JP7723911B2 - Crop Harvesting System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a harvesting system for harvesting crops such as fruit and vegetables grown in multiple cultivation beds within a cultivation facility.

Patent Document 1 discloses a harvesting vehicle that moves between multiple cultivation beds and uses a harvesting hand body (a so-called arm) to harvest crops such as fruit and vegetables grown in the cultivation beds one after another.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-58281

However, the harvesting vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1 has the problem that the vehicle becomes large because the crops harvested by the harvesting hand body are stored in a storage container (storage bucket) mounted on the vehicle. Furthermore, storing the harvested crops in the storage container using the harvesting hand body also has the problem of making the mechanism and control complex.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a crop harvesting system that enables the size of the harvesting vehicle to be reduced and simplifies the mechanism and control of the harvesting vehicle.

The object of the present invention is to
A cultivation bed provided in the cultivation facility;
a harvesting vehicle having an imaging device that captures images of the crops grown in the cultivation beds and a harvesting unit that harvests the crops captured by the imaging device;
a storage container disposed near the cultivation bed;
The harvesting vehicle is provided with a crop harvesting system configured to store crops harvested by the harvesting section in the storage container.

According to the present invention, crops harvested by the harvesting section of a harvesting vehicle are stored in a storage container located near the cultivation bed. This eliminates the need for space on the harvesting vehicle to mount the storage container, allowing the harvesting vehicle to be made smaller. Furthermore, since no mechanisms or controls are required to store harvested crops in the harvesting vehicle, the mechanisms and controls of the harvesting vehicle can be simplified.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
The container is a gutter that is arranged along the growing bed and receives drainage from the growing bed.

In this preferred embodiment of the present invention, the gutter that receives drainage from the cultivation bed is used as a container for storing harvested crops, allowing the use of existing cultivation equipment and reducing capital investment.

In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention,
Further, a collection vehicle is provided to collect the crops stored in the storage container,
After the harvesting operation by the harvesting vehicle is completed, the recovery operation is carried out by the recovery vehicle.

In this preferred embodiment of the present invention, harvesting is performed by a harvesting vehicle and recovery is performed by a recovery vehicle, simplifying the mechanisms and controls of each vehicle. Furthermore, because harvesting and recovery are performed at different times, there is no need for communication or the process of handing over boxes containing the crops between the harvesting and recovery vehicles, improving work efficiency.

In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention,
The container is configured to be switchable between a storage position in which it can store crops and a recovery position in which it can recover the crops using the recovery vehicle.

In this preferred embodiment of the present invention, the storage container is configured to be switchable between a storage position in which crops can be stored and a recovery position in which the crops can be recovered by a recovery vehicle, allowing crops harvested by a harvesting vehicle and stored in the storage container to be efficiently recovered.

The present invention makes it possible to provide a crop harvesting system that allows for the miniaturization of harvesting vehicles and simplifies the mechanisms and controls of the harvesting vehicles.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of a harvesting system and a cultivation facility according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2(a) is an explanatory diagram of crops being harvested by a harvesting vehicle in the sub-passage shown in Figure 1, viewed from the Y direction, and Figure 2(b) is an explanatory diagram of the vicinity of the cultivation bed, viewed from the X direction. Figure 3(a) is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the coordinated harvesting and recovery operations by conventional cooperative vehicles, and Figure 3(b) is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the harvesting and recovery operations by the harvesting vehicles and recovery vehicles of the harvesting system of the embodiment shown in Figure 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory view showing how crops are collected by the collection vehicle according to the embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing how a plurality of harvesting vehicles perform a crop harvesting operation in the embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic side view showing how crops are removed from a multi-tiered rack. Figure 7(a) is a schematic rear view showing the vicinity of the wheels of a conventional running vehicle, Figure 7(b) is a schematic rear view showing a configuration in which four wheels can be driven independently, and Figure 7(c) is a schematic rear view showing the vicinity of the wheels of a harvesting vehicle and a recovery vehicle according to the embodiment shown in Figure 1. Figure 8(a) is a schematic plan view showing the state when the center of rotation of the wheel is located above the wheel, Figure 8(b) is a schematic plan view of the vicinity of the wheel shown in Figure 7(c), and Figure 8(c) is a schematic side view showing the state when the vicinity of the wheel is viewed from the direction of arrow α shown in Figure 8(b). Figure 9(a) is a schematic rear view of the vicinity of the wheel, showing the state in which the wheel shown in Figure 7(c) is located on the outer side in the vehicle width direction, and Figure 9(b) is a schematic rear view of the vicinity of the wheel, showing the state in which the wheel shown in Figure 7(c) is located on the inner side in the vehicle width direction. FIG. 10 is a schematic explanatory view showing how crops 40 are collected by a collection vehicle 4 according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a schematic explanatory view showing how crops 40 are collected by a collection vehicle 4 according to yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a schematic explanatory view showing how crops stored in a gutter are collected by a collection vehicle in a harvesting system according to yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of a harvesting system and cultivation equipment according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Figure 1, the cultivation facility is equipped with a cultivation room 1 where plants are cultivated and where the indoor environment, including temperature and humidity, is controlled, and a shipping room (fruit sorting area) 2.

