Harvesting equipment and cultivation systems

Abstract

To provide a picking device and cultivation system that can measure the quality of picked fruit vegetables with high accuracy while holding them.SOLUTION: A picking device 100 picks fruit vegetables held by a holding unit 130. The holding unit 130 includes a deformation unit 132 that is formed of an elastic body and can be deformed between a first shape that can be placed over the fruit vegetables from the outside and a second shape that can be held by wrapping the fruit vegetables placed inside. The deformation unit 132 is a bottomed cylindrical member with an opening for putting in and taking out the fruit vegetables, and has light-shielding properties. The picking device 100 further includes a light-receiving unit 150 that is arranged on the inner bottom of the deformation unit 132 and receives light that is irradiated from the opening side of the deformation unit 132 and passes through the fruit vegetables in order to measure the internal quality of the fruit vegetables held by the holding unit 130.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a picking device for picking fruit and vegetables from cultivated plants, and a cultivation system including the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a picking device that has a gripping section at the tip of a movable arm that grips picked fruit or vegetables, and a measuring section that measures the quality of the fruit or vegetables gripped by the gripping section. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-041706 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A picking device equipped with a measuring unit is required to perform high-precision quality measurement.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a picking device and cultivation system that can measure the quality of picked fruit and vegetables with high precision while holding them. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a picking device that is a first aspect of the present disclosure is a picking device that picks fruit vegetables held by a holding part, wherein the holding part is formed of an elastic body and has a deformation part that can deform between a first shape that can be placed over the fruit vegetables from the outside and a second shape that can hold the fruit vegetables placed inside by wrapping them around them, and the deformation part is a bottomed tubular member that has an opening for putting the fruit vegetables in and out, and has light-blocking properties, and is characterized by having a light-receiving part that is arranged on the inside bottom of the deformation part and receives light that is irradiated from the opening side of the deformation part and passes through the fruit vegetables in order to measure the internal quality of the fruit vegetables held by the holding part.

[0007] According to the above configuration, by making the deforming part that grips the fruit or vegetable a cylindrical member with a bottom and providing light blocking properties, it is possible to prevent external light from entering from anywhere other than the opening of the deforming part when measuring the quality of the fruit or vegetable. This prevents external light from entering the light receiving part located at the inside bottom of the deforming part, allowing for highly accurate quality measurement.

[0008] In addition, the picking device can be configured to be movable between a retracted position in front of the opening of the deformation section and an opposing position facing the opening of the deformation section, and to include a light-emitting section that irradiates light from the opening of the deformation section toward the light-receiving section.

[0009] According to the above configuration, while the picked fruit or vegetable is being held and moved, the light projecting unit can be moved to an opposing position to measure the quality of the fruit or vegetable, and the quality measurement of the fruit or vegetable can be carried out efficiently at the same time as the fruit or vegetable is being transported.

[0010] In addition, a cultivation system that is a second aspect of the present disclosure is a cultivation system in which fruit vegetables are cultivated on a mobile bench and the cultivated fruit vegetables are picked using a picking device, and is characterized in that the picking device is the picking device described above.

[0011] In addition, in the above cultivation system, the gripping unit is attached to the tip of an arm, the light-projecting unit is fixedly positioned at a predetermined location within the cultivation system, and the measurement of the internal quality of the fruit or vegetable gripped by the gripping unit can be performed by moving the gripping unit by the arm to a position opposite the light-projecting unit.

[0012] According to the above configuration, the light projecting unit is fixedly disposed separately from the harvesting device, thereby simplifying the configuration of the cultivation system including the harvesting device.

[0013] In addition, in the above cultivation system, the gripping unit is attached to the tip of a main arm, and the light-projecting unit is attached to the tip of an auxiliary arm attached to the main arm, and the measurement of the internal quality of the fruit or vegetable gripped by the gripping unit can be performed by moving the light-projecting unit to a position opposite the gripping unit using the auxiliary arm.

