Rotating Gripper Apparatus for Selective Strawberry 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 unpicked crops and underutilized fields.
Innovation Solution
A robotic system with a picking apparatus featuring rotatable grippers that can selectively pick ripe crops while leaving unripe ones on the plant, utilizing a foliage displacement mechanism to expose crops and an imaging system for ripeness detection, and a carriage assembly for efficient crop handling and offloading.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual labor is used for harvesting, then selective picking of ripe crops can be achieved, but labor costs increase and harvesting efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic system performs harvesting operations autonomously without continuous human intervention. The robot navigates, identifies, selects, and harvests crops independently, with humans only initiating operations or monitoring system performance, thereby eliminating labor costs while maintaining selective picking capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical human hand and decision-making process with an automated robotic system comprising imaging sensors, computer vision algorithms, and robotic manipulators. This substitution enables continuous operation without fatigue while maintaining the ability to selectively identify and harvest only ripe crops based on visual analysis
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual labor is used for harvesting, then flexibility in selective harvesting is maintained, but labor availability becomes a limiting factor
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic system autonomously performs all harvesting operations including navigation, crop identification, ripeness assessment, and selective harvesting. The system adapts to varying crop conditions and continuously operates without the limitations of human labor availability, thereby maintaining flexibility while dramatically increasing harvesting capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses imaging sensors and computer vision to detect and analyze multiple parameters of crops including color, shape, size, and texture to determine ripeness. This enables flexible, adaptive selection of crops for harvesting based on real-time visual analysis, replacing human judgment with automated parameter-based decision-making that operates continuously
3Productivity
If continuous harvesting is performed, then productivity increases, but the picking apparatus must be periodically stopped for offloading crops
Solution Approach 1:
The picking apparatus is divided into multiple independent grippers arranged radially, each capable of picking crops simultaneously. The carrier assembly is also segmented into multiple stations, allowing one station to be offloading while others continue harvesting, thereby maintaining continuous productivity and minimizing offloading downtime
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables continuous harvesting operations by implementing parallel processing: multiple grippers pick simultaneously, and multiple carrier stations operate in sequence with continuous offloading. This eliminates idle time between harvesting cycles, maintaining uninterrupted productive action throughout the harvesting process
4Productivity
If multiple grippers are used for simultaneous picking, then productivity increases, but the complexity of the picking apparatus increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple grippers are designed with identical structures and functions, each capable of independent crop picking. This modular, universal design simplifies the overall system by using repeated standard units rather than complex unique mechanisms for each gripper, thereby increasing productivity while controlling complexity through standardization
Solution Approach 2:
The picking apparatus is segmented into multiple independent radial grippers that can be controlled individually or in groups. This segmentation allows for simplified control architecture where each gripper operates as an independent unit, reducing the complexity of coordination compared to a monolithic multi-functional gripper system
Data Source
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.