JPH08103138A - Fruit vegetable harvesting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide the device designed to cut the stalk of a fruit vegetable at a specified cutting position without contact with the surface of a harvesting object in order to avoid harvest quality lowering such as injuring the surface of the object. CONSTITUTION: This device stands equipped with a gripping part 9 for a harvesting object A1, a cutting means 14 to cut the stalk A3 on the root foot side of the object A1, position detecting means S1, S2 for the object A1, a stem- detecting member 13 set up in a non-contact mode on the lateral sides of the object A1, a means to move the member 13 toward the stalk presence side, and a means S3 to detect the contact of the member 13 with a stem A4 adjacent to the stalk A3. A harvest control means to actuate the cutting means 14 so as to cut the stalk A3 in a state being in actuation of the gripping part 9 so as to grip the object A1 based on the information from the means S1, S2, cuts the stalk A3 at a position toward by a specified distance away from a position where the member 13 came into contact with the stem A4 based on the information from the means S3.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention detects a position of the harvesting target portion, a gripping portion for gripping a harvesting target portion of fruit and vegetables, a cutting means for cutting a stem portion on the root side of the harvesting target portion. The object to be harvested detection means, and the cutting means to operate to cut the handle in a state where the gripper is operated to grasp the object to be harvested based on the information of the object to be harvested detection means. The present invention relates to a fruit and vegetable harvesting device provided with harvesting control means.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In such an apparatus for harvesting fruits and vegetables, the position of a harvested portion, that is, a fruit portion, of fruits and vegetables such as vegetables such as cucumber and fruits such as mandarin orange, for example, a color for imaging a predetermined range including the portion to be harvested Based on the detected position information of the harvesting target portion, which is detected by the harvesting target portion detecting means including image pickup means such as a CCD camera, and a gripping portion such as a sandwiching arm for gripping the harvesting target portion, a cutter, or the like. The harvesting hand provided with the cutting means is operated toward the harvesting target portion, and the handle portion on the base side of the harvesting target portion is cut by the cutting means with the gripping portion gripping the harvesting target portion to cut the harvesting target portion. I was trying to harvest.

Conventionally, in order to determine the cutting position in the handle part, as shown in FIG. 8, the part to be harvested (fruit part) A1 such as a cucumber is sandwiched by the sandwiching arms Ka, and is cut from both sides. When the pair of detection pads Kp are brought into contact with each other and moved to the existing side, that is, the upper side of the handle portion A3, and when the interval between the detection pads Kp at that time becomes a predetermined value or less, the handle portion A3
It is judged that it is 3, and based on that, for example, the above-mentioned handle A
The stalk position on the side of the stem A4 was set as the cutting position for a predetermined distance from the position determined to be 3.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional technique, the detection pad Kp moves in contact with the surface of the harvesting target portion A1, so that the warts on the surface such as cucumber are damaged and the harvested fruit vegetables are harvested. There was a problem that the quality of the kind was deteriorated. Incidentally, in order to alleviate the above-mentioned drawbacks, it may be possible to float the detection pad Kp from the fruit surface so that it does not come into contact with the detection pad Kp. In this case, the detection pad Kp is in contact with the fruit surface. Another problem occurs in that the time required for detection becomes long due to the movement to the non-contact state, and the work efficiency decreases.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to enable the cutting position in the handle portion to be determined without contacting the surface of the object to be harvested. To eliminate the drawbacks of technology.

[0006]

A first characteristic configuration of a fruit and vegetable harvesting apparatus according to the present invention is a stem detecting member which is arranged laterally laterally of the harvesting target portion in a non-contact manner and is separated therefrom. A moving unit that moves the stem detecting member to the side where the handle exists, and detects that the stem detecting member has been moved by the moving unit and has come into contact with the stem connected to the handle. Contact detection means is provided, the harvest control means, based on the information of the contact detection means, at a position a predetermined distance from the position where the stalk detection member is in contact with the stalk, the handle side, The point is that the handle is cut.

A second characteristic configuration is that, in the first characteristic configuration, a pair of the stem detecting members is provided on both lateral sides of the harvest target portion.

A third characteristic constitution is the first or the second.
In the characteristic configuration of the above, the cutting means is configured by a cutter that is attached to a lower position of the stalk detection member and cuts the handle along a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction thereof. .

A fourth characteristic configuration is the same as the first, second or third characteristic configuration, when the contact detecting means comes into contact with the stalk by moving the stalk detecting member. Of the contact pressure detection means for detecting the contact pressure, and the harvest control means, based on the information of the contact pressure detection means, detects the stem portion when the detected value exceeds a set value. It is configured to detect that the working member contacts the stem portion.

