NL2026810B1 - Crop harvesting system - Google Patents

Abstract

A crop harvesting system (50) includes an end-effector (1) for crop harvesting, a robot arm (52), a visual device (51), a tilt controlling section (67), and a cutting controlling section (68). The tilt controlling section (67) is configured to 5 perform a process of causing a passage portion (3) to pass through a harvesting target (91) to a position outside of a proximal end position (Pt) by tilting the end- effector (1) to be along a main stem (92) or a branch. The cutting controlling section (68) is configured to perform a process of cutting a fruit stem inserted into the passage portion (3) by moving the end-effector (1) to reduce an opening area of the 10 passage portion (3). _75_

Description

CROP HARVESTING SYSTEM

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a crop harvesting system for harvesting a crop hanging from a main stem or a branch.

BACKGROUND In recent years, in order to realize automating agriculture, an end-effector and a crop harvesting system for automatically harvesting crops have been proposed. For example, an end-effector has a scissors-shaped cutter disposed at a tip end of a robot arm (see, for example, JP 2019-037214 A). By cutting a fruit stem with the end-effector, a fruit is separated from a main stem or a branch and collected. However, when a fruit stem is cut using a cutter, the end-effector is brought close to the fruit stem, and the cutter may come into contact with the main stem or the branch and cause a damage to the main stem or the branch. Then, the main stem or the branch may be cut off. Furthermore, even when the cutter does not directly contact the main stem or branch, an excessive force may be applied to the main stem or branch. As a result, the main stem or the branch may be damaged or cut. Such cutting of the main stem or the branch would cause various diseases of plants. In severe cases, the plants die, resulting in reduced yields.

SUMMARY The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and one objective of the present disclosure is to provide a crop harvesting system for harvesting crops that can be safely collected while avoiding damages to a main stem or a branch during harvesting. In one aspect of the present disclosure, a crop harvesting system includes an end-effector for crop harvesting. The end-effector is configured to cut a fruit stem from a harvesting target bearing at a main stem or a branch to harvest the harvesting target. The system includes the end-effector including: a first member that has a cutter to cut the fruit stem; a second member that is configured to be movable relative to the first member; and a motion mechanism that is configured to move the second member relative to the first member. In the end- effector, at least one of the first member and the second member is formed in an -1-

annular shape including the cutter. The at least one of the first member and the second member defines a passage portion inside the annular shape to have the harvesting target pass through the passage portion. The motion mechanism is configured to relatively move the second member relative to the first member with the fruit stem being inserted into the passage portion to reduce an opening area of the passage portion so that the fruit stem is cut between the second member and the cutter.

The crop harvesting system further includes a robot arm, a visual device, a harvesting target detecting section, a position information specifying section, an approach controlling section, a motion controlling section, a tilt controlling section, and a cutting controlling section. The end-effector is attached to the robot arm. The visual device is configured to obtain visual information including position information of the harvesting target. The harvesting target detecting section is configured to perform a harvesting target detecting process to detect the harvesting target included in the visual information obtained by the visual device. The position information specifying section is configured to perform a position specifying process to specify a position including a distal end position and a proximal end position of the harvesting target detected during the harvesting target detecting process.

The approach controlling section is configured to perform an approaching process to control the end-effector to approach a start position set outside of the distal end position of the harvesting target by controlling the robot arm. The motion controlling section is configured to perform a motion process to move the end- effector from the start position toward the proximal end position to have the harvesting target inserted into the passage portion by controlling the robot arm. The tilt controlling section is configured to perform a tilting process to have the passage portion pass through the harvesting target to a position outside of the proximal end position by tilting the end-effector to be along the main stem or the branch. Thea cutting controlling section is configured to perform a cutting process to cut the fruit stem inserted into the passage portion by operating the end-effector to reduce an opening area of the passage portion.

Here, it is assumed that the fruit stem is cut by a scissor-type end-effector. When the scissor-type end-effector is moved to a position where a main stem or a -2-

branch can be cut, the scissor-type end-effector has to approach the main stem or the branch at a right angle relative to an extending direction of the fruit stem and the branch. At this time, when the scissor-type end-effector is moved, a tip of the cutter may contact the main stem or the branch, and thus may cause a damage to the main stem or the branch.

On the contrary, according to the one aspect, the end-effector can be moved to a position where the end-effector can cut a main stem or a branch of the harvesting target hanging from the main stem by having the entire harvesting target pass through the passage portion from a tip end of the harvesting target. That is, for a harvesting target that hangs from the main stem, such as a cherry tomato, it is possible to move the end-effector to a position where the main stem or branch can be cut by having the entire bunch of the harvesting target pass through the passage portion from a lower side of the harvesting target. Furthermore, since the moving member covers the cutter, the main stem can be prevented from coming into contact with the cutter. As a result, the cutter can be prevented from damaging the main stem or the branch, and the harvesting target can be safely harvested.

In addition, the crop harvesting system of this configuration performs the tilting process to have the end-effector reach a position where the crop harvesting end effector cuts the fruit stem (that is, the position between the harvesting target and the main stem or branch). When moving the end-effector, the end-effector can be in a posture along the tilt of the main stem or the branch. Accordingly, the crop harvesting system can avoid a situation where the end-effector exerts an excessive force by pushing up the main stem or branch when the end-effector moves to the position at which the fruit stem is cut. As described above, according to this configuration, when a harvesting target is harvested using the end-effector, the end- effector can be prevented from exerting an excessive force on the main stem or branch, whereby it is possible to avoid a situation where the main stem or branch is bent or damaged. As a result, the harvesting work can be performed safely.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The disclosure, together with additional objectives, features and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings.

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FIG. 1 is a plan view showing one example of an end-effector for crop harvesting according to a first embodiment in a state where a moving member is pulled out.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the end-effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment in a state where a cover member is removed from the end-effector shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the end-effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment taken along line X3-X3 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the end-effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment when viewed in the direction along arrow X4 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the end-effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment taken along line X5-X5 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the end-effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment taken along line X6-X6 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the end-effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment taken along line X7-X7 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is an expanded view showing the end-effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment when viewed in the direction along arrow X8 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is an expanded view showing the end-effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment when viewed in the direction along arrow X9 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the end-effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment in a state where the moving member is retracted.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the end-effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment in a state where a cover member is removed from the end-effector shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the end-effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment taken along line X12-X12 in FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is an expanded view showing the end-effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment when viewed in the direction along arrow X13 in “4 -

FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a diagram schematically showing a crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram schematically showing a controller of the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of visual information acquired by a visual device in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment, as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 17 conceptually illustrates an example of specifying each position by a position specifying section and of generating a motion path by a motion path generating section in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment, as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 18 is a diagram conceptually showing an example of a method of determining a target position Pg in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 19A shows a front view of a state in which the end-effector for harvesting crops is made to enter a space under a harvesting target in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 19B is a top view of a state in which the end-effector for harvesting crops is made to enter the space under the harvesting target in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of a harvesting operation executed by the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of a motion pattern and an operation pattern of the end-effector at each point during the harvesting operation in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment, where the end- effector is moved to a start position, as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of the motion pattern and the operation pattern of the end-effector at each point during the harvesting operation in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment, where the end- effector is moved to a distal end position, as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the motion pattern and the -5.

operation pattern of the end-effector at each point during the harvesting operation in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment, where the end- effector is moved to the target position, as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of the motion pattern and the operation pattern of the end-effector at each point during the harvesting operation in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment, where the end- effector is tilted at a tilting angle, as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of the motion pattern and the operation pattern of the end-effector at each point during the harvesting operation in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment, where the end- effector is tilted at the tilting angle, as viewed from one side (Part 1).

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of the motion pattern and the operation pattern of the end-effector at each point during the harvesting operation in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment, where the end- effector is tilted at the tilting angle, as viewed from the one side (Part 2).

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of the motion pattern and the operation pattern of the end-effector at each point during the harvesting operation in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment, where the end- effector is about to cut a fruit stem, as viewed from the one side.

FIG. 28 is an expanded view showing a part of arrow X28 in FIG. 27 of the end-effector for crop harvesting at each time point during the harvesting operation in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an example of the motion pattern and the operation pattern of the end-effector at each point during the harvesting operation in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment, where the end- effector grips the fruit stem after the fruit stem was cut by the end-effector.

FIG. 30 is an expanded view showing a part of arrow X30 in FIG. 29 of the end-effector for crop harvesting at each time point during the harvesting operation in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 31 is a diagram showing an example of the motion pattern and the operation pattern of the end-effector at each point during the harvesting operation in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment, where the end- effector is returned to a standard angle, as viewed from the front side.

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FIG. 32 is a diagram showing an example of the motion pattern and the operation pattern of the end-effector at each point during the harvesting operation in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment, where the end- effector is moving toward a collection box, as viewed from the one side.

FIG. 33 is a diagram showing an example of the motion pattern and the operation pattern of the end-effector at each point during the harvesting operation in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment, where the end- effector releases the fruit stem, as viewed from the one side.

FIG. 34 is a diagram showing an example of a data table stored in a storage area of the crop harvesting system according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 35 is a diagram conceptually showing an example of pattern matching processing for setting a tilting angle in the crop harvesting system according to a third embodiment (Part 1).

FIG. 36 is a diagram conceptually showing an example of the pattern matching processing for setting the tilting angle in the crop harvesting system according to the third embodiment (Part 2).

FIG. 37 is a diagram conceptually showing an example of a fitting process with a straight line or a curved line for setting a tilting angle in the crop harvesting system according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 38 is a diagram conceptually showing an example of specifying each position by a position specifying section and of generating a motion path by a motion path generating section in the crop harvesting system according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 39 is a block diagram schematically showing a controller of the crop harvesting system according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 40 is a diagram conceptually showing the relationship between a force detected by a contact detecting section and a rotation axis set in the end- effector in the crop harvesting system according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 41 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of a harvesting operation executed by the crop harvesting system according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 42 is a diagram showing an example of a motion pattern and an operation pattern of the end-effector at each point during the harvesting operation -7-

in the crop harvesting system according to the fourth embodiment, where the end- effector is moved to a start position, as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 43 is a diagram showing an example of the motion pattern and the operation pattern of the end-effector at each point during the harvesting operation in the crop harvesting system according to the fourth embodiment, where the rotation axis side contact detecting section detects a contact with the end-effector.

FIG. 44 is a diagram showing an example of the motion pattern and the operation pattern of the end-effector at each point during the harvesting operation in the crop harvesting system according to the fourth embodiment, where the opposite side contact detecting section detects a contact with the end-effector.

FIG. 45 is an example of visual information acquired by a visual device in the crop harvesting system according to a fifth embodiment, showing a state where the harvesting target is located on one side of the main stem, as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 46 is an example of visual information acquired by the visual device in the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment, showing a state where the harvesting target is located on the one side of the main stem, as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 47 is an example of visual information acquired by the visual device in the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment, showing a state where the harvesting target is located in front of the main stem, as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 48 is an example of visual information acquired by the visual device in the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment, showing a state where the harvesting target is located in front of the main stem, as viewed from the top side.

FIG. 49 is an example of visual information acquired by the visual device in the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment, showing a state where the harvesting target is located behind the main stem, as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 50 is an example of visual information acquired by the visual device in the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment, showing a state where the harvesting target is located behind the main stem, as viewed from the -8-

top side.

FIG. 51 is a view conceptually showing an approach direction in the case of FIG. 46 in the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 52 is a diagram showing an example of an approach direction of the end-effector for crop harvesting in the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment when the harvesting target is located on one side of the main stem.

FIG. 53 is a view conceptually showing an approach direction in the crop harvesting system as shown in FIG. 48 according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 54 is a diagram showing an example of an approach direction of the end-effector for crop harvesting in the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment when the harvesting target is located in front of the main stem.

FIG. 55 is a view conceptually showing an approach direction in the crop harvesting system as shown in FIG. 50 according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 56 is a diagram showing an example of an approach direction of the end-effector for crop harvesting in the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment when the harvesting target is located behind the main stem.

FIG. 57 is a view conceptually showing an approach direction of the end- effector for crop harvesting where an offset angle is taken into consideration in the situation shown in FIG. 51 in the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 58 is a view conceptually showing an approach direction of the end- effector for crop harvesting where an offset angle is taken into consideration in the situation shown in FIG. 53 in the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 59 is a view conceptually showing an approach direction of the end- effector for crop harvesting where an offset angle is taken into consideration in the situation shown in FIG. 55 in the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 60 is a diagram showing an example of a way of deciding an approach direction of the end-effector for crop harvesting in the crop harvesting system according to a sixth embodiment when the harvesting target is located on one side of the main stem.

FIG. 61 is a diagram showing an example of a way of deciding an -9-

approach direction of the end-effector for crop harvesting in the crop harvesting system according to the sixth embodiment when the harvesting target is located in front of the main stem.

FIG. 62 is a diagram showing an example of a way of deciding an approach direction of the end-effector for crop harvesting in the crop harvesting system according to the sixth embodiment when the harvesting target is located behind the main stem.

FIG. 63 is a diagram showing an example of a setting position of a rotation axis set in the end-effector for crop harvesting in the crop harvesting system according to a seventh embodiment, as viewed from the top side.

FIG. 64 is a diagram showing an example of tilting the end-effector for crop harvesting in a pitch direction about a pitch rotation axis in the crop harvesting system according to the seventh embodiment (Part 1).

FIG. 65 is a diagram showing an example of tilting the end-effector for crop harvesting in the pitch direction about the pitch rotation axis in the crop harvesting system according to the seventh embodiment (Part 2).

FIG. 66 is a plan view showing one example of an end-effector for crop harvesting according to an eighth embodiment where a moving member is pulled out.

FIG. 67 is a plan view showing one example of an end-effector for crop harvesting according to a ninth embodiment where the moving member is pulled out.

FIG. 68 is a plan view showing the end-effector for crop harvesting according to a tenth embodiment with a cover member removed wherein a gripping member is moving forward.

FIG. 69 is a plan view showing the end-effector for crop harvesting according to the tenth embodiment with the cover member removed wherein a gripping member is moving backward.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, multiple embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, substantially the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

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(First embodiment) Hereinafter, a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 33. <Structure of an end-effector for crop harvesting> First, the configuration of the end-effector 1 for crop harvesting will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 1 to 13. The end-effector 1 for crop harvesting of the present embodiment (hereinafter referred to as the “end-effector 1”) is an effector for harvesting fruits and vegetables, as harvesting targets, such as tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or eggplants that grow while hanging from a main stem.

Further, the end-effector 1 can be used for harvesting fruit trees, as harvesting targets, such as apples, pears, and grapes, which grow while hanging from a branch of a tree.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, etc., the end-effector 1 is configured to have a shape elongated in one direction as a whole and includes cutters 2, a base member 10, a moving member 20, a motion mechanism 30, and a gripping mechanism 40. In the present embodiment, the cutters 2 are disposed in the base member 10. Therefore, in this embodiment, the base member 10 serves as a first member having the cutters 2 for cutting a fruit stem. The moving member 20 is movable relative to the base member 10 along the longitudinal direction of the end-effector 1. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the moving member 20 serves as a second member that is movable relative to the first member, i.e., the base member 10.

