Vegetable production system and vegetable production method

Abstract

The present invention provides a vegetable production system and a vegetable production method, which can be harvested normally and stably. The vegetable production system (1) comprises: a holder (5) which holds a vegetable (3) having a leaf portion (3b) in such a manner that the leaf portion (3b) is located at the top; a hand (35) of a transfer device (11) which supports the holder (5) so as to be movable; and a camera (12) which photographs the holder (5) supported by the hand (35) from below. The hand (35) holds the holder (5) and moves the holder (5) to a predetermined photographing position (10). The camera (12) is arranged below the photographing position (10) and photographs the holder (5) supported by the hand (35) at the photographing position (10) from below.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The disclosed embodiments relate to a vegetable production system and a vegetable production method. Background Art

[0002] Patent document 1 describes a root cutting harvester, in which a planting panel holds a seedling bed for plant growth in such a manner that the portion to be harvested is located on the upper surface side of the seedling bed. When the planting panel passes through a cutting position provided with a cutting blade in a conveying path from the upstream side to the downstream side, the portion to be harvested of the plants growing in the seedling bed is cut off between the root and the cutting blade.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-141605

[0006] In the automatic production system of plants, for example, due to excessive growth of the part that becomes the harvested object, or reasons such as not standing upright and falling down, sometimes it is not a posture suitable for harvesting. In the above-mentioned prior art, it is possible that harvesting cannot be performed normally under such circumstances. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vegetable production system and a vegetable production method that can perform harvesting normally and stably.

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to one viewpoint of the present invention, a vegetable production system is applied, which comprises: a retaining member that retains vegetables having leaves so that the leaves are located above; a supporting member that supports the retaining member so as to be movable; and a photographing device that photographs the retaining member supported by the supporting member from below.

[0009] In addition, according to another aspect of the present invention, a vegetable production method is applied, which has the following steps: supporting a retaining member so as to be movable, the retaining member retaining vegetables having leaves in such a manner that the leaves are located above; and photographing the supported retaining member from below.

[0010] According to the vegetable production system and the like of the present invention, harvesting can be performed normally and stably. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 This is a system configuration diagram conceptually showing an example of the overall configuration of a vegetable production system viewed from above.

[0012] Figure 2This is a system configuration diagram conceptually showing an example of the overall configuration of a vegetable production system viewed from the side.

[0013] Figure 3 This is a perspective view showing an example of the overall structure of the cultivation shelf.

[0014] Figure 4 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement of rails on each shelf portion of a cultivation shelf.

[0015] Figure 5 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement of light sources on each shelf portion of a cultivation shelf.

[0016] Figure 6 It is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the cross-sectional structure of the holder and the rail.

[0017] Figure 7 It is a perspective view showing an example of the structure of the transfer device, the delivery mechanism, and the waste box.

[0018] Figure 8 This is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a first controller that controls the transfer device.

[0019] Figure 9 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an image of a holder captured by a camera when the posture of vegetables is normal.

[0020] Figure 10 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an image of a holder captured by a camera when the posture of vegetables is abnormal.

[0021] Figure 11 It is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the operation of the transfer device based on the posture determination result.

[0022] Figure 12 This is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure related to the posture determination processing executed by the first controller.

[0023] Figure 13 This is a side view showing an example of the structure of a harvesting robot.

[0024] Figure 14 This is a system configuration diagram conceptually showing an example of the overall configuration of a vegetable production system viewed from the side in a modified example in which the posture determination of vegetables is performed at the transfer timing of a holder.

[0025] Figure 15 This is a perspective view showing an example of the structure of the transfer device in a modified example in which a camera is provided in the transfer device.

[0026] Figure 16 This is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the first controller.

[0027] Description of labels

[0028] 1Vegetable production system

[0029] 3 vegetables

[0030] 3b Leaf

[0031] 5 retaining parts

[0032] 7 cultivation shelves

[0033] 10 shooting positions

[0034] 11 Transfer device

[0035] 12 Camera (shooting device)

[0036] 16 First Controller

[0037] 21 containers

[0038] 24 Posture determination unit

[0039] 26 Motion control unit (control unit)

[0040] 28 Yield Calculation Department

[0041] 35 hands (supporting parts)

[0042] 53 cutter

[0043] 97 Second Controller DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] In order to facilitate the description of each structure of the vegetable production system, directions such as up, down, left, right, front and back are sometimes used as appropriate in the drawings, but they do not limit the direction and position of each structure.

[0045] <1. Overall structure of the vegetable production system>

[0046] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 , an example of the overall structure of the vegetable production system of this embodiment is described. Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the figure, the detailed structure of each part is omitted, and the structure of the entire system is schematically shown.

[0047] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, a vegetable production system 1 is a system that uses a holder 5 to hold vegetables 3 to be cultivated, moves the holder 5 on a cultivation shelf 7 for a predetermined period of time, causes the vegetables 3 to grow, and harvests the desired portion of the vegetables 3 (e.g., leaves 3b). The vegetable production system 1 includes a plurality of holders 5, cultivation shelves 7, a loading device 9, a transfer device 11, a camera 12, a transfer mechanism 13, a waste bin 14, a harvesting robot 15, a container conveyor 17, and a unloading device 19.

[0048] like Figure 1 As shown, the vegetable production system 1 includes two cultivation shelves 7 arranged side by side in the left-right direction. On the cultivation shelves 7, holders 5 holding vegetables 3 are moved for a predetermined period of time, thereby growing the vegetables 3. The number of cultivation shelves 7 included in the vegetable production system 1 is not limited to two, and may be one, or may be three or more.

[0049] like Figure 2 As shown, the loading device 9 loads, for example, a holder 5 for holding vegetables 3 in a germinated state after sowing seeds into the vegetable production system 1. The loading device 9 is, for example, a conveyor. The holder 5 loaded by the loading device 9 is transferred to each cultivation shelf 7 by a transfer device 11 disposed behind the two cultivation shelves 7. Alternatively, the loading device 9 may be, for example, an automated guided vehicle (AGV), or may be loaded by an operator using a cart or the like.

[0050] The transfer devices 11 are respectively arranged on both sides of the front and rear of each of the two cultivation shelves 7. Each transfer device 11 transfers the holder 5 from shelf portion to shelf portion at the front and rear ends of the cultivation shelf 7. In addition, the transfer device 11 arranged at the rear of the cultivation shelf 7 transfers the holder 5 transported by the loading device 9 to the cultivation shelf 7 as described above. The transfer device 11 arranged in front of the cultivation shelf 7 moves the holder 5 holding the vegetables 3 growing on the cultivation shelf 7 to the shooting position 10 of the camera 12. The transfer device 11 transfers the holder 5 to either the transfer mechanism 13 or the waste box 14 based on the judgment result of the captured image. For example, when the transfer device 11 determines that the posture of the vegetables 3 is good, the holder 5 is transferred to the transfer mechanism 13, and when the transfer device 11 determines that the posture of the vegetables 3 is not good, the holder 5 is transferred to the waste box 14. The operation of the transfer device 11 is controlled by the first controller 16 (see the following Figure 8 )control.

[0051] The camera 12 (an example of an imaging device) is directed from below to the hand 35 (an example of a support member, see the following) of the transfer device 11 at the imaging position 10. Figure 7) is supported by the holder 5 for shooting. The camera 12 is set at the foot 7b of the cultivation shelf 7, for example, and is arranged below the shooting position 10. The position of the camera 12 can be either obliquely below or directly below as long as it is below the shooting position 10. By arranging it obliquely below instead of directly below, it is possible to prevent the camera 12 from being contaminated by water drops dripping from the holder 5. In addition, if Figure 1 As shown, the camera 12 may be disposed, for example, between the transfer mechanism 13 and the waste box 14, or may be disposed at other locations.