The fifth characteristic configuration is that the first, second, and
In the third or fourth characteristic configuration, the gripping part, the cutting means, the stalk detecting member, and the moving means are provided in the harvesting hand that is operated to approach the harvesting target part, and the gripping hand is provided. The part is composed of a pair of holding arms that hold the harvesting target from both sides, and the harvesting target detecting means captures an image of a predetermined range including the harvesting target. An image pickup means provided in the harvesting hand in a state of passing through a center position of an inner space for sandwiching the sandwiching arm, and detecting whether or not the harvesting target portion exists on the inner side in the sandwiching direction of the pair of sandwiching arms. In order to
The harvesting control means is configured to include a sandwiching portion presence / absence detecting means provided in the sandwiching arm, and the harvesting control means captures the harvesting target portion at a center of an image capturing screen of the image capturing means based on information of the image capturing means. A state in which the harvesting target is present on the inner side in the sandwiching direction of the pair of sandwiching arms, based on the information of the sandwiching unit presence / absence detection means, by operating the harvesting hand toward the harvesting target. Thus, it is configured such that the pair of clamping arms are clamped and operated.

A sixth characteristic configuration is the same as the fifth characteristic configuration, in which the harvesting hand is provided with another object having a lighter weight than the harvesting target portion from the harvesting target portion within the image pickup range of the image pickup means. Blower means for blowing air toward a predetermined range including the harvest target portion is provided so as to be separated, the harvest control means, the imaging information at the time of operation of the blower means, or at the time of operation of the blower means It is configured to detect the position of the harvesting target portion based on the imaged information and the imaged information at the time of non-operation.

[0012]

According to the first characteristic configuration of the present invention, the harvesting control means operates the gripping portion on the basis of the information of the harvesting target portion detecting means to grip the harvesting target portion, and then the harvesting target portion is moved laterally. The stalk detecting members, which are laterally arranged in a non-contact state and are spaced apart from each other, are moved by the moving means to the side where the stalks on the root side of the harvest target are present. Then, when the contact detecting means detects that the moved stalk detecting member is in contact with the stalk continuously provided to the stalk, the harvest controlling means causes the stalk detecting member to contact the stalk. The cutting means is operated to cut the handle portion at a position closer to the handle portion by a predetermined distance than the position.

According to the second characteristic construction, in the first characteristic construction, a pair of stalk detecting members, which are spaced apart in a non-contact state on both lateral sides of the harvesting target portion, serve as moving means. Is moved to the existing side of the stalk and contact with the stalk is detected by the contact detection means, the harvest control means,
The cutting means is operated so as to cut the handle portion at a position on the handle portion side at a predetermined distance from the position where the pair of stem portion detecting members contact the stem portion.

According to the third characteristic constitution, in the first or second characteristic constitution, when it is detected that the stalk portion detecting member has moved to the handle portion side and has come into contact with the stalk portion. A cutter attached to a lower position of the stem detecting member operates to cut the handle along a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction. In this case, the attached position of the cutter is set so that the cutting position of the handle portion is located on the handle portion side by a predetermined distance from the contact position of the stem detecting member with the stem portion.

According to the fourth characteristic configuration, the first and
In the second or third characteristic configuration, the contact pressure when the stem detecting member moves to the handle existing side and contacts the stem, and the detected value of the contact pressure is a set value. When it is detected that the stalk portion detecting member has come into contact with the stalk portion beyond the stalk portion, the stalk portion is cut at a position on the stalk portion side at a predetermined distance from the contact position of the stalk portion detecting member with the stalk portion.

According to the fifth characteristic configuration, the first and
In the second, third, and fourth characteristic configurations, the imaging means provided in the harvesting hand sets the center position of the inner spacing for sandwiching the pair of sandwiching arms constituting the gripping portion provided in the harvesting hand in the imaging direction. In a state in which is passed, a predetermined range including the harvesting target portion is imaged, and the harvesting hand is approached toward the harvesting target portion while the harvesting target portion is captured in the center of the imaging screen. Then, when it is detected that the harvesting target portion exists on the inner side in the sandwiching direction of the pair of sandwiching arms, the pair of sandwiching arms performs a sandwiching operation, and the harvesting target portion is grasped in a sandwiched state from both sides. It In this gripped state, when the stalk detecting member provided in the harvesting hand is moved to the side where the handle is present by the moving means provided in the harvesting hand and is detected to come into contact with the stalk, The cutting means provided in the cutting hand cuts the handle portion at a position closer to the handle portion by a predetermined distance than the contact position of the stem detecting member with the stem portion.