[0014] According to the above configuration, while the picked fruit or vegetable is being held and moved, the light projecting unit can be moved to an opposing position to measure the quality of the fruit or vegetable, and the quality measurement of the fruit or vegetable can be carried out efficiently at the same time as the fruit or vegetable is being transported.

[0015] In addition, the cultivation system can be configured to include a photographing unit that photographs the fruit and vegetables to be picked, determine the position information and quantity of the fruit and vegetables based on the photographic data from the photographing unit, and adjust the time interval or movement speed for moving the mobile bench based on this determination. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] The harvesting device and cultivation system of the present disclosure have the advantage of being able to prevent external light from entering the light receiving section located on the inner bottom of the deformation section, thereby enabling highly accurate quality measurement. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of a picking device. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a grip portion. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the action of the gripping portion when gripping a fruit or vegetable. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the basic configuration of a cultivation system. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the operation of picking fruit and vegetable by a picking device in a cultivation system. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the arrangement of a picking device and a light projecting unit. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating an example of a procedure for measuring the quality of fruit and vegetables. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of a picking device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] (picking device) An embodiment of the picking device of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of a picking device 100 of this embodiment.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the picking device 100 includes a base 110, an arm 120, a gripping unit 130, an air pipe 140, and a light receiving unit 150 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). One end (the base side) of the arm 120 is attached to the base 110, and the gripping unit 130 is attached to the other end (the tip side). The arm 120 is capable of horizontal rotation relative to the base 110 by an actuator (not shown). The arm 120 also has multiple joints 121 operated by an actuator (not shown). By independently operating these joints 121, the position and orientation of the gripping unit 130 can be changed. The air pipe 140 is connected to the gripping unit 130. The light receiving unit 150 is used to measure the internal quality, etc., of the fruit or vegetable being gripped by the gripping unit 130.

[0020] Next, the specific configuration of the gripping unit 130 in the picking device 100 will be described with reference to Figs. 2 to 4. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the gripping unit 130. Fig. 3 is a side view of the gripping unit 130. Fig. 4 is a front view of the base 131 of the gripping unit 130. Note that Fig. 3 shows a cross section of only the base 131 (cross section AA in Fig. 4).

[0021] 2 and 3, the gripping portion 130 has a base portion 131 and a deformation portion 132. The base side of the base portion 131 is connected to the arm 120, and the deformation portion 132 is connected to the tip side. The base portion 131 is, for example, a substantially cylindrical member having a central axis extending from the base side to the tip side.

[0022] In this embodiment, the deforming portion 132 is a cup-shaped (bottomed cylindrical member with an opening) member, with the base side connected to the base portion 131 being the cup bottom and the tip side being open. The deforming portion 132 is formed of an elastic body that causes a desired shape deformation when gripping the fruit or vegetable to be picked. The deforming portion 132 also needs to be strong enough to grip the fruit or vegetable to be picked with a certain degree of firmness. Suitable materials for the deforming portion 132 include, for example, silicone rubber and urethane rubber.

[0023] The gripping portion 130 is deformable between a first shape that can be placed over a fruit vegetable from the outside and a second shape that can be wrapped around the fruit vegetable placed inside to grip it. This allows the fruit vegetable to be gripped by placing the deforming portion 132 in the first shape over the fruit vegetable to be picked from the outside, and then deforming the deforming portion 132 into the second shape to wrap around the fruit vegetable. In this embodiment, the deformation of the deforming portion 132 can be achieved by introducing negative pressure into the cup of the deforming portion 132.

[0024] 3 and 4, a groove 133 is formed in the base 131. The groove 133 is, for example, an annular groove, extends along the axial direction of the base 131, and opens at the front surface of the base 131 (the surface connecting with the deformation portion 132), with this opening exposed at the cup bottom of the deformation portion 132. The groove 133 also communicates with the air pipe 140 on the side surface of the base 131.