[0052] The waste box 14 is a container for discarding vegetables 3 that are not properly positioned together with the holder 5. The waste box 14 is, for example, located outside the transfer mechanism 13 below the lowest shelf 7a of each cultivation shelf 7. Alternatively, the waste box 14 may be located elsewhere. The waste box 14 may be configured to be movable, for example, by having wheels (not shown), or may be moved by an operator using a cart or the like.

[0053] like Figure 1 As shown, the transfer mechanism 13 is arranged in the left-right direction in a manner spanning two cultivation shelves 7. Figure 2 As shown, the delivery mechanism 13 is arranged below the shelf portion 7a of the lowest layer of each cultivation shelf 7. The delivery mechanism 13 transports the holders 5 respectively transferred from the two cultivation shelves 7 to the harvesting position on the rear side of the harvesting robot 15. In addition, the delivery mechanism 13 has a cutter 53 (see the following description) Figure 7 、 Figure 13 ) to cut the leaf portion 3b of the vegetable 3 away from the retaining member 5.

[0054] like Figure 1 As shown, the harvesting robot 15 has a hand 20 for holding the leaf portion 3b of the vegetable 3. The hand 20 holds the leaf portion 3b to be harvested and stores it in a container 21. The harvesting robot 15 stores the leaf portions 3b in a manner that fills the container 21 with a plurality of leaf portions 3b. The container 21 is, for example, a plastic frame or a container. The operation of the harvesting robot 15 is controlled by the second controller 97 (see the following). Figure 13 )control.

[0055] like Figure 1 As shown, the container conveyor 17 receives an empty container 21 from the unloading device 19, conveys it leftward from the receiving position, and stops at the loading position in front of the harvesting robot 15. The container conveyor 17 further conveys the container 21 containing the leaf portions 3b of the vegetables 3 stored by the harvesting robot 15 at the loading position to the left, and stops at the unloading position.

[0056] The unloading device 19 supplies empty containers 21 to the receiving position of the container conveyor 17, removes the containers 21 containing the leaf portions 3b of the vegetables 3 from the unloading position of the container conveyor 17, and unloads them from the vegetable production system 1. The unloading device 19 is an automated guided vehicle (AGV) that travels along a pre-set route to transport the containers 21. Alternatively, a conveyor may be used as the unloading device 19, or an operator may use a cart or the like to unload the containers.

[0057] <2. Cultivation Shelves>

[0058] Reference Figures 2 to 5 , an example of the structure of the cultivation shelf 7 is described.

[0059] like Figures 2 to 5 As shown, in the cultivation shelf 7, multiple layers (e.g., 8 layers) of shelf sections 7a are arranged in a stacked manner in the vertical direction. A plurality of rails 23 are provided on each shelf section 7a, extending substantially horizontally in the front-to-back direction. The plurality of rails 23 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction on each shelf section 7a, and the rails 23 are arranged substantially in parallel.

[0060] The rail 23 supports the plurality of holders 5 so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction. When the holders 5 are supplied from one side in the front-back direction, the rail 23 is configured so that the other plurality of holders 5 supported are pushed toward the other side in the front-back direction and slide.

[0061] The number of layers of the shelf portion 7a of the cultivation shelf 7 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, for example, eight layers are described as an example. Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, for the sake of convenience, the layers of the shelf portion 7a of the cultivation shelf 7 are appropriately referred to as the A layer, the top layer is referred to as the B layer, and the second to seventh layers from the top are collectively referred to as the C layer. The A layer has one shelf portion 7a, the B layer has one shelf portion 7a, and the C layer has six shelf portions 7a. Figure 4 In the example shown, the shelf portion 7a on the A-layer is provided with a larger number (e.g., 8) of rails 23. The shelf portion 7a on the B-layer is provided with a smaller number (e.g., 6) of rails 23 than on the A-layer. The shelf portion 7a on the C-layer is provided with an even smaller number (e.g., 4) of rails 23 than on the B-layer.

[0062] like Figure 5 As shown, a shelf portion 7a of the cultivation shelf 7 is provided above the leaf portion 3b of the vegetable 3 (see the following description). Figure 6) A plurality of light sources 25 are provided for irradiating the vegetables 3. Each light source 25 is disposed on the lower surface of a support plate 27 extending in the horizontal direction. The support plate 27 is disposed above each shelf portion 7a. The light sources 25 are arranged at predetermined intervals along the front-to-back direction. The type of light source 25 is not particularly limited; however, to promote photosynthesis of the vegetables 3, for example, LEDs or fluorescent lamps are used.

[0063] Figure 2 and Figure 4 An example of the direction in which the vegetables 3 (including the holder 5) move on each shelf portion 7a of the cultivation shelf 7 is shown. Figure 4 The symbol SY1 in the diagram represents the moving direction of the vegetable 3 from the front side toward the rear side in the front-to-rear direction, and the symbol SY2 represents the moving direction of the vegetable 3 from the rear side toward the front side in the opposite direction. Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, in layer A, vegetables 3 move from the rear side toward the front side on each track 23. In layer B, vegetables 3 move from the front side toward the rear side on each track 23. In layer C, vegetables 3 move from the rear side toward the front side on each track 23 in each layer.

[0064] The transfer device 11 located on the front side of the cultivation shelf 7 transfers the vegetables 3 (including the holders 5) from layer A to layer B, and transfers the vegetables 3 from layer C to the transfer mechanism 13 or the waste bin 14 via the imaging position 10. The front transfer device 11 transfers the vegetables 3 vertically and distributes them horizontally. In addition, the transfer device 11 located on the rear side of the cultivation shelf 7 transfers the vegetables 3 from the loading device 9 to layer A, and transfers the vegetables 3 from layer B to layer C. The rear transfer device 11 transfers the vegetables 3 vertically and distributes them horizontally.

[0065] In the above movement path, the track spacing in the left-right direction gradually widens as the vegetables 3 are transferred from layer A to layer B to layer C. This allows for dense cultivation in layer A, where the track spacing is the narrowest, during the seedling stage, when the vegetables 3 are smaller than the holders 5. Subsequently, the vegetables 3 are moved from layer B to layer C, with the track spacing gradually increasing. This allows for the track spacing to be increased as the vegetables 3 grow larger. As a result, the entire installation area of the cultivation shelves 7 can be effectively utilized for cultivating the vegetables 3.

[0066] <3. Holders and rails>

[0067] Reference Figure 6 , an example of the structure of the retainer 5 and the rail 23 is described.

[0068] like Figure 6As shown, the retainer 5 retains the vegetable 3 having the leaf portion 3b in such a manner that the leaf portion 3b is located at the top. The retainer 5 retains the vegetables 3, which are the cultivation objects of the vegetable production system 1, one by one. That is, the retainer 5 and the vegetable 3 are in a one-to-one relationship. In addition, the "one plant" mentioned here refers to one individual grown from a single seed. For example, Figure 7 As shown in the vegetable 3, a plurality of (or a single) leaf portions 3b are supported by a stem portion 3a and are gathered into one individual vegetable, which is one plant. In addition, for example, even if there are multiple stem portions 3a due to branches, etc., a vegetable that is gathered into one individual due to the connection of the root portions 3c is one plant.

[0069] The retainer 5 has a symmetrical shape in both the left-right and front-back directions. Therefore, the retainer 5 is interchangeable in the front-back direction (i.e., the direction of movement), which is its longitudinal direction, allowing it to be used in both forward and reverse directions. The retainer 5 is integrally molded from a highly slidable material (e.g., resin, but metal is also acceptable) and is configured to slide relative to the rail 23 that supports the retainer 5.