According to the sixth characteristic configuration, in the fifth characteristic configuration, when the air blowing means provided in the harvesting hand does not operate, other objects such as leaves having a lighter weight than the target portion are harvested. Although it is in a state where it cannot be distinguished because it overlaps with the harvesting target portion existing within the imaging range of the imaging unit, when the air blowing unit operates, other objects such as the leaves are separated from the harvesting target unit. Then, based on the imaged information when the blowing unit is operated in a state where the harvest target portion and other objects such as leaves are separated in the imaging screen, the harvest target portion is identified from the shape and color characteristics of the harvest target portion, for example. The position of the harvested part is detected, or based on the both imaging information when the blowing means is activated and deactivated, for example, the amount of movement of the harvested part between the two captured images is such that other factors such as light leaves From the difference in the movement amount that is smaller than the movement amount of the object,
The harvesting target portion is identified within the imaging screen, and the position of the harvesting target portion is detected.

[0018]

According to the first characteristic configuration of the present invention, the stalk detecting member comes into contact with the stalk continuously provided to the stalk in a state where the stalk detecting member does not come into contact with the harvesting target, and the contact position with the stalk. Since the handle portion is cut at a predetermined position on the handle portion side, the handle member is detected by the detection member that contacts the surface of the harvest target portion as in the prior art, and the cutting position in the handle portion is determined. (Fig. 8
Refer to), for example, scratch the surface warts of cucumber, etc.
The problem of scratching the surface of the part to be harvested and degrading its harvesting quality can be solved, and at the same time, the stem is detected by contacting the stem. It has become possible to more reliably detect the position of the stalk of the stalk, as compared with the one that may be erroneously detected due to the influence of leaves and vines.

Further, according to the second characteristic configuration, since the stalk is detected by the pair of stalk detecting members arranged on both lateral sides of the harvesting target part, for example, one lateral side of the harvesting target part is detected. When the stem detecting member is arranged only on one side and the stem detecting member is moved to the handle part side and does not come into contact with the stem due to bending of the stem, etc. Compared with the possibility that the cutting position of the handle cannot be set because it cannot be detected, the cutting position of the handle can be set more reliably by contacting the stem, and thus the first characteristic configuration is implemented. A suitable means for doing this is obtained.

According to the third characteristic configuration, the stem detecting member is cut along the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the stem with the stem detecting member in contact with the stem. By operating the cutter attached to the lower position of the handle, the handle can be cut on the handle side for a predetermined distance from the position where the stem detecting member is in contact with the stem. When the cutting means of is provided separately from the stem detecting member, it is necessary to move the cutting means so as to match the contact position with the stem of the stem detecting member and perform positioning adjustment. As a result, a simpler device configuration can be obtained, and thus suitable means for implementing the first or second characteristic configuration can be obtained.

According to the fourth characteristic configuration, the stalk detecting member is not attached to the stalk only when the contact pressure value when the stalk detecting member contacts the stalk exceeds the set value. Since the contact is detected, for example, when the stem lightly touches the stem detecting member due to the influence of wind, etc., the contact pressure does not exceed the above set value. The member does not erroneously detect that it has come into contact with the stalk, thus providing a suitable means for implementing the first, second or third characteristic configuration.

According to the fifth characteristic configuration, if the harvesting hand is approached toward the harvesting target portion while the harvesting target portion is captured in the center of the image pickup screen of the image pickup means provided in the harvesting hand, The harvesting target part is located inward of the pair of sandwiching arms provided in the harvesting hand in the sandwiching direction, and the presence of the harvesting target part located inward of the sandwiching direction is detected by the detection means provided in the sandwiching arm. By gripping the pair of holding arms, the harvesting target part can be held and gripped from both sides, so that, for example, the image pickup direction of the image pickup means is set regardless of the holding position of the pair of holding arms. Or the presence of the harvesting target portion on the inner side in the sandwiching direction of the sandwiching arm is detected only by the imaging information of the image capturing means, and the harvesting target portion is detected and grasped more reliably and quickly. Can Have been, the first, second, third or fourth preferred means of carrying out the characteristic configuration of the resulting.

Further, according to the sixth characteristic configuration, in the image pickup screen of the image pickup means, another object such as a leaf having a lighter weight than the harvest target portion is separated from the harvest target portion, and the harvest target portion is separated from the other object. Since the position of the harvest target part is detected based on the image information in the separated state, conventionally, when a part or all of the harvest target part is hidden by another object such as a leaf, the captured image of the entire harvest target part is For example, it is difficult to recognize the harvesting target part based on the shape characteristics and detect its position, or the position is detected by recognizing the harvesting target part based on the color difference. In this case, it is possible to solve the problem that the position detection error in the case of increasing becomes large, and it is possible to detect the position of the harvesting target part reliably and with high accuracy.
Suitable means for implementing the characteristic construction of

[0024]

[Examples] Examples of application of the fruit and vegetable harvesting device of the present invention to an automatic traveling harvesting vehicle for harvesting cucumbers and the like as fruits and vegetables growing in a field are described below with reference to the drawings. explain.