A main passage 14 is provided within the cultivation room 1 along which the harvesting vehicle 3 and collection vehicle 4 of the harvesting system of the present invention travel, and on both sides of the main passage 14 are arranged a pair of cultivation units 6A, 6B each equipped with a number of cultivation beds 5 for cultivating crops.

Each cultivation bed 5 is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is perpendicular to the main passage 14 and is generally parallel to one another, and sub-passages 6 extending perpendicularly from the main passage 14 are provided between the cultivation beds 5.

In the following explanation, the direction in which the cultivation beds 5 are lined up is referred to as the X direction, the horizontal direction perpendicular to this X direction is referred to as the Y direction, and within the X direction, the direction approaching the shipping room 2 is referred to as the +X direction, and the direction away from the shipping room 2 is referred to as the -X direction.

The shipping room 2 is equipped with a nutrient solution supplying device 11 that supplies nutrient solution to each cultivation bed 5, and a sorting device 12 that sorts harvested plants by weight, size, or grade. The sorting device 12 has a sorting conveyor 13 that transports and sorts the crops, and crop storage areas 12 for each grade located on both sides of the sorting conveyor 13. Workers can move between the cultivation room 1 and the shipping room 2 through an entrance/exit 15.

Figure 2(a) is an explanatory diagram of crops being harvested by a harvesting vehicle 3 in the sub-passage 6 shown in Figure 1, viewed from the Y direction, and Figure 2(b) is an explanatory diagram of the vicinity of the cultivation bed 5, viewed from the X direction.

The crop harvesting system of this embodiment comprises a number of cultivation beds 5 arranged within the cultivation room 1 of the cultivation facility, stem holders 15 that receive plant stems and prevent excessive leaf drooping, gutters 16 that extend along the cultivation beds 5 and receive drainage from the cultivation beds 5, harvesting shelves 34, a harvesting vehicle 3 that harvests crops 40 grown in the cultivation beds 5, a recovery vehicle 4 (see Figure 1) that recovers the crops 40 harvested by the harvesting vehicle 3, and traveling rails 8 arranged in each sub-passage 6.

The harvesting vehicle 3 and the collection vehicle 4 are each configured to be able to travel on the running rails 8 installed on the floor of each sub-passage 6 and on the main passage 14, and within each sub-passage 6, harvesting work can be carried out on the crops 40 grown in the cultivation beds 5, or collection of the harvested crops 40.

As shown in Figures 2(a) and 2(b), harvesting shelves 34 are attached to the underside of the stem holders 15. The harvesting shelves 34 extend in the Y direction along the gutter 16 and are spaced apart at intervals similar to the spacing of the stem holders 15. At the upper end of the harvesting shelves 34, the edge on the +X side is fixed to the underside of the stem holders 15 by hinges 28.

The harvesting vehicle 3 is equipped with a total of four wheels 18 located on the left front, left rear, right front, and right rear of the vehicle, as well as drive mechanisms for each wheel 18, an imaging device (not shown) that captures images of the cultivated crops 40, an arm 35 that harvests the crops 40, a rail sensor that detects the traveling rails 8, and a control device that controls these.

