Mobile cultivation system

Abstract

To provide a mobile cultivation system capable of efficiently harvesting fruits suitable for harvesting.SOLUTION: A mobile cultivation system 10 which circularly moves a plurality of cultivation benches for cultivating fruit vegetables in a closed loop shape includes: an imaging device 80 for imaging fruit vegetables on the cultivation benches 20; a picking device 70 for picking and harvesting fruit vegetables; a control section 90 for controlling the picking device 70 and the imaging device 80; and a storage part 100 for storing information required for harvesting fruit vegetables. The control section 90 acquires quality information of fruit vegetables during cultivation by performing image processing on images photographed by the imaging device 80, and stores the quality information together with location information in the storage part 100. The picking device 70 picks fruit vegetables determined to be in a harvesting period based on the quality information and the location information stored in the storage part 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a mobile cultivation system for mobile cultivation of crops. [Background technology]

[0002] In mobile crop cultivation systems, automatic harvesting of fruits and other produce using picking devices is widely practiced. Conventionally, harvested fruits are placed on trays, and the quality of the fruits is measured at the tray's destination, and the fruits are sorted based on the quality information. However, with this conventional method, fruit quality information (such as coloring degree) is evaluated after harvest, which can lead to the risk of fruits being harvested before their time is up, leading to a decrease in shipping volume.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses that an imaging device such as a camera is attached to the gripper that grips the fruit, and image processing is performed on the captured image of the fruit before picking to obtain quality information. In this case, it is possible to selectively harvest fruit that is suitable for harvesting, and to prevent a decrease in shipping volume. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-175408 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the technology of Patent Document 1, the picking of fruit by the gripping unit and the measurement of the quality of the fruit are carried out simultaneously, which increases the time required for harvesting work and makes it difficult to improve work efficiency.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a mobile cultivation system that can efficiently harvest fruits suitable for harvesting. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the mobile cultivation system disclosed herein is a mobile cultivation system that circulates a plurality of cultivation benches for cultivating fruit vegetables in a closed loop, and is equipped with a camera that photographs the fruit vegetables on each cultivation bench, a picking device that picks and harvests the fruit vegetables, a control unit that controls the picking device and the camera, and a memory unit that stores information necessary for harvesting the fruit vegetables.The control unit obtains quality information of the fruit vegetables being cultivated by performing image processing on the images captured by the camera, stores the quality information together with location information in the memory unit, and uses the picking device to pick fruit vegetables that have been determined to be ready for harvest based on the quality information and location information stored in the memory unit.

[0008] According to the above configuration, quality information of fruit and vegetables can be obtained prior to harvesting work, thereby improving the efficiency of harvesting work.

[0009] In addition, in the mobile cultivation system, the control unit can be configured to store the quality information and the location information in the memory unit for fruit vegetables that are not determined to be ready for harvest.

[0010] According to the above configuration, by storing management information (quality information and location information) for fruit and vegetables that are not yet at harvest time, the mobile cultivation system can be used for production management.

[0011] In addition, in the mobile cultivation system, the quality information may include information for determining the grade of the fruit or vegetable, and the control unit may be configured to determine the grade of the fruit or vegetable.

[0012] Furthermore, in the mobile cultivation system, the control unit can further acquire surrounding environmental information indicating the presence of obstacles that hinder harvesting around the fruit and vegetables by image processing of the captured image, and can be configured to determine that fruit and vegetables in which obstacles are present are not to be harvested by the picking device even if the fruit and vegetables have been determined to be ready for harvest.

[0013] According to the above configuration, by determining which fruits and vegetables are not to be harvested, it is possible to avoid the need to forcefully pick fruits and vegetables that cannot be harvested by the picking device, thereby making the harvesting process more efficient. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] The mobile cultivation system of the present disclosure has the effect of improving the efficiency of harvesting work by obtaining quality information on fruit vegetables prior to harvesting work. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing an overview of a mobile cultivation system according to the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a modified example of the arrangement of the imaging device. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing another modified example of the arrangement of the imaging device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a picking device and a photographing device. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a control system for fruit harvesting. [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart showing the main flow of fruit harvesting. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a subflow of a recognition flow. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a subflow of the harvesting flow. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0017] [Basic configuration of mobile cultivation system] The basic configuration of a mobile cultivation system 10 according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a plan view showing an overview of the mobile cultivation system 10. In the following description, when terms indicating specific directions or positions (such as "left and right," "up and down," etc.) are used as necessary, the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in Fig. 1 will be considered as a planar view, the up and down direction on the paper surface will be considered as the vertical direction, and the left and right direction on the paper surface will be considered as the horizontal direction. These terms are used for convenience of explanation and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 1, the mobile cultivation system 10 is a closed-loop system that circulates a plurality of cultivation benches 20. Planters P in which cultivated plants (e.g., strawberries) are planted are placed on the cultivation benches 20. The shape and number of planters P placed on the cultivation benches 20 are not particularly limited.

