end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) is the upper end position. It is above Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt).

The position information specifying processing unit 62 extracts and harvests the point having the smallest Z value from the point cloud data of the harvesting object 91 detected by the harvesting object detection processing unit 61, that is, the point cloud data having a high red value. The lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the object 91 is specified, and the point where the Z value is maximum is extracted to specify the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvest object 91.

Here, the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, When Zt) is specified, when noise or the like is mixed in the visual information acquired by the visual device 51, the coordinates of the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) are blurred. It is easy to occur. Therefore, in the case of the present embodiment, the position information specifying processing unit 62 has a Z value among the point cloud data of the harvesting object 91 detected by the harvesting object detection processing unit 61, that is, the point cloud data having a high red value. Calculate the average value of the minimum point cloud and the point cloud data within a predetermined range in the positive direction from the lowest point, for example, within a range of 20 mm upward, and use the average value as the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb).

Similarly, the position information specifying processing unit 62 has the maximum point cloud data having the maximum Z value among the point cloud data of the harvesting object 91 detected by the harvesting object detection processing unit 61, that is, the point cloud data having a high red value. The average value of the point cloud data within a predetermined range in the negative direction from the maximum point, for example, within a range of 20 mm downward is calculated, and the average value is defined as the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt).

Further, the position information specifying processing unit 62 is an intermediate position Ph (X, Y) which is an intermediate position from the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the harvesting object 91 to the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt). , Z) can be further executed. The position information specifying processing unit 62 sets the coordinates of the intermediate position in the Z direction between the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt), for example, as the intermediate position Ph (X, Y, Z). ).

In this case, the Z value of the intermediate position Ph (X, Y, Z) is the Z value of the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the Z value and the average value of the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt), that is. , Ph (Z) = (lower end position Pb (Z) + upper end position Pt (Z)) / 2. Further, the X value and the Y value of the intermediate position Ph (X, Y, Z) are average values in Ph (Z). It is also possible to set a plurality of intermediate positions Ph (X, Y, Z). In this case, assuming that the number of intermediate positions Ph is N, Ph (Z) = (lower end position Pb (Z) + upper end position Pt (Z)) / (N + 1).

Further, in the above-mentioned position specifying process, the position information specifying processing unit 62 does not use the position information of the fruit stalk 93 connected to the harvesting object 91, but the position information of the harvesting object 91, in this case, the lower end position Pb (the lower end position Pb). Xb, Yb, Zb), the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt), and the intermediate position Ph (X, Y, Z) can be specified.

Further, as shown in FIG. 16 and the like, the harvesting object detection processing unit 61 has a shape including visual information about the main stem 92, in this case, position information of the main stem 92 from the visual information acquired by the visual device 51. And color information can be obtained. The harvesting object detection processing unit 61 extracts point group data having a high green value, which is the color of the main stem 92, from the visual information acquired by the visual device 51, as in the case of the harvesting object 91. Then, for example, when the point cloud having a high green value exists in a predetermined range or more in the acquired visual information, the harvesting object detection processing unit 61 uses the point cloud having a high green value as the main stem 92. Recognize that.

The movement route generation processing unit 63 can execute the movement route generation processing. The movement route generation process starts from the start point position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs), passes through the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting object 91, and passes through the end point position Pe (Xt, Yt, Zt). It includes a process of generating a movement path R of the harvesting apparatus 1 leading to Xe, Ye, Ze). In this case, the starting point position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) can be set to a position directly below a predetermined distance from the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the harvesting object 91, for example, a position several tens of mm below. .. Further, the end point position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) can be set to a position directly above the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting object 91 by a predetermined distance, for example, a position several tens of mm above.

Further, as shown in FIG. 17, the movement route generation processing unit 63 generates the movement route R of the harvesting apparatus 1 so as to pass through the intermediate position Ph (X, Y, Z). In this case, the movement path R of the harvesting apparatus 1 is the positions adjacent to each other in the Z direction, that is, the start point position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs), the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb), and the intermediate position Ph ( X, Y, Z), the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt), and the end point position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) are connected in order by a straight line.