[0070] The holder 5 has a main body 57, a holding tube 59, a hole 61, and a guide plate 63. The main body 57 is formed into a generally rectangular shape with the longitudinal direction being the front-to-back direction when viewed from above. The edges on both sides of the main body 57 in the left and right directions function as support portions 65 to be supported when the hand 35 of the transfer device 11 grasps the main body 57. Figure 6 In the illustrated example, the support portion 65 is formed in an isosceles trapezoidal shape when viewed in the front-rear direction, but may be formed in other shapes such as a triangle or a circle.

[0071] The retaining cylinder 59 has a hole 61 formed at the center of the main body 57 in the front-back and left-right directions, and extending vertically therethrough. The upper end opening of the retaining cylinder 59 does not protrude from the upper surface of the main body 57 but is formed in a substantially coplanar state, while the lower end opening is formed to protrude downward from the lower surface of the main body 57. The retaining cylinder 59 is formed, for example, into a cylindrical shape with the hole 61 being a circular hole. Alternatively, the hole 61 may be formed into a polygonal shape such as a quadrilateral, or the retaining cylinder 59 may be formed into a polygonal cylindrical shape.

[0072] The guide plate portions 63 are a pair of flat plate-shaped portions that protrude upward from the upper surface of the main body 57 and extend in the front-to-back direction. They are arranged side by side at two locations in the left-right direction across the upper end opening of the retaining tube 59. The main body 57 has a hollow structure with an open bottom side, thereby reducing the weight of the retainer 5.

[0073] The structure of the holder 5 described above is an example, and a structure other than the above may be used. For example, in the above description, the holder 5 is integrally molded, but it may also be composed of multiple parts.

[0074] like Figure 6 As shown, the rail 23 has a rail portion 67 and a trough portion 69, which are integrally formed of a material with high sliding properties (such as resin. It can also be metal, etc.). The rail portion 67 has: a pair of left and right upper rail plates 67a having a specified width in the left and right directions and extending in the front-to-back direction; and a pair of left and right lower rail plates 67b having a specified width in the left and right directions and extending in the front-to-back direction at a position below the upper rail plate 67a. An upper rail protrusion 67c protruding downward is formed on the edge of the opposite side of the upper rail plate 67a. The main body 57 of the retaining member 5 is accommodated in the space between the upper rail protrusion 67c and the lower rail plate 67b. A pair of guide plate portions 63 of the retaining member 5 are accommodated in the upper rail groove 67d between the pair of upper rail plates 67a.

[0075] The water tank 69 comprises a pair of side walls 69a extending in the front-to-back direction, and a bottom wall 69b extending in the front-to-back direction, straddling the lower ends of the pair of side walls 69a. The water tank 69 is a long, open-top, roughly U-shaped water tank, which holds a culture medium 71. The culture medium 71 is circulated in the front-to-back direction by a suitable flow unit (not shown), such as a pump. Alternatively, the culture medium 71 may be allowed to remain stationary without flowing.

[0076] The retainer 5 inserted into the rail 23 is accommodated in the space 73 on the inner side of the rail portion 67. The lower surface of the main body 57 of the retainer 5 can slidably contact the upper surface of the left and right lower rail plates 67b, and the upper surface of the main body 57 abuts against the left and right upper rail protrusions 67c. In this way, the retainer 5 is clamped from the top and bottom by the rail 23 to prevent the retainer 5 from tilting or falling. Since the lower surface of the main body 57 is open, the contact area between the lower surface of the main body 57 of the retainer 5, that is, the retainer support surface 75, and the upper surface of the lower rail plate 67b, that is, the rail support surface 77, is reduced, which can improve the sliding property with the rail 23. Through the above structure, the retainer 5 is supported (loaded) in a movable state on the cultivation shelf 7 having a water path for circulation of the culture solution 71.

[0077] The hole portion 61 of the retaining cylinder 59 of the retaining member 5 is filled with a culture medium 79 to retain the stem portion 3a of the vegetable 3 grown from the seed sown in the culture medium 79. While the root portion 3c of the vegetable 3 is immersed in the culture solution 71 in the water tank portion 69 through the lower end opening of the hole portion 61, the leaf portion 3b of the vegetable 3 is expanded above the track 23 through the upper end opening of the hole portion 61 and grows. As the culture medium 79, for example, a gel culture medium such as agar can be used, or a solid culture medium such as sponge, polyurethane, or asbestos can be used. If the growth of the vegetable 3 progresses, the diameter of the stem portion 3a eventually becomes thicker to be roughly the same as the inner diameter of the hole portion 61, most of the culture medium 79 falls off, and the retaining cylinder 59 becomes in a state of directly supporting the vegetable 3.

[0078] In the vegetable production system 1, the spacing of the retaining members 5 in the front-to-back direction is adjusted by inserting spacers (not shown) between the plurality of retaining members 5. As the spacers, components common to the above-mentioned retaining members 5, that is, retaining members 5 in an empty state in which the hole 61 is not filled with the culture medium 79, can also be used. In addition, as long as it is a structure that can move on the track 23, it can also be a spacer that is formed in a shape different from the retaining member 5, such as a shape that does not have a retaining cylinder 59 (a shape in which the hole 61 is filled). In the track 23, a plurality of spacers are also arranged along the front-to-back direction together with the plurality of retaining members 5, and they are supported as a whole so as to be movable. Whenever a spacer is supplied from one side in the front-to-back direction of the track 23, the already supported retaining member 5 and the spacer as a whole move toward the other side. By adjusting the number of spacers between the retaining members 5, the spacing of the retaining members 5 in the front-to-back direction can be adjusted according to the stage of gradual growth of the vegetables 3. In addition, when light is irradiated on the culture solution 71, it promotes the production of algae, so the spacer is preferably a shape without a hole.

[0079] The structure of the rail 23 described above is an example, and a structure other than the above may be used. For example, in the above description, the rail 23 is formed as an integral part, but it may also be composed of multiple parts.

[0080] <4. Transfer device and transfer mechanism>

[0081] Reference Figure 7 , an example of the structure of the transfer device 11 and the transfer mechanism 13 is described. Figure 7 In the embodiment, the transfer device 11 disposed on the front side of the cultivation shelf 7 on the left side is shown as an example, but the other transfer devices 11 also have the same structure. Figure 7 In the figure, the portion of the transfer mechanism 13 disposed on the lower side of the cultivation shelf 7 on the left side is shown as an example, but the portion of the transfer mechanism 13 disposed on the lower side of the cultivation shelf 7 on the right side also has the same structure. Figure 7In the figure, the positive direction of the X axis corresponds to the right, the negative direction of the X axis corresponds to the left, the positive direction of the Y axis corresponds to the back, the negative direction of the Y axis corresponds to the front, the positive direction of the Z axis corresponds to the top, and the negative direction of the Z axis corresponds to the bottom.

[0082] like Figure 7 As shown, the transfer device 11 includes a base 29 , a gate-shaped support frame 31 provided on the base 29 , an actuator 33 provided on the support frame 31 , and a hand 35 .

[0083] The support frame 31 includes a pair of pillars 31 a provided on the base 29 along the Z-axis direction so as to face each other in the X-axis direction, and a substantially horizontal beam 31 b spanning the upper ends of the pair of pillars 31 a along the X-axis direction.