[0019] In the mobile cultivation system 10, means for moving the cultivation bench 20 include a pair of transport conveyor devices 30A, 30B (sometimes collectively referred to as transport conveyor devices 30) having transport directions opposite to each other in the horizontal direction and arranged at a distance in the vertical direction, a pair of guide devices 40A, 40B (sometimes collectively referred to as guide devices 40) having transport directions opposite to each other in the vertical direction, and a pair of push-out devices 50A, 50B (sometimes collectively referred to as push-out devices 50) that push out and move the cultivation bench 20. The transport direction of the transport conveyor device 30 and the transport direction of the guide devices 40 are perpendicular to each other in a plan view.

[0020] The guide device 40A is arranged to connect the downstream location of one conveyor device 30A with the upstream location of the other conveyor device 30B. The guide device 40B is arranged to connect the downstream location of the other conveyor device 30B with the upstream location of one conveyor device 30A. This allows each cultivation bench 20 to circulate in the order of conveyor device 30A, guide device 40A, conveyor device 30B, and guide device 40B. The cultivation bench 20 is approximately rectangular in plan view, with the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the guide device 40 being the longitudinal direction and the direction parallel to the conveying direction of the guide device 40 being the lateral direction.

[0021] Each guide device 40 has two guide rails 41. On the other hand, a sliding body (wheel, etc.) (not shown) is attached to the underside of each cultivation bench 20, which slides the cultivation bench 20 on the guide rail 41 at an interval corresponding to the arrangement width of the guide rail 41. Alternatively, the sliding body may be provided on the guide device 40. This allows each cultivation bench 20 to move vertically on the guide device 40. Furthermore, although not shown in FIG. 1, the cultivation bench 20 may have an abutment body extending in the movement direction (vertical direction) by the guide device 40. On the guide device 40, by abutting this abutment body against the adjacent cultivation bench 20, an appropriate interval can be set between adjacent cultivation benches 20. Alternatively, the interval between the cultivation benches 20 on the guide device 40 can be adjusted by the vertical dimension of the cultivation bench 20 instead of providing the abutment body.

[0022] The push-out devices 50A, 50B are provided on the downstream side of the conveyor devices 30A, 30B as means for pushing and conveying the cultivation benches 20 (shown by dashed lines in FIG. 1) at their respective locations toward the opposing guide devices 40A, 40B. In this case, the push-out device 50 may be, for example, a linear actuator such as an electromagnetic solenoid or an air cylinder configured to move in multiple stages. As the push-out device 50 pushes the cultivation benches 20, multiple cultivation benches 20 are conveyed in a domino effect on the guide device 40. As a result, on the downstream side of the guide devices 40A, 40B, the most downstream cultivation bench 20 is pushed out and placed upstream of the conveyor devices 30B, 30A. The cultivation benches 20 placed upstream of the conveyor devices 30 are conveyed laterally from the upstream side to the downstream side of the conveyor devices 30.

[0023] In this way, in the mobile cultivation system 10, the conveying operation of the cultivation bench 20 by the transfer conveyor device 30 and the pushing-out conveying operation of the cultivation bench 20 by the push-out device 50 are alternately performed, thereby performing circulating movement of the cultivation bench 20. In this circulating movement, the conveying speed of the cultivation bench 20 by the transfer conveyor device 30, the pushing-out conveying speed by the push-out device 50 (i.e., the moving speed of the cultivation bench 20 on the guide device 40), the time interval between the pushing-out conveying by the push-out device 50, etc. can be set arbitrarily. As a result, the time required for each cultivation bench 20 to move around once can also be set arbitrarily.

[0024] Further, the transport conveyor device 30 is provided with an irrigation device 60 that sprays water onto the transported cultivation benches 20. The irrigation device 60 is disposed near the center in the transport direction, in other words, at a position where water can be sprayed onto the entire cultivation benches 20 transported by the transport conveyor device 30. Note that, although the irrigation device 60 is provided on each of the transport conveyor devices 30A and 30B in FIG. 1, the irrigation device 60 may be provided on only one of the transport conveyor devices 30A and 30B.

