Strawberry harvesting robot system

Abstract

The strawberry harvesting robot system of the present invention includes: a mobile structure that moves between seedbeds; a robot frame mounted on the mobile structure; a capturing device for capturing strawberries to be harvested; a harvester, one or more of which are mounted on the robot frame facing the seedbeds; a cutting section that advances to the seedbed to harvest strawberries at the front end of the harvester, grasps the stems of the captured strawberries, cuts off the remaining portion, and returns to its original position while the strawberries are suspended; and a transfer section that clamps the stems of the strawberries suspended at the cutting section with a transfer clamp, cuts off the stems while leaving a fused portion, and transfers the strawberries while they are suspended. Behind the harvester; a plate bracket, installed at the upper rear of the harvester, for placing a stem-jointing plate that has been radially cut in the center to form barbs; a plate supply unit for supplying the stem-jointing plate to the plate bracket; a plate joining unit, where, when the transfer unit is located under the plate bracket, the stem-jointing plate placed on the plate bracket faces downwards so that the barbs are inserted into the stem-jointing part, thereby joining the stem-jointing plate with the strawberry; a packaging unit, where, when the strawberry is removed from the transfer unit by adsorbing the stem-jointing plate with the strawberry attached, the stem-jointing plate is placed on the upper end of the packaging box located on the lower side, thereby packaging the strawberry in a state of being suspended in the packaging box.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a strawberry harvesting robot system, and more specifically to a strawberry harvesting robot system that induces individual growth of strawberries cultivated in seedbeds so that they do not overlap, are fully exposed, and are easily detected by the harvester's detection device. The system uniformly performs strawberry ripeness, size screening, and packaging operations, thereby not only saving labor but also maintaining freshness for a long time by packaging the strawberries in hanging boxes. Background Technology

[0002] Strawberries are typically cultivated for processing and for consumption raw.

[0003] Even if the strawberries for processing are damaged, they will be processed immediately without affecting their quality. Robots have been developed to handle the harvesting.

[0004] Conversely, if strawberries are damaged when eaten raw, their marketability decreases. Therefore, the reality is that the hundreds of strawberry harvesting machines developed so far cannot be put into practical use due to their low harvesting rate, and can only rely on manual labor.

[0005] In response, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2012-110255 (published on June 14, 2012) proposed a fruit harvesting robot for reducing the possibility of strawberry damage.

[0006] The system includes: a camera unit that takes pictures of strawberries; an acquisition unit that acquires the position of the strawberries from the captured images; a decision unit that determines the direction to approach the strawberries based on the acquired position information; and a drive unit (robotic arm) that causes the cutting unit to approach in the determined direction to pick the strawberries, and then causes the strawberries to fall onto a tray for collection.

[0007] However, the problem with the existing technology is that it is impossible to obtain the accurate location of strawberries when they are mixed or overlapping, and the marketability of strawberries is reduced due to damage caused by impact when they fall onto the tray. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The purpose of this invention is to provide a strawberry harvesting robot system that can guide strawberries cultivated in a seedbed to grow individually without overlapping each other through stem supports, thereby easily sorting fully ripe strawberries by size and performing packaging operations at the same time as harvesting, thus greatly reducing labor with a high harvest rate.

[0009] In addition, the present invention aims to provide a strawberry harvesting robot system that hygienically harvests strawberries without contact with human hands during the strawberry picking process and packages them by suspending them inside the strawberry packaging box, thereby maintaining the freshness of the strawberries for a long time and enabling them to be exported without special packaging even when transported over long distances.

[0010] In addition, the present invention provides a strawberry harvesting robot system, which can install 3 to 16 harvesters on one side of the robot frame as needed, and input the different sizes of strawberries to be harvested by each robot into the program, so that strawberries can be sorted and packaged according to size, and at the same time, it can also remove by-products such as residual stems, slender branches, and old leaves after harvesting strawberries.