[0025] A first method for deforming the deformation portion 132 when gripping a fruit or vegetable is to connect a compressor (not shown) to the other end of the air pipe 140 and send compressed air from the compressor into the deformation portion 132 through the air pipe 140 and the groove 133. In this case, the compressor may be externally connected to the picking device 100.

[0026] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the action when gripping a fruit or vegetable using the first technique, although the groove 133 in the base 131 is not shown in Fig. 5.

[0027] When the deformation part 132 (in the first shape) before deformation is placed over a fruit vegetable (for example, a strawberry) and compressed air is sent into the inside of the deformation part 132 through the groove 133, an airflow is generated along the inner surface of the deformation part 132 and this airflow is discharged from the opening of the deformation part 132 (see FIG. 5(a)). This airflow generates negative pressure (introduces negative pressure) near the inner surface of the deformation part 132 (see FIG. 5(b)).

[0028] When negative pressure occurs near the inner surface of the deforming portion 132, a pressure difference occurs between the inside and outside of the deforming portion 132, and the deforming portion 132 is deformed as if being pushed by the positive pressure from the outside, allowing it to wrap around and grasp the fruit or vegetable in the cup (see FIG. 5(c)). At this time, the deforming portion 132, which has deformed to wrap around the fruit or vegetable, can have multiple contact points with the fruit or vegetable. As a result, the contact pressure at each contact point between the deforming portion 132 and the fruit or vegetable can be reduced, preventing the grasped fruit or vegetable from being damaged. In addition, the fact that the deforming portion 132 itself is made of an elastic material also serves to reduce the contact pressure at each contact point between the deforming portion 132 and the fruit or vegetable, improving the effect of preventing damage to the fruit or vegetable. When the supply of compressed air from the compressor is stopped, the deforming portion 132 returns to its original shape due to its elastic force, releasing the grip on the fruit or vegetable.

[0029] A second method for deforming the deforming portion 132 involves connecting a vacuum pump (not shown) to the other end of the air pipe 140 and sucking the air inside the deforming portion 132 through the air pipe 140 and the groove 133. In this case, the vacuum pump may be externally connected to the picking device 100. This method also allows negative pressure to be introduced into the cup of the deforming portion 132, and as with the first method, the deforming portion 132 can be deformed to grip the fruit or vegetable. When the suction by the vacuum pump is stopped, the deforming portion 132 returns to its original shape due to its elastic force, and releases its grip on the fruit or vegetable.

[0030] The specific shape of the deforming portion 132 in this embodiment is not particularly limited, except that it is cup-shaped. For example, the deforming portion 132 illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 has a shape that widens (increases in circumferential dimension) from the base side to the tip side, but it may have a shape whose circumferential dimension does not change in the direction from the base side to the tip side. Furthermore, the deforming portion 132 illustrated in Figure 2 has a substantially circular opening on the tip side, but the shape of the opening is not particularly limited and may have any shape that matches, for example, the fruit or vegetable to be picked.

[0031] 2, it is preferable that the deforming portion 132 has a large number of pleats (accordion-like pleats formed by repeated mountain and valley folds) extending along the side of the cup from the base to the tip. Such pleats make the deforming portion 132 easier to deform. The deforming portion 132 having such pleats can be easily deformed to reduce the dimension in the pleat arrangement direction, i.e., the circumferential direction of the cup, making it easier to grip fruit or vegetables. In addition, as will be described in detail later, one of the features of this embodiment is that the deforming portion 132 has light-blocking properties.

[0032] In this embodiment, the picking device 100 has the function of measuring the quality of picked fruit and vegetables. To this end, the picking device 100 has a light receiving unit 150 that is integral with the gripping unit 130, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Specifically, the light receiving unit 150 is provided in the base 131. The light receiving unit 150 is disposed approximately in the center of the base 131 when viewed from the front, and is exposed at the cup bottom of the deformation unit 132. The light receiving unit 150 is also connected to a spectroscope 153 via an optical fiber 152 (see FIG. 8). In this case, the spectroscope 153 may be externally connected to the picking device 100.

