HARVESTING MACHINE FOR FORMALLY TRAINED ORCHARDS

摘要

A novel mobile orchard platform and method of operation for preferably harvesting apples on trellised tress is introduced herein. An exemplary embodiment herein utilizes an articulated lifting arm which manipulates a catch frame and an apple harvesting attachment. The catch frame is configured with at least one but more often a multi-layer design of catch pans, which are inserted into the tree canopy wall lying under a trellised branch using the manipulating arm. An eccentric Dual Motor Actuator (DMA) coupled to support shafts is preferably utilized to provide shaker harmonic patterns and energy to one or more points on coupled trellis wires or one or more points of the branches of the trained trees residing in an orchard. The removed apples are caught using the catch pans.

主权项

1. A trained orchard mobile fruit harvesting system, comprising:
a mobile platform; a manipulating arm operably coupled to a proximate end of the mobile platform; at least one end-effector coupled to a distal end of the manipulating arm and configured to be coupled to one or more branches of a fruit tree or a trellis wire that is coupled to the fruit tree residing in a trained orchard; a pair of dual motor actuators, wherein the dual motor actuators are eccentrically coupled to the at least one end-effector and directed to manipulate the at least one end-effector with a same or different frequency and amplitude, and with same or counter-propagating motions, wherein the directed same or different frequency and amplitude, and same or counter-propagating motions provide desired one or more eccentric shaking patterns to the coupled branches or the trellis wire in a controlled continuous or non-continuous manner; and one or more catch frames operably and rotatably coupled to the mobile platform for extension toward and retraction from, sections therebetween trees in a trained orchard having fruit to be harvested via the one or more eccentric shaking patterns.