The control device is configured to identify the three-dimensional position of the crop 40 imaged by the imaging device, drive the arm 35 to match that position to harvest the crop 40, and store the harvested crop 40 on the harvest shelf 34 whose three-dimensional position is identified by the imaging device.

In this way, the harvested crops 40 are stored not in the vehicle itself but in the harvesting racks 34 located near the cultivation beds 5. This eliminates the need to provide the harvesting vehicle 3 with mechanisms, controls, and space for storing the harvested crops 40, thereby enabling the harvesting vehicle 3 to be made more compact and the configuration of the harvesting vehicle 3 to be simplified. It is not necessary to detect the position of the harvesting racks 34 using an imaging device; the arm 35 may be driven to store the harvested crops 40 in the harvesting racks 34 based on the relative position of the harvesting racks 34 with respect to the traveling rails 8 on which the harvesting vehicle 3 travels.

Figure 3(a) is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the coordinated harvesting and recovery operations by conventional cooperative vehicles, and Figure 3(b) is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the harvesting and recovery operations by the harvesting vehicle 3 and recovery vehicle 4 of the harvesting system according to the embodiment shown in Figure 1.

In conventional cooperative harvesting vehicles (harvesting robots) and recovery vehicles (recovery robots), they are mechanically connected to each other so that they can communicate information with each other. The harvesting vehicle harvests crops and stores them in boxes, then transports the boxes containing the crops to the recovery vehicle, and the recovery vehicle automatically hands over the empty boxes to the harvesting vehicle. This creates the problem of the interconnected vehicles becoming excessively large.

In addition, information had to be communicated between the harvesting vehicle and the collection vehicle each time, and it was necessary to enable box transfer and linked control, which created the problem of complex mechanisms and controls.

In consideration of this situation, in this embodiment, the harvesting vehicle 3 and the recovery vehicle 4 are configured to be independent of each other, and after the crops 40 are stored on the harvesting shelves 34 by the harvesting vehicle 3 traveling on the traveling rails 8, the recovery vehicle 4 travels on the traveling rails 8 and sequentially recovers the crops 40 stored on the harvesting shelves 34 based on the operator's instruction to start recovery.

Specifically, a harvesting rack 34 is provided near the cultivation bed 5, and after the harvesting vehicle 3 stores the harvested crops 40 on the harvesting rack 34, the recovery vehicle 4 recovers the crops 40 stored on the harvesting rack 34. This allows the harvesting vehicle 3 and recovery vehicle 4 to be compact in size, and simplifies the mechanisms and control of the harvesting vehicle 3 and recovery vehicle 4.

In addition, because harvesting and collection operations are carried out at separate times, there is no need for communication or the process of handing over boxes between the harvesting vehicle 3 and the collection vehicle 4, improving work efficiency.

In this embodiment, after the harvest vehicle 3 has finished harvesting the crops 40 from each cultivation bed 5, the recovery vehicle 4 begins recovery of the crops 40 stored on the harvest shelves 34 located near the harvested cultivation bed 5 based on the operator's instruction to start recovery. However, the recovery vehicle may also be configured to automatically begin recovery of crops from cultivation beds where harvesting by the harvest vehicle has been completed, or to automatically begin recovery of crops after harvesting by the harvest vehicle has been completed for all cultivation beds. Furthermore, crop recovery may be performed manually by a worker the day after harvesting by the harvest vehicle, rather than by a recovery vehicle. If the crops are recovered manually by a worker, conventional carts and boxes can be used for recovery, thereby reducing capital investment.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing how crops 40 are collected by the collection vehicle 4 in the embodiment shown in Figure 1.

The collection vehicle 4 is equipped with an imaging device for identifying the harvesting shelves 34, a rail sensor for detecting the traveling rails 8, an air cylinder 42 mounted on the top of the vehicle, a multi-tiered rack 43 for storing the collected crops 40, a chute 44 mounted on the side of the vehicle, a total of four wheels 18 mounted on the left front, left rear, right front, and right rear of the vehicle, drive mechanisms for each wheel 18, and a control device for controlling these. The four wheels 18 of the collection vehicle 4 and the drive mechanisms for each wheel 18, which will be described in detail later, are the same as the wheels 18 and their drive mechanisms of the harvesting vehicle 3.