The movement processing unit 64 can execute the movement processing. The movement process includes a process of driving and controlling the motor 401 of the drive mechanism 40 via the harvesting device control unit 55 to open the holding mechanism 20 and the separation mechanism 30 as shown in FIG. Further, in the movement process, the robot arm 52 is driven and controlled via the robot arm control unit 57, and as shown in FIGS. 18 and 20, the harvesting device 1 is moved along the movement path R, whereby the harvesting device 1 is opened. It includes a process of moving the harvesting device 1 toward the base end side of the fruit stalk 93 while passing the entire bunch 90 through the inner region of the holding mechanism 20 and the separating mechanism 30. That is, the moving processing unit 64 includes a process of passing the entire bunch 90 through the inner region of the holding mechanism 20 and the separation mechanism 30 by scooping the entire bunch 90 from the bottom to the top.

In this case, the reference on the harvesting apparatus 1 side is set, for example, at the reference point Pc shown in FIG. The reference point Pc can be set at an arbitrary position in the inner region when the holding mechanism 20 and the separating mechanism 30 are open. In the present embodiment, the reference point Pc is virtually set at the center position or the center of gravity position of the inner region in a state where the holding mechanism 20 and the separation mechanism 30 are open, for example. The movement processing unit 64 drives and controls the robot arm 52 via the robot arm control unit 57 so that the reference point Pc is along the movement path R.

The holding processing unit 65 can execute the holding processing. The holding process includes a process of sandwiching and holding the fruit stalk 93 by the contact member 25 of the holding mechanism 20 by driving the motor 401 via the harvesting device control unit 55 to close the holding mechanism 20. Here, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the harvesting device 1 of the present embodiment holds the center position or the center of gravity of the inner region in the open state of the holding mechanism 20 and the separating mechanism 30 in this case with the reference point Pc. The position where the fruit stalk 93 is sandwiched when the mechanism 20 and the separation mechanism 30 are closed is significantly different in the front-rear direction. In this case, the position where the fruit handle 93 is sandwiched in the state where the holding mechanism 20 and the separating mechanism 30 are closed is the position where the fruit handle 93 is sandwiched between the first holding link members 21 facing each other in the holding mechanism 20, and facing each other in the separating mechanism 30. It is a position sandwiched between the first separation link members 31.

Therefore, in the case of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 21, the holding process includes a process of driving the robot arm 52 via the robot arm control unit 57 and pulling the harvesting device 1 toward the robot arm 52 side. As a result, when the holding mechanism 20 is switched to the closed state, the fruit handle 93 is located inside the contact member 25.

By executing the holding process, as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the holding mechanism 20 holds the base end portion of the fruit stalk 93, that is, the portion of the fruit stalk 93 on the main stem 92 side of all the fruit 91. The holding process includes a process of holding the base end side portion, that is, the main stem 92 side portion of the fruit stalk 93 with respect to the separation mechanism 30 while the separation mechanism 30 is being moved by executing the separation process described later.

The placement processing unit 66 can execute the placement processing. In the arrangement process, the motor 401 is driven via the harvesting device control unit 55 to switch the separation mechanism 30 to the closed state, so that as shown in FIG. 24A, there is a gap of dimension S2 between the opposing rotating members 38. The harvesting device 1 is arranged with respect to the fruit stalk 93 so that the base end side portion of the fruit stalk 93, that is, the main stem 92 side portion is located in the gap thereof. In the case of the present embodiment, the holding mechanism 20 and the separating mechanism 30 are driven by one motor 401, and the switching between the open state and the closed state is synchronized. Therefore, in the case of this embodiment, the holding process and the placement process are executed at the same time.

When the holding mechanism 20 and the separating mechanism 30 are driven by different motors, the above-mentioned holding process and arrangement process may be started at the same time or substantially at the same time. Further, in this case, the placement process may be started after the start of the holding process, or conversely, the holding process may be started after the start of the placement process. However, while the separation process is being executed, the holding process is maintained and the fruit pattern 93 is held by the holding mechanism 20.