[0033] Furthermore, when measuring the quality of fruit or vegetable, the light-receiving unit 150 is used in combination with a light-projecting unit 151 (e.g., a halogen lamp) that projects measurement light toward the fruit or vegetable. As shown in FIG. 3 , the light-projecting unit 151 faces the opening of the deformation unit 132 and can project light toward the light-receiving unit 150. That is, the light-projecting unit 151 projects light toward the fruit or vegetable held within the deformation unit 132 when measuring the quality of the fruit or vegetable. Note that, as will be described in detail later, the light-projecting unit 151 may be included in the picking device 100 as an internal element thereof, or may be an external element thereof that is not included in the picking device 100.

[0034] When measuring the quality of fruit or vegetable, light is irradiated from light projecting unit 151 onto the fruit or vegetable held in deformation unit 132. Part of the irradiated light passes through the fruit or vegetable and is received by light receiving unit 150. The light reception data by light receiving unit 150 is transmitted to spectroscope 153 via optical fiber 152, and quality information about the fruit or vegetable is obtained by analyzing this light reception data. Note that quality information here refers to information including at least one of grade and class.

[0035] As described above, the deforming portion 132 is made of a light-blocking material. For example, the deforming portion 132 is formed of a material that is colored black so as to have light-blocking properties. In this way, by making the deforming portion 132 a cylindrical member with a bottom and providing light-blocking properties, it is possible to prevent external light from entering from any place other than the opening of the deforming portion 132 when measuring the quality of fruits and vegetables. This makes it possible to prevent external light from entering the light-receiving portion 150, which would otherwise reduce the accuracy of measurement, and enables highly accurate quality measurement.

[0036] (Cultivation system) The above-described picking device 100 is expected to be used in a cultivation system for cultivating fruit and vegetables indoors. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the basic configuration of the cultivation system 10 according to this embodiment. In the following description, when terms indicating specific directions or positions (such as "left and right" and "up and down") are used as necessary, the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 6 is taken as a planar view, the up and down direction on the paper surface is taken as the vertical direction, and the left and right direction on the paper surface is taken as the horizontal direction. These terms are used for convenience of explanation and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 6, the cultivation system 10 is a closed-loop system that circulates a plurality of movable benches 20. Planters P in which cultivated plants are planted are placed on the movable benches 20. The shape and number of planters P placed on the movable benches 20 are not particularly limited.

[0038] In the cultivation system 10, means for moving the movable bench 20 include a pair of transfer conveyor devices 30A, 30B having opposite transfer directions in the horizontal direction and arranged at a distance in the vertical direction, a pair of guide devices 40A, 40B having opposite transfer directions in the vertical direction, and a pair of push-out devices 50A, 50B that push out and move the movable bench 20. The transfer directions of the transfer conveyor devices 30A, 30B and the transfer directions of the guide devices 40A, 40B are perpendicular to each other in a plan view.

[0039] The guiding device 40A is arranged to connect a downstream location of one transport conveyor device 30A with an upstream location of the other transport conveyor device 30B. The guiding device 40B is arranged to connect a downstream location of the other transport conveyor device 30B with an upstream location of one transport conveyor device 30A. This allows each moving bench 20 to circulate in the order of transport conveyor device 30A, guiding device 40A, transport conveyor device 30B, and guiding device 40B. The moving bench 20 has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, with the direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the guiding devices 40A and 40B being the longitudinal direction and the direction parallel to the transport direction of the guiding devices 40A and 40B being the lateral direction.