[0025] In the mobile cultivation system 10, a picking device 70 is disposed in the space opposite the guide device 40 for one of the transport conveyor devices 30A, 30B (transport conveyor device 30B in FIG. 1). The picking device 70 can pick fruit vegetables (fruits are exemplified in the following explanation) from planters P on the cultivation bench 20 that have been transported to a predetermined position in the mobile cultivation system 10 (lower left in FIG. 1).

[0026] The relative position and density of the fruits to be picked with respect to the planter P are known in advance of the picking operation. Specifically, a photographing device 80 such as a camera is installed at an appropriate location in the mobile cultivation system 10, and photographs of the fruits being grown in the planter P are taken at any stage before the harvesting operation (for example, when irrigation is in operation). In this case, it is more preferable to install multiple photographing devices 80 in the mobile cultivation system 10 and take photographs from multiple directions with respect to the planter P. When the photographing device 80 is installed only on one side of the planter P, it is preferable that it be on the same side of the planter P as the picking device 70. By performing image processing on this photographed data, it is possible to recognize the relative position and density of the fruits with respect to the planter P.

[0027] The location of the photographing device 80 is not particularly limited, but is preferably near the transport conveyor device 30 (near the transport conveyor device 30A in FIG. 1) and near the longitudinal (horizontal) center of the transport conveyor device 30. In this case, the photographing device 80 can photograph all the planters P on the cultivation bench 20 when the cultivation bench 20 is transported laterally by the transport conveyor device 30. However, even if the photographing device 80 is not placed in the above-mentioned position, it is possible to photograph all the planters P on the cultivation bench 20 by, for example, placing multiple photographing devices 80 along the horizontal direction (see FIG. 2) or by moving the photographing device 80 itself laterally (see FIG. 3).

[0028] In the mobile cultivation system 10 shown in Fig. 1, multiple planters P (five in the figure) are placed on one cultivation bench 20. In this case, if the picking device 70 were to perform the picking operation on all planters P on the cultivation bench 20 stationary in one place, the picking device 70 would need to have a wide operating range. This would cause disadvantages to the picking device 70, such as an increase in the size of the device and complexity of control.

[0029] For this reason, in the mobile cultivation system 10, it is preferable to combine the movement (lateral feeding) of the cultivation bench 20 by the transport conveyor device 30B with the picking operation by the picking device 70. For example, in the state shown in FIG. 1, the picking device 70 performs the picking operation only on the rightmost planter P on the cultivation bench 20 at the bottom left in the figure. When this picking operation is completed, the transport conveyor device 30B laterally feeds the cultivation bench 20 a predetermined distance (one pitch of the planter P placed on the cultivation bench 20) to the right. This lateral feeding of the cultivation bench 20 allows the picking device 70 to perform the picking operation on the second planter P from the right on the cultivation bench 20.

[0030] In this way, by combining the movement of the cultivation bench 20 by the conveying conveyor device 30B with the picking operation by the picking device 70, there is no need to provide a wide operating range for the picking device 70, and the picking device 70 can be made smaller and its control can be simplified.

[0031] Furthermore, the time interval or movement speed for moving the cultivation bench 20 laterally does not have to be constant, and it is preferable that the time interval or movement speed is adjusted for each planter P based on the number and position information of the fruits to be picked that are previously determined in each planter P so as to ensure a picking operation time appropriate for harvesting.

[0032] Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the picking device 70 and the photographing device 80. Fig. 4 illustrates an example in which the picking device 70 and the photographing device 80 are arranged near the transport conveyor device 30B. Note that in Fig. 4, the photographing device 80 photographs the planter P from above, but the photographing direction of the photographing device 80 is not particularly limited.

[0033] The picking device 70 has a gripping unit 71 that grips the fruit to be harvested and an arm unit 72 that moves the gripping unit 71 during the picking operation. After picking the fruit to be harvested with the gripping unit 71, the picking device 70 can perform an operation of placing the picked fruit on a harvest tray (not shown).

[0034] The photographing device 80 has a camera 81 and a support unit 82 that supports the camera 81. The support unit 82 is not limited to a unit that fixedly supports the camera 81, but may be a unit that allows the camera 81 to move in a predetermined direction (for example, up and down or sideways).

[0035] [Fruit harvesting in shifting cultivation systems] The mobile cultivation system 10 of the present disclosure efficiently harvests fruits suitable for harvesting. The control of fruit harvesting in the mobile cultivation system 10 will be described below. Figure 5 is a block diagram showing a control system related to fruit harvesting. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the main flow of fruit harvesting.

[0036] 5, the mobile cultivation system 10 has a control unit 90 for controlling the picking device 70 and the photography device 80, and a memory unit 100 for storing information necessary for fruit harvesting. The control unit 90 controls the entire mobile cultivation system 10, and also controls the transport conveyor device 30, the guiding device 40, the pushing device 50, and the irrigation device 60, but as the control of these devices is well known, detailed explanations will be omitted.