[0084] The actuator 33 includes an X-axis unit 37, a Z-axis unit 39, and a Y-axis unit 41. The X-axis unit 37 includes a beam 37a, a slider 37b, and an X-axis motor 37c. The beam 37a is substantially horizontally mounted between a pair of support columns 31a in the X-axis direction. The slider 37b is supported by the beam 37a so as to be movable in the X-axis direction. The X-axis motor 37c is attached to the left end of the beam 37a, for example, and drives the slider 37b in the X-axis direction.

[0085] The Z-axis unit 39 includes a beam 39a, a slider 39b, and a Z-axis motor 39c. The upper end of the beam 39a is supported by the beam 31b so as to be movable in the X-axis direction, and the beam 39a is fixed to the slider 37b. The slider 39b is supported by the beam 39a so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction. The Z-axis motor 39c is attached to the lower end of the beam 39a, for example, and drives the slider 39b in the Z-axis direction.

[0086] The Y-axis unit 41 includes a beam 41a, a slider 41b, and a Y-axis motor 41c. The slider 41b is fixed to the slider 39b. The beam 41a is supported by the slider 41b so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction. The Y-axis motor 41c is attached, for example, to the front end of the beam 41a to drive the beam 41a in the Y-axis direction.

[0087] In actuator 33, when slider 37b is driven in the X-axis direction by X-axis motor 37c, beam 39a moves in the X-axis direction, and beam 41a moves in the X-axis direction accordingly. When slider 39b is driven in the Z-axis direction by Z-axis motor 39c, beam 41a moves in the Z-axis direction accordingly. When slider 41b and beam 41a are driven relative to each other in the Y-axis direction by Y-axis motor 41c, beam 41a moves in the Y-axis direction accordingly. In this way, actuator 33 moves beam 41a in the three axes: X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis.

[0088] The hand 35 is attached to the rear end of the beam 41a of the actuator 33 and grips the holder 5. The actuator 33 moves the beam 41a in three axial directions to move the hand 35 in three directions: the front-to-back direction (the longitudinal direction of the rails 23), the left-to-right direction (the direction in which the rails 23 are arranged in parallel), and the up-down direction (the stacking direction and height direction of the shelf portions 7a).

[0089] For example, when extracting the retainer 5 located at the end of the rail 23, the transfer device 11 uses the hands 35 to grip the retainer 5 from both sides and extract it. For example, when inserting the retainer 5 into the end of the rail 23, the transfer device 11 moves the retainer 5 gripped by the hands 35 to the end of the rail 23 as the insertion target and inserts it into the rail 23. While gripping the retainer 5, the hands 35 push the retainer 5 in the Y-axis direction (front-back direction) by one spacing amount (the length of the retainer 5 in the front-back direction). As a result, the inserted retainer 5 and the multiple retainers 5 supported on the rail 23 can be slid by one spacing amount. In this way, the transfer device 11 moves the entire column of multiple retainers 5 supported on the rail 23 as the insertion target of the retainer 5 along the conveying direction. After insertion, the hands 35 open and release the grip on the retainer 5.

[0090] As described above, the transfer device 11 extracts the holder 5 holding the grown vegetables 3 from the rail 23 of the C layer and moves it to the shooting position 10. A camera 12 is arranged below the shooting position 10. Figure 7 In the figure, the foot portion 7b of the cultivation shelf 7 on which the camera 12 is mounted is omitted. The camera 12 captures an image of the holder 5 supported by the hand 35 of the transfer device 11 at the imaging position 10 from below. Based on the image captured by the camera 12, the first controller 16 determines whether the posture of the growing vegetables 3 is normal or abnormal. If the posture of the vegetables 3 is determined to be normal, the transfer device 11 transfers the holder 5 to the transport device 49 of the transfer mechanism 13. If the posture of the vegetables 3 is determined to be abnormal, the transfer device 11 discards the holder 5 into the disposal bin 14.

[0091] The transfer mechanism 13 holds the transferred holder 5 and moves it in the left and right directions to transfer it to the harvesting robot 15. Figure 7 As shown, the transfer mechanism 13 includes a plurality of supports 43 , a beam 45 , a motor 47 , and a transport device 49 .

[0092] The beam 45 is connected by a plurality of supports 43 (at Figure 7 Only one is shown in the figure), and it is extended in the left-right direction in a manner spanning two cultivation shelves 7. The motor 47 is installed at the end of the beam 45, for example, to reciprocate the conveying device 49 in the X-axis direction (left-right direction).

[0093] The transport device 49 includes a holding portion 51 for holding the holder 5, a cutter 53, and a cutter drive device 55. The holding portion 51 is configured to accommodate and hold the holder 5, and the holder 5 holding the grown vegetables 3 is inserted from the front side of the holding portion 51 by the transfer device 11. The cutter 53 (an example of a cutting member) is driven along the Y-axis direction (front-back direction) to cut the stem 3a of the vegetable 3 in a manner that separates the leaf portion 3b of the vegetable 3 from the holder 5. The cutter drive device 55 drives the cutter 53 in a manner that moves forward and backward in the Y-axis direction (front-back direction). The cutter drive device 55 is, for example, an air cylinder. Alternatively, a solenoid, a linear motor, or the like may be used as the cutter drive device 55. Alternatively, the cutter 53 and the cutter drive device 55 may be arranged not on the transport device 49 but at a harvesting position so as to enter the transport device 49 from the outside. For example, the cutter 53 and the cutter drive device 55 may be arranged in a separation device (not shown). The separating device is a device that separates the stem 3a and the root 3c from the holder 5 and is provided so as to communicate with the transport device 49 stopped at the harvesting position. In this case, the transport device 49 may be moved to the front of the separating device and the cutter 53 may be ejected from the side of the separating device.

[0094] At least one transport device 49 is provided for each of the two cultivation shelves 7. This allows vegetables 3 to be transported alternately from the two cultivation shelves 7 to the harvesting robot 15, for example, thereby improving harvesting efficiency. Alternatively, multiple transport devices 49 may be provided for each cultivation shelf 7. In this case, multiple beams 45 may be arranged side by side, for example, in the vertical direction or the front-to-back direction.

[0095] <5. Posture Determination Processing>

[0096] Reference Figures 8 to 12 , the posture determination processing of the first controller 16 is described.

[0097] Figure 8 FIG. 1 shows an example of the functional structure of the first controller 16. Figure 8 As shown, the first controller 16 includes a control unit 18, a motion control unit 32, and a servo amplifier 22. The control unit 18 is, for example, a computer having a computing device (CPU), a recording device, an input device, etc., and includes a posture determination unit 24, a motion control unit 26, and a yield calculation unit 28 as a functional structure.

[0098] As described above, the camera 12 captures the holder 5 supported by the hand 35 of the transfer device 11 at the capturing position 10 from below. The captured image is sent from the camera 12 to the first controller 16. The posture determination unit 24 determines whether the posture of the grown vegetable 3 is normal or abnormal based on the image captured by the camera 12. Specifically, the posture determination unit 24 determines whether the posture of the vegetable 3 is normal or abnormal by comparing the ratio of the color area of the leaf portion 3b to the overall area of the captured image with a predetermined threshold value related to the ratio.

[0099] Grown vegetables 3 may not be in a suitable position for harvesting due to excessive growth of their leaves 3b or their tendency to fall sideways from the holder 5. In such cases, for example, when the holder 5 is transferred to the transport device 49 of the transfer mechanism 13, the vegetables 3 in a distorted position may interfere with the device, making it impossible to harvest properly. Furthermore, there is the risk that the distorted leaves 3b of the vegetables 3 may come into contact with the roots 3c, to which the culture medium 71 is attached, or with the blades of the cutter 53, causing the culture medium 71 to adhere to the leaves 3b to be harvested and contaminate them.