[0011] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention includes: a movable structure that moves between seedbeds; a robot frame mounted on the movable structure; a capturing device for capturing strawberries to be harvested; a harvester, one or more of which are mounted on the robot frame facing the seedbeds; a cutting section that advances to the seedbeds to harvest strawberries at the front end of the harvester, grasps the stems of the captured strawberries, cuts off the remaining portion, and returns to its original position while the strawberries are suspended; and a transfer section that clamps the stems of the strawberries suspended at the cutting section with a transfer clamp, cuts off the stems while leaving a fused portion, and transfers the strawberries to the harvester while they are suspended. The harvester is located at the rear. A tray support, mounted on the upper rear of the harvester, is used to place a stem-jointing plate, radially cut in the center to form barbs. A plate supply unit supplies the stem-jointing plate to the tray support. A plate-jointing section, when the transfer unit is located below the tray support, causes the stem-jointing plate placed on the tray support to face downwards, so that the barbs are inserted into the stem-jointing part, thus joining the stem-jointing plate to the strawberry. A packaging section, when the strawberry is removed from the transfer unit by adsorbing the stem-jointing plate with the strawberry attached, places the stem-jointing plate on the upper end of the packaging box located below, thereby packaging the strawberry in a suspended state within the packaging box.

[0012] The seedbed is formed with stem supports attached to both sides. The stem supports are continuously formed with stem grooves to accommodate the stems and force the spacing between them so that the cultivated strawberries do not overlap.

[0013] The cutting unit includes: a stem clamp, which, when advancing to the seedbed for picking strawberries, causes two clamping wings to advance face-to-face to clamp the stem if a built-in sensor detects a stem; a first stem cutter, which, together with the stem clamp, causes the two cutters to advance face-to-face to cut the stem; and a second stem cutter, which cuts the stem for transferring the strawberries to the transfer unit. The first stem cutter, the stem clamp, and the second stem cutter are assembled in a stacked structure.

[0014] The transfer section is equipped with a transfer clamp. When the cutting section, which is suspending strawberries, returns to its original position, if the built-in sensor detects the stem, the two clamping wings move forward in a face-to-face manner to grab the stem. Then, the stem is cut off from the cutting section and the strawberry is transferred to the rear of the harvester.

[0015] The cutting section is connected to the front end of the ball screw of the through-type motor installed on the harvester, so as to move towards the seedbed or return to the original position. The plate supply section is connected to the rear end of the ball screw of the through-type motor and is linked with the cutting section so as to push out the stem-binding plates loaded in the loading box one by one and supply them to the plate bracket.

[0016] The plate bracket has a built-in spherical plunger. In order to place the stem-joint plate inside, the spherical object is elastically supported by a spring and protrudes from the inner wall. When the stem-joint plate is pressed down by the plate joint, the spherical object is pushed back in order to pass through the plate bracket.

[0017] The transfer clamp is equipped with a stem protection frame, which has pins protruding at certain intervals according to the stem gripping holes and surrounds the stem joint part. The plate joint part includes: a pressing plate for pressing the stem joint plate; a hollow part, in which the stem protection frame is led out from the center of the pressing plate during the pressing process; and a driving part for pressing to make the pressing plate move downward or return to its original position. When the pressing plate presses the stem joint plate, the barbs move downward after passing between the pins of the stem protection frame and place the stem joint plate in the middle. When the pressing plate is connected to the transfer clamp, the barbs insert into the joint of the stem joint part, so that the stem joint plate and the strawberry are connected.

[0018] In addition, a perforation is formed for connecting and fixing the stem portion protruding upward from the stem connecting plate placed on the upper end of the packaging box, and a stem fixing plate is also provided for connecting to the upper end of the packaging box.

[0019] After the size of the strawberry is specifically input into the program, the capturing device selects and captures the strawberries that can be picked.

[0020] In addition, a conveyor belt is provided, which adjusts the movement interval while moving the packaging box so that the empty storage space is located under the strawberries being moved.

[0021] In addition, a by-product removal device is installed on the robot frame facing the seedbed. It includes a capturing device and a cutting part. After harvesting strawberries, the capturing device captures by-products consisting of residual stems, stalks, and old leaves. The cutting part is equipped with only one cutter in order to remove the by-products captured by the capturing device.

[0022] According to the present invention, the advantage is that, in order to facilitate the capture of strawberries cultivated in the seedbed, individual growth is induced by stem supports in a non-overlapping manner, thereby achieving a harvest rate of over 85%.

[0023] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the strawberry pulp does not come into contact with any part of the strawberry during the unified processing of strawberry picking and packaging, thereby preventing rot and maintaining the freshness of strawberries for a long time, which is also very beneficial for export.