In the following description, a direction in the longitudinal direction of the end-effector 1 (that is, the moving direction of the moving member 20) in which the moving member 20 moves to separate away from the base member 10 is defined as a front side of the end-effector 1 or a forward direction of the moving member 20. Further, the opposite direction, that is, a direction in which the moving member 20 moves to approach the base member 10 is defined as a rear side of the end-effector 1 or a backward direction of the moving member 20. Further, a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the end-effector 1 in FIG. 1 is defined as a width direction of the end-effector 1. Further, a direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction and the width direction of the end-effector 1 in FIG. 3 is defined as a thickness direction of the end-effector 1.

The base member 10 is a base for the moving member 20, the motion -11 -

mechanism 30, and the gripping mechanism 40 and includes holding members 11 and 12, a cover member 13, a connecting member 14, and an attaching member

15. The holding members 11 and 12 are arranged spaced away from each other in the longitudinal direction of the end-effector 1. In the present embodiment, the holding member 11 disposed on the front side has a so-called T-shaped cross section, as shown in FIG. 5. The front holding member 11 has sliding grooves 111 and a spring support 112. A plurality of (e.g., three) sliding grooves 111 are formed by being recessed from the cover member 13 and extend in the front-rear direction. The spring support 112 has a function of supporting one end of an elastic member 42 which will be described later. In the present embodiment, the spring support 112 is formed, for example, in a cylindrical shape protruding forward from a front surface of the front holding member 11. Further, the rear holding member 12 is formed in a rectangular shape as shown in FIG. 4.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the cover member 13 is formed in a plate shape as a whole. The cover member 13 is located on one side of the holding members 11 and 12 in the thickness direction of the end-effector 1. The cover member 13 covers at least a part of or the entire of the one side of the end-effector 1 in the thickness direction. The cover member 13 is fixed to the holding members 11 and 12 by fastening members such as bolts (not shown). Thereby, the cover member 13 connects the front holding member 11 and the rear holding member 12. A rear side of the cover member 13 is formed in a rectangular plate shape that is elongated in the front-rear direction of the end-effector 1. A front side of the cover member 13 is formed in a trapezoidal shape whose width widens toward the front side. As shown in FIG. 1, the cover member 13 has a recess 131 and guides

132. The recess 131 is formed by recessing toward the rear side from a front edge of the cover member 13 to be a rectangular shape. In the present embodiment, the recess 131 extends in the width direction across the center of the cover member 13 (that is, the center of the end-effector 1 in the width direction). The recess 131 is formed in the front end portion of the cover member 13 over at least half of the front end in the width direction (in this embodiment, formed over substantially the entire area of the front end in the width direction). As shown in FIG. 1, the guides 132 are formed on both sides in the width direction at the front end portion of the cover member 13 (that is, both end sides of the recess 131). The guides 132 are inclined -12 -

to expand in the width direction of the cover member 13 from the rear side to the front side of the end-effector 1.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the connecting member 14 is formed, for example, in a rectangular plate shape that is elongated in the front-rear direction as a whole. The connecting member 14 is located on the other side of the holding members 11 and 12 in the thickness direction of the end-effector 1, that is, on a side opposite to the cover member 13. The connecting member 14 covers at least a part of or the entire part of the other side of the end-effector 1 in the thickness direction.

The connecting member 14 is fixed to the holding members 11 and 12 by fastening members such as bolts (not shown). Thereby, the connecting member 14 connects the front holding member 11 and the rear holding member 12.

The attaching member 15 is a member that attaches the end-effector 1 to a robot arm 52 described later. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the attaching member is formed, for example, in a shape by bending a plate member. The attaching 15 member 15 is fixed to the connecting member 14 by a fastening member such as a bolt (not shown). The attaching member 15 extends from the connecting member 14 to one side of the end-effector 1 in the width direction. The attaching member 15 has a plurality of through holes 151 through which fastening members such as bolts pass. The end-effector 1 is attached to the robot arm 52 by inserting fastening members such as bolts through the through holes 151 of the attaching member 15 into bolt holes of the robot arm 52.

The base member 10 detachably fixes the cutters 2 for cutting a fruit stem. That is, each of the cutters 2 is detachably fixed to the base member 10. In the present embodiment, each of the cutters 2 is formed, for example, in a plate shape and is attached to the base member 10 in a posture in which its tip faces the front side. The cutters 2 are interposed between the front holding member 11 and the cover member 13, as shown in FIG. 5. Then, the cutters 2 interposed between the front holding member 11 and the cover member 13 are fixed by screwing the bolts 16 into the holding member 11 through the cover member 13.

As shown in FIG. 1, a cutting edge of each of the cutters 2 is housed in the recess 131. That is, the cutting edge of each of the cutters 2 does not protrude forward from the front end of the recess 131. In other words, the cutters 2 and the guides 132 do not overlap with each other in both the longitudinal direction and the -13 -

width direction of the end-effector 1. The moving member 20 is provided between the cover member 13 and the connecting member 14 and on a side of the cutters 2 opposite to the cover member 13 (that is, a side of the cutters 2 close to the connecting member 14). The moving member 20 has an annular member 21 and rotating members 22. The annular member 21 is a main part of the moving member 20. The annular member 21 is formed in a closed annular shape as a whole and is made of a metal or resin having rigidity, for example. In this case, the cutters 2 are disposed inside the annular member 21. That is, the cutters 2 are surrounded by the annular member 21. The annular member 21 is formed in, as a whole, a polygonal shape (e.g., a hexagonal shape) which is elongated in the front-rear direction of the end-effector 1. In this case, the annular member 21 integrally includes a frame portion 211, an attachment portion 212, a receiving portion 213, locking portions 214, and a moving member- side protruding portion 215.

The frame portion 211 has a so-called U-shape having a side extending in the width direction located on the front side of the annular member 21 and two sides extending in the front-rear direction located on both sides in the width direction of the front side. In the annular member 21, the frame portion 211 is formed thinner than other portions. In this case, the thickness dimension of the frame portion 211 is set to about several mm, for example, about 3 to 5 mm. The attachment portion 212 is a rear side portion of the annular member 21 and is thicker (that is, wider) than the frame portion 211. The attachment portion 212 is attached to the motion mechanism 30 by a fastening member such as a bolt (not shown).

The receiving portion 213 is formed by denting a portion of the frame portion 211 facing the cutters 2 (in this case, a side portion located on the front side of the annular member 21 and extending in the width direction) toward the front side to be a rectangular shape. The length of the receiving portion 213 in the width direction of the end-effector 1 is set to be approximately the same as the total lengths of the cutters 2. The locking portions 214 are provided on both end sides in the longitudinal direction of the receiving portion 213 {that is, both end sides in the width direction of the end-effector 1). In this case, the receiving portion 213 is recessed toward the front side of the end-effector 1 relative to the locking portion

214.

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The moving member-side protruding portion 215 is disposed in the receiving portion 213. As shown in FIG. 8, the moving member-side protruding portion 215 is a protrusion formed to protrude from the receiving portion 213 toward the rear side. In this case, the moving member-side protruding portion 215 extends over the entire length of the receiving portion 213 in the width direction (that is, substantially the entire width of the end-effector 1). The moving member-side protruding portion 215 can be formed with an acute cross-section as shown in, for example, FIG. 8, but the protruding portion 215 does not cut a fruit stem. That is, the moving member-side protruding portion 215 is formed with an acute angle such that when the moving member-side protruding portion 215 is pressed against a fruit stem, the protruding portion 215 does not completely cut off the fruit stem but cuts into the fruit stem. The moving member-side protruding portion 215 can be formed in a large number of pyramids, columns, or hemispheres, for example.

Each of the rotating members 22 is, for example, a roller formed in an elongated and thin cylindrical shape and is disposed in the frame portion 211 of the annular member 21, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 7. In the present embodiment, the rotating member 22 is disposed to surround a portion of the frame portion 211 that extends in the front-rear direction. That is, each of the rotating members 22 is disposed in an area of the frame portion 211 where the receiving portion 213, the locking portion 214, and the moving member-side protruding portion 215 are not formed. In other words, each of the rotating members 22 is disposed in a portion of the frame portion 211 excluding a portion facing the cutters 2.

The frame portion 211 is inserted into the rotating members 22, and the rotating members 22 are rotatable by receiving an external force. The rotating members 22 may be made of metal or resin and have rigidity, or may have a flexible surface. Each of the rotating members 22 may be composed of a single elongated member on each side or may be composed of a plurality of short members. Further, each of the rotating members 22 may be formed of a member that is rounded and has less friction. Therefore, the rotating members 22 do not necessarily need to be rotatable with respect to the frame portion 211. In this case, the rotating members 22 may be eliminated, and the frame portion 211 itself may be formed of a member that is rounded and has less friction.

The motion mechanism 30 has a function of moving the moving member -15 -

20 as the second member relative to the base member 10 as the first member. In the present embodiment, the motion mechanism 30 is formed of, for example, a ball screw mechanism. In this case, the motion mechanism 30 has a motor 31, bearings 32, a screw shaft 33, a nut member 34, a transmission member 35, guide shafts 36, and linear bushes 37, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6.

The motor 31 serves as a driving force for the motion mechanism 30, that is, a driving source for moving the moving member 20. The motor 31 is, for example, a servo motor. The bearings 32, the screw shaft 33, the nut member 34, the transmission member 35, the guide shafts 36, and the linear bushes 37 change the rotational force of the motor 31 that is a driving source to a moving force in a linear direction along the longitudinal direction of the end-effector 1, and then transmits the changed force to the moving member 20.

The motor 31 is attached to an outer wall of the holding member 12 on the rear side, for example. The motor 31 is connected to one end of the screw shaft 33 to rotate the screw shaft 33. The bearings 32 are configured to rotatably support the screw shaft 33 and is disposed in both the front and rear holding members 11 and

12. That is, the screw shaft 33 is arranged such that its axial direction extends along the longitudinal direction of the end-effector 1.

The screw shaft 33 is a shaft in which threads are formed over the entire length. The screw shaft 33 is rotatably supported by the bearings 32 disposed in the front and rear holding members 11 and 12 and is configured to connect the front and rear holding members 11 and 12. The nut member 34 has a function of converting rotation transmitted from the motor 31 via the screw shaft 33 into a linear movement along the axial direction of the screw shaft 33.

The nut member 34 is, for example, a ball nut having a large number of rotatable balls therein and is attached to the transmission member 35. The transmission member 35 has, for example, a block shape, and the moving member 20 is attached to the transmission member 35. In the present embodiment, the attachment portion 212 of the annular member 21 of the moving member 20 is fixed to the transmission member 35 by a fastening member such as a bolt (not shown). That is, the nut member 34 is connected to the moving member 20 via the transmission member 35. As a result, the moving member 20 can move together with the transmission member 35.

-16 -

The guide shafts 36 and the linear bushes 37 restrict the nut member 34 from rotating according to rotation of the screw shaft 33. Accordingly, the guide shaft 36 and the linear bush 37 have a function of linearly moving the nut member 34 along the axial direction of the screw shaft 33. The guide shafts 36 are disposed to connect the front and rear holding members 11 and 12. In this case, two guide shafts 36 are disposed on both sides on the screw shaft 33 in the width direction of the end-effector 1. Further, the two linear bushes 37 are disposed on both sides of the nut member 34 in the transmission member 35, and the two guide shafts 36 are inserted into the two linear bushes 37, respectively.

With such a configuration, when the motor 31 rotates, its rotational force is converted into a linear movement along the axial direction of the screw shaft 33 via the screw shaft 33, the nut member 34, and the transmission member 35. Then, the converted linear movement is transmitted to the moving member 20. Thus, the rotation of the motor 31 causes the moving member 20 to move linearly along the axial direction of the screw shaft 33 (that is, the longitudinal direction of the end- effector 1). The motion mechanism 30 may be a rack and pinion mechanism instead of the so-called ball nut mechanism including the screw shaft 33 and the nut member

34. Further, for example, the motion mechanism 30 may be an air-driven or electric direct-acting cylinder.

Further, the motion mechanism 30 may include stoppers 381 and 382 as shown in FIG. 3. The stoppers 381 and 382 are, for example, so-called stopper bolts, and are disposed in both the front and rear holding members 11 and 12. The stoppers 381 and 382 have a function of causing the transmission member 35 to stop by brought into contact with the transmission member 35. That is, the front end stopper 381 defines an end of a motion range of the transmission member 35 in the front-rear direction. In this case, it is preferable that at least the rear end stopper 382, which defines a rear end of the motion range of the transmission member 35 in the front-rear direction, is able to adjust a protruding amount of the rear end stopper 382 from the holding member 12. Accordingly, the rear end of the motion range of the transmission member 35 can be adjusted.

The gripping mechanism 40 has a function of gripping a fruit stem together with the moving member 20 when the moving member 20 moves and cuts the fruit stem of the harvesting target. This makes it possible to prevent the harvesting target -17 -

from falling when the fruit stem is cut. In the present embodiment, the gripping mechanism 40 has a gripping member 41 and an elastic member 42, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

The gripping member 41 is slidably attached to the front holding member 11 and is located between the front holding member 11 and the receiving portion 213 of the annular member 21. The gripping member 41 is also located between the cover member 13 (the cutters 2) and the front holding member 11 when viewed in the thickness direction of the end-effector 1. When viewed in the thickness direction of the end-effector 1, the gripping member 41 overlaps with at least a part of or all of the moving member 20 in the thickness direction.

The gripping member 41 has a grip portion 411, sliding portions 412, a spring support portion 413, and a grip member-side protruding portion 414. The grip portion 411 is disposed at a position facing the receiving portion 213 of the annular member 21 of the moving member 20. In this case, the grip portion 411 extends in parallel with the cutters 2 and the receiving portion 213. That is, the grip portion 411 is formed in a plate shape that is elongated in the width direction of the end-effector

1. Further, in this case, as shown in FIG. 1, the frame portion 211 of the annular member 21 and the holding portion 411 of the gripping member 41 in the moving member 20 are formed in an annular shape including the cutters 2. Then, a passage portion 3 is formed therein through which a harvesting target can pass. In the embodiment, the passage portion 3 is formed in a rectangular shape that is elongated in the front-rear direction of the end-effector 1. In this case, the longitudinal direction of the end-effector 1 is the longitudinal direction of the passage portion 3 or the front-rear direction. Further, the width direction of the end-effector 1 is the width direction of the passage portion 3.