[0100] In this embodiment, by capturing the image of the holder 5 from below, when the vegetables 3 are in a position suitable for harvesting, the leaves 3b are located above the holder 5, resulting in a smaller area of the leaves 3b (and a larger area of the holder 5) in the captured image. On the other hand, when the vegetables 3 are not in a position suitable for harvesting, the area of the leaves 3b increases, for example, due to the leaves 3b being entangled beneath the holder 5. Therefore, the position determination unit 24 can easily and accurately determine whether the vegetable 3 is in a good or bad position.

[0101] Figure 9 and Figure 10 An example of an image 30 captured by the camera 12 is shown. Figure 9 This is an example of an image taken when the posture of vegetable 3 is normal. Figure 10 This is an example of a captured image of a vegetable 3 in an abnormal posture. Figure 9 as well as Figure 10 In the figure, the hand 35 holding the holder 5 is omitted.

[0102] like Figure 9 as well as Figure 10 As shown, the camera 12 captures the holder 5 and the leaf portions 3 b of the vegetables 3 so that the captured image 30 includes them. Figure 9 and Figure 10 The captured image 30 in FIG. 1 shows the range captured by the camera 12. Figure 9As shown, when the posture of the vegetable 3 is normal, the area of the holder 5 (including the root 3c) in the captured image 30 is relatively large, so the proportion of the green color area of the leaf 3b to the entire area of the captured image 30 becomes smaller. Figure 10 As shown, when the posture of the vegetable 3 is abnormal, the proportion of the green color area of the leaf 3b relative to the overall area of the captured image 30 becomes larger because the leaf 3b is wrapped around the bottom of the holder 5. The posture determination unit 24 determines that the posture of the vegetable 3 is normal when the proportion of the green area relative to the overall area of the captured image 30 is less than a predetermined threshold, and determines that the posture of the vegetable 3 is abnormal when it is greater than the predetermined threshold. The predetermined threshold is set in consideration of the hand 35 holding the holder 5, the area of the root 3c of the vegetable 3, etc. (for example, 50%). The posture determination unit 24 determines based on the green color area of the leaf 3b, and as long as the colors of the holder 5 and the hand 35 are not green, it can determine the posture without being affected by the types of these colors.

[0103] Furthermore, for example, if the color of the holder 5 or the hand 35 is white, the root 3c is also white, so the posture determination unit 24 may also make a determination based on the color area of white. Alternatively, a determination method other than color area may be used, such as pre-storing the shape of the holder 5 and determining that the posture of the vegetable 3 is abnormal when the shape of the holder 5 cannot be identified from the captured image 30.

[0104] The operation control unit 26 (an example of a control unit) controls the operation of the transfer device 11 based on the determination result of the posture determination unit 24 . Figure 11 FIG. 4 shows an example of the operation of the transfer device 11 based on the posture determination result. Figure 11 As shown, when the posture determination unit 24 determines that the posture of the vegetable 3 is normal, the motion control unit 26 controls the transfer device 11 to transfer the holder 5 held by the hand 35 from the imaging position 10 to the conveying device 49 of the transfer mechanism 13 (an example of a harvesting process). In addition, when the posture determination unit 24 determines that the posture of the vegetable 3 is abnormal, the motion control unit 26 controls the transfer device 11 to transfer the holder 5 held by the hand 35 from the imaging position 10 to the disposal box 14 (an example of a disposal process).

[0105] The yield calculation unit 28 counts at least one of the number of times the posture determination unit 24 determines that the posture of the vegetables 3 is normal and the number of times the posture of the vegetables 3 is determined to be abnormal, and calculates the yield.

[0106] Based on the position instruction input from the action control unit 26, the motion control unit 32 calculates the target rotation angles of the motors 37c, 39c, and 41c of the actuator 33 of the transfer device 11 required to move the fingertip position of the hand 35 of the transfer device 11 to the position indicated by the position instruction, and outputs the corresponding motor position instruction.

[0107] The servo amplifier 22 controls the drive power supplied to the motors 37c, 39c, and 41c of the actuator 33 of the transfer device 11 based on the motor position command input from the motion control unit 32, thereby controlling the movement of the transfer device 11. The servo amplifier 22 also controls the actuator (e.g., a cylinder, a motor, etc.) that drives the hand 35, thereby controlling the movement of the hand 35.

[0108] The first controller 16 may be integrally configured with the transfer device 11 or separately configured from the transfer device 11. Alternatively, the first controller 16 may include a separate control unit 18 and a power supply unit (such as the servo amplifier 22). In this case, the power supply unit may be mounted on the transfer device 11. Furthermore, the first controller 16 may include, for example, a motion controller, a programmable logic controller (PLC), or the like, in addition to or in place of the control unit 18.

[0109] In addition, the processing of the posture determination unit 24, the motion control unit 26, the yield calculation unit 28, etc. is not limited to the example of sharing these processing. For example, it can also be processed by a smaller number of processing units (for example, one processing unit), or it can be processed by further subdivided processing units. In addition, each processing unit of the first controller 16 can also be equipped with only the part (servo amplifier 22, etc.) that supplies driving power to the actuator, etc. through an actual device, and other functions can also be handled by the CPU 901 described later (see Figure 16 ) can be installed by the program executed by the computer, and part or all of it can also be installed through actual devices such as ASIC, FPGA, other circuits, etc.

[0110] Figure 12 An example of a processing procedure related to the posture determination processing executed by the first controller 16 is shown.

[0111] like Figure 12 As shown, in step S10 , the first controller 16 controls the transfer device 11 via the motion control unit 26 to remove the holder 5 from the front end of the rail 23 of the C layer of the cultivation shelf 7 by the hand 35 .

[0112] In step S20 , the first controller 16 controls the transfer device 11 through the operation control unit 26 to move the holder 5 held by the hand 35 to the imaging position 10 while being transferred from the cultivation shelf 7 to the delivery mechanism 13 .

[0113] In step S30 , the first controller 16 captures an image of the holder 5 supported by the hand 35 at the imaging position 10 from below using the camera 12 to obtain an image.

[0114] In step S40, the first controller 16 determines whether the posture of the vegetable 3 is normal or abnormal based on the captured image acquired in step S30 via the posture determination unit 24. If normal, the process proceeds to step S50. If abnormal, the process proceeds to step S60.

[0115] In step S50 , the first controller 16 controls the transfer device 11 through the motion control unit 26 to move the holder 5 held by the hand 35 to the harvesting process (the conveying device 49 of the delivery mechanism 13 ).

[0116] In step S60 , the first controller 16 controls the transfer device 11 through the operation control unit 26 to move the holder 5 held by the hand 35 to the disposal process (disposal box 14 ).

[0117] In step S70, the first controller 16 determines whether the transfer of the holder 5 by the transfer device 11 has been completed. If the transfer of the holder 5 has not been completed (step S70: No), the process returns to step S10 and repeats the same process as above. If the transfer of the holder 5 has been completed (step S70: Yes), the process ends.

[0118] The processing procedures described above are examples, and at least a portion of the above procedures may be deleted or modified, or additional procedures may be added. The order of at least a portion of the above procedures may be changed, or multiple procedures may be combined into a single procedure.

[0119] <6. Harvesting Robot>

[0120] Reference Figure 13 , an example of the structure of the harvesting robot 15 is described.

[0121] The transfer mechanism 13 uses a transport device 49 provided corresponding to each of the left and right cultivation shelves 7 to transport the vegetables 3 from the left and right cultivation shelves 7 to the harvesting position behind the harvesting robot 15. The transport device 49 stops at the harvesting position and drives the cutter 53 to cut the stem 3a of the vegetable 3 so that the leaf portion 3b is separated from the holder 5.