[0024] Furthermore, according to the present invention, at least 3 to 16 harvesting robots can be installed on one side of the robot frame, and different programs can be input into each robot to sort and package the strawberries according to their full ripeness and size. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1a This is a plan view showing the moving structure of the strawberry harvesting robot system according to the present invention.

[0026] Figure 1b This is a plan view showing the robot frame of the strawberry harvesting robot system according to the present invention.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a side view of the strawberry harvesting robot system according to the present invention.

[0028] Figure 3a This is a side view showing the specified position of the cutting section in the strawberry harvesting robot system according to the present invention.

[0029] Figure 3b This is a side view showing the cutting section of the strawberry harvesting robot system according to the present invention moving forward and picking strawberries.

[0030] Figure 4a and Figure 4b These are plan views showing the forward movement and the specified position state of the transfer clamp in the strawberry harvesting robot system according to the present invention.

[0031] Figure 5 This is a perspective view showing the three-layer stacked structure of the cutting section in the strawberry harvesting robot system according to the present invention.

[0032] Figure 6 (a), (b), (c), and (d) are diagrams illustrating the structure of the stem cutter of the cutting section, the stem clamp of the transfer section, and the stem protection frame of the strawberry harvesting robot system according to the present invention.

[0033] Figures 7(a), (b), and (c) are diagrams showing the configuration of the strawberry tray, bracket, and strawberry stem connecting device in the strawberry harvesting robot system according to the present invention.

[0034] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the conveyor belt in the strawberry harvesting robot system according to the present invention.

[0035] Figures 9(a), (b), and (c) are diagrams showing the configuration of the strawberry packaging box and the strawberry stem fixing plate in the strawberry harvesting robot system according to the present invention.

[0036] Figure 10 This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the strawberry stem support in the strawberry harvesting robot system according to the present invention.

[0037] Label Explanation

[0038] 1: Seedbed 10: Movable structure

[0039] 20: Robot frame; 30: Capture device

[0040] 40: Packaging box 41: Extension stand

[0041] 50: Conveyor belt; 60: Stem fixing plate

[0042] 70: Stem support 71: Stem support groove

[0043] 100: Harvester 101: Support Frame

[0044] 110: Through-type motor; 111: Ball screw

[0045] 120: Linear track; 200: Cutting section

[0046] 210: First stem cutter 220: Stem clip

[0047] 230: Second stem cutter 210: First stem cutter

[0048] 300: Transfer section; 310: Transfer clip

[0049] 311: Stem gripping hole; 310: Transfer clamp

[0050] 320: Stem protector; 321: Pin

[0051] 400: Board bracket; 410: Stem-jointing board

[0052] 411: Barbed 420: Spherical plunger

[0053] 421: Spherical object 422: Spring

[0054] 500: Plate Supply Department; 510: Loading Box

[0055] 520: Push rod; 600: Plate joint.

[0056] 610: Press plate; 620: Drive unit

[0057] 700: Packaging Department; R: Robotics

[0058] 800:S:Strawberry Detailed Implementation

[0059] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the strawberry harvesting robot system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0060] The technical feature of this invention is that it can move freely between the two sides of the seedbed while uniformly handling the picking and packaging of strawberries, and can also prevent the strawberry pulp from coming into contact with any part of the fruit during the picking and packaging process.

[0061] Embodiments of the present invention include: a movable structure 10 that moves between seedbeds 1; a robot frame 20 mounted on the movable structure 10; a capturing device 30 for capturing strawberries to be harvested; a harvester 100, with one or more harvesters 100 mounted on the robot frame 20 facing the seedbeds 1; a cutting section 200 that advances to the seedbeds 1 to harvest strawberries at the front end of the harvester 100, grasps the stems of the captured strawberries, cuts off the remaining portion, and returns to its original position with the strawberries hanging; a transfer section 300 that uses a transfer clamp 310 to clamp the stems of the strawberries hanging from the cutting section 200, cuts off the stems while leaving a fused portion, and transfers the strawberries to the rear of the harvester while they are hanging; and a plate holder 400. It is installed at the upper rear of the harvester 100 and is used to place the stem-jointing plate 410, which is radially cut in the center to form barbs; the plate supply section 500 is used to supply the stem-jointing plate 410 to the plate bracket 400; the plate joining section 600, when the transfer section 300 is located under the plate bracket 400, causes the stem-jointing plate 410 placed on the plate bracket 400 to face downward so that the barbs 411 are inserted into the stem joining part, thereby joining the stem-jointing plate 410 with the strawberry; the packaging section 700, when the strawberry is separated from the transfer section 300 by adsorbing the stem-jointing plate 410 with the strawberry attached, places the stem-jointing plate 410 on the upper end of the packaging box 40 located on the lower side, thereby packaging the strawberry in a state of being suspended in the packaging box 40.