As shown in FIG. 1, the harvesting work vehicle B is installed in a ridge in a field by driving steering and traveling wheels 2 each of which is provided in each of the front and rear positions of the vehicle body 4. The guide line L based on the detection information of the guide sensor 1 on the vehicle body side which detects the guide line L of the electromagnetic induction type or the like.
Will be guided along. Since the cucumbers A are normally attracted upward along the rods 20 arranged at predetermined intervals, the harvesting work vehicle B positions the rods 20 and stops the harvesting work. It will be. A pillar 5 is erected on the vehicle body 4, a rack gear 5a is formed in the pillar 5 along the up-down direction, and an arm base 3 that supports a base end portion of a telescopic arm 6 that is capable of expanding and contracting in the lateral direction.
A pinion gear 3a that engages with the rack gear 5a is rotatably driven by a vertical movement motor 3A (see FIG. 4). By rotating the pinion gear 3a in the forward and reverse directions, the arm base 3 is rotated. That is, the telescopic arm 6 is configured to move up and down.

The tip portion 6A of the telescopic arm 6 functions as a harvesting hand that is operated toward the fruit portion A1 which is the target portion for harvesting the cucumber A or the like. 6A, as shown also in FIGS. 2 and 3, a gripping portion 9 composed of a pair of holding arms 9A for holding the fruit portion A1 from both sides in order to hold the fruit portion A1, and the fruit portion A1. A cutter 14 as a cutting means for cutting the stem portion A3 on the base side, a pair of guide arms 13 as a stem detecting member which are spaced apart from both sides of the fruit portion A1 in a non-contact state, and a guide thereof. A guide moving mechanism IK is provided as a moving unit that moves the arm 13 to the side where the handle portion A3 exists. Also, the cutter 14
Is attached to the lower position of the guide arm 13 in a state in which the handle portion A3 is cut along a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction thereof.

The guide moving mechanism IK is specifically
A support arm 15 that elastically supports the guide arm 13 in a vertically slidable state via a spring SP that receives a lower end portion by a receiving portion 15a provided at an intermediate position and a base end side of the support arm 15 are moved up and down. And a mechanical component (not shown) such as a gear for converting the power of the guide moving motor 13A into the vertical movement of the support arm 15.

Further, in order to capture an image of a predetermined area including the fruit portion A1, the tip portion 6A of the telescopic arm 6 is
A color type CCD camera S1 as an image pickup means set such that the image pickup direction passes through the center position of the inner space for sandwiching the pair of sandwiching arms 9A, a leaf A2 lighter in weight than the fruit portion A1, and the like. Other objects should be separated from the fruit part A1 within the imaging range of the CCD camera S1
And a blower nozzle 7 as a blower unit for blowing air toward a predetermined range including. The blower nozzle 7
Is such that the pressure of the working air supplied from the compressor 10 described later and the nozzle diameter of the blower nozzle 7 are adjusted so that the leaf A2 and other substances are moved but the fruit portion A1 is not moved. Adjusted.

Further, the sandwiching arm 9A has a fruit portion as a sandwiching portion presence / absence detecting means for detecting whether or not the fruit portion A1 exists on the inner side in the sandwiching direction of the pair of sandwiching arms 9A. Presence sensor S2 is provided. The fruit portion presence / absence sensor S2 is composed of a photoelectric sensor including a light emitter installed on the inner surface side of one holding arm 9A and a light receiver installed on the inner surface side of the other holding arm 9A. From the above, the image pickup means S1 (CCD camera)
And the fruit part presence / absence sensor S2, the fruit part A1
The harvesting target portion detecting means for detecting the position of is formed.

The gripping portion 9 is of an air type in which the gripping arm 9A performs a gripping operation upon receiving the supply of operating air, and the gripping portion 9 and the blowing nozzle 7 are operated. A compressor 10 as an air supply means for supplying air is provided so as to be capable of switching between supply of operating air to the grip portion 9 and supply of operating air to the blowing nozzle 7 (see FIG. 4). ).

The guide arm 13 is moved by the guide moving mechanism IK and the stem portion A4 is provided continuously with the handle portion A3.
The contact detection sensor S3 as a contact detection unit that detects that the contact arm is in contact with the stem A4 when the guide arm 13 moves.
Is provided as a contact pressure detecting means for detecting the contact pressure when the contact is made. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the guide arm 13 comes into contact with the stalk A4 and receives a contacting pressure, and resists the spring force of the spring SP set to a predetermined spring constant for a predetermined distance. The micro switch SW, which is turned on when it is pushed downward, hits the lower portion of the guide arm 13 on the base end side, and is turned on by the support arm 1.
5 is installed in the receiving portion 15a. Therefore, the contact pressure detection means SW and SP are constituted by the micro switch SW and the spring SP, and the guide arm 13 is also provided.
The setting value of the contact pressure for detecting the contact of the stem with the stem A4 is set by the spring constant of the spring SP, the descending distance of the guide arm 13 until the micro switch SW is turned on, and the like.