The separation processing unit 67 can execute the separation processing. The separation process is executed after the holding process and the placement process. In the separation process, as shown in FIGS. 23 and 25, the motor 401 is driven via the harvesting device control unit 55 to move the separation mechanism 30 in a direction away from the holding mechanism 20, that is, toward the tip end side of the fruit stalk 93. This includes a process of separating the fruit 91 from the small fruit pattern 94 connecting the fruit pattern 93 and the fruit 91, or separating the fruit 91 from the fruit pattern 93 together with the small fruit pattern 94. The fruit 91 separated from the fruit stalk 93 by the separation treatment is, for example, dropped into a collection box 54 and collected.

In this separation process, in the initial stage where the separation mechanism 30 starts to rotate, that is, at the stage where it has not yet contacted the actual 91, as shown in FIG. 24 (a), the rotating member 38 hangs downward due to its own weight. There is. In this state, there is a large opening between the opposing rotating members 38, and a gap of dimension S2 is formed. After that, when the separation process proceeds and the separation mechanism 30 rotates downward, the rotating member 38 comes into contact with the fruit 91, the fruit stalk 93, and the like and receives an upward force, as shown in FIG. 24 (b). As a result, the opposing rotating members 38 rotate in the direction of closing the gap, and the gap finally has the dimension S1. As a result, the rotating member 38 can appropriately apply a force to the actual 91.

The return processing unit 68 can execute the return process. The return process is executed after the separation process. In the return process, as shown in FIG. 25, the motor 401 is driven via the harvesting device control unit 55, the separation mechanism 30 is returned to the holding mechanism 20 side, and the holding mechanism 20 and the separation mechanism 30 are changed from the closed state to the open state. Includes processing to switch and return to the initial state. In this case, the return processing unit 68 executes the return process by rotating the motor 401 in the direction opposite to the holding process, the arrangement process, and the separation process. In this case, when the fruit 91 is separated from the fruit handle 93, there is no resistance to the rotating member 38, so that the fruit 91 rotates downward due to its own weight and opens as shown in FIG. 26. Therefore, since a large gap between the opposing rotating members 38 can be secured, it is possible to prevent the rotating member 38 from coming into contact with the fruit handle 93 when the separation mechanism 30 is returned to the holding mechanism 20 side, and as a result, it is possible to prevent the rotating member 38 from coming into contact with the fruit handle 93. , The return process can be performed smoothly.

Next, a series of control contents of the harvesting operation for harvesting the harvesting object 91, which is executed in the crop harvesting system 50, will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 28. In the following description, the main body of the processing executed by each processing unit 61 to 67 is the control device 60. In the present embodiment, the harvesting section is set along the main stem 92. The transport device 53 moves along the main stem 92 and sequentially harvests the harvesting object 91 growing on the main stem 92 along the main stem 92.

In the flowchart of FIG. 27, the processing in steps S13 and S14 is an example of the harvesting object detection processing. The process in step S15 is an example of the position specifying process. The processing in steps S16 and S17 is an example of the movement route generation processing. The processing in steps S18 and S19 is an example of the movement processing. The process in step S20 is an example of the holding process. The process in step S21 is an example of the arrangement process. The process in step S22 is an example of the separation process. The process in step S23 is an example of the return process.

First, in step S11, the control device 60 identifies the current position of the transport device 53 based on the information received from the transport device control unit 58, and whether or not the current position of the transport device 53 is the end point of the harvesting section. To judge. When the current position of the transport device 53 is the end point of the harvesting section (YES in step S11), the control device 60 determines that the next harvesting object 91 does not exist, and ends a series of control. On the other hand, when the current position of the transport device 53 is not the end point of the harvesting section (NO in step S11), the control device 60 determines that the harvesting object 91 still exists. Then, the control device 60 shifts the process to step S12, drives the transport device 53 via the transport device control unit 58, and moves the transport device 53 to the next harvesting point.

Next, the control device 60 executes the harvesting object detection process in steps S13 and S14. In step S13, the control device 60 drives the visual device 51 via the visual device control unit 56 to take an image of the harvested object 91 side. Then, in step S14, the control device 60 determines whether or not the visual information captured by the visual device 51, in this case, the image information includes the harvesting object 91.