[0040] Each of the guide devices 40A and 40B has two guide rails 41. On the other hand, a sliding body (such as a wheel) (not shown) is attached to the underside of each movable bench 20, allowing the movable bench 20 to slide on the guide rail 41 at a distance corresponding to the width of the guide rail 41. Alternatively, the sliding body may be provided on the guide device 40A or 40B. This allows each movable bench 20 to move vertically on the guide device 40A or 40B. Although not shown in FIG. 6 , the movable bench 20 may have abutting bodies extending in the direction of movement (vertical direction) by the guide device 40A or 40B. By abutting these abutting bodies against the adjacent movable bench 20 on the guide device 40A or 40B, an appropriate distance can be set between adjacent movable benches 20. Alternatively, instead of providing the abutting bodies, the spacing between the movable benches 20 on the guide device 40A or 40B can be adjusted by adjusting the vertical dimension of the movable bench 20.

[0041] The push-out devices 50A, 50B are provided on the downstream side of the transfer conveyor devices 30A, 30B as means for pushing and conveying the movable bench 20 (shown by a dashed line in FIG. 6) at that location toward the opposing guide device 40A, 40B. In this case, the push-out devices 50A, 50B may be, for example, linear actuators such as electromagnetic solenoids or air cylinders configured to move in multiple stages. As the push-out devices 50A, 50B push and move the movable bench 20, multiple movable benches 20 are transported in a domino effect on the guide devices 40A, 40B. As a result, on the downstream side of the guide devices 40A, 40B, the most downstream movable bench 20 is pushed toward the upstream side of the transfer conveyor devices 30B, 30A and placed there. The moving bench 20 placed on the upstream side of the transfer conveyor devices 30A, 30B is transferred laterally from the upstream side to the downstream side of the transfer conveyor devices 30A, 30B.

[0042] In this way, in the cultivation system 10, the moving bench 20 is circulated by alternately moving the moving bench 20 by the transfer conveyor devices 30A, 30B and pushing and conveying the moving bench 20 by the push-out devices 50A, 50B. In this circulatory movement, the moving speed of the moving bench 20 by the transfer conveyor devices 30A, 30B, the pushing and conveying speed by the push-out devices 50A, 50B (i.e., the moving speed of the moving bench 20 on the guiding devices 40A, 40B), the time interval between push-out conveyances by the push-out devices 50A, 50B, and the like can be set arbitrarily. This allows the time required for each moving bench 20 to make one rotation to be set arbitrarily.

[0043] Further, the transport conveyor devices 30A, 30B are provided with an irrigation device 60 that sprays water toward the transported movable benches 20. The irrigation device 60 is disposed near the center in the transport direction, in other words, at a position where it can spray water over the entire movable benches 20 transported by the transport conveyor devices 30A, 30B. Note that although the irrigation device 60 is provided on each of the transport conveyor devices 30A, 30B in Fig. 6, the irrigation device 60 may be provided on only one of the transport conveyor devices 30A, 30B.

[0044] In the cultivation system 10, the picking device 100 is placed in the space opposite the guide device 40A or 40B with respect to one of the transport conveyor devices 30A, 30B (transport conveyor device 30B in FIG. 1). The picking device 100 can pick fruit vegetables from planters P on the movable bench 20 that has been transported to a predetermined position in the cultivation system 10 (lower left in FIG. 6).

[0045] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the operation of picking fruit and vegetable by the picking device 100 in the cultivation system 10.

[0046] First, as shown in FIG. 7(a), the position and orientation of the gripping unit 130 are changed by controlling the arm 120 in the picking device 100, and the deformation unit 132 is positioned so as to cover the fruit vegetables to be picked. The relative position and density of the fruit vegetables to be picked with respect to the planter P are determined in advance of the picking operation. Specifically, a photographing unit (such as a camera) is provided at an appropriate location in the cultivation system 10, and photographs of the fruit vegetables grown in the planter P are taken at any stage before the harvesting operation (for example, during irrigation operation). In this case, it is more preferable to provide multiple photographing units in the cultivation system 10 and take photographs of the planter P from multiple directions. By performing image processing on this photographed data, the relative position and density of the fruit vegetables with respect to the planter P can be recognized.