[0122] The harvesting robot 15 includes an arm 81 and a hand 20. The harvesting robot 15 is configured, for example, as a vertically articulated, six-axis robot with six joints. The harvesting robot 15 drives the arm 81 to move the hand 20 to the transport device 49 of the transfer mechanism 13, where it grasps the leaf portions 3b of the vegetable 3. After the stem portions 3a are cut, the hand 20 is transported to the container 21 and released, thereby storing the leaf portions 3b in the container 21.

[0123] The harvesting robot 15 may be a vertical multi-jointed robot with a configuration other than six axes (e.g., five axes, seven axes, etc.), or a robot other than vertical multi-jointed robots, such as a horizontal multi-jointed robot or a parallel link robot. Furthermore, the harvesting robot 15 may not be a general-purpose robot but may be a dedicated harvesting robot equipped with a hand 20 mounted on an actuator capable of moving in at least one of the mutually orthogonal X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions (rotational directions around the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis).

[0124] The arm 81 has a base 83, a rotating portion 85, a lower arm portion 87, an upper arm portion 89, a wrist portion 91, and a flange portion 93. The base 83 is, for example, set on the ground F. In addition, the base 83 can also be set on a stand fixed to the ground F. In addition, it can also be configured to enable the harvesting robot 15 to move by setting the base 83 on, for example, an unmanned guided vehicle (AGV), a track, etc.

[0125] The rotating portion 85 is connected to the upper end of the base 83 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis Ax1 that is substantially parallel to the vertical direction. The rotating portion 85 is driven to rotate about the rotation axis Ax1 relative to the upper end of the base 83 by driving an actuator Ac1 provided at a joint between the rotating portion 85 and the base 83.

[0126] The lower arm 87 is connected to one side portion of the rotating portion 85 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis Ax2 that is approximately perpendicular to the rotation axis Ax1. The lower arm 87 is driven to rotate about the rotation axis Ax2 relative to the side portion of the rotating portion 85 by driving an actuator Ac2 provided at a joint between the lower arm 87 and the rotating portion 85.

[0127] The upper arm 89 is connected to the distal end of the lower arm 87 so that it can rotate about a rotation axis Ax3 that is approximately parallel to the rotation axis Ax2 and can pivot about a rotation axis Ax4 that is approximately perpendicular to the rotation axis Ax3. The upper arm 89 is driven to rotate about the rotation axis Ax3 relative to the distal end of the lower arm 87 by driving an actuator Ac3 at a joint between the upper arm 89 and the lower arm 87. Furthermore, the upper arm 89 is driven to pivot about the rotation axis Ax4 relative to the distal end of the lower arm 87 by driving an actuator Ac4 between the upper arm 89 and the actuator Ac3.

[0128] The wrist 91 is connected to the distal end of the upper arm 89 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis Ax5 that is approximately perpendicular to the rotation axis Ax4. The wrist 91 is driven by an actuator Ac5 provided at a joint between the wrist 91 and the upper arm 89 to be rotated about the rotation axis Ax5 relative to the distal end of the upper arm 89.

[0129] Flange 93 is coupled to the distal end of wrist 91 so as to be rotatable about rotation axis Ax6, which is substantially perpendicular to rotation axis Ax5. Flange 93 is driven to rotate about rotation axis Ax6 relative to the distal end of wrist 91 by actuator Ac6 provided at a joint between flange 93 and wrist 91.

[0130] The hand 20 is attached to the distal end of the flange 93 and rotates about the rotation axis Ax6 along with the rotation of the flange 93. The hand 20 includes a plurality of finger members 111 and grasps the leaf portion 3b of the vegetable 3.

[0131] The actuators Ac1 to Ac6 that drive the joints of the harvesting robot 15 include servo motors (not shown), speed reducers (not shown), and brakes (not shown). The servo motors, speed reducers, and brakes do not necessarily need to be located on the rotation axes Ax1 to Ax6, but may be located at locations separate from these rotation axes Ax1 to Ax6.

[0132] In addition, in the above content, the rotation around the rotation axis along the length direction (or extension direction) of the arm 81 is called "rotation", and the rotation around the rotation axis roughly perpendicular to the length direction (or extension direction) of the arm 81 is called "rotation" to distinguish them.

[0133] The container conveyor 17 receives an empty container 21 from the unloading device 19 and transports it to the loading position in front of the harvesting robot 15, where it stops. While the harvesting robot 15 is loading the leaves 3b of the vegetables 3 into the container 21 at the loading position, the container conveyor 17 receives a new empty container 21 from the unloading device 19 at the receiving position. When the harvesting robot 15 completes the loading operation, the container conveyor 17 transports the new empty container 21 at the receiving position to the loading position, simultaneously with the container 21 filled with leaves 3b being transported to the unloading position. This allows for a continuous supply of empty containers 21 to the loading position. The container conveyor 17 is driven by an actuator 95.

[0134] The second controller 97 controls the movement of the harvesting robot 15 and the hand 20 by controlling the drive of the actuators Ac1 to Ac6 provided on the arm 81 and the actuator 105 provided on the hand 20. The second controller 97 includes: a control unit including, for example, a computing device (CPU), a recording device, an input device, and the like; and a power supply unit (servo amplifier, etc.) for supplying driving power to the harvesting robot 15. In addition, the second controller 97 may also include, for example, a motion controller, a programmable logic controller (PLC), etc. in addition to or instead of the above-mentioned control unit. In addition, the second controller 97 controls the movement of the cutter 53, for example, by controlling the supply of air to the cutter drive device 55 serving as an air cylinder. In addition, the second controller 97 controls the movement of the container conveyor 17 by controlling the drive of the actuator 95.

[0135] The second controller 97 can be configured integrally with the harvesting robot 15, or can be configured separately from the harvesting robot 15. In addition, the second controller 97 can also be the above-mentioned control unit separated from the power supply unit. In this case, the power supply unit can also be installed on the harvesting robot 15. In addition, the second controller 97 can also be the part that controls the arm 81 and the part that controls the hand 20 separated. In this case, the part that controls the hand 20 can also be installed on the hand 20. In addition, the second controller 97 can also be the part that controls the harvesting robot 15, the part that controls the cutter 53, and the part that controls the container conveyor 17 separated. In this case, each control part can also be installed on the device that is the control object. In addition, the above-mentioned first controller 16 and second controller 97 can also be configured as an integrated control device.

[0136] The above steps of transferring the holder 5 holding the grown vegetables 3 to the harvesting robot 15 using the transfer mechanism 13 to cut off the leaves 3b, storing the leaves 3b in the container 21 by the harvesting robot 15, and unloading the container 21 filled with leaves 3b by the unloading device 19 constitute the harvesting step. Furthermore, the step of discarding the holder 5 holding the vegetables 3 in an abnormal posture into the disposal box 14 and moving the disposal box 14 to a designated disposal location constitutes the disposal step.

[0137] <7. Effects of Implementation>

[0138] As described above, the vegetable production system 1 of this embodiment includes: a holder 5, which holds the vegetable 3 having a leaf portion 3b in such a manner that the leaf portion 3b is located above; a hand 35 of a transfer device 11, which supports the holder 5 so as to be movable; and a camera 12, which photographs the holder 5 supported by the hand 35 from below.