When the harvest target 91 is not detected in step S14 (NO in step S14), the control device 60 drives the transport device 53 to move the transport device 53 to the next harvest point. On the other hand, when the harvesting object 91 is detected in step S14 (YES in step S14), the control device 60 shifts the process to step S15. The control device 60 executes the position specifying process in step S15, and based on the visual information acquired by the visual device 51, the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) and the intermediate position Ph (X, Y, Z) are specified.

Next, the control device 60 executes the movement route generation process in steps S16 and S17. First, in step S16, the control device 60 has the start point positions Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) and the start point positions Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) based on the lower end positions Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the upper end positions Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) specified in step S15. The end point position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) is calculated. Next, the control device 60 shifts the process to step S17, from the start point position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) to the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt) of the harvesting object 91. , Zt) to generate the movement path R of the harvesting apparatus 1 to the end point position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze).

Next, the control device 60 executes the movement process in steps S18 and S19, and drives the robot arm 52 via the robot arm control unit 57. In this case, first, in step S18, the control device 60 is in an open state in a plan view so that the reference point Pc of the harvesting device 1 coincides with the start point position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs), that is, as shown in FIG. The harvesting device 1 is moved so that the entire tuft 90 fits into the inner region of the holding mechanism 20 and the separating mechanism 30. Then, in step S19, the control device 60 moves the harvesting device 1 to the end point position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) while keeping the reference point Pc of the harvesting device 1 along the movement path R as shown in FIGS. 18 and 20. Move to.

As a result, the harvesting device 1 moves to the inner region of the holding mechanism 20 and the separating mechanism 30 in the open state so as to scoop up the entire bunch 90 from below, and then moves all the fruits 91 to a position beyond the upper side. do. At this time, in the inner region of the holding mechanism 20 and the separating mechanism 30 which are in the open state, the fruit stalk 93 connecting the fruit 91 and the main stem 92 exists. The fruit 91 and the main stem 92 are located on the lower outer side and the upper outer side with respect to the holding mechanism 20 and the separating mechanism 30, respectively.

Next, the control device 60 executes the holding process in step S20 of FIG. 28, switches the holding mechanism 20 to the closed state, and holds the fruit pattern 93. The control device 60 executes the arrangement process in step S21 at the same time as the start of the holding process in step S20. By the arrangement process, as shown in FIG. 21, the base end portion of the fruit stalk 93, that is, the portion of the fruit stalk 93 on the main stem 92 side of all the fruit 91 is arranged inside the rotating member 38, that is, in the gap. ..

After that, the control device 60 executes the separation process in step S22 of FIG. 28. The control device 60 maintains the holding process while the separation process is being executed. By executing the separation process, the control device 60 moves the separation mechanism 30 in the direction away from the holding mechanism 20, that is, toward the tip end side of the fruit handle 93, as shown in FIGS. 23 and 25. As a result, the separating mechanism 30 rotates toward the tip end side of the fruit stalk 93 while the rotating member 38 is in contact with the fruit 91 or the fruit stalk 94, so that the fruit stalk 94 connecting the fruit stalk 93 and the fruit 91 is actually sewn. The 91 is separated, or the fruit 91 is separated from the fruit pattern 93 together with the small fruit pattern 94. As a result, the fruit 91 can be individually harvested in a state of being separated from the fruit stalk 93.

After that, the control device 60 executes a return process in step S23, rotates the motor 401 in the reverse direction, and rotates the separation mechanism 30 toward the holding mechanism 20 as shown in FIG. 27. At this time, as shown in the rotating member 38 and FIG. 26, the rotating member 38 rotates downward due to its own weight, and the gap between the rotating members 38 is wide open. Therefore, when the separation mechanism 30 returns to the holding mechanism 20 side, it is possible to prevent the rotating member 38 from coming into contact with the fruit handle 93 or the small fruit handle 94, and as a result, the separation mechanism 30 can rotate smoothly. can.