Next, the control configuration of the harvesting work vehicle B will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, a controller H using a microcomputer is provided, and the controller H is
The detection information of the guide sensor 1, the fruit portion presence sensor S2, and the contact detection sensor S3, and the CCD
The image processing device 12 that has processed the imaging information from the camera S1.
The processing information from is input. On the other hand, from the controller H, the vertical movement motor 3A and the telescopic arm 6 are
6A for extending and retracting the vehicle, a steering motor 2A and a traveling motor 2B for driving the steering and traveling wheels 2, and a guide moving motor 13A.
And drive signals for the cutter motor 14A for operating the cutter 14 are output.
Further, the controller H outputs an on / off signal for turning on / off the operation of the compressor 10 and switches the operating air from the compressor 10 between the grip portion 9 side and the blowing nozzle 7 side. A switching signal is output to the solenoid valve 11 for.

Using the controller H, the CC
The handle portion is operated in a state in which the grip portion 9 (holding arm 9A) is operated so as to grip the fruit portion A1 based on the information of the D camera S1 and the fruit portion presence / absence sensor S2, that is, the position detection information of the fruit portion A1. Harvesting control means 100 is configured to operate the cutter 14 to cut A3. Then, the harvest control means 100, based on the information of the contact detection sensor S3, that is, the contact pressure detection means SW, SP, has a predetermined distance from the position where the guide arm 13 is in contact with the stem portion A4, and the handle portion A3. The handle portion A3 is cut at the side position. In particular,
It is detected that the guide arm 13 is in contact with the stalk A4 when the detection values of the contact pressure detection means SW and SP exceed the set value, and in that state, the cutter provided at the lower position of the guide arm 13 14 will be activated.

Based on the information from the CCD camera S1, the harvest control means 100 causes the harvesting hand 6A to approach the fruit portion A1 while holding the fruit portion A1 in the center of the image pickup screen, In addition, based on the information of the fruit portion presence / absence sensor S2, the pair of sandwiching arms 9A is configured to be sandwiched and operated while the fruit portion A1 is present on the inner side in the sandwiching direction of the pair of sandwiching arms 9A. Has been done. In addition, the harvest control means 100, based on the image pickup information of the CCD camera S1 when the air blowing nozzle 7 is operating, or the image pickup information when the air blowing nozzle 7 is operating and the image pickup information when the air blowing nozzle 7 is not operating, It is configured to detect the position of the fruit portion A1.

Next, CC by the harvest control means 100
The position detecting operation of the fruit portion A1 based on the imaging information of the D camera S1 will be described with reference to FIGS. First,
When a part of the fruit portion A1 (substantially the upper half) is hidden by the leaf A2 located on the front side when the blower nozzle 7 is not operating, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6A, it is obtained as an image in which the fruit portion A1 and the leaf A2 overlap. In this state, for example, in the case of cucumber, both the fruit portion A1 and the leaf A2 are greenish, and therefore it is impossible to detect the position of the fruit portion A1 separately from the leaf A2. When the blowing nozzle 7 is operated in the above state, as shown in FIG. 5B, the fruit portion A1 does not move and only the leaf A2 on the front side is blown upward,
As shown in (b), an image in which the fruit portion A1 and the leaf A2 are separated is obtained.

Here, the case where the position of the fruit portion A1 is detected based on the image pickup information when the blower nozzle 7 is in operation (FIG. 6B) and the image pickup information when it is not in operation (FIG. 6A) explain. In both captured images, RG
The three primary color information of B is processed by a predetermined arithmetic expression to obtain the fruit portion A1.
And the area (green area) corresponding to the leaf A2 is extracted. That is, the binarization processing is performed such that the pixel value corresponding to the fruit portion A1 and the leaf A2 is 1 and the pixel values of the other portions are 0. Next, when the logical product of the two binarized images is taken, the fruit part A1 part is not moving, so it remains in the image after the logical product processing, but the leaf A2 part is moving, so the logical product is It disappears from the processed image (Fig. 6 (c)). Therefore, the center of gravity position G of the area of the fruit portion A1 in the image after the logical product processing
And the center of gravity position G is detected as the position of the fruit portion A1.