[0062] Based on the above technical structure, such as Figure 1a , 1b As shown, the strawberry harvesting robot R can move freely between the two sides of the seedbed via the movable structure 10 that moves between the seedbeds.

[0063] The moving structure 10 can be realized by a hub motor constituting the wheel 11, a battery 12 that powers it, and a control unit 13 that controls them.

[0064] Of course, since the movable structure 10 can be easily implemented from known technologies, there is no particular limitation on the driving method.

[0065] Then, the robot frame 20 is mounted on the mobile structure 10 and equipped with strawberry harvesting robots. 3 to 16 strawberry harvesting robots R are installed on one side along the direction of the seedbed. In order to remove by-products such as residual stems, stalks, and old leaves after harvesting strawberries, 1 to 2 by-product removal devices 800 can be installed.

[0066] Next, the capturing device 30 can select and capture the strawberries to be picked by specifically inputting the degree of ripeness or the size of the strawberries into the program.

[0067] For this purpose, the capturing device 30 is equipped with a detection device at the front end of the harvester, such as a camera for photographing strawberries, a measuring sensor (ultrasonic sensor, laser sensor, etc.) for measuring the size of strawberries or the distance to strawberries, and night lighting.

[0068] Next, the capturing device 30 and the harvester 100's cutting section 200, conveying section 300, plate bracket 400, plate supply section 500, plate joining section 600, and packaging section 700 constitute a strawberry harvesting robot R, which can uniformly handle the picking and packaging of strawberries.

[0069] As described above, 3 to 16 strawberry harvesting robots R are installed on one side of the robot frame 20. Each robot is programmed with a specific input of the size of the strawberries to be harvested, so that strawberries can be sorted and packaged by size.

[0070] Then, refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3a , 3b The harvester 100 is equipped with a cutting section 200, a conveying section 300, a plate support frame 400, a plate supply section 500, a plate joining section 600, and a packaging section 700. The unspecified reference numeral 101 is a support frame for mounting the harvester 100, which allows for height adjustment of the harvester 100 based on the seedbed 1 or the strawberry plant.

[0071] The following is a description of the strawberry harvesting section 200.

[0072] The cutting unit 200 is installed at the upper front end of the harvester 100. It moves forward to the seedbed 1 to pick strawberries, grabs the stem of the captured strawberry, cuts off the remaining part, and returns to its original position with the strawberry hanging.

[0073] Therefore, a ball screw penetrating motor 110 is installed on the upper part of the harvester 100. The cutting part 200 is supported by the linear track 120 in a forward and backward manner, and is combined with the front end of the ball screw 111. It can move forward or backward towards the seedbed 1 according to the forward or reverse rotation of the penetrating motor 110, and thus return to the front end of the harvester 100.

[0074] Additionally, refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 (a), (b), (c) The cutting section 200 is equipped with a first stem cutting knife 210, a stem clamp 220, and a second stem cutting knife 230 in a stacked structure.

[0075] Here, as Figure 6 (a) shows the working principle in which the two side blade frames 211 and 231 of the first stem cutter 210 and the second stem cutter 230 are combined with the bidirectional ball screw 212 and move forward and backward in a face-to-face manner as the motor 213 rotates, cutting the stem when moving forward.

[0076] Of course, the stem clamp 220 is also a combination of two side clamping frames 221 to a bidirectional ball screw, which moves forward and backward in a face-to-face manner as the motor rotates, and grabs the stem when moving forward.

[0077] Therefore, when the cutting part 200 advances to the seedbed 1 to pick strawberries, when the stem is detected by the built-in object detection sensor 222, the two clamps of the stem clamp 220 can advance in a face-to-face manner to grab the stem. At the same time, the two blade frames 211 on both sides of the first stem cutter 210 can advance in a face-to-face manner to cut the stem.

[0078] The following is a description of the transfer unit 300 for transferring strawberries.

[0079] The transfer unit 300 uses the transfer clamp 310 to clamp the stem of the strawberry S hanging in the cutting unit 200, and cuts the stem with the joint left in place before transferring the strawberry to the rear of the harvester 100 while it is hanging.