Each of the sliding portions 412 has a plate shape that extends in a direction perpendicular to the gripping member 411 and extends toward the front holding member 11. The sliding portions 412 are slidably disposed in the sliding grooves 111 of the front holding member 11 as shown in FIG. 5. As a result, the gripping member 41 slides along the longitudinal direction of the end-effector 1 {that is, along the moving direction of the moving member 20) while the gripping portion 411 being in parallel with the receiving portion 213. The spring support portion 413 has a function of supporting one end of the -18 -

elastic member 42 that is opposite to the front holding member 11. The spring support portion 413 is disposed at a position facing the spring support portion 112 of the front holding member 11. In this case, the spring support portion 413 is formed, for example, in a cylindrical shape protruding toward the front holding member 11. As shown in FIG. 9, the grip member-side protruding portion 414 is formed in the grip portion 411 of the gripping member 41. As shown in FIG. 9, the grip member-side protruding portion 414 is a protrusion that protrudes from the grip portion 411 toward the front side. In this case, the moving member-side protruding portion 414 extends over the entire length of the grip portion 411 in the longitudinal direction (that is, substantially the entire end-effector 1 in the longitudinal direction). Similar to the moving member-side protruding portion 215, the grip member-side protruding portion 414 can be formed with an acute cross-section, but it does not cut a fruit stem. That is, similar to the moving member-side protruding portion 215, the gripping member-side protruding portion 414 is formed with an acute angle such that when the gripping member-side protruding portion 414 is pressed against a fruit stem, the protruding portion 414 does not cut off the fruit stem but cuts into the fruit stem. Note that the gripping member-side protruding portion 414 can also have, for example, a large number of pyramid shapes, columnar shapes, or hemispherical shapes, similarly to the moving member-side protruding portion 215.

The elastic member 42 is, for example, a coil spring. Both ends of the elastic member 42 are supported by the spring support portion 112 of the front holding member 11 and the spring support portion 413 of the gripping member 41. The elastic member 42 applies an elastic force to the gripping member 41 from the front holding member 11 toward the front side (that is, toward the receiving portion 213 of the moving member 20). As a result, the gripping member 41 including the grip portion 411 can be elastically moved relative to the gripping member 41.

As shown in FIG. 9, the gripping member 41 including the grip portion 411 protrudes toward the center of the passage portion 3 beyond the cutters 2 when a force in a direction away from the receiving portion 213 is not applied to the grip portion 411 (i.e., no external force is applied). At this time, the gripping member 41 covers one surface of the cutters 2 (in this case, the surface opposite to the cover member 13). Further, when the gripping member 41 including the grip portion 411 receives a force in the direction away from the center of the passage portion 3 (that -19-

is, when the gripping member 41 is pushed into the front holding member 11), the gripping member 41 moves in a direction away from the center of the passage portion 3 past the cutting edges of the cutters 2, as shown in FIG. 13. As a result, the cutters 2 are exposed to the extent that a fruit stem can be cut by the cutters 2. In addition, in the present embodiment, the locking portions 214 of the annular member 21 of the moving member 20 are, as shown in FIG. 11, engageable with both ends of the grip portion 411 in the width direction when the moving member 20 moves toward the base member 10. As a result, the moving member 20 is further restricted from approaching the gripping member 41. Then, the receiving portion 213 (the moving member-side protruding portion 215) and the holding portion 411 (the holding member-side protruding portion 414) are kept being separated away from each other with a specified distance L1 (see FIG. 13).

That is, when the moving member 20 moves relative to the base member 10, and the inner diameter of the passage portion 3 is reduced to a minimum size, the receiving portion 213 (the moving member-side protruding portion 215) and the grip portion 411 (the gripping member-side protruding portion 414) are spaced away from each other by the specified distance L1. As a result, when the end-effector 1 grips a fruit stem, the receiving portion 213 and the moving member-side protruding portion 215 do not come into contact with the grip portion 411 and the gripping- member-side protruding portion 414. Therefore, the end-effector 1 can avoid crushing or cutting the fruit stem and thus can avoid dropping the harvesting target.

The specified distance L1 is preferably set to be a value greater than 0 and slightly less than an average value of outer diameters of fruit stems. This allows the end-effector 1 to have the moving member-side protruding portion 215 and the gripping member-side protruding portion 414 cut into the fruit stem to more reliably grip the fruit stem of the harvesting target without cutting off the fruit stem.

Further, when the moving member 20 is located at the end of the motion range close to the base member 10, a gap of a specified distance L2 is formed between the cutters 2 and the receiving portion 213 of the annular member 21. The specified distance L2 is a value of O0 mm or more, and is set be small so that a human finger is prevented or restricted from entering the gap between the cutters 2 and the receiving portion 213. As a result, even if the gripping member 41 is moved and the cutters 2 are exposed when the moving member 20 moves toward the base member -20 -

10, it is possible to avoid a situation where the cutters 2 cut a finger of an operator or the like. As a result, safety is improved. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, the end-effector 1 drives the motion mechanism 30 to move the moving member 20 so as to retract the moving member 20 toward the base member 10, that is, the rear side of the end-effector 1, thereby reducing the opening area of the passage portion 3 and eventually extinguishing the passage portion 3. At this time, if the fruit stem 93 of the harvesting target exists in the passage portion 3, the fruit stem 93 is sandwiched (clamped) between the receiving portion 213 of the moving member 20 and the cutters 2 and thus is cut off.

Then, the fruit stem 93 having been cut can be gripped by sandwiching the fruit stem 93 between the grip portion 411 of the gripping member 41 (the gripping member- side protruding portion 414) and the receiving portion 213 of the annular member 21 (the moving member-side protruding portion 215).

In addition, the end-effector 1 drives the motion mechanism 30 to move the moving member 20 in a forward direction so as to push the moving member 20 away from the base member 10 (that is, the front side of the end-effector 1), thereby enlarging the opening area of the passage portion 3. Accordingly, the fruit stem 93 that has been cut and is gripped by sandwiching the fruit stem 93 between the grip portion 411 of the gripping member 41 (the gripping member-side protruding portion 414) and the receiving portion 213 of the annular member 21 (the moving member- side protruding portion 215) can be released. <Crop harvesting system> Next, an example of a crop harvesting system using the end-effector 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 29. The crop harvesting system 50 shown in FIG. 14 is an example in which cherry tomatoes serve as a harvesting target 91. More specifically, in the present embodiment, each of the entire clusters having a plurality of fruits is a harvesting target 91. The crop harvesting system 50 of the present embodiment can harvest a plurality of cherry tomatoes altogether for each cluster.

The harvesting target 91 such as cherry tomatoes bears fruits hanging from the main stem 92 via the fruit stem 93. Commercially available cherry tomatoes intended for sale in the market are often grown in greenhouses. In this case, the tip end of the main stem 92 is hung on a rail extending near the ceiling of the -21-

greenhouse. Thereby, the main stem 92 extends obliquely upward from the ground toward the ceiling.

Note that the harvesting target of the crop harvesting system 50 of the present embodiment is not necessarily limited to cherry tomatoes, as long as fruits are born while hanging from a main stem or fruit-bearing mother branch. Further, the harvesting target does not necessarily hang vertically downward from the main stem or the fruit-bearing mother branch. Furthermore, the harvesting target may be one that grows upward from the main stem or the fruit-bearing mother branch. In the present embodiment, both the main stem and the branch are targets to be protected from damage caused during harvesting work, and therefore both are technically Synonymous.

In addition to the end-effector 1, the crop harvesting system 50 of the present embodiment further includes a visual device 51, the robot arm 52, a carrying device 53, and a collection box 54. The visual device 51 is a device configured to obtain visual information including position information of the harvesting target 91. The visual device 51 may be a device, such as a stereo camera, a ToF (Time of Flight) camera, and a structured light scanner, which is capable of measuring a three-dimensional space and an object.

In the present embodiment, the visual information acquired by the visual device 51 includes color information as well as position information and outer shape information of the harvesting target 91. The visual information acquired by the visual device 51 also includes position information, outer shape information, and color information of the main stem 92, but may not necessarily include position information, outer shape information, and color information of the fruit stem 93. That is, in the present embodiment, the visual device 51 acquires the position information, the outer shape information, and the color information of the harvesting target 91 and the main stem 92, but the position information, the outer shape information, and the color information of the fruit stem 93 are not necessarily acquired.

In the present embodiment, the visual device 51 is attached to the base member 10 of the end-effector 1, more specifically in this case, the cover member 13 via a mounting stay 17 as shown in FIG. 3. That is, in the present embodiment, the end-effector 1 includes the visual device 51. Therefore, the visual device 51 moves in accordance with the movement of the end-effector 1. However, the visual 22 device 51 is not necessarily be attached to the end-effector 1. The visual device 51 may be attached to the robot arm 52 or the carrying device 53, for example. Further, the visual device 51 may be attached to, for example, a constituting element of a vinyl house (not shown) to always stay at a fixed position of the visual device 51.

The robot arm 52 is, for example, a 6-axis vertical articulated robot having a plurality of drive axes, in this case six drive axes. The end-effector 1 is attached to a hand of the robot arm 52 via the attaching member 15. The robot arm 52 operates the end-effector 1 to move to an arbitrary position and rotates the end- effector 1 to be in an arbitrary posture.

The carrying device 53 carries the robot arm 52 to which the end-effector 1 is attached and the collection box 54 to the harvesting target 91. The carrying device 53 has, for example, a motor (not shown) to drive tires 532 and can be moved to an arbitrary position by an external control. The collection box 54 stores and collects the harvesting targets 91 harvested by the end-effector 1 by cutting the fruit stems 93. The collection box 54 is formed, for example, in a container shape having an opening on an upper side thereof and is installed in the carrying device 53. Note that, if the facility such as a greenhouse is equipped with a device such as a belt conveyor that conveys the harvesting targets 91, the collection box 54 may not be used.

The crop harvesting system 50 also includes an end-effector control unit 4, a visual device control unit 511, a robot arm control unit 521, and a carrying device control unit 531. The end-effector control unit 4, the visual device control unit 511, the robot arm control unit 521, and the carrying device control unit 531 may be dedicatedly provided for the motion mechanism 30, the visual device 51, the robot arm 52, and the carrying device 53 of the end-effector 1, respectively. These control units are physically disposed in the carrying device 53, for example.

Each of the end-effector control unit 4, the visual device control unit 511, the robot arm control unit 521, and the carrying device control unit 531 is mainly formed of, for example, a power circuit and a microprocessor having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and a storage area such as a rewritable flash memory (not shown). The power circuit supplies power, which is a driving force, mainly to the motion mechanism 30, the visual device 51, the robot arm 52, and the carrying device 53 of the end-effector 1. The motion mechanism 30, the visual device 51, the robot arm

23.

52, and the carrying device 53 of the end-effector 1 are controlled based on commands from the end-effector control unit 4, the visual device control unit 511, the robot arm control unit 521, and the carrying device control unit 531, respectively.

A controller 60 is configured to control the end-effector 1, the visual device 51, the robot arm 52, and the carrying device 53 via the end-effector control unit 4, the visual device control unit 511, the robot arm control unit 521, and the carrying device control unit 531. The controller 60 is connected to the end-effector control unit 4, the visual device control unit 511, the robot arm control unit 521, and the carrying device control unit 531 by wire or wirelessly and therefore is communicatable with those units. In this case, the controller 60 controls the end- effector control unit 4, the visual device control unit 511, the robot arm control unit 521, and the carrying device control unit 531 via an electric communication line 80 such as LAN or WAN, or the Internet or a mobile phone line.

As shown in FIG. 15, the controller 60 is mainly formed of, for example, a CPU 601, a microprocessor having a ROM, a RAM, and a storage area 602 such as a rewritable flash memory. The controller 60 outputs driving commands to the end-effector 1, the visual device 51, the robot arm 52, and the carrying device 53, and receives feedback from the end-effector 1, the visual device 51, the robot arm 52, and the carrying device 53. The controller 60 is a control device that is not dedicated to any of the end-effector 1, the visual device 51, the robot arm 52, and the carrying device 53. That is, the controller 60 is a high-level device that outputs commands to the end-effector control unit 4, the visual device control unit 511, the robot arm control unit 521, and the carrying device control unit 531. The controller 60 can be formed of, for example, a personal computer or a server.

The storage area 602 stores programs for the crop harvesting system. The controller 60 executes programs for the crop harvesting system at the CPU 601 to virtually realize, by software, a target detecting section 81, a position information specifying section 62, a tilting angle setting section 63, a motion path generating section 64, an approach controlling section 65, a motion controlling section 66, a tilt controlling section 67, a cutting controlling section 68, a load detecting section 69, an overload recovering section 70, and a collection controlling section 71. It should be noted the target detecting section 61, the position information specifying section 62, the tilting angle setting section 63, the motion path generating section 64, the -24 -

approach controlling section 65, the motion controlling section 66, the tilt controlling section 67, the cutting controlling section 68, the load detecting section 69, the overload recovering section 70, and the collection controlling section 71 may be realized by hardware, for example, as an integrated circuit integrated with the controller 60.

The target detecting section 61 can execute a target detecting process. The target detecting process includes a process that determines whether the harvesting target 91 is present in a visual field of the visual device 51 based on the visual information acquired by the visual device 51. In this case, the visual information acquired by the visual device 51 is formed of point group data called as point cloud data as shown in FIG. 16. This visual information is formed of, for example, a group of points arranged on an X-Y-Z orthogonal coordinate system. The visual information includes color information of RGB (R: Red, G: Green, B: Blue) for each point and depth information (D: Depth) with respect to the visual device 51 {that is, position information on the X-Y-Z orthogonal coordinate system). In the example of FIG. 18, red is detected as the cherry tomato 91, which is the harvesting target, and green is detected as the main stem 92. Note that the visual device 51 may acquire, e.g., a monochrome value as the visual information with an infrared camera.

By recognizing the outer shape of the point cloud, the target detecting section 61 can recognize the outer shape of the harvesting target 91 and the main stem 92. In this case, the fruit stem 93 is thinner than the harvesting target 91 and the main stem 92. Therefore, if the visual device 51 needs to acquire the visual information of the fruit stem 93, it is necessary to improve performance and resolution of the visual device 51, which would result in an increase in the hardware cost. Further, the processing load on the visual device 51 and the processing load on the controller 60 using the acquired visual information would also increase. In view of the above, in the present embodiment, the visual device 51 is configured not to actively acquire the visual information of the fruit stem 93. As a result, the processing load on the visual device 51 and the controller 60 can be reduced.

The target detecting section 61 first extracts point cloud data having a high color value of the harvesting target 91 from the visual information acquired by the visual device 51. In the present embodiment, the target detecting section 61 extracts point cloud data having a high red value, which is the color of the cherry tomato 91.

25.

Then, the target detecting section 61 determines that the harvesting target 91 is included in the acquired visual information (i.e., a cherry tomato 91 which is a harvesting target exists within the visual field of the visual device 51), when, for example, the point cloud with a high red value exists over a predetermined range or more in the acquired visual information.

On the other hand, the target detecting section 61 determines that the harvesting target 91 is not included in the acquired visual information (i.e, a cherry tomato 91 does not exist within the visual field of the visual device 51), when, for example, the point cloud with a high red value exists only over an area less than the predetermined range in the acquired visual information. In this way, the target detecting section 61 recognizes the point cloud having a high red value in the acquired visual information as the cherry tomato 91. The target detecting section 61 may recognize the harvesting target 91 or the main stem 92 using the information of the point cloud (that is, the three-dimensional point cloud information} on the X- Y-Z orthogonal coordinate system included in the visual information or a monochrome value acquired by the infrared camera.

