Rotatable Crop Cutting Arm for Variable Fruit Posture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fruit vegetable harvesting devices struggle with variations in shape and holding posture due to their linear movement mechanisms, leading to potential damage or inadequate positioning of the harvesting tools.
Innovation Solution
A crop operating device with a rotatable operating tool and an advance and retreat mechanism, including a drive unit with drums of varying diameters, an extendable arm unit, and a load reduction unit, allowing for precise positioning and rotation of the operating tool.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a rack and pinion mechanism is used for linear movement of the finger portion, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the finger portion cannot sufficiently fit fruit vegetables of various shapes and postures, leading to damage or inadequate positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The finger portion is designed with multiple degrees of freedom, including rotation around the stalk axis and articulation joints, transforming it from a rigid linear mover to a dynamic adaptive structure that can conform to various fruit shapes and postures during harvesting operation
Solution Approach 2:
The harvesting mechanism transitions from one-dimensional linear movement to multi-dimensional motion by adding rotational capabilities around the stalk axis and articulation in multiple planes, enabling the finger portion to approach and operate on crops from various angles and positions
2Device complexity
If the finger portion is limited to linear movement only, then the mechanism is simple, but it cannot handle variations in size and unevenness of fruit vegetables
Solution Approach 1:
The finger portion is divided into multiple segmented elements connected by articulation joints, allowing each segment to move independently and adapt to the contours of the fruit vegetable, providing both complexity and adaptability for handling varied crops
3Device complexity
If the operating tool cannot rotate, then the structure is simpler, but it cannot be positioned at appropriate locations on crops with varying postures
Solution Approach 1:
The operating tool incorporates rotational degrees of freedom that allow it to dynamically adjust its orientation and position relative to the crop, enabling precise positioning on crops with varying postures while maintaining manageable structural complexity through modular design
Data Source
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AI summary
[Problem] To provide a crop operating device capable of appropriately operating crops (fruit vegetables or fruits) without being affected by variations in shape or holding posture of the crops. [Solution] A fruit vegetable harvesting device 10 includes an operating tool (e.g., a cutting mechanism 12) that operates a fruit vegetable F (e.g., cuts a stalk), a fruit vegetable holding mechanism 11 that sucks and holds the fruit vegetable F, and an advance and retreat mechanism 13 that advances and retreats the cutting mechanism 12 to and from the fruit vegetable F held by the fruit vegetable holding mechanism 11. The advance and retreat mechanism 13 includes an extendable arm unit 131 having a tip end to which the cutting mechanism 12 is attached, and the cutting mechanism 12 is held to be rotatable about a second rotation shaft 130B with respect to the arm unit 131.