The procedure of the actual harvesting work by the harvesting work vehicle B having the above configuration will be described. First, the work vehicle B positions and stops with respect to the rod 20, and based on the information from the CCD camera S1. The harvesting hand 6A is used for the fruit part A.
In the state where the fruit and vegetables A containing 1 is approached, the air blow from the air blow nozzle 7 is turned on and off while the telescopic arm 6 is moved up and down, and the picked-up image is obtained at each time of the air blow on and off. Then, based on the position detection information of the fruit portion A1 by the harvest control means 100, the harvesting hand 6A is operated toward the fruit portion A1 while the fruit portion A1 is captured at the center O of the image capturing screen. Specifically, the screen when the position is detected (see FIG.
In (C)), the center of gravity position G of the area of the fruit portion A1 is not located at the center O of the screen, that is, the fruit portion A1 is not captured at the center O of the imaging screen. Therefore, the movement of the vehicle body position and the raising / lowering operation of the telescopic arm 6 are performed to perform the harvesting hand 6
The position of A is adjusted vertically and horizontally so that the fruit portion A1 is captured in the center O of the image capturing screen, and the harvesting hand 6 is held in that state.
A is approached toward the fruit portion A1 (see FIG. 6).
(D)). At this time, the image of the fruit portion A1 is shown in FIG.
As indicated by the dotted line, the size of the area of the fruit portion A1 increases with the center of gravity position G located at the center O of the screen.

When the fruit part presence sensor S2 detects the fruit part A1 during the approaching operation of the harvesting hand 6A, operating air is supplied to the gripping part 9 so that the gripping arm 9A holds the fruit part A1. . Then, in the gripped state, the guide arm 13 is moved upward and brought into contact with the stem portion A4, and in that state, the cutter 14 is operated to cut the handle portion A3, and the fruit portion A1 is taken into the harvesting hand 6A side. It will be.

[Other Examples] In the above examples, the harvesting device for harvesting vegetables such as cucumbers as fruits and vegetables has been described as an example, but various vegetables such as vegetables other than cucumber and fruits such as mandarin oranges and apples have been described. Applicable when harvesting fruits and vegetables.

In the above embodiment, the gripping part 9 for gripping the harvesting target part A1 is composed of the pair of sandwiching arms 9A for sandwiching the harvesting target part A1 from both sides, but the invention is not limited to this. It may be a grip portion that winds and holds a bendable arm around the entire outer peripheral surface of A1.

In the above embodiment, the handle portion A of the harvested portion A1 is used.
The cutting means for cutting 3 is constituted by a cutter 14 which is attached to a lower position of the stem detecting member (guide arm 13) and cuts the handle A3 along a direction intersecting its longitudinal direction. It is not limited to. For example, instead of the stem detecting member (guide arm 13), the harvesting hand 6A may be directly supported, and besides the cutter 14, scissors-type cutting means may be used.

In the above embodiment, the harvesting target portion detecting means S is used.
1 and S2 are image pickup means (CC
Although the D camera S1) and the sandwiching portion presence / absence detecting means (fruit portion presence / absence sensor S2) are used, the invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be configured by only the image pickup means (CCD camera S1), and in that case, the harvest target determined by the size of the area of the harvest target part A1 in the image pickup screen, the approach operation amount of the harvesting hand 6A, and the like. Based on the position information of the part A1, the timing of operating the grip part 9 will be determined. Further, in this case, a zoom optical system may be mounted on the image pickup means S1 (harvesting target portion detection means) and the like, and it may be directly provided on the vehicle body 4 instead of the harvesting hand 6A.

In the above embodiment, the pair of stem detecting members (guide arms 13) are provided on both sides of the harvest target portion A1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the harvest target portion A1.
It may be provided on one side. Further, in the above embodiment, the stem detecting member 13 is formed in the shape of an arm extending in the same shape up to the tip, but the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the tip may be formed in a claw shape that bends upward so that the contact state with the stem A4 can be more reliably maintained.

In the above embodiment, the moving means IK for moving the stalk detecting member (guide arm 13) is constituted by the electric guide moving motor 13A or the like, but the invention is not limited to this. A guide moving mechanism or the like that operates in air may be used.

In the above embodiment, the contact detecting means S3 is used as the contact pressure detecting means SW, S for detecting the contact pressure when the stem detecting member (guide arm 13) contacts the stem A4.
Although it is configured by P and the contact is detected when the detected value exceeds the set value, the invention is not limited to this. For example, an electrostatic contact sensor or the like that includes a pair of electrodes that are electrically conductive when they are only lightly contacted may be used. or,
The contact pressure detection means SW and SP do not utilize the spring characteristics of the spring SP as shown in the above embodiment, but may be a solid pressure sensor or the like that directly detects the contact pressure.