The position information specifying section 62 can execute a position information specifying process. As shown in FIG. 17, the position information specifying process includes a process that specifies positions for the harvesting target 91 including a distal end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and a proximal end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting target 91 from the visual information acquired by the visual device 51. In the present embodiment, the distal end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) is defined as a position of the harvesting target 91 on a tip end side of the entire harvesting target 91 relative to the main stem 92. That is, the distal end position is the farthest position from the main stem 92 in the entire harvesting target 91. Further, the proximal end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) is defined as a position of the harvesting target 91 on a base side of the entire harvesting target 91 relative to the main stem

92. That is, the proximal end position is the closest end to the main stem 92 in the entire harvesting target 91.

In this case, an outer side of the distal end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) means an outer side of the entire harvesting target 91 with respect to the distal end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) (that is, an outer side in a direction away from the main stem 92 with respect to the distal end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb)). On the contrary, the outside -26 -

of the proximal end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) means an outside of the entire harvesting target 91 with respect to the proximal end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) (that is, an outer side in a direction facing the main stem 92 with respect to the proximal end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt)).

The harvesting target 91 such as a cherry tomato hangs from the main stem

92. Therefore, in this case, the distal end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) is the lowest position of the harvesting target 91, and the proximal end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) is the highest position of the harvesting target 91. In the following, the distal end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the harvesting target 91 may be referred to as a lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb), and the proximal end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) may be referred to as an upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt). In this case, an outside of the distal end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) may be an outside of the lower end position Pb (Xb, YB, Zb), and an outside of the proximal end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) may be referred to as an outside of the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt).

The position information specifying section 62 extracts a point having the smallest Z value from the point cloud data of the harvesting target 91 detected by the target detecting section 61 (that is, the point cloud data having a high red value), and then specifies the point as the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the harvesting target 91. Further, the position information specifying section 62 identifies the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting target 91 by extracting a point having the maximum Z value.

Here, it is assumed that the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) are specified by using only data of the lowest point where the Z value has actually a minimum value and data of the highest point where the Z value has actually a maximum value. In this case, if noise or the like is included in the visual information acquired by the visual device 51, errors would generate in the coordinates of the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt). Therefore, in the present embodiment, the position information specifying section 62 specifies the lowest point where the Z value has a minimum value from among the point cloud date of the harvesting target 91 detected by the target detecting section 61 (i.e., the point cloud data having a high red value). Then, the section 62 calculates an average value of the point cloud data within a specified range that is defined from the specified lowest point to a Z point in a positive direction 2077 -

(for example, within the range from the lowest point to a point +20 mm from the lowest point). The section 62 determines the average value as the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb). [00713 Similarly, the position information specifying section 62 specifies the highest point where the Z value has a maximum value from among the point cloud date of the harvesting target 91 detected by the target detecting section 61 (i.e., the point cloud data having a high red value). Then, the section 62 calculates an average value of the point cloud data within a specified range that is defined from the highest point to a Z point in a negative direction (for example, within the range from the highest point to a point -20 mm from the highest point). The section 62 determines the average value as the upper end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb). In the position information specifying process as described above, the position information specifying section 62 can specify the position information of the harvesting target 91 (in this case, the lower end position Pb( Xb, Yb, Zb) and the upper end position Pt(Xt, Yt, Zt}) without using the position information of the fruit stem 93 connected to the harvesting target 91. In addition, as shown in FIG. 16 and the like, the target detecting section 61 can obtain the visual information about the main stem 92 (in this case, the shape including position information of the main stem 92 as well as color information) based on the visual information acquired by the visual device 51. Similar to the harvesting target 91, the target detecting section 61 extracts point cloud data having a high green color value, which indicates the main stem 92, from the visual information acquired by the visual device 51. Then, if a point group having a high green value exists over a predetermined range or more in the acquired visual information, the target detecting section 61 recognizes the point group having a high green value as the main stem 92. The tilting angle setting section 63 can execute a tilting angle setting process.

The tilting angle setting process is a process of setting an angle for a tilting process, that is, a tilting angle 8 for tilting the end-effector 1 to be along the tilt of the main stem 92. In this case, tilting the end-effector 1 being along the inclination of the main stem 92 means inclining the end-effector 1 to have the plane direction of the passage portion 3 be in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the main stem -08 -

92. In the present embodiment, each of the tilting angle of the main stem and the tilting angle © are defined as an angle with respect to the horizontal direction.

In the present embodiment, the tilting angle setting process includes a process of setting the tilting angle © to a predetermined constant value.

That is, in the present embodiment, the tilting angle 8 has a constant value and does not change regardless of the proximal end position of the harvesting target 91 (that is, the upper end position Pt{Xt, Yt, Zt)) or an actual tilt of the main stem 92. In this case, the tilting angle 6 is set to a constant value (e.g., 60°) within the range of 0° to 90°. The constant value may be, for example, a value set by a user in advance or a value calculated from visual information of the plurality of main stems 92 acquired from the visual device 51. The constant value is stored in the storage area 602 of the controller 60 in advance.

In this case, a plurality of tilting angles of the main stems 92 may be measured and the tilting angle 8 may be calculated as, for example, an average value, a median value, or a mode value of the plurality of tilting angles.

The motion path generating section 64 can execute a motion path generating process.

In the present embodiment, the motion path generating process includes a process of generating a first motion path R1 and a second motion path R2, as shown in FIG. 17. The first motion path R1 is a motion path without a tilting operation for tilting the end-effector 1 to be along the tilt of the main stem 92. In this case, the first motion path R1 is a path that extends to a target position Pg (Xg, Yq, Zg) from a start position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) through the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the harvesting target 91. The first motion path R1 may be a path connecting the start position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs), the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb), and the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg). In this case, the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) may be connected by a line or may be connected by a curve to substantially follow the shape of the harvest target 91. The second motion path R2 is a motion path after the first motion path R1 and involves the tilting operation for tilting the end-effector 1 to be along the tilt of the main stem 92. In this case, in the second motion path R2, the end-effector 1 at the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) is rotated at the tilting angle 8, that is, when the end-effector 1 is tilted, the passage portion 3 moves to the end position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) after upwardly passing through the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) from the -29.

target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg).

The start position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) may be set to a position immediately below the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the harvesting target 91 by a predetermined distance (for example, a position several tens of mm below the lower end position Pb). Furthermore, the end position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) may be set to a position immediately above the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting target 91 by a predetermined distance (for example, a position several tens of mm above the upper end position Pt).

In addition, the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) may be set to a position such that the passage portion 3 will upwardly pass through the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting target 91 when the end-effector 1 is tilted at the tilting angle 8 (more specifically, a position where the passage portion 3 is supposed to pass through the upper end position Pt). The reference point during movement of the end- effector 1 is set to, for example, a reference point Pc as shown in FIG. 1. The reference point Pc is set at an arbitrary position (for example, a center position) in the passage portion 3. Then, a posture of the end-effector 1 in which the reference point Pc and the end position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) matches after the end-effector 1 is tilted at the tilting angle 8 is set as a posture for cutting the fruit stem 93. As shown in FIG. 18, when the distance from the rotation axis Ax of the end-effector 1 to the reference point Pc is defined as a distance L, the motion path generating section 64 can calculate the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) using the distance L and the tilting angle 8 based on the following Expression 1. Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg)=Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze)+(0, L-LcosB, -Lsin8): : “(Expression 1) In the present embodiment, the rotation axis Ax of the end effector 1 during the tilting process is set at a fixed position with respect to both the base member 10 that is the first member and the moving member 20 that is the second member. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, the rotation axis Ax is set in one of two rod portions of the moving member 20 that extend in the approach direction of the moving member 20, that is, either one of the two rod portions to which the rotating members 22 are attached.

In the present embodiment, the approach direction means the approach direction of the end-effector 1 with respect to the harvesting target 91 when the end- effector 1 moves to a position below the harvesting target 91. In the present -30 -

embodiment, the approach direction of the end effector 1 substantially matches the forward direction of the moving member 20 with respect to the base member 10 in the end-effector 1. However, the approach direction of the end-effector 1 and the forward direction of the moving member 20 with respect to the base member 10 in the end-effector 1 do not necessarily need to match each other.

The position of the rotation axis Ax can be changed according to the tilting direction of the main stem 92. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 19A, the main stem 92 inclines in the right direction when viewed from the robot arm 52, that is, when viewed from the carrying device 53, the main stem 92 has the left side of the main stem 92 and the right side of the main stem 92 which is higher than the left side. In this case, when the end-effector 1 is moved to a position directly below the harvesting target 91, the left one of the two rod portions extending in the approach direction of the annular member 21 is closer to the main stem 92 than the right one. Therefore, the rotation axis Ax is set in the left one of the rod portions of the moving member 20 extending in the approach direction. If the main stem 92 is tilted in an opposite direction, that is, when the main stem 92 inclines in the left direction, the rotation axis Ax is set in the right one of the rod portions of the moving member 20 extending in the approach direction, which is closer to the main stem

92.

The approach controlling section 65 can execute an approaching process. During the approaching process, the end-effector 1 is moved to approach the start position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) set outside of the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the harvesting target 91 by driving and controlling the robot arm 52. That is, the approach controlling section 65 drives and controls the robot arm 52 via the robot arm control unit 521. Then, the approach controlling section 65 moves the end- effector 1 to enter a space below the harvesting target 91 so that the reference point Pc matches the start position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) while the plane direction of the passage portion 3 is maintained to be in parallel with the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. 19A.

The motion controlling section 66 can execute a motion controlling process. As shown in FIGS. 21 to 23, during the motion controlling process, the robot arm 52 is controlled to move the end-effector 1 from an outside of the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) toward the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) so that the harvesting target -31-

91 passes through the passage portion 3. In the present embodiment, the motion controlling process includes a process of moving the end-effector 1 to the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg). As described above, the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) is set such that when the end-effector 1 at the target position Pg (Xg, Yq, Zg) is tilted at the tilting angle 9, the passage portion 3 upwardly passes through the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting target 91.

The tilt controlling section 67 can perform a tilting process. As shown in FIG.

24, the end-effector 1 is tilted to be along the main stem 92 so that the passage portion 3 passes through the harvesting target 91 to an outside of the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt). In the present embodiment, the tilt controlling section 67 executes the tilting process based on the tilting angle 8 set during the tilting angle setting process. Further, in the present embodiment, the tilt controlling section 67 executes the tilting process when the end-effector 1 reaches the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Z9).

Further, in the present embodiment, the tilting angle © is set to a constant value (e.g., 60°) which is independent from an actual tilting angle of the main stem

92. Therefore, when the end-effector 1 reaches the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) in the motion process by the motion controlling section 66, the tilt controlling section 67 executes the tilting process. As a result, the end-effector 1 is tilted at the tilting angle 6, for example, 60°. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 24, the end-effector 1 is tilted to be along the main stem 92, and the passage portion 3 passes through the harvesting target 91 to be positioned outside of the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt).

The cutting controlling section 68 can execute a cutting process. The cutting process is executed after the harvesting target 91 has passed through the passage portion 3 in the motion controlling process. In the cutting process, as shown in FIGS. 25 to 30, the end-effector 1 is operated (that is, the motion mechanism 30 is operated via the end-effector control unit 4, and the moving member 20 is retracted toward the base member 10 to reduce the opening area of the passage portion 3) to cut the fruit stem 93 that is inserted into the passage portion 3.

The load detecting section 69 detects a load acting on the moving member 20 when the moving member 20 is moving. Thereby, the load detecting section 69 can determine whether the moving member 20 is moving normally. That is, the load detecting section 69 detects an overload on the moving member 20 when the 32 -

moving member 20 is moving. Accordingly, it is possible to detect whether the movement of the moving member 20 is interfered by the main stem 92 or the fruit stem 93 which is dragged into the moving member 20. If the motor 31 includes an encoder, the load detecting section 69 may detect a load acting on the moving member 20 based on signals output from the encoder. Further, the load detecting section 69 may detect a load acting on the moving member 20 by measuring a current value (that is, torque) of the motor 31.

Further, instead of measuring the encoder or the current value, a sensor or the like for detecting a position of the moving member 20 may be used. In this case, the sensor may be disposed at an end of the motion range of the moving member 20, for example. Then, the load detecting section 66 determines that an overload is generated when no detection signal is output from the sensor even though the end- effector control unit 4 controls the moving member 20 to move.

The overload recovering section 70 is capable of executing an overload recovering process. The overload recovering process includes a process of releasing the fruit stem 93 by the moving member 20 when an overload is detected while executing the cutting controlling process. During the overload recovering process, the overload recovering section 70 drives and controls the motion mechanism 30 via the end-effector control section 4. Then, the moving member 20 is moved toward the front side of the end-effector 1 (that is, moves in an opening direction) to increase the opening area of the passage portion 3. As a result, the grip of the fruit stem 93 by the moving member 20 and the gripping member 41 is terminated and the fruit stem 93 is released.

Then, the overload recovering section 70 drives and controls the robot arm 52 via the robot arm control unit 521. Then, the overload recovering section 67 controls the robot arm 52 to move along the motion paths R1 and R2 so that the robot arm 52 moves in a direction opposite to the above-described direction, i.e., starts from the end position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) and reaches the start position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) through the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) and the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the harvesting target 91.

The collection controlling section 71 can execute a collecting process. The collecting process is a process of collecting the harvesting target 91 by putting into the collection box 54 the harvesting target 91 whose fruit stem 93 has been cut and -33-

gripped during the cutting process. After the cutting process, the collection controlling section 71 drives the robot arm 52 via the robot arm control unit 521. Then, the collection controlling section 71 controls the end-effector 1 to move to a position immediately above the collection box 54 while gripping the fruit stem 93 of the harvesting target 91. Then, the collection controlling section 71 controls the end- effector 1 to release the fruit stem 93 at the position immediately above the collection box 54 and to drop or put the harvesting target 91 into the collection box 54. In this way, the harvesting target 91 that was separated from the main stem 92 is collected in the collection box 54.

Next, a series of controls of a harvesting operation for harvesting the harvesting target 91, which are executed by the crop harvesting system 50, will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 20. In the following description, the processes executed by each section 61 to 71 are actually performed by the controller 60. In this embodiment, a harvesting region is set along the main stem 92.

The carrying device 53 moves along the main stem 92 and the system 50 sequentially harvests the harvesting targets 91 along the main stem 92.

In the flowchart of FIG. 20, the processes in steps S13 and S14 are an example of the target detecting process. The process in step S15 is an example of the position specifying process. The process in step S16 is an example of the tilting angle setting process. The processes in steps S17 and S18 are an example of the motion path generating process. The process in step S19 is an example of the approaching process. The process in step S20 is an example of the motion process. The process in step S21 is an example of the tilting process. The process in step S22 is an example of the cutting controlling process. The process in step S23 is an example of the overload detecting process. The process in steps S24 and S25 are an example of the collecting process. The process in steps S26 and S27 is an example of the overload recovering process.