[0047] When the deformation unit 132 is placed over the fruit or vegetable to be picked, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the deformation unit 132 grips the fruit or vegetable and picks it. Methods for picking fruit or vegetable include plucking the gripped fruit or vegetable from the cultivated plant or cutting the stem connected to the fruit or vegetable with scissors. The former method involves rotating the gripping unit 130 gripping the fruit or vegetable at the tip of the arm 120 (around the axis of the base 131) and twisting off the stalk to pick the fruit or vegetable. The latter method involves providing a scissors unit (not shown) at the tip of the arm 120 close to the gripping unit 130, and using the scissors unit to cut the stem near the stalk and pick the fruit or vegetable.

[0048] Once the fruit vegetables have been picked from the cultivated plants, as shown in Figure 7(c), the picking device 100 rotates the arm 120 from the base 110 and moves the picked fruit vegetables onto the collection tray T. Then, as shown in Figure 7(d), the device releases its grip on the fruit vegetables and stores the picked fruit vegetables in the collection tray T (packaging the fruit vegetables into boxes). By repeating the operations of Figures 7(a) to (d), the picking device 100 can continuously pick fruit vegetables.

[0049] In the cultivation system 10 shown in Fig. 6, multiple planters P (five in the figure) are placed on one movable bench 20. In this case, if the picking device 100 were to pick all of the planters P on the movable bench 20 stationary in one place, a wide operating range would be required for the picking device 100. This would result in disadvantages to the picking device 100, such as an increase in size and complicated control.

[0050] For this reason, in the cultivation system 10, it is preferable to combine the movement (lateral feeding) of the movable bench 20 by the transfer conveyor device 30B with the picking operation by the picking device 100. For example, in the state shown in FIG. 6, the picking device 100 performs the picking operation only on the rightmost planter P on the movable bench 20 at the bottom left of the figure. When this picking operation is completed, the transfer conveyor device 30B laterally feeds the movable bench 20 a predetermined distance (one pitch of the planter P placed on the movable bench 20) to the right. This lateral feeding of the movable bench 20 enables the picking device 100 to perform the picking operation on the second planter P from the right on the movable bench 20.

[0051] In this way, by combining the movement of the movable bench 20 by the conveying conveyor device 30B with the picking operation by the picking device 100, there is no need to provide a wide operating range for the picking device 100, and the picking device 100 can be made smaller and its control can be simplified.

[0052] Furthermore, the time interval or moving speed at which the moving bench 20 is moved sideways does not have to be constant, and it is preferable that the time interval or moving speed be adjusted for each planter P based on the number and position information of the fruit vegetables to be picked that are known in advance in each planter P so as to ensure a picking operation time appropriate for harvesting.

[0053] In the cultivation system 10 of this embodiment, while the picking device 100 is transporting the picked fruit vegetables from the planter P to the collection tray T, the quality of the picked fruit vegetables is measured. The following two methods will be explained as specific examples of methods for measuring the quality of fruit and vegetables.

[0054] (First quality measurement method) Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the arrangement of the picking device 100 and the light projecting unit 151 in the first quality measurement method. Fig. 9 is a plan view illustrating the measurement procedure by the first quality measurement method. As shown in Fig. 8, in the first quality measurement method, the light projecting unit 151 is provided separately from the picking device 100 in the cultivation system 10, and is fixedly arranged near the picking device 100.

[0055] In the fruit and vegetable picking operation by the picking device 100, as described above, in the picking device 100 holding the fruit and vegetable in the deformation portion 132, the movement control of the arm 120 moves the gripping portion 130 from the planter P side to the collection tray T side (movement from Figure 9(a) to Figure 9(c)).

[0056] In this measurement method, the arm 120 is stopped midway along the above-mentioned path of movement at a position where the opening of the deformation part 132 faces the light projecting part 151 (the state shown in FIG. 9(b)). At this time, the lamp in the light projecting part 151 is illuminated, thereby measuring the quality of the fruit or vegetable.

[0057] In the first quality measurement method, the light projecting unit 151 is fixedly disposed separately from the picking device 100, so that the configuration of the cultivation system 10 including the picking device 100 can be simplified.