When the recovery vehicle 4 is positioned on the sub-passage 6 to the side of each harvest shelf 34 (at a position adjacent to each harvest shelf 34 in the X direction), the control device of the recovery vehicle 4 extends the air cylinder 42 in the +X direction shown in Figure 4.

As shown in the speech bubble in Figure 4, when the crops 40 are being cultivated, the edge of each harvest shelf 34 on the sub-passage 6 side (the edge on the -X side) is hooked onto an L-shaped protrusion 47 formed on the underside of the stalk holder 15 and is attached. When the crops 40 are being collected, the air cylinder 42 extends and comes into contact with the upper side of the harvest shelf 34, causing the upper side of the harvest shelf 34 to bend toward the +X side, thereby releasing the hook from the stalk holder 15.

As a result, gravity causes the harvesting shelf 34 to rotate to the position shown by the dashed line in Figure 4, around the hinge 28 attached to its +X side edge, which connects the +X side edge of the harvesting shelf 34 to the underside of the stalk holder 15, and the crops 40 stored in the harvesting shelf 34 roll out to the -X side and onto the chute 44 of the collection vehicle 4.

As shown in Figure 4, the chute 44 has an arc-shaped curve and is inclined downward (downward to the right in Figure 4) toward the multi-tiered rack 43, which is indicated by a dashed line in Figure 4. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the multi-tiered rack 43 is open on the side facing the chute 44.

As a result, the impact of crops 40 rolling off the harvesting shelves 34 and falling onto the chutes 44 is softened, and the crops 40 roll toward the -X side on the chutes 44, allowing them to be stored in the multi-tiered rack 43. The multi-tiered rack 43 and the chutes 44 are each configured so that their length in the Y direction is approximately equal to the length in the Y direction of each harvesting shelf 34 shown in Figure 2(b).

In this way, in this embodiment, simply by extending the air cylinder 42, the harvesting shelf 34 can be rotated and tilted, and all of the crops 40 within the harvesting shelf 34 can be stored together in the multi-tiered rack 43. This allows the crops 40 harvested by the harvesting vehicle 3 to be quickly collected with a simple configuration and control.

Note that the harvesting shelf 34 shown by solid lines in Figure 4 is in the "storage position" according to the present invention, and the harvesting shelf 34 shown by dashed lines in Figure 4 is in the "recovery position" according to the present invention.

The shooter 44 is configured to slide up and down using a rack and pinion mechanism (not shown). When the air cylinder 42 is extended with the shooter 44 slid upward by the distance between each tier of the multi-tier rack 43 (from the position shown in Figure 4), the crop 40 is guided by the shooter 44 to the top tier of the multi-tier rack 43.

When the air cylinder 42 is extended with the chute 44 slid downward by the distance between the tiers of the multi-tier rack 43 (from the position shown in Figure 4), the crop 40 is guided by the chute 44 to the bottom tier of the multi-tier rack 43.

Therefore, when some tiers of the multi-tier rack 43 are full, crops 40 can be stored on other tiers by moving the shooter 44 up and down. The fullness of the multi-tier rack 43 can be detected, for example, by measuring the weight of the multi-tier rack 43.

As shown in Figure 4, the multi-tiered rack 43 of the collection vehicle 4 is positioned at an angle downward toward the -X side, i.e., the side of the collection vehicle 4 where the chute 44 is located. This allows the crops 40 to be naturally sent to the back of the multi-tiered rack 43 (to the right in Figure 4) on each vertically aligned tier of the multi-tiered rack 43. Furthermore, by forming each part of the multi-tiered rack 43 thin, it is possible to make it flexible and reduce damage to the crops 40.

Figure 5 is a schematic plan view showing the harvesting of crops 40 by multiple harvesting vehicles 4 in the embodiment shown in Figure 1, and Figure 6 is a schematic side view showing the harvesting of crops from a multi-tiered rack 43.

As shown in Figure 5, each collection vehicle 4 is configured to collect crops 40 from only one of the harvest shelves 34 located on the left or right side of the sub-passage 6 (in other words, the harvest shelves 34 contain crops harvested from the cultivation beds 5 on either the left or right side of the sub-passage 6). When crops 40 have been collected from all of the harvest shelves 34 located on the left or right side of the sub-passage 6, or when the multi-tiered rack 43 is full of crops 40, another collection vehicle 4 will collect crops 40 from only the other or only one side of the sub-passage 6.