After that, the control device 60 continues to drive the motor 401 via the harvesting device control unit 55 in step S24. As a result, following the restoration of the separation mechanism 30 in step S24, the holding mechanism 20 and the separation mechanism 30 are opened, and the holding of the fruit stalk 93 by the holding mechanism 20 is released. Then, the control device 60 drives the robot arm 52 via the robot arm control unit 57 to move the harvesting device 1 toward the tip end side of the fruit stalk 93 and separate it from the fruit stalk 93. After that, the control device 60 drives the robot arm 52 via the robot arm control unit 57, returns the harvesting device 1 to the position where the transporting device 53 is driven, returns the process to step S11, and returns the next harvesting object. Harvest 91.

The crop harvesting apparatus 1 according to the above-described embodiment is used to separate the fruit 91 that bears fruit in the state of the bunch 90 from the fruit stalk 93 and harvest the fruit 91 individually. The crop harvesting device 1 includes a holding mechanism 20 and a separation mechanism 30. The holding mechanism 20 is open in a state larger than the outer diameter of the entire tuft so that the entire tuft can be inserted inside, and a state smaller than the outer diameter of the entire tuft and smaller than the outer diameter of the fruit stalk. It is configured to be switchable between closed and closed. Further, the holding mechanism 20 is configured to be able to hold the fruit handle 93 in the closed state.

The separation mechanism 30 is provided on the tip end side of the fruit handle 93 with respect to the holding mechanism 20. The separation mechanism 30 is open in a state larger than the outer diameter of the entire tuft so that the entire tuft can be inserted inside, and a state smaller than the outer diameter of the entire tuft and larger than the outer diameter of the fruit stalk. It is configured to be switchable between a closed state in which a predetermined gap is formed inside and a closed state in which a predetermined gap is formed. The separation mechanism 30 has a function of separating the fruit 91 from the fruit stalk 93 by arranging the fruit stalk 93 inside and moving to the tip side of the fruit stalk in a closed state.

According to this, since a plurality of fruits 91 attached to the bunch 90 can be individually separated and harvested in one operation, the harvested object 91 that bears fruit in the state of the bunch 90 can be efficiently harvested in a short time. Can be harvested individually.

Further, according to the present embodiment, for example, when constructing a crop harvesting system 50 that automatically harvests using a visual device 51, the visual device 51 only needs to recognize the entire bunch 90 and the main stem 92, and all the fruits. It is not necessary to recognize 91 individually. Therefore, the recognition accuracy of the visual apparatus 51 can be lowered as compared with the case where the individual fruit 91 is recognized and the fruit 91 is individually harvested, and as a result, the individual fruit 91 is recognized and harvested. Since advanced control is not required for this, a simple control configuration can be obtained, and as a result, the control load can be reduced.

Here, for example, in the case of a configuration in which the fruit stalk 93 is cut and harvested by a scissors-shaped end effector, the cutting edge portion comes into contact with the main stem 92 or a branch when moving the scissors-shaped end effector, and the main stem 92 or There is a risk of damaging or even cutting the branches. Damage and cutting of the main stems and branches causes various diseases of the plant, and in severe cases, it withers, resulting in a subsequent decrease in yield.

On the other hand, according to the embodiment, since the fruit 91 can be separated from the fruit stalk 93 and harvested without using a blade, damage and cutting of the main stem 92 and branches can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to suppress plant diseases, prevent the decrease of fruits, and greatly improve the harvesting efficiency.

Here, by performing a separation process and moving the separation mechanism 30 while contacting the fruit 91 or the small fruit pattern 94, the force to tear the fruit 91 from the small fruit pattern 94, or the small fruit pattern 94 from the fruit pattern 93. A tearing force acts, which separates the fruit 91 from the stalk 93. However, if the force applied from the separation mechanism 30 to the fruit 91 is transmitted to the main stem 92 via the fruit stalk 93 when the separation process is executed, the main stem 92 bends as the separation mechanism 30 moves. .. Then, the tuft 90 including the fruit stalk 93 moves together with the separation mechanism 30, and the force of tearing the fruit 91 from the small fruit stalk 94 or the force of tearing the small fruit stalk 94 from the fruit stalk 93 acts. As a result, it becomes difficult for the fruit 91 to separate from the fruit stalk 93.

