RU235837U9 - Robotic fruit picking device - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to agricultural engineering, in particular to machines designed for harvesting fruit crops. A robotic device for harvesting fruit, consisting of a frame, a manipulator arm, a flexible pipe for transporting fruit, a container for accumulating fruit, control systems, navigation and technical vision (not shown in the figures), a power supply system. The fruit packing system is equipped with container filling level sensors, a scissor-type mechanism and an electric actuator, each of which is fixed at one end to the frame and the other to the mounting plate, and a distribution head with an electric drive, fixed from below to the mounting plate with the possibility of horizontal rotation and connected to a flexible pipe fixed to the mounting plate from above. The use of a robotic device for harvesting fruit will improve the accuracy and efficiency of harvesting apple fruits in an autonomous mode, reducing the injury to the fruit.

Description

The utility model relates to agricultural engineering, in particular to machines intended for harvesting fruit crops.

A self-propelled universal unit ASU-6 is known for harvesting fruits in intensive orchards, including a frame, a wheeled chassis and a system of elevator-type conveyors for transporting and packing fruits into a container (https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=32438524).

The disadvantages of the known machine include the use of manual labor both when picking fruits and when controlling the movement of the unit; changing the filled container also requires human participation.

The closest technical solution in its essence to the declared object is a machine for automated fruit harvesting (Z. De-An, L. Jidong, J. Wei, Z. Ying, and C. Yu, “Design and control of an apple harvesting robot,” Biosystems Engineering, vol. 110, pp. 112-122, 2011), including a tracked chassis, a manipulator arm, a flexible pipe for transporting fruit, and a container for storing fruit.

The disadvantages of the known technical solution include the lack of a mechanism for lowering the distribution sleeve into the container for collecting fruits, which leads to damage to the fruits when they are placed in the container.

The technical task of the proposed utility model is to develop a packing unit for fruits.

The technical result consists in increasing the efficiency of the process of packing apple fruits during automated harvesting, reducing damage to apple fruits and ensuring the possibility of performing work in a fully automatic (autonomous) mode.

The stated technical task is achieved in that the robotic device for collecting fruits, consisting of a frame, a manipulator arm, a flexible pipe for transporting fruits, a container for accumulating fruits, control systems, navigation and technical vision (not shown in the figure), a power supply system, according to the utility model, the fruit packing system is equipped with sensors for determining the filling level of the container, a scissor-type mechanism and an electric actuator, each of which is secured at one end to the frame and the other to the mounting plate, and a distribution head with an electric drive, secured from below to the mounting plate with the possibility of horizontal rotation and connected to a flexible pipe secured to the mounting plate from above.

The utility model is illustrated by drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a robotic device for harvesting fruits (general view); Fig. 2 - general view of the filling system of the robotic device; Fig. 3 - components of the filling system; Fig. 4 - diagram of the operation of the distribution head.

The robotic device for harvesting fruits consists of a frame 1 placed on a wheeled chassis 2, a manipulator arm 3 with a flexible pipe 4 for transporting fruits into containers 5 for accumulating fruits, fixed under the frame 1, a control, navigation and technical vision system (not shown in the figure), a power supply system (not shown in the figure), and a fruit packing system.

The fruit packing system contains tank filling sensors 5 (not shown in the figure), consists of a scissor-type mechanism 6 and an electric actuator 7, with one end secured to the frame 1 and the other to the mounting plate 8, and a distribution head 9. One end of the distribution head 9 is connected through the mounting plate 8 to the flexible pipe 4. The distribution head 9, for example, with a beveled end is secured from below to the mounting plate 8 and has an electric drive (not shown in the figure), ensuring its horizontal rotation, which allows for the even distribution of fruits 10 in the tank 5.

The robotic fruit picking device works as follows.

The robotic fruit picking device moves and positions itself between the rows of fruit plantations using installed control, navigation and technical vision systems.

The signal from the vision system is analyzed by the controller of the robotic device for collecting fruits, and it sends the corresponding control signals to the electric drive of the wheel chassis 2, ensuring an accurate stop opposite the desired tree. The vision system determines the coordinates of the fruits that need to be collected, and the manipulator control controller (not shown in the figure) sends a control signal to the manipulator arm 3 for capturing and separating the fruit, which falls into the flexible pipe 4.

Then the fruit gets to the lower part, where the flexible pipe 4 is connected through the fastening plate 8 to the distribution head 9 rotating around its axis, evenly distributing the fruits 10 over the entire area of the container 5. The filling level of the container 5 is controlled by installed optical sensors connected to the controller of the robotic device for collecting fruits. After filling the corresponding level of the container 5 with fruits 9, the scissor-type mechanism 6 is activated, which is driven by the electric actuator 7 and raises the distribution head 9 to another level above the fruits 10.

The control controller analyzes the data coming from the optical sensors about the degree of filling of the container 5, and makes a decision to stop the filling process. After the container 5 is completely filled, it is lowered into the row spacing of the orchard, then the robotic device grabs the empty container, fixes it under the frame 1 and the operation is repeated.

The use of a robotic device for fruit picking will improve the accuracy and efficiency of apple fruit picking in an autonomous mode and reduce fruit damage.

Claims (1)

A robotic device for harvesting fruit, consisting of a frame, a manipulator arm, a fruit packing system in the form of a flexible pipe for transporting fruit, a container for accumulating fruit, a control system, navigation and technical vision, a power supply system, characterized in that the fruit packing system is equipped with sensors for determining the filling level of the container, as well as a scissor-type mechanism and an electric actuator, one end of which is fixed to the frame and the other to a mounting plate, and a distribution head, one end of which is connected through a mounting plate to a flexible pipe and an electric drive with the possibility of horizontal rotation.