[0139] In the vegetable production system 1 of the present embodiment, the holder 5 holding the vegetable 3 is supported by the rail 23 of the cultivation shelf 7 so as to be movable. By moving the holder 5 for a predetermined period of time, the leaf portion 3b of the vegetable 3 grows. At this time, the vegetable 3 is sometimes not in a posture suitable for harvesting due to reasons such as excessive growth of the leaf portion 3b or not standing upright from the holder 5 but falling sideways. In this case, for example, when the holder 5 is transferred from the cultivation shelf 7 to the harvesting process, the vegetable 3 with a distorted posture may not be harvested normally due to interference between the device and the like. In addition, there is also the risk that the leaf portion 3b of the vegetable 3 with a distorted posture may come into contact with the root 3c to which the culture solution 71 is attached or the blade of the cutter 53, thereby causing contamination.

[0140] In this embodiment, the holder 5 supported by the hand 35 of the transfer device 11 is photographed from below by a camera 12. By photographing from below, when the vegetables 3 are in a position suitable for harvesting, the area of the holder 5 appears larger in the captured image. In contrast, when the vegetables 3 are not in a position suitable for harvesting, the area of the leaf portion 3b increases. This allows for easy and accurate determination of the quality of the vegetable 3's position. Consequently, the holder 5 is transferred to the harvesting process only when the vegetables 3 are in a good position. If the vegetables 3 are not in a good position, they can be automatically sorted, such as for disposal. This allows for normal and stable harvesting and prevents contamination of the vegetables 3.

[0141] In this embodiment, the hand 35 of the transfer device 11 may hold the holder 5 and move it to a predetermined shooting position 10, and the camera 12 may be arranged below the shooting position 10 to shoot the holder 5 supported by the hand 35 at the shooting position 10 from below.

[0142] In this case, any position can be used as the shooting position, and the holder 5 can be photographed from below. Thus, by setting the shooting position midway while the holder 5 is being transferred from the cultivation shelf 7 to the harvesting process, as in the above-described embodiment, the quality of the vegetable 3 posture can be efficiently determined between processes (between the cultivation process and the harvesting process). Furthermore, the shooting position can be set to a flexible area depending on the system layout, thereby increasing the degree of layout flexibility.

[0143] In this embodiment, the vegetable production system 1 may also include: a cultivation shelf 7 that causes the retaining member 5 to move continuously for a prescribed period of time to cause the vegetables 3 to grow; and a transfer device 11 that transfers the retaining member 5 in the cultivation shelf 7. In this case, the retaining member 5 can also be supported by the hand 35 of the transfer device 11.

[0144] In this case, the holder 5 can be moved to the imaging position 10 using the transfer device 11 that transfers the holder 5 within the cultivation shelf 7. This eliminates the need for a new device for moving the holder 5 to the imaging position 10 or supporting the holder 5 at the imaging position 10, thereby simplifying the system configuration. Furthermore, the imaging position can be set to a flexible area depending on the system layout, thereby increasing the degree of layout flexibility.

[0145] In this embodiment, the transfer device 11 may transfer the holder 5 from the cultivation shelf 7 to the harvesting step for harvesting the leaves 3 b , and the hand 35 may move to the imaging position 10 while transferring the holder 5 from the cultivation shelf 7 to the harvesting step.

[0146] In this case, the quality of the vegetable 3's posture can be assessed by taking a picture while the holder 5 is being transferred from the cultivation shelf 7 to the harvesting process. Since the vegetables 3 have made the most progress in their growth just before being transferred to the harvesting process, the quality of the vegetable 3's posture can be assessed at the appropriate time. Furthermore, if the vegetable 3's posture is determined to be normal, the holder 5 can be directly transferred to the harvesting process. If the vegetable 3's posture is determined to be abnormal, the holder 5 can be discarded without being transferred to the harvesting process. Therefore, the quality of the vegetable 3's posture can be efficiently assessed between processes.

[0147] In this embodiment, the camera 12 may be provided on the cultivation shelf 7 .

[0148] In this case, there's no need to prepare new tools for installing the camera 12, reducing the number of system components. Furthermore, the cultivation shelf 7 includes multiple components, such as the shelf portion 7a and the legs 7b, allowing the camera 12 to be freely positioned. This allows the camera 12 to be freely positioned according to the system layout, as long as it allows for imaging of the holder 5 from below. This increases the flexibility of the layout.

[0149] In the present embodiment, the camera 12 may capture the image so that the holder 5 and the leaf portion 3 b are included in the captured image 30 .

[0150] In this case, when the vegetables 3 are in a position suitable for harvesting, the area of the holder 5 is relatively large in the captured image. In contrast, when the vegetables 3 are not in a position suitable for harvesting, the area of the leaf portion 3b is increased. This makes it possible to easily and accurately determine whether the vegetable 3 is in a good or bad position.

[0151] In this embodiment, the vegetable production system 1 may also have a posture determination unit 24, which determines whether the posture of the vegetable 3 is normal or abnormal by comparing the ratio of the color area of the leaf 3b to the overall area of the image captured by the camera 12 with a specified threshold.

[0152] In this case, by presetting the color of the holder 5 to a color different from that of the leaves 3b (e.g., white), the quality of the posture of the vegetables 3 can be accurately determined through simple image processing that determines the ratio of the color area of the leaves 3b. This eliminates the need for complex image processing using, for example, AI (artificial intelligence), thereby reducing the processing burden on the first controller 16 and reducing costs.

[0153] In this embodiment, the vegetable production system 1 may also have: a cultivation shelf 7, which moves the retaining member 5 for a prescribed period of time to grow the vegetables 3; a transfer device 11, which transfers the retaining member 5 from the cultivation shelf 7 to the harvesting process for harvesting the leaf portion 3b; and an action control unit 26, which controls the transfer device 11 to transfer the retaining member 5 from the cultivation shelf 7 to the harvesting process when the posture determination unit 24 determines that the posture of the vegetable 3 is normal, and controls the transfer device 11 to transfer the retaining member 5 from the cultivation shelf 7 to the discarding process when the posture determination unit 24 determines that the posture of the vegetable 3 is normal.

[0154] In this case, the holder 5 is transferred from the cultivation shelf 7 to the harvesting process only when the vegetables 3 are in a good posture, and can be discarded if the vegetables 3 are in an unfavorable posture. This allows for normal and stable harvesting and prevents contamination of the vegetables 3, thereby improving the yield of the vegetable production system 1.

[0155] In this embodiment, the vegetable production system 1 may also have a yield calculation unit 28, which counts at least one of the number of times the posture determination unit 24 determines that the posture of the vegetables 3 is normal and the number of times the posture of the vegetables 3 is abnormal, and calculates the yield.

[0156] In this case, it is possible to manage the yield of the vegetable production system 1. Thus, for example, when the yield is reduced, the system can be adjusted so that the vegetables 3 do not grow excessively.

[0157] <8. Modifications>

[0158] The disclosed embodiments are not limited to the above-described ones, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and technical concept thereof.

[0159] In the above, the posture of the vegetables 3 is determined by taking a picture with the camera 12 while the holder 5 is being transferred from the cultivation shelf 7 to the harvesting process. However, the timing of posture determination is not limited to the above. For example, the posture determination of the vegetables 3 may be performed at the time of transferring the holder 5 to the cultivation shelf 7. Figure 14 Alternatively, as shown, the transfer device 11 located at the rear side of the cultivation shelf 7 may move the holder 5 to the imaging position 10 while transferring it from the B layer to the C layer, and use the camera 12 to capture the image and determine the posture of the vegetable 3. In this case, if the transfer device 11 determines that the posture of the vegetable 3 is normal, the holder 5 is directly transferred to the C layer. If the posture of the vegetable 3 is abnormal, the holder 5 is discarded to the disposal box 14. In this modified example, the posture of the vegetable 3 can be determined midway through its growth.

