Rotating Gripper Apparatus for Selective Crop Harvesting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual labor-intensive strawberry harvesting leads to high labor costs and inefficiencies due to the delicate nature of the crops and selective harvesting requirements, resulting in unharvested crops and unplanted fields.
Innovation Solution
A harvesting vehicle equipped with a rotatable picking apparatus featuring multiple grippers that can selectively pick ripe crops while leaving unripe ones intact, utilizing a foliage displacement mechanism to expose crops and an imaging system for crop detection, allowing for efficient and precise harvesting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual labor is used for harvesting, then selective harvesting can be performed, but labor costs increase and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical harvesting with an automated robotic system equipped with imaging sensors and computer vision technology. The system uses cameras to detect and identify ripe crops, then robotic grippers automatically pick them, eliminating the need for manual labor while maintaining selective harvesting precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The harvesting system performs self-service by autonomously detecting, selecting, and harvesting crops without human intervention. The imaging system continuously monitors the field, the computer processes the visual data to identify ripe crops, and the robotic mechanism automatically executes the harvesting actions.
2Measurement precision
If manual harvesting is used, then crop selection can be made, but labor costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual labor with an automated imaging and robotic harvesting system. The computer vision system analyzes crop ripeness and the robotic grippers execute the picking actions, eliminating the need for human workers while maintaining accurate crop selection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a digital copy of the field through imaging sensors, allowing the computer to analyze and identify ripe crops without physical human intervention. This digital representation enables precise selection and tracking of crops for harvesting.
3Productivity
If fields are left unplanted to avoid unpicked crops, then labor shortages are avoided, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging system performs preliminary detection and identification of ripe crops before harvesting begins. The system continuously monitors the field, marks ripe crops for selection, and prepares the robotic system to harvest them, enabling efficient field utilization without operational overload.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from imaging sensors to continuously monitor crop ripeness and adjust harvesting operations in real-time. The computer processes visual data and provides guidance to the robotic system, enabling dynamic adaptation to field conditions and maximizing productivity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system including a picking apparatus including a plurality of grippers each spaced apart and extending radially from a central axis of the picking apparatus, and each configured to pick a different individual crop of crops of plants. The picking apparatus can be configured to use a first one of the plurality of grippers to pick a first individual crop of the crops at a first time. During a second time period that starts with a second one of the plurality of grippers picking a second individual crop of the crops and ends with a third one of the plurality of grippers picking a third individual crop of the crops, the picking apparatus can be configured to offload the first individual crop from the first one of the plurality of grippers. The second time period can start after the first time. The second and third ones of the plurality of grippers can be configured to hold the second and third individual crops, respectively, at the end of the second time period. Other embodiments are provided.