At step S11, the controller 60 first specifies a current position of the carrying device 53 based on information received from the carrying device control unit 531.

Then, the controller 60 determines whether the current position of the carrying device 53 is the end point of the harvesting region. If the current position of the carrying device 53 is the end point of the harvesting region (YES in step S11), the controller 60 determines that no next harvesting target 91 exists and ends the series -34 -

of controls. On the other hand, if the current position of the carrying device 53 is not the end point of the harvesting region (NO in step S11), the controller 60 determines that a harvesting target 91 still exists. Then, the controller 60 moves the process to step $12 and controls the carrying device 53 via the carrying device control unit 531 to move to the next harvesting point (next harvesting location).

Next, the controller 60 executes the target detecting process in steps S13 and S14. In step S13, the controller 60 controls the visual device 51 via the visual device control unit 511 to capture an image of a view toward the harvesting target

91. Then, in step S14, the controller 60 determines whether the visual information (i.e., image information in this case) captured by the visual device 51 includes the harvesting target 91.

If the harvesting target 91 is not detected in step S14 (NO in step $14), the controller 60 controls the carrying device 53 to move to the next harvesting point {next harvesting location). On the other hand, if the harvesting target 91 is detected in step S14 (YES in step S14), the controller 60 moves the process to step S15. The controller 60 executes the position information specifying process in step S15. That is, the controller 60 specifies the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting target 91 based on the visual information acquired by the visual device 51.

Next, the controller 60 executes the tilting angle setting process in step S16. In the present embodiment, the tilting angle 6 is set to a constant value (e.g., 60°). Therefore, the controller 60 can set the tilting angle © to 60° uniformly regardless of the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting target 91.

Next, the controller 60 executes the motion path generating process in steps S17 and S18. First, at step S17, the controller 60 calculates the start position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) and the end position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) based on the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) that were specified at step S15. Further, the controller 60 calculates the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) based on the end position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze), the distance L from the rotation axis Ax of the end-effector 1 to the reference point Pc, and the tilting angle 8 set in step S16. Next, the controller 60 shifts the process to step S18 and generates the first motion path R1 and the second motion path R2 which are the motion paths of the end-effector -35-

1. Next, the controller 60 executes the approaching process at step S19 and drives the robot arm 52 via the robot arm control unit 521 to move the end-effector 1 to the start position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs). In this case, the controller 60 controls the end- effector 1 to move so that the reference point Pc of the end-effector 1 matches the start position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) as shown in FIG. 21. Thereafter, the controller 60 executes the motion controlling process at step S20 and drives the robot arm 52 via the robot arm control unit 521 to move the end- effector 1 to the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) along the first motion path R1.

Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the controller 60 controls the end-effector 1 to move from an outside of the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) toward the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) so that the harvesting target 91 passes through the passage portion 3.

Next, the controller 60 executes the tilting process at step S21 and drives the robot arm 52 via the robot arm control unit 521 to rotate the end-effector 1 at the tilting angle © about the rotation axis Ax. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 24, the controller 60 controls the end-effector 1 to be tilted to be along the main stem 92, and the passage portion 3 passes through the harvesting target 91 to be positioned outside of the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt).

In this way, the end-effector 1 moves to the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) by having the harvesting target 91 pass through the passage portion 3 like scooping up the harvesting target 91 from a lower side. Then, the end-effector 1 is tilted by the tilting angle © and moves to a position beyond the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting target 91 toward the main stem 92. At this time, the fruit stem 93 that connects the harvesting target 91 and the main stem 92 is positioned inside the passage portion 3. Then, the harvesting target 91 and the main stem 92 are located on a lower, outer side and an upper, outer side, respectively, relative to the passage portion 3.

During movement of the end-effector 1, it can be assumed that the moving member 20 is in contact with the harvesting target 91. In this case, if no measure is taken, the harvesting target 91 that is in contact with the moving member 20 would be caught by the moving member 20 and pulled by the end-effector 1, which would result in being damaged. However, the moving member 20 of the present -36 -

embodiment has the rotating members 22 that are rotatable when receiving an external force. Therefore, even if the harvesting target 91 comes into contact with the moving member 20, the rotating members 22 can prevent, by its rotation, the harvesting target 91 from being caught by the moving member 20 when the end- effector 1 is moving. As a result, it is possible to more effectively prevent the harvesting target 81 from being damaged and decreasing its commercial value.

Next, the controller 60 executes the cutting process in step S22 of FIG. 20 and operates the end-effector 1 via the end-effector control unit 4. The controller 60 operates the motor 31 of the motion mechanism 30 to pull the moving member 20 toward the base member 10. Then, as shown in FIGS. 25 to 27, the receiving portion 213 of the moving member 20 first comes into contact with the fruit stem 93. As a result, the fruit stem 93 is drawn toward the base member 10 as the moving member 20 moves.

Then, the moving member 20 further moves toward the base member 10, and the locking portion 214 of the moving member 20 contacts both ends of the gripping member 41. As a result, the distance between the receiving portion 213 of the moving member 20 and the grip portion 411 of the gripping member 41 is kept to have a constant value, as shown in FIG. 28. Accordingly, the fruit stem 93 is placed and gripped between the receiving portion 213 of the moving member 20 and the grip portion 411 of the gripping member 41 in a state where the moving member-side protruding portion 215 and the gripping member-side projecting portion 414 cut into the fruit stem 93. Then, as shown in FIG. 29, when the moving member 20 further moves toward the base member 10, the fruit stem 93 is cut by the cutters 2 as shown in FIG. 30. As a result, the harvesting target 91 is separated from the main stem 92.

While executing the cutting process in step S22 of FIG. 20, the controller 60 executes the load detecting process in step S21. When an overload is not detected (NO in step S23), the controller 60 determines that the fruit stem 93 has been cut without the main stem 92 and the fruit stem 93 being entangled with the end-effector 1, and then shifts the process to steps S24 and S25.

The controller 60 executes the collecting process in steps $24 and S25. At step S24, the controller 60 first operates the robot arm 52 via the robot arm control unit 521 to rotate the end-effector 1 to be in a horizontal posture as shown in FIG.

37 -

31 and to move the end-effector 1 to a position above the collection box 54. When the end-effector 1 moves to the position above the collection box 54, the controller 60 drives and controls the moving mechanism 30 via the end-effector control unit 4 at step S25. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 32 and 33, the controller 80 moves the moving member 20 toward the front side of the end-effector 1 (that is, moves in the opening direction), and releases the fruit stem 93. Then, the harvesting target 91 falls or is placed in the collection box 54. In this way, the harvesting target 91 that was separated from the main stem 92 is collected in the collection box 54. Then, the controller 60 returns the process to step S11 to harvest a next harvesting target 91.

It should be noted that the end-effector 1 does not necessarily need to return to the horizontal posture after the end-effector 1 cuts the fruit stem 93 until the harvesting target 91 is dropped into the collection box 54. The controller 60 may move the end-effector 1 in a tilted posture to a position close to and above the collection box 54.

On the other hand, if the moving member 20 cannot move to the end of the motion range close to the base member 10 during the cutting process, an overload is detected in step S23 (YES in step $23). Then, the controller 60 determines that the main stem 92 and/or the fruit stem 93 are entangled with the moving member and the fruit stem 93 is not appropriately cut. The process proceeds to steps S26 20 and S27.

The controller 60 executes the overload recovering process in steps S26 and S27. In the process, the controller 60 first operates and controls the moving mechanism 30 via the end-effector control unit 4 in step S26 to move the moving member 20 toward the front side of the end-effector 1 (that is, the opening direction) and thereby the fruit stem 93 is released. Next, the controller 60 drives the robot arm 52 via the robot arm control unit 521 along the second motion path R2 and the first motion path R1 in the order opposite to the above-described order so that the reference point Pc of the end-effector 1 moves from the end position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) to the start position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) through the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt), the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg), and the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb). Then, the controller 60 operates the robot arm 52 via the robot arm control unit 521 to return the end-effector 1 to the initial position (that is, the position at which the carrying device 53 was initially driven), and returns the process to step S11 to - 38 -

harvest a next harvesting target 91.

According to the embodiment described above, the crop harvesting system 50 includes the end-effector 1, the visual device 51, and the robot arm 52. The end- effector 1 is to harvest the harvesting target 91 by cutting the fruit stem 93 of the harvesting target 91 that bears on the main stem 92 or the branch. The end-effector 1 includes the base member 10 as a first member, the moving member 20 as a second member, and the moving mechanism 30. The base member 10 includes the cutters 2 for cutting the fruit stem 93. The moving member 20 is movable relative to the base member 10. The moving mechanism 30 has a function of moving the moving member 20 relative to the base member 10.

At least one of the base member 10 and the moving member 20 is formed in an annular shape including the cutters 2 and forms the passage portion 3 through which the harvesting target 91 can pass. In the present embodiment, the base member 10 and the moving member 20 are formed in an annular shape including the cutters 2 and forms the passage portion 3 therein through which the harvesting target 91 can pass. Then, the motion mechanism 30 is controlled to reduce the opening area of the passage portion 3 by moving the moving member 20 relative to the base member 10 while the fruit stem 93 is being inside the passage portion 3. Accordingly, the end-effector 1 cuts the fruit stem 93 by sandwiching the fruit stem 93 between the moving member 20 and the cutters 2.

Here, it is assumed that the fruit stem 93 is cut by a scissor-type end- effector. When the scissor-type end-effector is moved to a position where the main stem 92 or a branch can be cut, the scissor-type end-effector has to approach the main stem 92 or the branch at a right angle to an extending direction of the fruit stem 93 or the branch. At this time, when the scissor-type end-effector is moved, the cutter tip may contact the main stem 92 or the branch, and thus would cause a damage to the main stem 92 or the branch.

On the contrary, according to the present embodiment, the end-effector 1 is configured to allow the harvesting target 91 to pass through the passage portion 3 by scooping up the harvesting target 91, which hangs from the main stem 92 or the like, from a lower side of the harvesting target 91. As a result, the end-effector 1 can be moved to a position where the main stem 92 or the branch can be cut. Furthermore, since the moving member 20 covers the cutters 2, the main stem 92 -39-

can be prevented from coming into contact with the cutters 2. As a result, the cutters 2 can be prevented from damaging the main stem 92 or the branch, and the harvesting target 91 can be safely harvested.

The moving member 20 as the second member is formed in an annular shape with a material having rigidity, that is, in the present embodiment, the moving member 20 has the annular member 21. The annular member 21 is formed in a closed annular shape as a whole and is made of a metal or resin having rigidity, for example.

According to this, it is possible to prevent the shape and size of the annular member 21 (that is, the shape and size of the passage portion 3) from changing due to a pressure by the weight of the annular member 21 or vibration generated when the end-effector 1 is moving.

This makes it easy to pass the harvesting target 91 through the passage portion 3 by moving the end-effector 1. As a result, the success rate of harvesting the harvesting target 91 by the end-effector 1 can be increased.

The cutters 2 are formed over half or more of the passage portion 3 in the width direction.

According to this, when the end-effector 1 moves the moving member 20 to reduce the opening area of the passage portion 3 {that is, when the moving member 20 moves to draw the fruit stem 93 toward the cutters 2), the fruit stem 93 can be easily cut by the widely disposed cutters 2 even without precisely guiding the fruit stem 93 to the cutters 2. Accordingly, the fruit stem 93 can be easily cut by the wide cutters 2 even under relatively rough positioning control.

As a result, controlling load on the robot arm 52 during control is reduced, and the success rate of harvesting the harvesting target 91 by the end-effector 1 can be further increased.

The end-effector 1 further includes the gripping mechanism 40. The gripping mechanism 40 is disposed in the base member 10 as the first member.

The gripping mechanism 40 has a function to have the cut fruit stem 93 sandwiched and gripped between the moving member 20 and the receiving portion 213 when the fruit stem 93 is cut by the cutters 2 by moving the moving member 20 relative to the base member 10 to reduce the opening area of the passage portion 3. According to this, the end-effector 1 can prevent the harvesting target 91 from falling from the end-effector 1 by gripping the cut fruit stem 93. As a result, the success rate of harvesting the harvesting target 91 by the end-effector 1 can be increased.

Furthermore, it is possible to avoid a situation where the harvesting target 91 is damaged due to dropping and thus its commercial value decreases. -40 -

The gripping mechanism 40 is elastically movable with respect to the base member 10 that is the first member. The gripping mechanism 40 has the gripping member 41. The gripping member 41 has the grip portion 411 that comes into contact with the fruit stem 93 when gripping the fruit stem 93. The gripping member 41 protrudes toward the center of the passage portion 3 beyond the cutters 2 when no force is applied to the grip portion 411, and thus one surfaces of the cutters 2 are covered by the gripping member 41. In the present embodiment, the gripping member 41 protrudes in front of the cutters 2 when no force is applied to the grip portion 411, and covers the surfaces of the cutters 2 facing the cover member 13.

Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the operator's finger from touching the cutters 2 and from getting injured. As a result, it is possible to improve the safety for workers during work.

Further, when the gripping member 41 of the gripping mechanism 40 receives a force in a direction away from the center of the passage portion 3, the gripping member 41 moves in the direction away from the center of the passage portion 3 past the tip ends of the cutters 2. In the present embodiment, when the gripping member 41 receives a force in a backward direction of the end-effector 1, the grapping member 41 retracts in the backward direction past the tip ends of the cutters 2. As a result, the cutters 2 are exposed to an outside of the end-effector 1.

Thereby, the end-effector 1 can reliably cut the fruit stem 93 by the cutters 2.

Here, when the gripping mechanism 40 and the receiving portion 213 of the moving member 20 hold the fruit stem 93, if the gripping mechanism 40 and the receiving portion 213 of the moving member 20 approach and contact each other, the fruit stem 93 would be crushed. The inventors of the present disclosure have found that water (fruit juice) leaks from the fruit stem 93 if the members contact each other and, as a result the fruit stem 93 becomes slippery due to the water. When the fruit stem 93 becomes slippery, the fruit stem 93 slips off from a space between the gripping mechanism 40 and the receiving portion 213 of the moving member 20, and thus the harvesting target 91 is likely to fall.

In view of this, in the present embodiment, the gripping mechanism 40 and the receiving portion 213 are separated away from each other when the base member 10 and the moving member 20 relatively move and the opening area of the passage portion 3 is reduced to be a minimum size. That is, the grip portion 411 of -41-

the gripping member 41 of the gripping mechanism 40 and the receiving portion 213 of the annular member 21 of the moving member 20 are spaced away from each other with a gap having distance L1 as shown in FIG. 13 when the moving member 20 moves in a direction of approaching the base member 10 to the rear end of the motion region.

Accordingly, the end-effector 1 can prevent the fruit stem 93 from being crushed when the fruit stem 93 is gripped by the gripping mechanism 40 and the receiving portion 213 of the moving member 20. As a result, water can be prevented from seeping out from the fruit stem 93 when gripping the fruit stem 93. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the fruit stem 93 from slipping off from a space between the gripping mechanism 40 and the receiving portion 213 of the moving member 20 and from dropping the harvesting target 91.