[0058] (Second quality measurement method) Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of picking device 100 used in the second quality measurement method. In the second quality measurement method, light projecting unit 151 is provided in picking device 100 itself. In picking device 100 of Fig. 10, auxiliary arm 122 is provided at the tip of arm 120, which is the main arm, and light projecting unit 151 is located at the tip of auxiliary arm 122. Auxiliary arm 122 can be controlled to move independently of arm 120.

[0059] By controlling the movement of the auxiliary arm 122, the light projecting unit 151 can be moved between a retracted position (see Figure 10(a)) in front of the opening of the deformation unit 132 and an opposing position (see Figure 10(b)) facing the opening of the deformation unit 132.

[0060] In this measurement method, when fruit vegetables are picked from the planter P (process from (a) to (b) in FIG. 7) and when the picked fruit vegetables are packed into the collection tray T (process from (c) to (d) in FIG. 7), the light projecting unit 151 is moved to a retracted position. Then, during the movement path in which the arm 120 moves from the planter P side to the collection tray T side (process from (b) to (c) in FIG. 7), the light projecting unit 151 is moved to the opposing position, and the quality of the fruit vegetables is measured.

[0061] In the second quality measurement method, there is no need to stop the movement of the arm 120 when measuring the quality of the fruit or vegetable, and the quality of the fruit or vegetable can be efficiently measured simultaneously with the transportation of the fruit or vegetable.

[0062] 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]

[0063] 10 Cultivation System 20 Mobile Bench 30A, 30B Conveyor device 40A, 40B Guide device 50A, 50B Extrusion device 100 Picking device 110 Base 120 Arm (Main Arm) 122 Auxiliary Arm 130 Gripping part 131 Base 132 Deformed part 133 Groove 140 Air piping 150 Light receiving section 151 Light projector 152 Optical Fiber 153 Spectrometer

Claims

1. A picking device that picks fruit and vegetables gripped by a gripping unit, The gripping portion is formed of an elastic body and has a deformation portion that can be deformed between a first shape that can be placed over the fruit or vegetable from the outside and a second shape that can be gripped so as to wrap the fruit or vegetable placed inside, The deformation portion is a cylindrical member with a bottom having an opening for putting in and taking out fruit and vegetables, and has light-blocking properties, a light receiving unit that is disposed on the inner bottom of the deformation unit and receives light that is irradiated from the opening side of the deformation unit and passes through the fruit or vegetable in order to measure the internal quality of the fruit or vegetable gripped by the gripping unit; A picking device characterized by having a light-emitting unit that is movable between a retracted position retracted from in front of the opening of the deformation unit and an opposing position facing the opening of the deformation unit, and that irradiates light from the opening of the deformation unit toward the light-receiving unit.

2. A cultivation system in which fruit and vegetables are cultivated on a moving bench and the cultivated fruit and vegetables are picked by a picking device, The cultivation system, wherein the harvesting device is the harvesting device according to claim 1.

3. The cultivation system according to claim 2, The gripping portion is attached to the tip of the arm, The light projecting unit is fixedly disposed at a predetermined location within the cultivation system, A cultivation system characterized in that the internal quality of the fruit vegetables gripped by the gripping unit is measured while the arm moves the gripping unit to a position facing the light projecting unit.

4. The cultivation system according to claim 2, The gripping portion is attached to the tip of the main arm, the light projecting unit is attached to a tip of an auxiliary arm attached to the main arm, A cultivation system characterized in that the internal quality of the fruit vegetables gripped by the gripping unit is measured by moving the light-projecting unit to a position opposite the gripping unit using the auxiliary arm.

5. The cultivation system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, It is equipped with a photography unit that takes pictures of the fruit and vegetables to be picked, A cultivation system characterized by determining the position information and quantity of fruit and vegetables based on the photographic data taken by the photographing unit, and adjusting the time interval or moving speed of the moving bench based on this determination.

Images