[0037] The control unit 90 controls the drive of the gripper 71 and arm 72 of the picking device 70, specifically, controls the gripper 71 to grip / release the fruit, and controls the arm 72 to move the gripper 71.

[0038] The control unit 90 controls the camera 81 to take pictures in the photographing device 80, and, if necessary, controls the movement of the camera 81 in the support unit 82. The control of the camera 81 to take pictures includes control of issuing photographing instructions to the camera 81 and control of receiving photographed images from the camera 81.

[0039] The control unit 90 also performs image processing on the images captured by the camera 81, and through this image processing, obtains quality information for the fruit before it is picked (while it is being grown). This quality information includes at least harvest assessment information for determining whether the fruit is ready for harvest. The harvest assessment information includes at least the color (degree of coloration) of the fruit. The quality information may also include information (size, shape, etc.) for determining the grade or rank of the fruit.

[0040] Furthermore, the control unit 90 may acquire information about the surrounding environment of the fruit from the image processing results. The surrounding environment information is, for example, information indicating the presence of obstacles (branches or other fruits) that will interfere with harvesting around the fruit (mainly in front of the fruit as seen from the picking device 70). In other words, if there are obstacles that will interfere with harvesting around a fruit to be harvested, the fruit will not be harvested (cannot be harvested by the picking device 70) even if it is determined that it is ready to be harvested.

[0041] The memory unit 100 stores management information necessary for fruit harvesting. When the control unit 90 causes the photographing device 80 to photograph a fruit, it acquires position information of the fruit to be photographed based on movement information of the transport conveyor device 30 and the guide device 40 (and, if necessary, movement information of the camera 81 by the support unit 82). The control unit 90 associates the quality information of the fruit (and surrounding environment information) obtained by image processing with the position information and stores it in the memory unit 100 as management information. The position information consists of bench information that identifies the cultivation bench 20 and coordinate information of the fruit on the cultivation bench. While coordinate information can be used in spatial coordinates to identify the position with high accuracy, planar coordinates (planar information in the photographed image) can also be used to identify the position of the fruit satisfactorily.

[0042] As shown in Figure 6, fruit harvesting in the mobile cultivation system 10 is roughly divided into a recognition flow (S1) and a harvest flow (S2). The recognition flow and harvest flow are performed in this order on the same cultivation bench 20, but the timing of the execution of the flows may be separated in time. However, even in this case, the time interval between the recognition flow and the harvest flow is set to within 24 hours, more preferably within 12 hours. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing a subflow of the recognition flow. Figure 8 is a flowchart showing a subflow of the harvest flow. However, Figures 7 and 8 show the flows for one cultivation bench 20.

[0043] The recognition flow in Fig. 7 illustrates a case where the imaging device 80 is kept stationary and the imaging target cultivation bench 20 is moved while imaging is performed. In the mobile cultivation system 10, the cultivation bench 20 is not constantly moved, but is moved at the timing of irrigation work, pest control work, etc. (usually several times a day). Therefore, it is preferable that the above recognition flow be performed in accordance with the timing of bench movement for irrigation work, pest control work, etc.

[0044] In the recognition flow, the imaging device 80 starts capturing images as the cultivation bench 20 moves (S101). If the presence of fruit is recognized during the capture (S102), quality information (including harvest assessment information) and surrounding environment information for the fruit are acquired (S103). Next, based on the harvest assessment information, it is determined whether the fruit is ready for harvest (S104). If the fruit is ready for harvest (YES in S104), the process proceeds to S105. If the fruit is not ready for harvest (NO in S104), the management information for the fruit (the quality information and location information obtained in S103) is stored in the memory unit 100 (S106), and the process proceeds to S109. In this way, by storing management information even for fruits that are not ready for harvest, the mobile cultivation system 10 is also useful for production management.

[0045] In S105, it is determined whether or not harvesting by the picking device 70 is possible based on the ambient environment information. If the fruit is possible to harvest (YES in S105), it is marked as a fruit to be harvested, and the management information is stored in the memory unit 100 (S107), and the process proceeds to S109. If the fruit is not possible to harvest (NO in S105), it is marked as a fruit not to be harvested, and the management information is stored in the memory unit 100 (S108), and the process proceeds to S109. The marking information for the fruit to be harvested and not to be harvested is stored as part of the management information for that fruit. By marking the fruit as not to be harvested in this way, it is possible to avoid unnecessary picking operations for fruits that cannot be harvested by the picking device 70, and the harvesting process can be made more efficient.