[0080] For this purpose, the transfer section 300 located below the cutting section 200 is equipped with a transfer clamp 310. When the cutting section 200 with strawberries hanging on it returns to the front of the harvester 100, if the built-in object detection sensor detects the stem, the two clamps move forward in a face-to-face manner to grab the stem. Then, the second stem cutter 230 cuts the stem from the cutting section 200 and transfers the strawberry to the rear of the harvester 100.

[0081] In detail, the harvester 100 is provided with a transfer channel 130 with the bottom cut open so that the transfer clamp 310 can pass through in the form of strawberries being suspended.

[0082] Therefore, the transfer unit 300 consists of guide rails 301 supported on both sides of the transfer channel 130, a platform 303 combined with guide blocks on both sides, a transfer clamp 310 mounted on the upper part of the platform 303, and a transfer motor 305 that causes the platform 303 to move forward or backward via a ball screw 304, and can be well implemented based on a linear actuator.

[0083] The two clamping frames of the transfer clamp 310 are coupled to a bidirectional ball screw, which moves forward and backward in a face-to-face manner as the motor rotates, and grabs the stem when moving forward.

[0084] In addition, the transfer clip 310 has a semi-circular stem gripping hole 311 formed on the inside of the clip, and the pin 321 protrudes along the gripping hole 311 at certain intervals, thereby forming a stem protection frame 320 surrounding the stem joint.

[0085] The following will refer to Figure 7a , 7b Sections 7c describe the stem-jointing plate 410 and the plate bracket 400.

[0086] The stem-bonding board 410 is a thin synthetic resin board that is bonded to the strawberry by the stem and placed on the extension platform 41 of the packaging box 40. It is made of transparent PP, acrylic, etc., with a thickness of about 0.2 mm, and is made larger than the outer diameter of the strawberry to be packaged.

[0087] In addition, the stem-joining plate 410 is radially cut in the center to form barbs 411 with pointed ends, which are inserted into the stem for joining.

[0088] The plate bracket 400 is located at the upper rear of the harvester 100, and a stem-connecting plate 410 is placed on its inner side.

[0089] For this purpose, the plate bracket 400 is formed by a quadrilateral through groove 401 on the upper part of the slicing harvester 100, and in order to place the stem-jointing plate 410 inside, a spherical plunger 420 is built in. The spherical object 421 is elastically supported by a spring 422 and protrudes from the inner wall. When the stem-jointing plate 410 is pressed down by the plate joint 600, the spherical object 421 is pushed back so that it can pass through the plate bracket 400.

[0090] In other words, the stem-jointing plate 410 is placed in the form of a spherical object 421 spanning the plate bracket 400.

[0091] The following will refer to the foregoing Figure 3a , 3b The sheet metal supply department 500 is explained.

[0092] The plate supply unit 500 can be linked with the cutting unit 200 to supply the stem-binding plate 410 to the plate bracket 400.

[0093] In detail, the harvesting unit 200 is combined with the front end of the ball screw 111 of the through motor 110 installed in the harvester 100, and moves towards the seedbed 1 or returns to its original position. The plate supply unit 500 is combined with the rear end of the ball screw 111 of the through motor 110, and pushes out the stem binding plates 410 loaded in the loading box 510 one by one and supplies them to the plate bracket 400.

[0094] Here, the plate supply unit 500 is configured such that the loading box 510 is mounted on the front end of the plate bracket 400 and is coupled to the rear end of the ball screw 111 of the through motor 110, and the push rod 520 slides within the loading box 510.

[0095] Therefore, when the penetrating motor 110 rotates forward, the cutting section 200 moves forward, while the push rod 520 of the plate supply section 500 moves backward, thereby causing the stem-binding plate 410 to descend and be loaded. When the penetrating motor 110 rotates in reverse, the cutting section 200 moves backward, while the push rod 520 of the plate supply section 500 moves forward, thereby pushing the stem-binding plate 410 out of the loading box 510 and supplying it to the plate holder 400.

[0096] In other words, when the cutting unit 200 moves forward and is in the designated position after picking the strawberries, the board supply unit 500 can place the stem-binding boards 410 loaded in the loading box 510 one by one on the board holder 400.

[0097] The following is a description of the plate joint 600.