In this way, by configuring each collection vehicle 4 to collect crops 40 stored on the harvest shelves 34 on only one side of the sub-passage 6, the mechanism can be simplified, the storage capacity within the vehicle 4 can be increased, and costs can be reduced. In addition, the harvested crops 40 can be collected efficiently.

As shown in Figure 6, the wall 43a on the back side (right side of the drawing) of each tier of the multi-tier rack 43 is configured to be rotatable, and in the shipping room 2, the wall 43a of each tier of the multi-tier rack 43 can be rotated open, and the crops 40 stored in the multi-tier rack 43 can be transferred to another box, allowing the collection vehicle 4 to be sent again to collect crops 40 stored on another harvest shelf 34 in the cultivation room 1.

As shown in Figure 10, instead of the chute 44, a transport conveyor 45 may be provided on the side of the vehicle 4, and the crops 40 that roll out of the harvesting shelves 34 may be received by the transport conveyor 45, and the crops 40 may be stored in the multi-tiered rack 43 by driving the transport conveyor 45. In this case, by configuring the transport conveyor 45 to be able to move up and down (slide up and down), the crops 40 can be guided into each tier of the multi-tiered rack 43.

In addition, the tilt angle of the transport conveyor 45 can be changed using a motor, and when storing crops 40 on the lower level of the multi-tier rack 43, the transport conveyor 45 can be tilted steeply downward to the right, thereby reducing the impact when crops 40 roll off the harvest shelf 34 and fall onto the transport conveyor 45.

If a transport conveyor 45 is installed instead of the chute 44, costs will increase, but damage to the crops 40 can be prevented.

Furthermore, instead of moving the chute 44 or the transport conveyor 45 up and down, the crops 40 can be guided to each tier of the multi-tier rack 43 by moving the multi-tier rack 43 up and down by a distance equal to the distance between the tiers using the chute 44 or the transport conveyor 45.

In addition, in this embodiment, crops 40 stored on the harvesting shelves 34 are collected by extending the air cylinder 42 attached to the top of the collection vehicle 4. However, as shown in FIG. 11, for example, an arm 35 attached to the harvesting vehicle 3 may be placed on the collection vehicle 4, and the crops 40 in the harvesting shelves 34 detected by the imaging device may be stored inside the vehicle 4 using the arm 35. In this case, costs can be reduced by sharing the arm 35 and the imaging device for crop recognition between the harvesting vehicle 3 and the collection vehicle 4.

The above explains how the harvesting vehicle 40 is used to collect crops 40. Below, we will explain the wheels 18 and their drive mechanisms of the harvesting vehicle 3 and the harvesting vehicle 4.

Figure 7(a) is a schematic rear view showing the vicinity of the wheels of a conventional traveling vehicle, Figure 7(b) is a schematic rear view showing a configuration in which four wheels can be driven independently, and Figure 7(c) is a schematic rear view showing the vicinity of the wheels 18 of the harvesting vehicle 3 and recovery vehicle 4 in the embodiment shown in Figure 1.

Furthermore, Figure 8(a) is a schematic plan view showing the state when the center of rotation of the wheel is located above the wheel, Figure 8(b) is a schematic plan view of the vicinity of the wheel 18 shown in Figure 7(c), and Figure 8(c) is a schematic side view showing the vicinity of the wheel 18 as viewed from the direction of arrow α shown in Figure 8(b).

As shown in Figure 7(a), in conventional running vehicles, a pair of left and right wheels, each located at the front and rear of the vehicle, are attached to both ends of a single axle. The single axle can be driven to rotate by a motor, allowing the running vehicle to move. However, when turning, the single axle and the pair of wheels must be rotated as a single unit, making it difficult to turn.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7(b), if each wheel were simply provided with an axle, a traction motor to rotate the axle, and a steering motor to change the direction of the wheel when turning, and bearings were provided to rotatably support each axle, and wheels were placed at the ends of each axle, the horizontal distance between the wheel and the center of rotation of the wheel driven by the steering motor to change the direction of the wheel (see Figure 7(c)) would become large, resulting in a large load on the steering motor when changing the direction of the wheel.

