Vegetable Harvesting Tool With Articulating Blades for Growing Mounds
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agricultural technologies for harvesting vegetables from growing mounds, particularly asparagus, are expensive and complex, making them unsuitable for small and medium-sized farms, and manual harvesting is labor-intensive and problematic due to labor scarcity during short harvest periods.
Innovation Solution
A harvesting tool with a cylindrical arm, articulating blades, and a base for cutting and extracting vegetables, combined with a detection system using optical sensors and a control unit, allows precise and efficient harvesting by cutting and extracting vegetables from the mound without damaging the growing structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If agricultural vehicles with harvesting systems are used to automate vegetable harvesting from growing mounds, then labor intensity is reduced and harvesting efficiency is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase significantly making them unsuitable for small and medium-sized farms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the harvesting system into separate modular components: a detection device that identifies vegetables ready for harvest, a positioning device that locates them precisely, and a harvesting tool that executes the cutting and extraction. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and enables the system to be adapted to different farm sizes and configurations, reducing overall complexity while maintaining automation benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary control device that coordinates between the detection device, positioning device, and harvesting tool. This intermediary layer simplifies the control architecture by centralizing the coordination logic, allowing the harvesting operations to be automated without requiring a complex integrated system, thus reducing device complexity while improving productivity
2Device complexity
If manual harvesting is used to maintain simplicity and affordability, then device complexity is reduced, but labor intensity increases significantly becoming problematic due to labor scarcity during short harvest periods
Solution Approach 1:
The harvesting system is designed to be self-sufficient through automated detection and positioning capabilities. The detection device automatically identifies vegetables ready for harvest, and the positioning device automatically locates their precise positions, eliminating the need for manual inspection and positioning. This self-service capability allows small farms to achieve automated harvesting efficiency without requiring complex manual labor coordination
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical harvesting operations with an automated system using detection devices, positioning devices, and controlled harvesting tools. This substitution eliminates the need for labor-intensive manual searching, positioning, and cutting operations, significantly improving productivity while keeping the system relatively simple and affordable for small farms
3Productivity
If harvesting tools penetrate deep into the growing mound to cut vegetables, then harvesting efficiency is improved, but the integrity of the growing mound structure is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The harvesting tool is designed with localized cutting and extraction capabilities that operate precisely at the position of the detected vegetable. The tool penetrates only to the necessary depth to cut the target vegetable and extracts it with minimal disturbance to surrounding soil and plant structures. This localized approach maintains mound integrity while achieving efficient harvesting of individual vegetables
4Productivity
If harvesting blades are deployed to cut and extract vegetables, then harvesting functionality is improved, but the device complexity increases due to articulation mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The harvesting blades are designed with articulation capabilities that allow them to dynamically adjust their position and orientation during the cutting and extraction process. This dynamic adjustment enables the blades to efficiently cut vegetables at various angles and extract them smoothly without requiring overly complex fixed mechanisms, thus improving harvesting functionality while keeping the articulation mechanism relatively simple
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a harvesting tool (1) for a vegetable grown in a growing mound, the harvesting tool (1) comprising: - an arm (11) comprising, at a lower free end, a base (12) forming a peripheral ring around a harvesting opening (122) intended to receive the vegetable to be harvested; - a plurality of harvesting blades (13) configured to extend across the harvesting opening (122), at least one of the harvesting blades (13) - called the cutting blade (13A) - comprising a cutting edge intended to enable the cultivated vegetable to be sliced; - a harvesting blade articulating device (13) configured to unfold the harvesting blades (13) into any configuration between an extended configuration in which the harvesting blades (13) extend across the harvesting opening (122) and a folded configuration in which the harvesting blades (13) are out of the harvesting opening (122).