[0098] When the transfer part 300 is located under the board holder 400, the board joining part 600 causes the stem joining plate 410 placed on the board holder 400 to face downward, so that the barbs 411 are inserted into the stem joining part, and through this joining, the stem joining plate 410 is joined to the strawberry.

[0099] Here, the transfer clip 310 is provided with a stem protection frame 320, which has pins 321 protruding at certain intervals according to the stem gripping hole 311 and surrounds the stem joint.

[0100] After the transfer unit 300 receives the strawberry from the cutting unit 200, it moves and is positioned behind the harvester 100. At this time, the stem-jointing part protruding from the transfer clamp 310 is accurately positioned under the cut barb 411 part of the stem-jointing plate 410 placed on the plate bracket 400.

[0101] The plate joint 600 includes: a pressing plate 610 for pressing the stem joint plate 410; a hollow part 611 that, during pressing, leads out a stem protection frame 320 at the center of the pressing plate 610; and a driving part 620 for pressing to cause the pressing plate 610 to move downward or return to its original position.

[0102] The drive unit 620 includes a ball screw whose front end is connected to the pressing plate 610 and a motor for rotating the ball screw in both directions. It starts working when the position detection sensor 330, which is in contact with the transfer unit 300 when it is in a predetermined position, detects a signal.

[0103] Based on the above technical configuration, if the position detection sensor 330 detects the specified position of the transfer part 300, the plate joint part 600 causes the pressing plate 610 to move downward by the forward rotation of the motor, thereby pressing the stem joint plate 410 placed on the plate bracket 400 and making it downward, so that the barbs 411 unfold and move downward after passing between the pins 321 of the stem protection frame 320. When the pressing plate 610 and the transfer clamp 310 are connected with the stem joint plate 410 in between, the sharp barbs 411 at the front end insert into the stem joint part. Through this connection, the stem joint plate 410 and the strawberry S can be firmly connected.

[0104] The following will refer to Figure 9a , 9b 9c provides an explanation of the packaging section 700.

[0105] When the packaging section 700 separates the strawberry from the transfer section 300 by adsorbing the strawberry stem-binding plate 410 attached to it, the stem-binding plate 410 is placed on the upper part of the packaging box 40 located on the lower side, so that the strawberry can be packaged in a state of being suspended in the packaging box 40.

[0106] The packaging unit 700 uses an adsorber 710 to depressurize and adsorb the stem-bonding plate 410 attached to the strawberry. When the two clamps of the transfer clamp 310 retract and unfold, the adsorption is released, allowing the stem-bonding plate 410 to be placed on the upper part of the lower packaging box 40. The adsorber 710 of the packaging unit 700 can be installed in a manner that allows it to move along the inner and outer sides of the bonding area of ​​the stem-bonding plate 410.

[0107] Of course, after the transfer unit 300 places the strawberries in the packaging box 40, it moves with the reverse rotation of the transfer motor to obtain the strawberries from the cutting unit 200.

[0108] Here, the packaging box 40 has a receiving space for storing multiple strawberries, and a stepped extension platform 41 is formed on the inner side of the upper edge of the receiving space, so that the stem-jointing plate 410 can be stably placed on the packaging box through the extension platform 41.

[0109] In addition, a conveyor belt 50 with adjustable movement intervals is provided while the packaging box 40 is moving, so that the empty receiving space is located under the strawberries being transferred. After the packaging box 40 is filled with strawberries, it can fall onto the exit conveyor belt and be transported out of the workshop. The conveyor belt 50 has rollers and a motor installed inside its outer shell to enable the belt to rotate and move the packaging box.

[0110] The stem fixing plate 60 will be described below.

[0111] The stem fixing plate 60 is placed on the extension platform 41 of the packaging box 40 and is connected to the stem portion protruding upward from the stem connecting plate 410 to the perforation 61 to prevent the strawberry from shaking.

[0112] For example, preventing strawberries from shaking during transport helps maintain their freshness, and using transparent materials allows you to confirm the overall freshness of the strawberries.

[0113] On the other hand, refer to Figure 10 The seedbed 1 has stem supports 70 attached to both sides, which are continuously formed with stem grooves 71 for accommodating stems and forcibly separating them so that the cultivated strawberries do not overlap.

[0114] For example, the stem support 70 is made of a plate and has continuously formed V-shaped grooves 71. When strawberry stems are hung on the stem support 71, the strawberries can grow at intervals.