The shapes of the harvesting targets 91, the main stems 92, and the fruit stems 93 are not the same since they are agricultural products. For example, a short fruit stem 93, that is, a short distance between the upper end of the harvesting target 91 and the main stem 92 is often seen. In this case, if the thickness dimension of the receiving portion 213 is large, the harvesting target 91 may be caught and damaged by the moving member 20 when the moving member 20 retracts toward the base member 10. On the other hand, when the thickness dimension of the receiving portion 213 is small, the area of the receiving portion 213 that contacts the fruit stem 93 becomes also small. As a result, the gripping force for the fruit stem 93 is decreased and the possibility of falling the fruit stem 93 is increased.

Therefore, at least one of the gripping mechanism 40 and the receiving portion 213 disposed in the moving member 20 further includes the protruding portions 414 and 215 that protrude toward the center of the passage portion 3. In the present embodiment, the gripping member 41 of the gripping mechanism 40 has the gripping member-side protruding portion 414. Further, the annular member 21 of the moving member 20 has the moving member-side protruding portion 215 formed in the receiving portion 213. Accordingly, the end-effector 1 can make the moving member side-protruding portion 215 and the grasping member-side protruding portion 414 cut into the fruit stem 93 when gripping the fruit stem 93. As a result, the end-effector 1 can reliably grip the fruit stem 93. As described above, according to the present embodiment, the end- -42 -

effector 1 can increase a gripping force to the fruit stem 93 as compared with an end-effector without the protrusions 414 and 215. Therefore, even if the thickness dimension of the receiving portion 213 is small (that is, thin), the gripping force necessary to grip the fruit stem 93 without dropping the harvesting target 91 can be secured. Thereby, even if the fruit stem 93 is short, the harvesting target 91 can be harvested without damaging it.

The motion mechanism 30 has a function of converting the rotational force of the motor 31 into a linear motion along the screw shaft 33 to linearly move the moving member 20. In this case, the motion mechanism 30 may have, e.g., a rack and pinion structure having a rack gear and a pinion gear. That is, the pinion gear is connected to the motor 31 and the rack gear is connected to the moving member

20. Then, the rotational force of the motor 31 is transmitted to the moving member 20 via the pinion gear and the rack gear. However, in this configuration, the entire rack gear moves linearly with respect to the pinion gear as a reference.

For this reason, if the entire rack gear is to be housed inside the base member 10 in FIG. 1, the length of the base member 10 would be increased. On the other hand, if the length of the base member 10 is reduced, the rack gear would protrude from the base member 10 when the rack gear moves. Then, for example, when the end-effector 1 is attached to the robot arm 52, the end-effector 1 may be interfered and a variety of attachment ways may be limited.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the motion mechanism 30 is formed of, for example, a direct acting screw mechanism having the screw shaft 33 and the nut member 34. That is, in the present embodiment, the motion mechanism 30 has the screw shaft 33, the nut member 34, and the motor 31. The screw shaft 33 is rotatably disposed in the base member 10. The nut member 34 is connected to the moving member 20, and the screw shaft 33 is inserted into the nut member 34. The nut member 34 moves along the screw shaft 33 as the screw shaft 33 rotates. The motor 31 rotates the screw shaft 33. Accordingly, since the screw shaft 33 itself does not move in the longitudinal direction of the end-effector 1, the length dimension of the end-effector 1 can be made small as much as possible.

Further, the screw shaft 33 and the like do not protrude from the base member 10 due to the movement of the motion mechanism 30. Therefore, when attaching the end-effector 1 to the robot arm 52, it is not necessary to consider the -43 -

interference of the end-effector 1 with the robot arm 52. As a result, the end-effector 1 can be attached to the robot arm 52 in a flexible manner. The manner of attaching the end-effector 1 to the robot arm 52 can be flexibly changed by changing the position, shape, etc. of the attaching member 15.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the passage portion 3 is formed in a rectangular shape. Accordingly, compared with a passage portion formed in a circle having a diameter in the width direction of the end-effector 1 in FIG. 1, the passage portion 3 formed in a rectangular shape can have a larger area. That is, if the moving distance of the moving member 20 is the same, the rectangular area of the passage portion 3 can secure a larger area than the circular area. Thereby, the harvesting target 91 can more reliably pass through the passage portion 3. As a result, the success rate of harvest can be further increased.

The crop harvesting system 50 includes the visual device 51 and the robot arm 52. The visual device 51 is configured to obtain visual information including position information of the harvesting target 91. The end-effector 1 is attached to the robot arm 52. The harvesting system 50 includes the target detecting section 61, the position information specifying section 62, the approach controlling section 65, the movement controlling section 66, the tilt controlling section 67 and the cutting controlling section 68.

The target detecting section 61 can execute the target detecting processing. The target detecting process includes a process of detecting the harvesting target included in the visual information acquired by the visual device 51. The position information specifying section 62 can execute position specifying processing. The position specifying process includes a process of specifying the position of the harvesting target 91 including the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) as the distal end position and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) as the proximal end position of the harvesting target 91 detected in the target detecting process.

During the approaching process, the end-effector 1 is moved to approach the start position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) set outside of the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) as the distal end position of the harvesting target 91 by driving and controlling the robot arm 52. During the motion controlling process, the robot arm 52 is controlled to move the end-effector 1 from an outside of the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) as the distal end position of the harvesting target 91 toward the upper -44 -

end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) as the proximal end position so that the harvesting target 91 passes through the passage portion 3.

The end-effector 1 is tilted to be along the main stem 92 or a branch so that the passage portion 3 passes through the harvesting target 91 to an outside of the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) as the proximal end position. The cutting controlling section 68 can execute the cutting process. The cutting process includes a process of cutting the fruit stem 93 inserted into the passage portion 3 by operating the end- effector 1 to reduce the opening area of the passage portion 3.

Accordingly, by using the end-effector 1 to harvest the harvesting target 91 that hangs from the main stem 92 or a branch via the fruit stem 93, it is possible to avoid a situation where the cutter 2 contacts the harvesting target 91, the main stem 92 or the branch and damages the harvesting target 91, the main stem 92, or the branch.

In addition, the crop harvesting system 50 performs the tilting process to have the end-effector 1 in a posture along the tilt of the main stem 92 or the branch when the end-effector 1 is moved to the position where the end-effector 1 cuts the fruit stem 93 (that is, the position between the harvesting target 91 and the main stem 92 or the branch). Accordingly, the crop harvesting system 50 can avoid a situation where the end-effector 1 exerts an excessive force by pushing up the main stem 92 or the branch when the end-effector 1 moves to the position to cut the fruit stem 93. As described above, according to the present embodiment, when a harvesting target 91 is harvested using the end-effector 1, the end-effector 1 can be prevented from exerting an excessive force on the main stem 92 or a branch, whereby it is possible to avoid a situation where the main stem 92 or the branch is bent or damaged. As a result, crop harvesting work can be safely performed.

Here, the distance between the main stem 92 and the harvesting target 91, that is, the length of the fruit stem 93 usually varies. If the distance between the main stem 92 and the harvesting target 91, that is, the length of the fruit stem 93 is short and if the end-effector 1 is not tilted along the main stem 92, the end-effector 1 would be brought into contact with the main stem 92 before reaching a position between the main stem 92 and the harvesting target 91. As a result, the end-effector 1 would lift the harvesting target 91 together with the main stem 92. Then, the end- effector 1 would reach the end position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) while the harvesting target -45 -

91 is located inside the passage portion 3. If the cutting process is performed in this state, the harvesting target 91 would also be cut.

On the contrary, according to the present embodiment, the end-effector 1 is tilted along the main stem 92 during the tilting process when the fruit stem 93 is cut.

Therefore, even if the fruit stem 93 is short, the end-effector 1 can be positioned between the main stem 92 and the harvesting target 91. As a result, it is possible to prevent the harvesting target 91 from being accidentally cut.

The crop harvesting system 50 further includes the tilting angle setting section 63. The tilting angle setting process is a process of setting the tilting angle 8 to have the end-effector 1 tilt along the main stem 92. In the present embodiment, the tilting angle setting process includes a process of setting the tilting angle 6 to a predetermined constant value.

Then, the tilt controlling section 67 executes the tilting process based on the tilting angle © set during the tilting angle setting process.

That is, since the main stem 92 or branches have a certain degree of flexibility, even if some force is applied to the main stem 92 and the branches due to movement of the end-effector 1 and the like, the main stem 92 and the branches do not break when they receive a certain amount of force.

Further, although the angles of the main stems 92 and branches vary individually, the same tendency is seen as a whole.

In view of this, in this embodiment, the tilting angle 6 is set to a constant value.

Accordingly, when setting the tilting angle 8, the crop harvesting system 50 does not need to perform the image processing or the like using the visual information acquired by the visual device 51 to calculate the tilting angle ©. Therefore, the crop harvesting system 50 can reduce the processing load when setting the tilting angle 8 by allowing a slight load on the main stem 92 or branches and by setting the tilting angle 8 to a constant value.

Further, the motion controlling process includes a process of moving the end-effector 1 to the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg). The target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) is set to a position where the passage portion 3 passes through the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt), as the proximal end position, of the harvesting target 91 by tilting the end-effector 1 at the tilting angle 8. Then, the tilt controlling section 67 executes the tilting process when the end-effector 1 reaches the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg). That is, the controller 60 moves the end-effector 1 from the start position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) to the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) along the first motion -46 -

path R1. After that, the controller 60 rotates the end-effector 1 about the rotation axis Ax at the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) to move the passage portion 3 to an outside (in this case, an upper side) of the proximal end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting target 91.

Accordingly, the controller 60 executes the tilting process after the end- effector 1 reaches the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the end-effector 1 from coming into contact with the harvesting target 91 when the end-effector 1 is tilted because, for example, the timing of performing the tilting process is too early. As a result, it is possible to have the harvesting target 91 reliably pass through the passage portion 3 of the end-effector 1 while preventing the end-effector 1 from interfering with the harvesting target 91. As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent the harvesting target 91 from being damaged.

The position information specifying section 62 is configured to specify the position of the harvesting target 91 without using position information of the fruit stem 93 connected to the harvesting target 91 during the position information specifying process. That is, the controller 60 does not execute a process of recognizing the fruit stem 93 when operating the robot arm 52 based on the visual information from the visual device 51. In other words, by using the end-effector 1, the fruit stem 93 can be accurately cut without performing the process of visually recognizing the fruit stem 93.

(Second embodiment) Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 34. The crop harvesting system 50 of the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the content of the tilting angle setting process executed by the tilting angle setting section 63, that is, the processing content at step S16 of FIG. 20. In present embodiment, the tilting angle setting process includes a process of setting the tilting angle 8 based on visual information detected by the visual device 51.

That is, for example, cherry tomatoes or the like grown in a vinyl greenhouse have main stems 92 suspended from rails disposed near the ceiling of the vinyl greenhouse. Thereby, the main stem 92 extends obliquely upward from the ground toward the ceiling. In this case, in order to prevent an excessive force from being applied to the root of the main stem 92, a portion of the main stem 92 near the ground is bent. Accordingly, the angle of the main stem 92 tends to be small 47 -

near the surface of the ground and the main stem 92 has a larger angle at an upper position. That is, the angle of the main stem 92 varies in correlation with the height position of the main stem 92. In other words, the angle of the main stem 92 has a correlation with the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) which is the proximal end position of the harvesting target 91.

In view of this, in the present embodiment, the storage area 602 stores a data table indicating the height positions of the harvesting target 91 and the tilting angles © at height positions, as shown in FIG. 34. In this case, the height position of the harvest target 91 can be the proximal end position of the harvesting target 91, that is, the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt). The height position of the harvesting target 91 may be estimated from the tip end position of the harvesting target 91, that is, the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) or the height position of the main stem 92.

The data table shown in FIG. 34 is a data table regarding the main stem 92 extending upward to the right side as shown in FIG. 16. In this case, in the data table shown in FIG. 34, the upper end positions Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the plurality of samples of the main stems 92 and the angles of the main stems 92 are measured, and then the correlation between the upper end positions Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) and the main stems 92 is specified by performing, for example, statistical processing. Then, the relationship between the upper end positions Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) and the tilting angles © is set in the data table based on the correlation.

Thereafter, in the tilting angle setting process, the height position of the harvesting target 91, that is, the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt), which is the proximal end position of the harvesting target 91, is identified from the visual information acquired by the visual device 51. Then, in the tilting angle setting process, the tilting angle 9 is set to a tilting angle corresponding to the specified height position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting target 91.

Accordingly, the controller 60 can set the tilting angle 8 to a value that matches the actual tilting angle of the main stem 92 as much as possible by executing the tilting angle setting process by the tilting angle setting section 63.

Therefore, in the crop harvesting system 50, when the end-effector 1 is moved to the position where the fruit stem 93 is cut, the end-effector 1 can be moved accurately along the tilt of the main stem 92. As a result, when a harvesting target 91 is harvested using the end-effector 1, the end-effector 1 can be prevented from -48 -

exerting an excessive force on the main stem 92 or a branch, whereby it is possible to more effectively avoid a situation where the main stem 92 or the branch is bent or damaged. As a result, the harvesting work can be done more safely.

Further, in the present embodiment, the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) which is the proximal end position of the harvesting target 91 is used during the tilting angle setting process when the tilting angle 6 is specified from the data table shown in FIG. 34. For the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt), the information specified by the position specifying process by the position information specifying section 62 can be used. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform new image processing or the like for the tilting angle setting process. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the control load for the tilting angle setting process. (Third embodiment) Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 35 to

37. The crop harvesting system 50 of the third embodiment differs from the embodiments in the content of the tilting angle setting process executed by the tilting angle setting section 63, that is, the processing content at step 516 of FIG. 20. In the present embodiment, as with the second embodiment, the tilting angle setting process includes a process of setting the tilting angle 8 based on visual information detected by the visual device 51.

That is, the tilting angle setting process of the present embodiment extracts the shape of the main stem 92 or the branch from visual information acquired by the visual device 51. The tilting angle setting process includes a process of setting the tilting angle 8 by performing pattern matching processing or line fitting processing on the extracted shape of the main stem 92 or the branch. That is, the tilting angle setting section 63 of the present embodiment extracts the shape of the main stem 92 or the branch from the visual information acquired by the visual device 51 and obtains the actual angle of the main stem 92 or the branch by performing image processing on the extracted information of the main stem 92 or the branch. Then, the tilting angle setting section 63 sets the tilting angle 8 used for the tilting process in accordance with the acquired actual angle of the main stem 92 or the branch.

