JPH0255002B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a harvesting device, and particularly to a harvesting device to which a manipulator is applied so as to be able to harvest fruits such as tangerines and apples.

In view of the current situation where mechanization of fruit harvesting work has not progressed, the applicant has already proposed a fruit harvesting device using a manipulator in a previous application, etc. The hand, which is the picking section, is moved closer to the target object by giving the coordinates of the target object in the same manner as conventionally done using an industrial manipulator.

However, when using a manipulator as a device for harvesting fruits, etc., it is necessary to use triangulation or distance measurement to determine the position coordinates of objects such as fruits that are irregularly scattered in a three-dimensional space. Therefore, the configuration of the detection device becomes complicated. Further, since the hand approaches the target while comparing the position of the target detected by the detection device with the position of the hand, the guidance and control of the hand becomes complicated.

Furthermore, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 48-93063 discloses a configuration for positioning an industrial robot with respect to a target.

That is, the optical position detector is equipped with a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements, and the robot hand is positioned based on the difference in the amount of light reflected from the target object that is incident on each photoelectric conversion element.

However, since the above configuration utilizes the amount of reflected light, it is susceptible to disturbance light and is not suitable for outdoor use or when the distance to the target is long. Therefore, it is difficult to apply it to a device for harvesting fruits, etc.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks and simplify the configuration for detecting a target object and guiding a hand to the target object.

In order to achieve this object, the harvesting device according to the present invention has a characteristic configuration in which a telescoping arm having a fruit-picking hand at its tip is pivotable in the horizontal direction with respect to the base; Imaging means is provided to be able to freely change the angle of elevation between the extension direction of the arm and the horizontal plane, and is attached to the arm with its optical axis fixed in the extension direction, and the imaging means captures the target object on the screen. The invention further includes a control section that emits a signal for causing the arm to extend when it is detected that the arm has been captured at the center of the arm.

By rotating the arm in the horizontal direction and changing the elevation angle, the optical axis of the imaging means can be directed in any direction. In other words, the optical axis of the imaging means can be directed to arbitrary targets scattered in three-dimensional space. Since the optical axis and the direction of extension and contraction of the arm coincide, the hand can be accurately guided to the target by extending the arm while capturing the target at the center of the screen.

Therefore, the configuration of the device that detects target objects scattered in a three-dimensional space and guides the hand to the target objects can be simplified, and a harvesting device with high operability can be obtained.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

As shown in FIG.
It is configured to be able to swing freely as shown by and extend and contract in the direction shown by arrow c.

That is, the arm 2 is provided so as to be able to freely pivot in the horizontal direction with respect to the base 1, and to change the elevation angle between the extension/contraction direction of the arm 2 and the horizontal plane.

A hand 3 for picking fruit is attached to the tip of the arm 2, and the fingers 4 of this hand 3 are equipped with contact sensors (not shown), so that when they come into contact with a target object, the hand 3 picks the fruit. It is configured so that it can detect that it has arrived. 5 is a shooter for conveying the picked fruit to a storage section (not shown).

A television camera 6 as an imaging means is attached to the arrow end of the arm 2 with its optical axis P fixed in the direction of expansion and contraction of the arm 2, and by swinging the arm 2 around the axes A and B. The structure is such that the target fruit can be captured on the screen.

Next, a method of bringing the hand 3 closer to the fruit will be explained based on the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, the arm 2 is rocked around the axes A and B according to a predetermined program, and the image taken by the television camera 6 is processed to detect that a fruit has been captured on the screen. Fruits are recognized based on the distribution of specific colors corresponding to the fruit colors. Here, the horizontal axis coordinate of the screen is the X axis, the vertical axis coordinate is the Y axis, and both coordinates at the center of the screen are 0.

As shown in FIG. 3A, when a fruit enters the screen of the TV camera 6, the coordinates of the fruit are detected, and if the X-axis coordinate is shifted, the axis B is moved by a predetermined angle α
The arm 2 is swung around the axis A, and when the Y-axis coordinate is deviated, the arm 2 is swung around the axis A by a predetermined angle β.

Then, as shown in FIG. 3B, the above-described correction is repeated until both coordinates become approximately 0. When the fruit reaches the center of the screen, the swinging motion is stopped and the arm 2 is extended (see Figure 3, c). When the contact sensor detects that the hand 3 has reached the fruit, the hand 3 is caused to perform a predetermined action to pick the fruit.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the harvesting device according to the invention,
FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view, FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a control method, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing changes in images. 1...Base, 2...Arm, 3...Hand, 6...Imaging means.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A telescoping arm 2 with a fruit-picking hand 3 provided at its tip is capable of pivoting horizontally with respect to the base 1, and changes the angle of elevation between the telescoping direction of the arm 2 and the horizontal plane. An imaging means 6 that is freely provided and captures a target is attached to the arm 2 with its optical axis P fixed in the expansion and contraction direction, and the imaging means 6 captures the target at the center of the screen. A harvesting device comprising a control unit that emits a signal that causes the arm 2 to perform an extension movement when detected.