Therefore, the crop harvesting device 1 of the present embodiment further includes a holding mechanism 20. The holding mechanism 20 is provided on the base end side of the fruit stalk 93, that is, on the main stem 92 side with respect to the separation mechanism 30, and is configured to be able to hold the fruit stalk 93. The crop harvesting system 50 of the present embodiment further includes a holding processing unit 65 capable of performing holding processing. The holding process is a process of holding the base end side portion, that is, the main stem 92 side portion of the fruit stalk 93 with respect to the separation mechanism 30 while the separation mechanism 30 is being moved.

According to this, the force applied from the separation mechanism 30 to the fruit 91 and the small fruit stalk 94 when the separation process is executed is transmitted to the main stem 92 via the fruit stalk 93, and the separation mechanism 30 moves. It is possible to prevent the main stem 92 from bending. As a result, the force of tearing the fruit 91 from the fruit pattern 94 or the force of tearing the small fruit pattern 94 from the fruit pattern 93 by the separation process can be reliably applied to the fruit 91 and the small fruit pattern 94. .. As a result, the fruit 91 can be reliably separated from the fruit pattern 93, and the work efficiency can be further improved.

Further, the crop harvesting device 1 of the present embodiment includes a separation mechanism 30. The separation mechanism 30 is configured to be able to switch between an open state and a closed state. The open state is a state in which the separation mechanism 30 is opened larger than the outer diameter of the entire tuft 90 so that the entire tuft 90 can be inserted inside the separation mechanism 30. The closed state is a state in which the separation mechanism 30 is closed and a gap is formed inside the separation mechanism 30.

The crop harvesting system 50 of the present embodiment further includes a movement processing unit capable of executing the movement processing. The movement process is executed before the placement process, and is a process in which the separation mechanism 30 is opened and moved from the tip side of the fruit stalk 93 to the base end side of the fruit stalk 93 while passing the entire tuft 90 inside the separation mechanism 30. Is. The arrangement process includes a process of switching the separation mechanism 30 to the closed state.

According to this, by opening the separation mechanism 30 when the movement process is executed, the entire bunch 90 can be easily arranged inside the separation mechanism 30. Therefore, fine and advanced control is not required when the movement process is executed, so that a simple control configuration can be obtained, and as a result, the control load can be reduced.

Here, the rotating member 38 has a function of applying a force to the fruit 91 to separate the fruit 91 from the fruit stalk 93. In this case, in order to properly separate the fruit 91 from the fruit stalk 93, it is important that the rotating member 38 exerts a force only on the fruit 91 without exerting a force on the fruit stalk 93. Therefore, for example, if the rotating member 38 is composed of a simple rod-shaped member that does not rotate, when the separation mechanism 30 is rotated toward the tip end side of the fruit handle 93 in the separation process, the rod-shaped member becomes the fruit handle 93 or the like. It gets caught and pulls the entire bunch, and as a result, it becomes difficult to properly separate the fruit 91 from the fruit stalk 93.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the separation mechanism 30 has a rotating member 38. The rotating member 38 is rotatably configured so as to be provided at a position facing each other and in contact with the fruit handle 93 in the closed state. Therefore, for example, when the separation mechanism 30 is rotated toward the tip end side of the fruit handle 93 in a separation process or the like, the rotating member 38 can move along the fruit handle 93 while rotating. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the rotating member 38 from being caught by the fruit stalk 93 or the like and pulling the entire tuft, and as a result, the fruit 91 can be efficiently separated from the fruit stalk 93.

Further, the rotating member 38 is not actively driven by a motor or the like, but is driven by a frictional force or the like from the fruit handle 93 or the like. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the actual 91 and the calyx attached to the actual 91 from being involved. As a result, it is possible to prevent the fruit 91 from being damaged, and it is possible to harvest the crop while maintaining the commercial value of the crop in a high state.

Further, if the dimension between the rotating members 38 facing each other with respect to the thickness of the fruit stalk 93 is too large, the fruit 91 cannot be properly pressed by the rotating member 38, and efficient harvesting cannot be performed. On the other hand, if the dimension between the rotating members 38 facing the thickness of the fruit stalk 93 is too large, the rotating member 38 will be caught by the fruit stalk 93, and this cannot be harvested efficiently either. Therefore, it is important to be able to adjust the dimensions between the opposing rotating members 38 according to the type of harvested object.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the separation mechanism 30 is configured so that the gap between the opposing rotating members 38 can be adjusted. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the dimensions between the opposing rotating members 38 can be adjusted according to the type of the harvesting object, and as a result, the efficiency of harvesting can be improved.