In consideration of this situation, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 7(c), a cover 25, which is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped cover without a bottom surface, is attached to the lower part of the pivot shaft 24 that is rotated (turned) by the steering motor 23 that turns each of the identically configured wheels 18 of the harvesting vehicle 3 and the recovery vehicle 4. The cover 25 is rotated by the steering motor 23 and covers the wheels 18 attached to the axle 36 rotated by the travel motor 41.

A bearing 48 is attached to the inner surface of the outer portion of the cover 25 in the vehicle width direction, and a bearing 49 is attached to the surface of the cover 25 facing the travel motor 41. The bearing 48 rotatably supports the end of the axle 36 opposite the end connected to the travel motor 41 (the outer end in the vehicle width direction shown in Figure 7(c)).

In this way, by arranging the wheel 18 so that it is sandwiched between two bearings 48, 49 each attached to the cover 25 that covers the wheel 18, the horizontal distance between the wheel 18 and the position of the rotation center of the wheel 18 driven by the steering motor 23 (which is the same as the center position of the rotation shaft 24) can be made shorter than when the wheel is arranged outside the two bearings (see Figure 7(b)). This therefore reduces the load on the steering motor 23 when changing the direction of the wheel 18.

In addition, the two bearings 48, 49 that support the axle 36 are attached to the cover 25 and are integrated into it, allowing the wheel 18 to be removed and easily replaced.

The wheels 18 are integrally constructed from rail running wheels 18a used when running on the running rails 8 and rubber wheels 18b used when running in places other than the running rails 8, such as the main passage 14 or the shipping room 2 (see Figures 4 and 7(c)).

When the steering motor 23 is driven, the rotation shaft 24, cover 25, bearings 48, 49, axle 36, wheels 18, and travel motor 41 rotate together around a rotation center extending in the vertical direction (see Figure 7(c)).

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8(a), if the position of the rotation center of the wheel (rubber wheel) driven by the steering motor coincides with the position of the widthwise center (wheel core) of the wheel (rubber wheel), when the wheel is rotated in a location other than the running rail 8, the wheel will be twisted in place, resulting in large friction with the floor surface and placing a load on the steering motor.

Furthermore, even if the center of rotation of the wheel (rubber wheel) driven by the steering motor does not coincide with the center of the wheel's (rubber wheel's) width (wheel core), if it is not located above the axle, the wheel (rubber wheel) will not roll smoothly on the floor surface, causing friction and increasing the load on the steering motor.

In contrast, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 8(b), when the wheel 18 is rotated by the driving of the steering motor 23, the position of the rotation center (which is the same as the center position of the rotation shaft 24 when viewed from above) is offset from the position of the widthwise center of the rubber wheel 18b (the wheel core) shown by the dashed dotted line, and is also located on the axle 36.

By configuring it in this way, when the wheel 18 is rotated around the rotation center shown in Figure 8 by the driving of the steering motor 23 at a location other than the traveling rail 8, the angular difference between the rotation trajectory of the wheel 18 and the direction of the rubber wheel 18b is reduced, and as shown by the arrow in Figure 8(c), the rubber wheel 18b rolls smoothly in the circumferential direction on the floor surface while rotating around the rotation center shown in Figure 8(b).This reduces friction with the floor surface and reduces the load on the steering motor 23.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8(b), the position of the rotation center when the wheel 18 is rotated is offset inward in the vehicle width direction from the position of the widthwise center (wheel center) of the rubber wheel 18b, in the direction when the vehicles 3 and 4 are each traveling straight.

By configuring it in this way, the steering motors 23 are positioned inside the outer end of the traveling rail 8, as indicated by the two-dot chain line in Figure 7(c). Therefore, when traveling on the traveling rail 8 in the sub-passage 6, the steering motors 23 of the vehicles 3 and 4 do not come into contact with the crops 40 cultivated in the cultivation beds 5, and do not damage the crops 40.

In this embodiment, the offset between the position of the rotation center when the wheel 18 rotates and the position of the widthwise center of the rubber wheel 18b (the wheel core) is equal to the radius of the rubber wheel 18b. In other words, the radius of the rotation trajectory when the widthwise center of the wheel 18b rotates due to the driving of the steering motor 23 is equal to the radius of the rubber wheel 18b.