In the above embodiment, the stem portion A3 is cut at a position closer to the stem portion A3 by a predetermined distance than the position where the stem portion detecting member (guide arm 13) is in contact with the stem portion A4. The attachment position of the cutting means (cutter 14) attached to the lower side of the member (guide arm 13) was set to the above-mentioned set distance, and the attachment position was fixed.
For example, the attachment distance may be changed and set according to the type of fruits and vegetables, or a stem detecting member (guide arm 1
3) is provided with a mechanism for changing the attached position of the cutting means (cutter 14), for example, according to the amount of movement of the stem detecting member (guide arm 13) until it comes into contact with the stem A4. The attached distance may be changed and adjusted. As described above, when the cutting means 14 is directly supported by the harvesting hand 6A instead of the stem portion detecting member (guide arm 13), the stem portion detecting member (guide arm 1
Positioning the cutting means 14 according to the movement amount of 3),
It is necessary to make it a predetermined distance from the contact position with the stem portion on the side of the handle portion A3.

In the above embodiment, the image pickup means is constituted by the color CCD camera S1, but other than this, for example,
Various image pickup means such as a black and white CCD camera, a color type and a black and white type electron tube type television camera can be used. or,
In the above embodiment, the image capturing direction of the image capturing means S1 is set to the gripping portion 9
Although it is set so as to pass through the center of the sandwiching interval of the sandwiching arm 9A, it is not always necessary to set this, and depending on the configuration of the gripping portion 9 and the approaching method of the hand 6A to the harvesting target portion A1 and the like. The setting of the imaging direction can be changed variously.

Fruit part A1 by the harvest control means 100
Another embodiment of position detection, that is, a case where the position of the fruit portion A1 is detected based on imaging information (FIG. 6B) during operation of the blower nozzle 7 will be described. Similar to the above embodiment, the pixel value of the area (green area) corresponding to the fruit portion A1 and the leaf A2 is 1, and the pixel values of the other portions are 0. 2
Find a binarized image. And in this binary image,
The area of the fruit portion A1 is set to the leaf A based on the shape feature (such as a rounded elongated shape) stored in advance.
The region of 2 etc. is identified and specified, and the barycentric position G of the specified region of the fruit portion A1 is obtained and detected as the position of the fruit portion A1 (FIG. 6C).

In the above embodiment, in order to detect the position of the harvesting target portion A1 based on the imaging information when the blowing means 7 is in operation and the imaging information when it is not operating, the area (green area) of the harvesting target portion A1 or the like is detected. ) Is subjected to an AND process to detect the position of the harvesting target portion A1, and the position of the harvesting target portion A1 is detected based on the imaging information when the blower 7 is operated. The position of the harvest target portion A1 is identified based on the shape feature of the harvest target portion A1 and the position of the harvest target portion A1 is detected. However, the present invention is not limited to such a process, and various image processing means may be used. Can be used.

In the above embodiment, the air blowing means is constituted by the air blowing nozzle 7 for blowing the air supplied from the air supplying means (compressor 10). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the air blowing means is rotationally driven by, for example, a motor. It may be a fan type blower.

Further, in the above embodiment, the blowing amount state of the blowing means (blast nozzle 7) is set such that the other objects such as the leaves A2 are moved but the harvest target portion (fruit portion A1) is not moved. For example, when other things such as leaves A2 are relatively heavy fruits and vegetables, the amount of air blown is increased to a state where the target part (fruit part A1) moves to ensure that the other parts are harvested from the target part A1. You may make it isolate | separate into. In this case, when the position variation of the harvest target portion (fruit portion A1) is large, and when the position of the harvest target portion A1 is obtained by performing a logical AND process on the images before and after the operation of the blower unit (blast nozzle 7) described above. When the detection error of 1 is not negligible, for example, the position of the harvesting target portion A1 is obtained based on the shape feature of the harvesting target portion A1 from the image when the blowing means (blowing nozzle 7) is operating.

In the above embodiment, the gripping portion 9 and the cutting means 1
4, stalk portion detecting member 13, moving means IK, harvesting target portion detecting means (imaging means S1 and sandwiching portion presence / absence detecting means S2)
Although the blower 7 is provided in the harvesting hand 6A, the invention is not limited to this and may be provided separately from the harvesting hand 6A.

Further, in the above embodiment, the apparatus for detecting a target portion for harvesting fruit and vegetables according to the present invention is applied to an automatic traveling type harvesting work vehicle B which travels through the furrows of a field where cucumbers and the like as fruits and vegetables are grown. However, the harvesting vehicle is not limited to an automatic traveling harvesting vehicle, and may be a manually operated harvesting vehicle, or an automatic harvester provided on a moving body that moves in the air above the field. Various embodiments such as application are possible.

Incidentally, although reference numerals are given in the claims for convenience of comparison with the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the constitution of the accompanying drawings by the entry.