Further, when the separation mechanism 30 is rotated in a direction away from the holding mechanism 20 to separate the fruit 91 from the fruit handle 93, and then the separation mechanism 30 is returned to the initial state, that is, in a direction closer to the separation mechanism 30. In addition, if the gap between the rotating members 38 facing each other is small, the fruit handle 93 is caught on the rotating member 38 and cannot be smoothly returned.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the rotating member 38 is configured to be rotatable in a direction in which the gap between the opposing rotating members 38 increases due to the weight of the rotating member 38, that is, downward. According to this, when the separation mechanism 30 is returned to the initial state, a large gap between the opposing rotating members 38 can be secured. Therefore, when the separation mechanism 30 is returned to the holding mechanism 20 side, the rotating member 38 can be secured. Can be prevented from coming into contact with the fruit stalk 93, and as a result, the separation mechanism 30 can be smoothly returned to the initial state.

Further, the harvesting device 1 includes a drive mechanism 40. The drive mechanism 40 is configured so that the holding mechanism 20 can be opened and closed, the separation mechanism 30 can be opened and closed, and the separation mechanism 30 can be rotated by one drive source, in this case, one motor 401. According to this, since three types of operations can be executed by one actuator, the number of parts can be reduced, and the harvesting device 1 can be downsized.

Further, the crop harvesting system 50 of the present embodiment includes a visual device 51 and a robot arm 52. The visual device 51 is configured to be able to acquire visual information including the position information of the harvesting object 91. The harvesting device 1 is attached to the robot arm 52. Further, the crop harvesting system 50 includes a harvesting object detection processing unit 61, a position information specifying processing unit 62, a movement route generation processing unit 63, a movement processing unit 64, a holding processing unit 65, and a separation processing unit 67. , Is equipped.

The harvest target detection processing unit 61 can execute the harvest target detection processing. The harvest product detection process includes a process of detecting a harvest object included in the visual information acquired by the visual device 51. The position information specifying processing unit 62 can execute the position specifying process. In the position specifying process, the position of the harvested object 91 including the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the harvested object 91 detected by the harvested object detection process and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) is determined. Includes specific processing. The movement route generation processing unit 63 can execute the movement route generation processing. The movement route generation process is performed above the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) from the start point position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) located below the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the harvesting object 91. It includes a process of generating a movement path R of the harvesting apparatus 1 up to the end point position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) located at.

The movement processing unit 64 can execute the movement processing. In the movement process, the robot arm 52 is driven and controlled to move the harvesting device 1 along the movement path R generated in the movement path generation process, and the harvesting object 91 is bunched 90 inside the separation mechanism 30 in the open state. Includes processing to pass through. The holding processing unit 65 can execute the holding processing. The holding process is executed after the moving process, and includes a process of closing the holding mechanism 20 to hold the base end side portion of the fruit handle 93. The separation processing unit 67 can execute the separation processing. The separation process is executed after the placement process, and the robot arm 52 is driven and controlled to move the harvesting device 1 to the tip side of the fruit stalk 93, thereby connecting the fruit stalk 93 and the fruit 91 to the fruit stalk 94. This is a process of separating the fruit 91 from the fruit stalk 93 together with the small fruit stalk 94.

According to this, the harvesting device 1 is used to automatically prevent the harvesting object 91 hanging from the main stem 92 or the branch via the fruit stalk 93, and further preventing the main stem 92 or the harvesting object 91 from being damaged as much as possible. Since it can be harvested individually at, the efficiency of the harvesting work can be greatly improved.