As a result, when the steering motor 23 is driven to rotate the rubber wheel 18b 360° (one rotation) around the center of the pivot shaft 24, the rubber wheel 18b rotates once in its circumferential direction, making it easier for the control device of each vehicle 3, 4 to control the steering motor 23 and the travel motor 41, making it easier to link the motors 23, 41, and facilitating position control when the rubber wheel 18b is rotated by driving only the travel motor 41.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 8(b), a long hole 52 extending in an arc over approximately 90° from the center of rotation of the wheel 8 is formed on the upper surface of each cover 25 covering each wheel 8 of the harvesting vehicle 3 and the recovery vehicle 4, and a pin 27 extending downward from a fixed frame 26 attached to the housing of each steering motor 23 is inserted through the long hole 52 into the interior of the cover 25.

As a result, when the steering motor 23 is driven, the cover 25 does not rotate more than 90 degrees, restricting the rotation of the wheels 8. This prevents the harvesting vehicle 3 and the recovery vehicle 4 from wobbling while traveling, allowing them to travel smoothly in a straight line.

The steering motor 23 can be configured as a servo motor or stepping motor, so that the direction of the wheels 18 can be determined based on the number of pulses input to the motor, without the need for a separate sensor. In this case, configuring the motor with an electromagnetic brake can prevent the direction of the wheels 8 from changing as the wheels 18 rotate during driving, allowing for more stable straight-line driving.

Figure 9(a) is a schematic rear view of the vicinity of the wheel 18 shown in Figure 7(c) when the wheel 18 is positioned on the outer side in the vehicle width direction, and Figure 9(b) is a schematic rear view of the vicinity of the wheel 18 shown in Figure 7(c) when the wheel 18 is positioned on the inner side in the vehicle width direction.

In this embodiment, the tread width of the two pairs of front and rear wheels 18 can be changed by changing the position of the collars 51 attached to the axles 36.

Specifically, the wheel 18 is configured with a sufficient length to accommodate the width of the collar 51. When the wheel 18 is removed and the collar 51 is positioned between the wheel 18 and the bearing 49, as shown in Figure 9(a), the wheel 18 is positioned outward in the width direction of the vehicle by the length of the collar 51.

In contrast, if the wheel 18 is removed and the collar 51 is positioned between the wheel 18 and the bearing 48, as shown in Figure 9(b), the wheel 18 will be positioned inward in the vehicle width direction by the amount of the collar 51.

In this way, the position of the wheel 18 in the vehicle width direction is changed depending on the mounting position of the collar 51 on the axle 36, allowing the harvesting vehicle 3 and the recovery vehicle 4 to be adapted to cultivation rooms (greenhouses) with different running rail widths.

In this embodiment, the harvested crops 40 are stored in a harvesting shelf 34, an example of a storage container, located near the cultivation bed 5, by the arm 35, an example of a harvesting section of the harvesting vehicle 3. This eliminates the need for space to mount a storage container on the harvesting vehicle 3, allowing the harvesting vehicle 3 to be made smaller. Furthermore, since no mechanism or control is required to store the harvested crops 40 in the harvesting vehicle 3, the mechanism and control of the harvesting vehicle 3 can be simplified.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the harvesting work (specifically, the work of harvesting and storing the crops in a storage container) is performed by the harvesting vehicle 3, and the recovery work is performed by the recovery vehicle 4, which simplifies the mechanisms and control of each vehicle 3, 4. Furthermore, because the harvesting work and recovery work of the crops 40 are performed at different times, there is no need for communication between the harvesting vehicle 3 and the recovery vehicle 4, nor is there a process for handing over boxes containing the crops 40, improving work efficiency.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the harvesting shelves 34 are configured to be rotatable and switchable between a storage position (shown by solid lines in Figure 4) in which the crops 40 can be stored and a recovery position (shown by dashed lines in Figure 4) in which the crops 40 can be recovered by the recovery vehicle 4. This allows the crops 40 harvested by the harvesting vehicle 4 and stored in the harvesting shelves 34 to be efficiently recovered.