[0115] Therefore, as the strawberries are arranged in a row along the seedbed 1, the strawberry harvester can easily capture the strawberries to be picked through the capturing device 30, and can pick them accurately without touching the surrounding strawberries, thereby greatly improving the harvest rate.

[0116] Of course, when the depths of adjacent stem support grooves 71 are set differently, the stem support 70 can not only force the strawberries to be separated by a certain distance from each other on the left and right, but also force them to be separated by a certain distance from each other in front and behind.

[0117] On the other hand, a by-product removal device 800 is provided in the robot frame 20, which can remove by-products such as stems, runners, and old leaves remaining after strawberry harvesting. The by-product removal device 800 is equipped with a capturing device 30 for capturing by-products such as remaining stems, runners, and old leaves after strawberry harvesting, and a single cutter provided in the cutting section 200 to remove the by-products captured by the capturing device 30. The by-product removal process of this by-product removal device is easily understood from the aforementioned function of the cutting section.

[0118] The following will describe the process of uniformly processing the picking and packaging of strawberries, referring to the aforementioned technical configuration.

[0119] First, during the harvesting of strawberries cultivated on seedbed 1, the moving structure 10 moves between the two sides of seedbed 1, and the strawberries suspended on the stem support 70 are captured by the capturing device 30 installed at the front end of the harvester 100 as strawberries to be harvested. At the same time, as the penetrating motor 110 rotates forward, the cutting part 200 at the designated position moves towards seedbed 1.

[0120] At this time, when the object detection sensor inside the stem clamp 220 detects the stem, the two sides of the stem clamp 220 and the two sides of the upper first stem cutting blade 210 move forward in a face-to-face manner as the motor rotates forward, simultaneously gripping and cutting. Then, as the penetrating motor 110 rotates in the reverse direction, the cutting part 200 hangs the strawberry on the stem clamp 220 and returns to the front of the harvester 100, so that the strawberry can be picked.

[0121] Next, during the packaging process of the harvested strawberries, as the strawberry-picking section 200 is positioned at the designated location, when the object detection sensor inside the transfer clamp 310 detects the strawberry stem hanging in the stem clamp 220, the transfer clamp 310 moves forward with both sides facing each other as the motor rotates, thereby grabbing the stem. At the same time, as the motor of the picking section 200 rotates, the second stem-cutting knife 230 cuts the stem, and the strawberry is transferred to the transfer section 300.

[0122] Next, as the transfer motor 305 rotates forward, the transfer clamp 310, which is suspending strawberries, is accurately positioned on the underside of the board holder 400 by the transfer platform 303. If the position detection sensor 330 detects the predetermined position of the transfer unit 300, the board joint 600 moves the pressing plate 610 downward through the drive unit 620, pressing so that the stem joint plate 410 placed on the board holder 400 comes into contact with the lower transfer clamp 310.

[0123] Therefore, the pointed part of the stem-jointing plate 410 can be inserted into the strawberry stem, acting as a barb 411, so that the stem-jointing plate 410 is firmly attached to the strawberry.

[0124] At this time, the packaging section 700 adsorbs the stem-binding plate 410 through the suction device, and as the transfer clamp 310 separates to both sides with the reverse rotation of the motor, the packaging section 700 places the strawberries on the lower packaging box 40. Simultaneously, with the reverse rotation of the transfer motor, the transfer section 300 moves to the cutting section 200 side to transfer the strawberries. The above process is repeated during the strawberry picking and packaging process.

[0125] Therefore, uniformly sorting and packaging fully ripe strawberries by size not only saves labor, but also, by combining strawberry stems and boards and placing stem-binding boards on the packaging box extension table, can maintain the freshness of strawberries for a longer period of time.