FIGS. 35 and 36 conceptually show an example of the pattern matching processing. In this case, the storage area 602 stores a reference image 94 in -49 -

advance, as shown in FIG. 35. The reference image 94 serves as a reference for acquiring the actual angle of the main stem 92 or a branch, and is obtained (calculated) by averaging the outer shapes of the plurality of main stems 92. The reference image 94 is arranged to extend in the horizontal direction. As shown in FIG. 35, the tilting angle setting section 63 extracts, based on the visual information, the point cloud data, and the color data acquired by the visual device 51, the shape of the main stem 92 or the branch as the reference image 94 in a specific range with respect to the harvesting target 91. Then, the tilting angle setting section 63 rotates the reference image 94 set to extend in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. 36 and calculates a rotation angle of the reference image 94 at which the matching ratio between the reference image 94 and the shape of the main stem 92 or the branch has a maximum value. Then, the tilting angle setting section 63 sets the calculated rotation angle to the tilting angle © as the angle of the main stem 92 or the branch corresponding to the harvesting target 91.

Moreover, FIG. 37 conceptually shows an example of linear line or curve fitting processing. As shown in FIG. 37, the tilting angle setting section 63 extracts, based on the visual information, e.g., the point cloud data and the color data, acquired by the visual device 51, the shapes of the main stem 92 or the branch. Then, the tilting angle setting section 63 calculates the regression equation Y of the regression line or the regression curve from the point cloud data that forms the shape of the main stem 92 or the like by using, for example, the least square method. Next, the tilting angle setting section 63 substitutes, for example, the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting target 91 into the calculated regression equation Y to obtain the angle of the main stem 92 or the branch corresponding to the harvesting target 91. Then, the calculated angle is set as the tilting angle ©.

Accordingly, the controller 60 can set more accurately the tilting angle © to a value that matches the actual tilting angle of the main stem 92 as much as possible by executing the tilting angle setting process by the tilting angle setting section 63. Therefore, in the crop harvesting system 50, when the end-effector 1 is moved to the position where the fruit stem 93 is cut, the end-effector 1 can be moved more accurately along the tilt of the main stem 92. Accordingly, when a harvesting target 91 is harvested using the end-effector 1, the end-effector 1 can be prevented from exerting an excessive force on the main stem 92 or a branch, whereby it is possible -50 -

to more effectively avoid a situation where the main stem 92 or the branch is bent or damaged. As a result, crop harvesting work can be safely performed.

(Fourth embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 38 to

44. In the crop harvesting system 50 of the fourth embodiment, the contents of the motion paths generated in the motion path generating process, the method of determining the tilting angle 6, and the timing of executing the tilting process are different from each of the above-described embodiments.

The motion path generating section 64 of the present embodiment generates a motion path R by executing the motion path generating process. As shown in FIG. 38, the motion path generating process includes a process that generates a motion path of the end-effector 1 from a start position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) to an end position Pe (Xt, Yt, Zt) through the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting target 91. For this reason, the motion process by the motion controlling section 66 includes a process of moving the end-effector 1 along the motion path R to reach the end position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) set outside of the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting target.

In this case, the position information identifying section 62 is also configured to specify an intermediate position Ph (Xh, Yh, Zh) that is a position on the way from the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) to the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting target 91. Then, the motion path R is generated so as to pass through the intermediate position Ph (Xh, Yh, Zh). In this case, the motion path R is a route that is defined by connecting, with straight lines one by one, positions adjacent to each other in the Z direction (that is, the start position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs), the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb), the intermediate position Ph ( X, Y, Z), the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt), and the end position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze)).

For example, the position information identifying section 62 obtains coordinates of an intermediate position in the Z direction between the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) as the intermediate position Ph (Xh, Yh, Zh). In this case, the Z value of the intermediate position Ph (Xh, Yh, Zh) is an average value of the Z value of the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the Z value of the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt). That is, Ph {Z)=(the lower end position Pb (Z) + the upper end position Pt (Z))/2. Further, the X value -51 -

and the Y value of the intermediate position Ph (Xh, Yh, Zh) are average values of X values and Y values of the point cloud data having the same Z value as Ph (Z). Note a plurality of intermediate positions Ph (Xh, Yh, Zh) may be set. In this case, the number of intermediate positions Ph is N and the number of intermediate positions Ph from the lower end position Pb (Z) is i, wherein the i-th intermediate position Ph_i (Z) can be expressed by the following Expression 2. Ph_i (Z)=((Pt (2)-Pb (Z))/(N+1))xi+Pb (Z)...(Expression 2) Further, as shown in FIG. 39, the crop harvesting system 50 of the present embodiment includes a rotation axis side contact detecting section 72 and an opposite side contact detecting section 73 instead of the tilting angle setting section 63 of each of the above-described embodiments. The contact detecting sections 72 and 73 both have a function of detecting a contact of an object with the end-effector

1. In this case, as shown in FIG. 40, the rotation axis side contact detecting section 72 detects a force Lf acting on the end effector 1 in a direction from the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) to the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) (in other words, a force in a direction opposite to a direction in which the end-effector 1 moves along the motion path R during the motion process, in this case, a downward direction). The force Lf acts on the rotation Ax of the end-effector 1. As a result, a contact by an object with the rotation axis Ax of the end-effector 1 is detected. Further, the opposite side contact detecting section 73 detects a force Rf acting on the end-effector 1 in a direction from the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) to the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) (in other words, a force Rf acting on a portion of the end-effector 1 opposite to the rotation axis Ax in a direction opposite to a direction in which the end-effector 1 moves along the motion path R during the motion process, in this case, a downward direction). As a result, a contact by an object with a portion of the end-effector 1 opposite to the rotation axis Ax is detected. In the present embodiment, the portion of the end-effector 1 close to the rotation axis Ax may be a portion of the annular member 21 forming the moving member 20 to which the left rotation member 22 is attached as shown in FIG. 40. Furthermore, the portion of the end-effector 1 opposite to the rotation axis Ax may be a portion of the annular member 21 forming the moving member 20 to which the right rotation member 22 is attached as shown in FIG. 40. 5D.

It should be noted that if the tilting angle of the main stem 92 is reversed, the relationship between the portion close to the rotation axis Ax and the portion opposite to the rotation axis Ax is also reversed. That is, when the tilt of the main stem 92 is inclining to the left side, the rotation axis Ax is set to a right side portion of the end-effector 1 in FIG 40. In this case, the portion of the end-effector 1 close to the rotation axis Ax is the right side portion of the end-effector 1 in FIG. 40, and the portion opposite to the rotation axis Ax is the left side portion of the end-effector in FIG. 40.

The contact detecting sections 72 and 73 can be formed of, for example, a torque sensor or the like that detects a force in the rotational direction that acts on the end-effector 1. In this case, each of the contact detecting sections 72 and 73 may be a function of the robot arm 52 or the robot arm controlling unit 521 (that is, a function associated with the robot arm 52 or the robot arm control unit 521). Further, a contact sensor, a pressure sensor, or the like may be attached to, for example, the rotating member 22 of the end-effector 1, and the contact detecting sections 72 and 73 may directly detect a contact by an object with the end- effector 1 by the contact sensor or the pressure sensor. In this case, the contact detecting sections 72 and 73 can be configured as one function of the end-effector 1 or the end-effector controller 4 (that is, a function associated with the end-effector 1 or the end-effector controller 4). The contact detecting sections 72 and 73 can be also configured as devices independent of the robot arm 52, the robot arm controlling unit 521, the end-effector 1 and the end-effector controller 4. Then, for example, when the force Lf, other than the driving force of the motor that drives each axis of the robot arm 52, acting on the end-effector 1 during the motion process of the end-effector 1, the rotation axis side contact detecting section 72 determines that some object has come into contact with the portion close to the rotation axis Ax of the end-effector 1. Furthermore, for example, when the force Rf, other than the driving force of the motor that drives each axis of the robot arm 52, acting on the end-effector 1 during the tilting process of the end-effector 1, the opposite side contact detecting section 73 determines that some object has come into contact with the portion opposite to the rotation axis Ax of the end-effector

1. Further, the controller 60 determines the timing at which the tilting process -53-

is started by the tilt controlling section 67 based on the detection results of the rotation axis side contact detecting section 72. That is, the controller 60 starts the tilting process by the tilt controlling section 67 when a contact by on object is detected by the rotation axis side contact detecting section 72 during the movement of the end-effector 1 along the motion path R to the end position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) in the motion process. On the contrary, the controller 60 does not start the tilting process by the tilt controlling section 67 when a contact by on object is not detected by the rotation axis side contact detecting section 72 during the movement of the end-effector 1 along the motion path R to the end position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) in the motion process.

Further, the controller 60 determines the tilting angle 8 during the tilting process by the tilt controlling section 67 based on the detection results of the opposite side contact detecting section 73. That is, when a contact by an object is detected by the opposite side contact detecting section 73 during the operation of tilting the end-effector 1 by the tilting process by the tilt controlling section 67, the controller 60 ends the tilting process. At this time, the controller 60 determines the tilting angle 8. That is, the controller 60 continues tilting the end-effector 1 until the opposite side contact detecting section 73 detects a contact by an object after the tilt controlling section 67 started the tilting process. When the contact detecting section 73 detects a contact of an object, the controller 60 stops the operation of tilting the end-effector 1.

Next, the control executed by the controller 60 will be described with reference to FIG. 41. Steps S32 and S33 of FIG. 41 are an example of the motion process. The processes at steps S34 to S36 are an example of the tilting process.

Note that in the flowchart of FIG. 41, the processes after step S22 are the same as steps S23 to S27 of FIG. 20, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

The controller 60 executes steps S11 to S16 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Thereafter, the controller 60 executes the motion path generating process at step S31 to generate the motion path R. Then, the controller 60 performs the approaching process at step S19 as in the first embodiment.

Next, the controller 60 executes the motion process at step S32, and as shown in FIGS. 42 and 43, the controller 60 starts moving the end-effector 1 along the motion path R toward the end position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze). Then, at step S33, the -54 -

controller 60 determines whether an object contacts the portion of the end-effector 1 close to the rotation axis Ax, that is, whether the main stem 92 contacts the portion, based on the detection result of the rotation axis side contact detecting section 72. When a contact by the object with the portion of the end-effector 1 close to the rotation axis Ax is not detected (NO at step S33), the controller 60 continues the motion process (that is, continues the movement of the end-effector 1 along the motion path R).

On the contrary, when the contact of the object with the portion of the end- effector 1 close to the rotation axis Ax is detected (YES in step S33), the controller 60 stops the motion process (that is, stops the movement of the end-effector 1 along the motion path R) as shown in FIG. 43, and the process proceeds to step S34. Then, at step S34, the controller 60 starts the tilting process by the tilt controlling section 67. That is, as shown in FIGS. 43 and 44, the controller 60 starts tilting the end-effector 1 about the rotation axis A so that the portion of the end-effector 1 opposite to the rotation axis Ax approaches the main stem 92.

Then, at step S35, the controller 60 determines whether an object contacts the portion of the end-effector 1 opposite to the rotation axis Ax, that is, whether the main stem 92 contacts the portion, based on the detection result of the opposite side contact detecting section 73. When a contact by the object with the portion of the end-effector 1 opposite to the rotation axis Ax is not detected (NO at step S35), the controller 60 continues the tilting process (that is, continues tilting the end- effector 1).

On the contrary, when the contact of the object with the portion of the end effector 1 opposite to the rotation axis Ax is detected (YES at step S35), the controller 60 advances the process to step S36. Then, at step S36, the controller 60 stops the tilting process (that is, stops the operation of tilting the end-effector 1). Thereafter, the controller 60 executes the processes after step S22 in the same manner as in the first embodiment and cuts the fruit stem 93 and harvests the harvesting target 91.

According to the fourth embodiment, the crop harvesting system 50 further includes the rotation axis side contact detecting section 72. The rotation axis side contact detecting section 72 can detect the contact of an object with the portion of the end-effector 1 close to the rotation axis Ax during the tilting process. Further, in -55.-

the motion process, the end-effector 1 is moved toward the end position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) set outside the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) which is the proximal end position of the harvesting target 91. Then, when the tilt controlling section 67 starts the tilting process when the contact by an object is detected by the rotation axis side contact detecting section 72 while the end-effector 1 is being moved toward the end position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) during the motion process.

That is, if the end-effector 1 actually comes into contact with the main stem 92 or the like while the end-effector 1 is being moved along the motion path R during the motion process and if the operation by the motion process continues, the end- effector 1 would keep applying a force to the main stem 92 or the like.

In a severe case, the end-effector 1 may damage the main stem 92 or the like.

However, according to the present embodiment, when the end-effector 1 actually comes into contact with the main stem 92 or the like while the end-effector 1 is being moved during the motion process, the movement of the end-effector 1 along the motion path R can be stopped.

As a result, if the end-effector 1 actually comes into contact with the main stem 92 or the like while the end-effector 1 is being moved during the motion process, it is possible to prevent the movement of the end- effector 1 by the motion process from continuing.

As a result, it is possible to more accurately prevent the end-effector 1 from continuously applying a force to the main stem 92 or the like and from damaging it.

As a result, it is possible to obtain an excellent advantage that the harvesting work can be performed more safely.

Furthermore, the crop harvesting system 50 further includes the opposite side contact detecting section 73. The opposite side contact detecting section 73 can detect the contact of an object with the portion of the end-effector 1 opposite to the rotation axis Ax during the tilting process.

Then, when a contact by an object is detected by the opposite side contact detecting section 73 during the operation of tilting the end-effector 1 by the tilting process, the tilt controlling section 67 ends the tilting process.

That is, if the end-effector 1 actually comes into contact with the main stem 92 or the like while the end-effector 1 is being tilted during the tilting process and if the operation by the tilting process continues, the end-effector 1 would keep applying a force to the main stem 92 or the like.

In a severe case, the end-effector 1 may damage the main stem 92 or the like. -56 -

However, according to the present embodiment, when the end-effector 1 actually comes into contact with the main stem 92 or the like while the end-effector 1 is being tilted during the tilting process, the motion of tilting the end-effector 1 can be stopped. As a result, if the end-effector 1 actually comes into contact with the main stem 92 or the like while the end-effector 1 is being tilted during the tilting process, it is possible to prevent the motion of tilting the end-effector 1 by the tilting process from continuing. As a result, it is possible to more accurately prevent the end-effector 1 from continuously applying a force to the main stem 92 or the like and from damaging it. As a result, it is possible to obtain an excellent advantage that the harvesting work can be performed more safely.

For example, if the harvesting target 91 has a curved shape as a whole and the end-effector 1 is moved linearly from the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) to the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting target 91, the end-effector 1 may come into contact with the harvesting target 91 at a middle position. As a result, the harvesting target 91 may be damaged.

In addition, the position information specifying process executed by the position information specifying section 62 also includes a process that specifies the intermediate position Ph (X, Y) that is a middle position on the way from the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) to the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting target 91. Then, the motion path generating process executed by the motion path generating section 64 further includes a process of generating the motion path R of the end-effector 1 so that the motion path R passes through the intermediate position Ph (X,Y, Z).

Accordingly, even if the harvesting target 91 has a curved shape as a whole, the motion path R can be set along the shape of the harvesting target 91. That is, according to the crop harvesting system 50, if the harvesting target 91 has a curved shape as a whole and the end-effector 1 is moved along the motion path R to the cutting position for cutting the fruit stem 93, the end-effector 1 can be more effectively prevented from contacting and damaging the harvesting target 91.