[0046] In S109, it is determined whether or not the measurement of the entire target cultivation bench 20 has been completed. If the measurement has not been completed (NO in S109), the process proceeds to S102, and the processes of S102 to S108 are repeated. If the measurement has been completed (YES in S109), the process proceeds to S110.

[0047] In S110, the presence or absence of fruit marked as non-harvesting targets in S108 is confirmed. If there are no non-harvesting targets (NO in S110), the recognition flow ends (moves to the recognition flow for the next cultivation bench 20). If there are non-harvesting targets (YES in S110), the position information for those fruits is notified to the worker (S111). In other words, since non-harvesting targets cannot be harvested by the picking device 70 in the harvesting flow described below, the notification to the worker can encourage them to harvest by hand.

[0048] The harvesting flow in FIG. 8 is performed when the picking device 70 is used to harvest fruits (usually several times a day). In the harvesting flow, first, the position information of the fruit marked as a target for harvesting in the recognition flow is read (S201). Once the position information is read, the cultivation bench 20 is moved to a designated position where one of the fruits to be harvested can be harvested (S202). Once the cultivation bench 20 has been moved to the designated position, the picking device 70 performs a picking operation on the fruit (fruit harvesting) (S203).

[0049] When the picking device 70 performs the picking operation, it determines whether the picking operation was successful, i.e., whether the fruit was successfully harvested (S204). If the harvesting was successful (YES in S204), the picking device 70 performs a boxing operation (placing the harvested fruit on a harvest tray) (S205), and proceeds to S207.

[0050] During the packing operation, it is also possible to sort the fruit at the same time. For example, if the grade of the fruit can be determined from the quality information of the fruit obtained in the recognition flow, multiple harvesting trays can be prepared according to the number of grades that can be determined, and the fruit can be sorted by placing it on the harvesting tray that corresponds to the determined grade of the fruit.

[0051] If the harvesting operation is not successful (NO in S204), the location information for that fruit is stored (S206) and the process proceeds to S207. Normally, there will be a certain number of fruits that are not successfully harvested during the picking operation. For fruits that were not successfully harvested, the location information can be stored and notified to the worker at an appropriate time to encourage manual harvesting.

[0052] In S207, it is determined whether the picking work has been completed for the entire target cultivation bench 20. If the work has not been completed (NO in S207), the process proceeds to S202, and the processes of S202 to S206 are repeated. If the work has been completed (YES in S207), the harvested fruits are tallied and stored (S208).

[0053] As described above, the mobile cultivation system 10 of the present disclosure can acquire fruit quality information prior to harvesting by separating the recognition flow and the harvesting flow and connecting them through information management by the control unit 90 and the memory unit 100. This makes it possible to improve the efficiency of harvesting compared to when quality information is acquired simultaneously during the harvesting process.

[0054] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not intended to be limiting. Therefore, the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be interpreted solely by the above-described embodiments, but should be determined based on the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 10 Mobile cultivation system 20 Cultivation bench 30 Transport conveyor device 40 Guidance device 50 Extrusion equipment 60 Irrigation equipment 70 Picking device 80 Imaging equipment 90 Control Unit 100 Storage section P Planta

Claims

1. A mobile cultivation system that moves a plurality of cultivation benches for cultivating fruit vegetables in a closed loop, a photographing device for photographing the fruits and vegetables on each cultivation bench; a picking device for picking and harvesting fruit and vegetables; a control unit that controls the picking device and the photographing device; a memory unit that stores information necessary for harvesting fruit and vegetables, The control unit acquires quality information about the fruit and vegetables being cultivated by performing image processing on the images captured by the photographing device, stores the quality information together with location information in the memory unit, and uses the picking device to pick fruit and vegetables determined to be ready for harvest based on the quality information and location information stored in the memory unit. This mobile cultivation system is characterized by the above.

2. The mobile cultivation system according to claim 1, The mobile cultivation system is characterized in that the control unit stores the quality information and the location information in the memory unit for fruit vegetables that are not determined to be ready for harvest.

3. The mobile cultivation system according to claim 1, The quality information includes information for determining the grade of the fruit or vegetable, The mobile cultivation system is characterized in that the control unit determines the grade of fruit vegetables.

4. The mobile cultivation system according to claim 1, The control unit further acquires surrounding environmental information indicating the presence of obstacles that hinder harvesting around the fruit and vegetables by image processing of the captured image, and determines that fruit and vegetables with obstacles present are not to be harvested by the picking device even if they have been determined to be ready for harvest.This is a mobile cultivation system characterized by the above.

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