[0126] The above description is provided to help understand the embodiments of the present invention. In addition to strawberries, it can also be applied to the harvesting of fruits or vegetables that can be cultivated in seedbeds. From this point of view, modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and it is self-evident that the technical ideas of applying such modifications and variations also fall within the scope of the patent claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A strawberry harvesting robot system, characterized in that, include: A movable structure that moves between seedbeds; A robot frame mounted on a moving structure; A capturing device used to capture strawberries that are to be picked; Harvester, one or more of the harvesters are mounted on a robot frame facing the seedbed; The harvesting section moves forward to the seedbed to pick strawberries at the front of the harvester, grabs the stems of the captured strawberries, cuts off the remaining parts, and returns to its original position while the strawberries are hanging. The transfer section uses transfer clamps to hold the strawberry stems hanging from the cutting section, and cuts the stems while leaving the joints intact before transferring the strawberries to the rear of the harvester while they are suspended. A plate bracket, which is installed at the upper rear of the harvester, is used to place a stem-binding plate that is radially cut in the center to form barbs; A board supply section, which is used to supply stem-bonded boards to the board support; When the transfer part is located under the board bracket, the stem-jointing board placed on the board bracket is placed downward so that the barbs are inserted into the stem-jointing part. Through this joint, the stem-jointing board is joined to the strawberry. In the packaging section, when the strawberries are separated from the transfer section by adsorbing and attaching the stem-binding plate, the stem-binding plate is placed on the upper part of the packaging box located on the lower side, so that the strawberries are packaged in a state of being suspended in the packaging box.

2. The strawberry harvesting robot system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The seedbed has stem supports attached to both sides, which are continuously formed with stem support grooves to accommodate the stems and force the spacing between them so that the cultivated strawberries do not overlap.

3. The strawberry harvesting robot system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cutting section includes: The stem clamp, when moving to the seedbed to pick strawberries, will cause the two clamping wings to move forward in a face-to-face manner to clamp the stem if the built-in sensor detects the stem. The first stem-cutting knife, which, together with the stem clamp, causes the two cutting blades to advance in a face-to-face manner to sever the stem; and The second stem cutter cuts the stem to transfer the strawberry to the conveyor section. The first stem-cutting knife, stem clamp, and second stem-cutting knife are assembled in a stacked structure.

4. The strawberry harvesting robot system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transfer section is equipped with a transfer clamp. When the cutting section, which is suspending strawberries, returns to its original position, if the built-in sensor detects the stem, the two clamping wings move forward in a face-to-face manner to grab the stem. Then, the stem is cut off from the cutting section and the strawberry is transferred to the rear of the harvester.

5. The strawberry harvesting robot system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The harvesting section engages with the front end of the ball screw of the through-type motor installed on the harvester, thereby moving towards the seedbed or returning to its original position. The plate supply unit is combined with the rear end of the ball screw of the through-type motor and linked with the cutting unit to push out and supply the stem-bonded plates loaded in the loading box one by one to the plate holder.

6. The strawberry harvesting robot system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plate bracket has a built-in spherical plunger. In order to place the stem-joint plate inside, the spherical object is elastically supported by a spring and protrudes from the inner wall. When the stem-joint plate is pressed down by the plate joint, the spherical object is pushed back in order to pass through the plate bracket.

7. The strawberry harvesting robot system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transfer clip is equipped with a stem protection frame, which has pins protruding at certain intervals according to the stem gripping holes, and surrounds the stem connection part. The plate joint includes: a pressing plate for pressing the stem joint plate placed on the plate bracket; a hollow portion from which a stem protection frame extends from the center of the pressing plate during pressing; and a driving portion for pressing to cause the pressing plate to move downward or return to its original position. When the pressing plate presses down on the stem-jointing plate, the barbs move downwards after passing between the pins of the stem protector and place the stem-jointing plate in the middle. When the pressing plate connects with the transfer clamp, the barbs insert into the stem-jointing part, thus connecting the stem-jointing plate with the strawberry.

8. The strawberry harvesting robot system according to claim 1, characterized in that, It has a perforation for receiving and fixing the stem portion that protrudes upward from the stem joint plate placed on the top of the packaging box, and also has a stem fixing plate attached to the top of the packaging box.

9. The strawberry harvesting robot system according to claim 1, characterized in that, After the size of the strawberry is specifically input into the program, the capturing device selects and captures the strawberries that can be picked.

10. The strawberry harvesting robot system according to claim 1, characterized in that, It is also equipped with a conveyor belt, which adjusts the movement interval while moving the packaging box so that the empty storage space is located under the strawberries being moved.

11. The strawberry harvesting robot system according to claim 1, characterized in that, A by-product removal device, including a capture device and a cutting section, is also installed on the robot frame facing the seedbed. The trapping device is used after strawberry harvesting to remove byproducts consisting of residual stems, runners, and old leaves. The cutting section is equipped with only one cutter in order to remove the byproducts captured by the capturing device.

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