[0160] In addition, the above description has been given of the case where the camera 12 is installed on the cultivation shelf 7, but the installation location of the camera 12 is not limited to the cultivation shelf 7. Figure 15 As shown, the camera 12 may also be provided on the transfer device 11. Figure 15 In the example shown, the camera 12 is placed, for example, below the beam 41a of the Y-axis unit 41. In this case, the holder 5 can be photographed from below while moving without stopping the hand 35 at the photographing position. This improves the production efficiency of the vegetable production system 1.

[0161] Alternatively, for example, the camera 12 may be installed below the rail 23 of the cultivation shelf 7 to capture images of the holder 5 movably supported by the rail 23 from below using the camera 12. In this case, the rail 23 is an example of a support that movably supports the holder.

[0162] <9. Hardware Configuration Example of the First Controller>

[0163] Reference Figure 16 , the hardware configuration example of the first controller 16 described above is described. Figure 16 In the figure, the configuration related to the function of supplying driving power to each actuator of the first controller 16 is omitted as appropriate. In addition, the second controller 97 can also have the same hardware configuration.

[0164] like Figure 16As shown, the first controller 16 includes, for example, a CPU 901, a ROM 903, a RAM 905, an application-specific integrated circuit 907 such as an ASIC or FPGA, an input device 913, an output device 915, a recording device 917, a drive 919, a connection port 921, and a communication device 923. These components are connected via a bus 909 and an input / output interface 911 so as to be able to transmit signals to each other.

[0165] The program can be recorded in advance in, for example, the ROM 903 , the RAM 905 , or the recording device 917 such as a hard disk.

[0166] The program may be recorded temporarily or non-temporarily (permanently) on a removable recording medium 925, such as a magnetic disk such as a floppy disk, various CD / MO disks, optical disks such as a DVD, or a semiconductor memory. Such a recording medium 925 may also be provided as so-called packaged software. In this case, the program recorded on the recording medium 925 can be read by the drive 919 and recorded in the recording device 917 via the input / output interface 911 and the bus 909.

[0167] The program may be recorded, for example, on a download site, another computer, or another recording device (not shown). In this case, the program is transferred via a network NW such as a LAN or the Internet, and the communication device 923 receives the program. The program received by the communication device 923 may also be recorded in the recording device 917 via the input / output interface 911, the bus 909, or the like.

[0168] The program may be recorded in, for example, an appropriate external connection device 927. In this case, the program may be transferred via an appropriate connection port 921 and recorded in the recording device 917 via the input / output interface 911, the bus 909, and the like.

[0169] The CPU 901 executes various processes according to the program recorded in the recording device 917, thereby realizing the processes performed by the posture determination unit 24, the motion control unit 26, the yield calculation unit 28, and the like. The CPU 901 may, for example, directly read the program from the recording device 917 and execute it, or may temporarily load the program into the RAM 905 and then execute it. For example, when the CPU 901 receives a program via the communication device 923, the drive 919, or the connection port 921, it may directly execute the received program without recording the program in the recording device 917.

[0170] The CPU 901 may also perform various processes as needed based on signals and information input from an input device 913 such as a mouse, a keyboard, or a microphone (not shown).

[0171] The CPU 901 may also output the results of the above-mentioned processing from the output device 915, such as a display device or an audio output device. The CPU 901 may send the processing results via the communication device 923 or the connection port 921 as needed. The CPU 901 may record the processing results in the recording device 917 or the recording medium 925.

[0172] In the above description, when terms such as "perpendicular," "parallel," and "planar" are used, these terms are not strictly defined. Specifically, these terms "perpendicular," "parallel," and "planar" mean "substantially perpendicular," "substantially parallel," and "substantially planar," allowing for design and manufacturing tolerances and errors.

[0173] In the above description, when there are descriptions of "same," "identical," "equal," or "different" in terms of apparent dimensions, size, shape, position, etc., these descriptions are not strictly speaking. In other words, these "same," "identical," "equal," and "different" mean "substantially the same," "substantially the same," "substantially equal," or "substantially different," allowing for tolerances and errors in design and manufacturing.

[0174] In addition to the above, the methods based on the above embodiment and each modified example can also be appropriately combined. In addition, although not illustrated one by one, the above embodiment and each modified example can be implemented with various changes without departing from the scope of the subject matter.

[0175] The problems and effects to be solved by the above-described embodiments, modifications, etc. are not limited to the above-described contents. The embodiments, modifications, etc. may also solve problems not described above or achieve effects not described above. In addition, sometimes only a portion of the described problems may be solved or only a portion of the described effects may be achieved.

Claims

1. A vegetable production system, comprising: a holder for holding vegetables having leaves so that the leaves are located upward; a support member that supports the retaining member so as to be movable; a photographing device for photographing the holding member and the leaf portion supported by the supporting member from below; a posture determination unit for determining whether the posture of the vegetables is normal or abnormal based on the image captured by the imaging device; as well as A control unit that transfers the holder to a harvesting process when the posture determination unit determines that the posture of the vegetables is normal, and transfers the holder to a discarding process when the posture determination unit determines that the posture of the vegetables is abnormal.

2. The vegetable production system according to claim 1, wherein: The support member holds the holder and moves the holder to a predetermined shooting position. The imaging device is disposed below the imaging position and captures an image of the holder supported by the support member at the imaging position from below.

3. The vegetable production system according to claim 2, wherein: The vegetable production system also has: a cultivation shelf for moving the holder for a predetermined period of time to grow the vegetables; and A transfer device, which transfers the retaining member in the cultivation shelf, The support member is the hand of the transfer device.

4. The vegetable production system according to claim 3, wherein: The transfer device transfers the holder from the cultivation shelf to a harvesting step for harvesting the leaves. The hand moves the holder to the imaging position during transfer from the cultivation shelf to the harvesting process.

5. The vegetable production system according to claim 3 or 4, wherein: The photographing device is arranged on the cultivation shelf or the transferring device.

6. The vegetable production system according to claim 1, wherein: The imaging device captures the image so that the holder and the leaf portion are included in the captured image.

7. The vegetable production system according to claim 6, wherein: The posture determination unit determines whether the posture of the vegetable is normal or abnormal by comparing the ratio of the color area of the leaf portion to the entire area of the image captured by the imaging device with a predetermined threshold value.

8. The vegetable production system according to claim 7, wherein: The vegetable production system also has: a cultivation shelf for moving the holder for a predetermined period of time to grow the vegetables; and A transfer device that transfers the holder from the cultivation shelf to a harvesting step for harvesting the leaves. When the posture determination unit determines that the posture of the vegetables is normal, the control unit controls the transfer device to transfer the holder from the cultivation shelf to the harvesting process; when the posture determination unit determines that the posture of the vegetables is abnormal, the control unit controls the transfer device to transfer the holder from the cultivation shelf to the disposal process.

9. The vegetable production system according to claim 7 or 8, wherein: The vegetable production system further includes a yield calculation unit that counts at least one of the number of times the posture determination unit determines that the posture of the vegetables is normal and the number of times the posture of the vegetables is abnormal, and calculates the yield.

10. A vegetable production method, comprising the following steps: A holder is movably supported, the holder holding the vegetable having leaves so that the leaves are located upward; photographing the supported retainer and the leaf portion from below; determining whether the posture of the vegetable is normal or abnormal based on the captured image; as well as When it is determined that the posture of the vegetables is normal, the holder is transferred to a harvesting process, and when it is determined that the posture of the vegetables is abnormal, the holder is transferred to a discarding process.

Images