After the harvesting rack 34 has been switched to the recovery position by extending the air cylinder 42 and has finished recovering the crops 40, it can be rotated by the operator, hooked onto the underside of the stem holder 15, and returned to the storage position.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and it goes without saying that these modifications are also encompassed within the scope of the present invention.

For example, in each embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 11, a drainage collection gutter 16 and stem holder 15 are placed near the cultivation bed 5, and a harvest shelf 34 is rotatably attached to the underside of the stem holder 15. However, as shown in Figure 12, the drainage collection gutter 16 may be configured to extend toward the sub-passage 6, so that the gutter 16 also serves as a storage container for the crops 40.

When the gutter 16 functions as a storage container for the crops 40, the drainage water can be collected and guided by the gutter 16 during cultivation, and during harvesting, the harvesting vehicle 3 can easily store the harvested crops 40 in the part of the gutter 16 that extends further toward the sub-passage 6 than the cultivation bed 5, as shown in Figure 12.

During recovery, the air cylinder 42 is extended based on the output signal from the control device of the recovery vehicle 4, causing it to come into contact with the upper part of the gutter 16, which is in the storage position shown by the solid line in Figure 12, and the upper part of the gutter 16 bends in the +X direction, releasing it from its engagement with the L-shaped protrusion 47 formed on the underside of the stem holder 15.

As a result, the gutter 16 rotates around the hinge 28 connecting the underside of the stalk holder 15 to the +X side edge of the gutter 16, switching to the recovery position shown by the dashed line in Figure 12, and the crops 40 contained in the gutter 16 roll out to the -X side and onto the chute 44 of the recovery vehicle 4.

In this way, after harvest, the crops 40 stored in the gutter 16 can be easily and efficiently collected using the collection vehicle 4. In addition, because the gutter 16, which receives drainage from the cultivation beds 5, is used as a container for storing the harvested crops 40, existing cultivation equipment can be used, reducing capital investment and simplifying the equipment.

Instead of the chute 44, a transport conveyor 45 as shown in Figure 10 may be used to feed the crops 40 into the multi-tiered rack 43, and as shown in Figure 11, an arm 35 may be used to collect the crops 40 stored in the gutter 16 into the collection vehicle 4.

Furthermore, in each of the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 12, a greenhouse is used as an example of a cultivation facility using the harvesting system of the present invention, but it may also be a plant factory or the like.

1 Cultivation room 2 Shipping room 3 Harvesting vehicle 4 Recovery vehicle 5 Cultivation bed 6 Sub-passage 8 Traveling rail 9 Nutrient solution supply device 10 Sorting device 11 Sorting conveyor 12 Crop storage section 13 Entrance/exit 14 Main passage 15 Stem holder 16 Gutter 17 Traveling cart 18 Wheel 19 Work vehicle body 20 Wheel 23 Steering motor 24 Rotating shaft 25 Cover 26 Fixed frame 27 Pin 28 Hinge 33 Stem holder 34 Harvesting shelf 35 Arm 36 Axle 40 Crop 41 Traveling motor 42 Air cylinder 43 Multi-stage rack 44 Shooter 45 Transport conveyor 47 L-shaped protrusion 48 Bearing 49 Bearing 51 Collar 52 Long hole

Claims (2)

A cultivation bed provided in the cultivation facility;
a harvesting vehicle having an imaging device that captures images of the crops grown in the cultivation beds and a harvesting unit that harvests the crops captured by the imaging device;
a storage container disposed near the cultivation bed;
The harvesting vehicle is configured to store the crops harvested by the harvesting unit in the storage container,
A crop harvesting system, wherein the container is a gutter arranged along the cultivation bed to receive drainage from the cultivation bed. A cultivation bed provided in the cultivation facility;
a harvesting vehicle having an imaging device that captures images of the crops grown in the cultivation beds and a harvesting unit that harvests the crops captured by the imaging device;
a storage container disposed near the cultivation bed;
The harvesting vehicle is configured to store crops harvested by the harvesting section in the storage container; and
Further, a collection vehicle is provided to collect the crops stored in the storage container,
After the harvesting operation by the harvesting vehicle is completed, the recovery operation is performed by the recovery vehicle, and
A crop harvesting system characterized in that the storage container is configured to be switchable between a storage position in which it can store crops and a recovery position in which it can recover the crops using the recovery vehicle.