Further, the position information specifying processing unit 62 specifies the position of the harvesting object 91 in the position specifying processing without using the position information of the fruit stalk 93 connected to the harvesting object 91. That is, the control device 60 does not perform the process of recognizing the fruit pattern 93 when operating the robot arm 52 based on the visual information from the visual device 51. That is, by using the harvesting device 1, the fruit 91, which is the object to be harvested, can be individually harvested without performing the process of visually recognizing the fruit stalk 93.
(Other embodiments)

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, and can be arbitrarily modified, combined, or extended without departing from the gist thereof.
The numerical values and the like shown in the above embodiments are examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

The present disclosure has been described in accordance with the examples, but it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the examples and structures. The present disclosure also includes various variations and variations within a uniform range. In addition, various combinations and forms, as well as other combinations and forms that include only one element, more, or less, are within the scope and scope of the present disclosure.

1 ... Crop harvesting device, 20 ... Holding mechanism, 30 ... Separation mechanism, 38, 38a, 38b, 38c ... Rotating member, 40 ... Drive mechanism, 50 ... Crop harvesting system, 51 ... Visual device, 52 ... Robot arm, 61 ... Harvest object detection processing unit, 62 ... position information identification processing unit, 63 ... movement route generation processing unit, 64 ... movement processing unit, 65 ... holding processing unit, 67 ... separation processing unit, 90 ... bunch, 91 ... fruit (harvesting) Object), 93 ... Fruit pattern

Claims (5)

A crop harvesting apparatus (1) used for separating the fruit (91) bearing fruit in the state of the bunch (90) from the fruit stalk (93) and harvesting the fruit individually.
An open state in which the entire tuft is opened to be larger than the outer diameter of the entire tuft and the entire tuft can be inserted inside, and a state in which the outer diameter of the entire tuft is smaller and smaller than the outer diameter of the fruit stalk. A holding mechanism (20) that is configured to be switchable between a closed state and a closed state and can hold the fruit handle in the closed state.
An open state provided on the tip side of the fruit handle with respect to the holding mechanism, which is open to a state larger than the outer diameter of the entire tuft so that the entire tuft can be inserted inside, and an outside of the entire tuft. It is configured to be switchable between a closed state in which it is closed to a state smaller than the diameter and larger than the outer diameter of the fruit stalk and a predetermined gap is formed inside, and the fruit stalk is arranged inside and in the closed state. It is provided with a separation mechanism (30) that separates the fruit from the fruit stalk by moving to the tip side of the fruit stalk.
The separation mechanism has a rotatable rotary member (38) provided at a position facing each other and in contact with the fruit stalk in the closed state.
Agricultural harvesting equipment. The separation mechanism is configured to be adjustable in dimensions between the opposing rotating members.
The crop harvesting apparatus according to claim 1. The rotating member is configured to be rotatable in a direction in which the gap between the rotating members facing each other increases due to the weight of the rotating member.
The crop harvesting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. It further includes a drive mechanism (40) capable of opening and closing the holding mechanism, opening and closing the separation mechanism, and rotating the separation mechanism with one drive source.
The crop harvesting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A robot arm (52) to which the crop harvesting device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is attached, and
A visual device (51) capable of acquiring visual information including the position information of the harvested object, and
A harvesting object detection processing unit (61) capable of executing a harvesting object detection process for detecting a harvesting object (91) included in the visual information acquired by the visual device, and a harvesting object detection processing unit (61).
A position information specifying processing unit (62) capable of performing a position specifying process for specifying a position including a tip position (Pb) and a base end position (Pt) of the harvested object detected in the harvested object detection process.
With the movement route generation processing unit (63) capable of executing the movement route generation processing for generating the movement path (R) of the crop harvesting apparatus from the outside of the tip position of the harvesting object to the base end position. ,
The robot arm is driven and controlled to move the crop harvesting device along the movement path generated by the movement path generation process, and the harvesting object is placed inside the holding mechanism and the separation mechanism in the open state. The movement processing unit (64) that can execute the movement processing to be passed through,
A holding processing unit (65) that is executed after the movement processing and can execute a holding process for holding the base end side portion of the fruit stalk by closing the holding mechanism.
A separation processing unit (67) capable of performing a separation process for separating the fruit from the fruit stalk by moving the separation mechanism to the tip side of the fruit stalk.
A crop harvesting system (50).

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