[Brief description of drawings]

[Figure 1] Front view of an automatic traveling harvesting vehicle

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a harvesting hand.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a harvesting hand.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a control configuration.

FIG. 5 is an external view of the vicinity of the harvested part before and after the operation of the blowing means.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing images when a harvesting target part is detected and when a harvesting hand approaches.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a stem detecting member of another embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of a prior art showing a handle detecting means for determining a cutting position of the handle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A1 Harvest target part 9 Grip part A3 Handle part 14 Cutting means S1, S2 Harvest target part detecting means 100 Harvest control means 13 Stem detecting member IK moving means A4 Stem part S3 Contact detecting means 14 Cutter SW, SP Contact pressure detection Means 6A Harvesting hand 9A Clamping arm S1 Imaging means S2 Clamping part presence / absence detection means A2 Other object 7 Blower means

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A gripping part (9) for gripping a harvesting target part (A1) of fruit and vegetables, and a cutting means (14) for cutting a stem part (A3) on the root side of the harvesting target part (A1), Harvest target part detection means (S) for detecting the position of the harvest target part (A1).
1, S2) and the harvesting target part detecting means (S1, S2)
The cutting means (14) is operated to cut the handle part (A3) while the grip part (9) is operated to grip the harvest target part (A1) based on the information of A fruit and vegetable harvesting device provided with a harvesting control means (100), wherein a stem portion detecting member (13) is arranged laterally laterally of the harvesting target portion (A1) in a non-contacting manner, A moving means (IK) for moving the stem detecting member (13) to the side where the handle (A3) exists, and the stem detecting member (13) being moved by the moving means (IK). Contact detection means (S3) for detecting contact with the stem portion (A4) connected to the handle portion (A3) is provided, and the harvest control means (100) includes the contact detection means (S).
Based on the information of 3), the stem portion (A3) is located at a position closer to the stem portion (A3) by a predetermined distance than the position where the stem portion detecting member (13) is in contact with the stem portion (A4). A fruit and vegetable harvesting device configured to be cut. 2. The fruit and vegetable harvesting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a pair of the stem detecting members (13) are provided on both lateral sides of the harvesting target portion (A1). 3. The cutting means (14) is attached to a lower position of the stalk detecting member (13), and the stalk (A) is attached.
The fruit and vegetable harvesting device according to claim 1 or 2, which comprises a cutter (14) for cutting 3) along a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction thereof. 4. The contact pressure detecting means for detecting contact pressure when the contact detecting means (S3) moves and contacts the stem (A4) by moving the stem detecting member (13). (S
W, SP), the harvest control means (100) detects the stem portion when the detected value exceeds a set value based on the information of the contact pressure detection means (SW, SP). The member is the stem (A4)
The harvesting device for fruit and vegetables according to claim 1, 2 or 3, which is configured to detect contact with the. 5. The harvesting hand (6A) that is operated to approach the harvesting target portion (A1), and the gripping portion (9),
The cutting means (14), the stem detecting member (13) and the moving means (IK) are provided, and the gripping portion (9) holds the harvesting target portion (A1) from both sides. The harvesting target portion detection means (S1, S2) is configured by an arm (9A), and the imaging direction of the harvesting target portion detecting means (S1, S2) captures a predetermined range including the harvesting target portion (A1). ) The harvesting hand (6A) in a state of passing through the central position of the inner spacing for clamping
In order to detect whether or not the harvesting target portion (A1) is present on the inner side in the sandwiching direction of the pair of sandwiching arms (9A) and the image pickup means (S1) provided in the sandwiching arm (9).
A), which is included in the sandwiching portion presence / absence detection means (S2), and the harvest control means (100) is the imaging means (S1).
On the basis of the information of 1., the harvesting hand (6A) is operated toward the harvesting target portion (A1) while the harvesting target portion (A1) is captured in the center of the image pickup screen of the image pickup means (S1). In addition, based on the information of the sandwiching section presence / absence detection means (S2), the pair of sandwiching arms (9A) is provided with the harvesting target section (A1) on the inner side in the sandwiching direction. The fruit and vegetable harvesting apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, which is configured to perform a clamping operation of a clamping arm (9A). 6. The harvesting hand (6A) is provided with another object (A2) lighter in weight than the harvesting target portion (A1) from the harvesting target portion (A1) within the imaging range of the imaging means (S1). A blower means (7) for blowing air toward a predetermined range including the harvesting target portion (A1) is provided so that the harvest control means (100) captures the image when the blower means (7) is in operation. The harvesting target portion (A1) based on information or the imaged information when the blower means (7) is activated and the imaged information when the air blower (7) is not activated.
6. The fruit and vegetable harvesting apparatus according to claim 5, which is configured to detect the position of.