In addition, if the end-effector 1 is likely to contact the harvesting target 91 during movement of the end-effector 1, it is necessary to reduce the impact to the harvesting target 91 at the time of contact so as to reduce the damage to the harvesting target 91. In this case, it is necessary to slow down the moving speed of -57 -

the end-effector 1, and as a result, the harvesting efficiency would be decreased. On the contrary, according to the present embodiment, the above-described configuration makes it unlikely that the end-effector 1 comes into contact with the harvesting target 91 when the end-effector 1 is moving. Therefore, the moving speed of the end-effector 1 can be increased, and as a result, the efficiency of the harvesting work can be further improved.

In this case, the motion path generating process executed by the motion path generating section 64 includes a process of generating the motion path R by connecting the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb), the intermediate position Ph (X, Y, Z), and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) with lines in this order. That is, in the present embodiment, the motion path R is formed of a plurality of straight lines that sequentially connect the positions Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb), Ph (X, Y, Z}, and Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt).

Accordingly, the number of coordinate points to be recognized can be reduced as compared with, for example, a situation where the motion path R is generated along a curve of the harvesting target 91 to be a smooth curved line (that is, a situation where all trajectories are generated). Therefore, the processing load on the motion path generating section 64 when generating the motion path R can be significantly reduced. Thereby, the processing speed when generating the motion path R can be increased. That is, the crop harvesting system 50 can reduce a time between a timing the harvesting target 91 is recognized and a timing the robot arm 52 is actually operated after the motion path R is generated.

Further, compared to a situation where the motion path R is generated as a smooth curve, the moving distance of the end-effector 1 can be reduced when the motion path R is generated by sequentially connecting each position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb), Ph (X, Y, 2), Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) with a plurality of straight lines. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the time required to move the end-effector 1 to the position where the fruit stem 93 can be cut (that is, the operation time of the robot arm 52) can be shortened. As a result, the operating speed of the harvesting system 50 can be increased and the operating period can be shortened. As a result, the speed of the harvesting work can be increased.

(Fifth embodiment) Next, a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 45 to 59.

In each of the above embodiments, if the rotation axis Ax of the end-effector 1 is not -58 -

appropriately set with respect to the positional relationship between the main stem 92 and the harvesting target 91, the passage portion 3 might not pass through the harvesting target 91 completely even if the-end effector 1 is tilted to be along the main stem 92. As a result, the harvesting target 91 near the upper part of the bunch may be cut.

For example, when the harvesting target 91 is a cherry tomato, the inventors of the present disclosure have investigated the positional relationship between the harvesting target 91 and the fruit stem 93 with respect to the main stem 92 and found the following. It should be noted that FIG. 46, FIG. 48, and FIG. 50 are figures formed, based on the visual information acquired by the visual device 51, by virtually replacing the point group data of the harvesting target 91 and the main stem 92 in the vicinity of the upper end position (that is, the upper end position Pt (Zt)) of the harvesting target 91 with images viewed in a plane. In this case, a portion within the visual field of the visual device 51 (that is, the portion where the point cloud data can be actually acquired) of the harvesting target 91 and the main stem 92 is shown by solid lines. Further, a portion outside of the visual field of the visual device 51 (that is, a blind spot where the point cloud data cannot be actually acquired) of the harvesting target 91 and the main stem 92 is shown by two-dash lines.

As shown in FIGS. 45 and 46, most of the positional relationships (about 70% to 80% of the total) of the harvesting target 91 with respect to the main stem 92 are such that the harvesting target 91 and the fruit stem 93 are located laterally with respect to the main stem 92. Next, as shown in FIGS. 47 and 48, in many cases {about 20% to 30% of the total), the harvesting target 91 and the fruit stem 93 are located on the front side, that is, in front of the main stem 92. Then, as shown in FIGS. 49 and 50, in some cases (about 10% of the total), the harvesting target 91 and the fruit stem 93 are located on the rear side, that is, behind the main stem 92.

In this case, by setting the rotation axis Ax in the tilting process and the approach direction of the end-effector 1 in the approaching process to adjust to situations in which the harvesting target 91 and the fruit stem 93 are located laterally with respect to the main stem 92, it is possible to safely harvest about 70% to 80% of the total. However, for the remaining 20% to 30%, that is, situations where the harvesting target 91 and the fruit stem 93 are located on the front side or the back side of the main stem 92, the harvesting target 91 near the upper part of the bunch -59.-

might be cut.

In view of this, the controller 60 of the present embodiment is configured to adjust the posture of the end-effector 1 so that the axial direction of the rotation axis of the end-effector 1 at the time of executing the tilting process intersects the fruit stem 93, i.e., the axial direction intersects the extending direction of the fruit stem 93 at aright angle. As a result, the passage portion 3 of the end-effector 1 can pass through the harvesting target 91 beyond the upper end of the harvesting target 91.

Specifically, the rotation axis Ax of the end-effector 1 in the tilting process is set at a fixed position of the end-effector 1. That is, the rotation axis Ax is fixed to one of portions of the moving member 20 where the rotation members 22 are provided on the left and right sides. More specifically, the rotation axis Ax is fixed to the left one. Then, the approaching process is performed by adjusting the axial direction of the rotation axis Ax so as to intersect the fruit stem 93 extending from the main stem 92 (that is, to intersect the extending direction of the fruit stem 93 at a right angle) and moving the end-effector 1 to the start position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs).

That is, in the present embodiment, the controller 60 is configured to change an approach angle (i.e., an approach direction) of the end-effector 1 with respect to the main stem 92 and the harvesting target 91 depending on the positional relationship between the main stem 92 and the harvesting target 91 when moving the end-effector 1 to the start position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) during the approaching process. The positional relationship between the main stem 92 and the harvesting target 91 can be obtained from the visual information acquired by the visual device

51.

The controller 60, by executing the approaching process as shown in FIGS.

51, 53, and 55, specifies a main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) and a target side end position Hb (Xb, Yb) from the point cloud data of the harvesting target 91 and the main stem 92 near the upper end position Pt (Zt). In this case, the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) means the X and Y values of the point on the most + Y side in the point group of the main stem 92 in FIGS. 45 to 50. Further, the target side end position Hb (Xb, Yb) means the X and Y values of the point on the most - Y side in the point group of the harvesting target 91 in FIGS. 45 to 50. Then, in the present embodiment, the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) is the right end portion of the main stem 92 in FIGS. 52, 54, and 56, and the target side end -60 -

position Hb (Xb, Yb) is the left end position of the harvesting target 91 in FIGS. 52, 54, and 56. In the present embodiment, the distal end side means substantially the + Y side in FIGS. 45 to 50 or substantially the right side in FIGS. 52, 54 and 56. Further, the proximal end side means substantially the - Y side in FIGS. 45 to 50 or substantially the left side in FIGS. 52, 54 and 56. In the following description, the X and Y values on the distal end side of the main stem 92 are referred to as the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya), and the X and Y values on the proximal end side of the harvesting target 91 are referred to as the target side end position Hb (Xb, Yb). During the approaching process, the controller 60 compares the X values of the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) and the target side end position Hb (Xb, Yb) to specify the front-back position.

Then, the controller 60 calculates a straight line connecting the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) and the target side end position Hb (Xb, Yb) and determines the direction from the front side to the back side of the straight line as an approach direction Ap.

Next, the controller 60 causes the end-effector 1 to approach the start position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) at an approach angle substantially along the approach direction Ap.

Accordingly, the end- effector 1 can approach the start position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) by adjusting the axial direction of the rotation axis Ax of the end-effector 1 so as to intersect the fruit stem 93 extending from the main stem 92 (that is, to intersect the extending direction of the fruit stem 93 at a right angle). In this case, the approach direction Ap is a direction from the front side (that is, the robot arm 52 side) toward the back side regardless of the X and Y values of the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) and the target side end position Hb (Xb, Yb). That is, for example, in the examples of FIGS. 51 and 53, the target side end position Hb (Xb, Yb) among the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) and the target side end position Hb (Xb, Yb) is located on the front side (that is, the robot arm 52 side). Therefore, in the examples of FIGS. 51 and 53, the controller 60 sets the approach direction Ap to a direction from the target side end position Hb (Xb, Yb) to the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya). On the contrary, in the example of FIG. 55, the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) among the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) and the target side -61 -

end position Hb (Xb, Yb) is located on the front side (that is, the robot arm 52 side). Therefore, in the example of FIG. 55, the controller 60 sets the approach direction Ap to a direction from the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) to the target side end position Hb (Xb, Yb).

Accordingly, when the tilting process is executed, the passage portion 3 of the end-effector 1 can more reliably pass through the harvesting target 91. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to avoid a situation where the harvesting target 91 near the upper part of the entire bunch is cut regardless of the positional relationship between the harvesting target 91 and the fruit stem 93 with respect to the main stem 92. As a result, the harvesting work can be done more safely.

Further, in order to more reliably pass the passage portion 3 of the end- effector 1 through the harvesting target 91 during the tilting process, the rotation axis Ax of the end-effector 1 is preferably positioned directly below the fruit stem 93 immediately before the tilting process is executed. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the controller 60 can execute a process to adjust the posture of the end-effector 1 such that the harvesting target 91 is positioned between the center Pc of the passage portion 3 and the rotation axis Ax before the end-effector 1 is titled by the tilting process. This process may be included in the approaching process or may be included in an initial stage of the tilting process. Accordingly, the passage portion 3 of the end-effector 1 can more reliably pass through the harvesting target 91. As a result, the harvesting work can be done more safely.

Further, the controller 60 may also determine the approach direction Ap by adding or subtracting an offset angle a, as shown in FIGS. 57, 58, and 59, for example. The offset angle a may be, for example, a fixed value defined in advance, a table where a value is selected from a plurality of values, or a value set according to learning or the like. In this case, for example, the center of rotation at the offset angle a may be the midpoint of a straight line connecting the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) and the target side end position Hb (Xb, Yb).

In this case, the controller 60 rotates the approach direction Ap such that the straight line connecting the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) and the target side end position Hb (Xb, Yb) separates away from the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) and the target side end position Hb (Xb, Yb). In the examples -B62 -

of FIGS. 57 and 58, the controller 60 further rotates the approach direction Ap at the offset angle a in the clockwise direction from the angle of the approach direction Ap set in FIGS. 51 and 53. In the examples of FIG. 59, the controller 60 further rotates the approach direction Ap at the offset angle a in the counterclockwise direction from the angle of the approach direction Ap set in FIG. 55.

Accordingly, when the tilting process is executed, the passage portion 3 of the end-effector 1 can more reliably pass through the harvesting target 91, and as a result the harvesting work can be done more safely.

(Sixth embodiment) Next, a sixth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 60 to

62.

In the present embodiment, the method of determining the approach direction during the approaching process is different from that of the fifth embodiment. In the present embodiment, the controller 60 first controls the robot arm 52 when executing the approaching process to capture images of the harvesting target 91 from a plurality of directions as shown by arrows A, B, and C in FIGS. 80to 62. Then, when the distance between the harvesting target 91 and the main stem 92 is seen maximum in the Z value of the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) (that is, when the largest gap is seen) when viewed in a particular direction among the plurality of directions, the controller 60 determines the particular direction as the approach direction.

In the example of FIG. 80, the harvesting target 91 and the fruit stem 93 are located laterally to the main stem 92. In this case, when viewed from the front side (that is, a direction of the arrow B) of the main stem 92 and the harvesting target 91, the gap between the harvesting target 91 and the main stem 92 becomes maximum. Therefore, the controller 60 determines the direction of the arrow B as the approach direction.

Further, in the example of FIG. 61, the harvesting target 91 and the fruit stem 93 are located in front of the main stem 92 (i.e., on the front side of the main stem 92). In this case, when viewed from a lower position of the main stem 92 with respect to the mains stem 92 and the harvesting target 91 (that is, a direction of the arrow A), the gap between the harvesting target 91 and the main stem 92 becomes maximum. Therefore, the controller 60 determines the direction of the arrow A as -B63 -

the approach direction.

As shown in FIG. 81, when the harvesting target 91 is located in front of the main stem 92, the controller 60 does not determine the direction of the arrow C as the approach direction even if a gap exist when viewed from the upper position of the main stem 92 with respect to the main stem 92 and the harvesting target 91 (that is, the direction of the white arrow C). If the end-effector 1 enters in this direction, the rotation axis Ax is located on a side of the harvesting target 91 opposite to the main stem 92. Therefore, the passage portion 3 cannot pass through the harvesting target 91 even if the tilting process is executed. This is because the controller 60 does not set the arrow C as the approach direction in the above-described situation.

Further, in the example of FIG. 62, the harvesting target 81 and the fruit stem 93 are located on the back side of the main stem 92 (i.e., behind the main stem 92). In this case, when viewed from an upper position of the main stem 92 with respect to the mains stem 92 and the harvesting target 91 (that is, a direction of the arrow C), the gap between the harvesting target 91 and the main stem 92 becomes maximum. Therefore, the controller 60 determines the direction of the arrow C as the approach direction.

As shown in FIG. 62, when the harvesting target 91 is located behind the main stem 92, the controller 60 does not determine the direction of the arrow A as the approach direction even if a gap exist when viewed from the lower position of the main stem 92 with respect to the main stem 92 and the harvesting target 91 (that is, the direction of the white arrow A). If the end-effector 1 enters in this direction, the rotation axis Ax is located on a side of the harvesting target 91 opposite to the main stem 92. Therefore, the passage portion 3 cannot pass through the harvesting target 91 even if the tilting process is executed. This is because the controller 60 does not set the arrow A as the approach direction in the above-described situation.

In the present embodiment, when the tilting process is executed, the passage portion 3 of the end-effector 1 can more reliably pass through the harvesting target 91. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to avoid a situation where the harvesting target 91 near the upper part of the entire bunch is cut regardless of the positional relationship between the harvesting target 91 and the fruit stem 93 with respect to the main stem 92. As a result, the harvesting work can be done more safely.

-64 -

(Seventh embodiment) Next, a seventh embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 63 to 65.

The tilting process by the tilt controlling section 67 includes a process to tilt the end-effector 1 about a portion of the end-effector 1 that is closest to the main stem 92 or a branch as the rotation axis Ax such that a portion of the end-effector 1 opposite to the rotation axis Ax approaches the main stem 92 or the branch. That is, in the fifth embodiment, the position of the rotating axis Ax is fixed. However, in the present embodiment, the controller 60 is configured to change the position of the rotation axis Ax according to the positional relationship between the main stem 92 and the harvesting target 91.

For example, as shown in FIG. 63, the controller 60 is configured to select a proper one between a roll rotation axis Axr and a pitch rotation axis Axp as the rotation axis during the tilting process according to the positional relationship between the main stem 92 and the harvesting target 91. In this case, the roll rotation axis Axr is a rotation axis for tilting the end-effector 1 in a rolling direction. Similar to the rotation axis Ax in the fifth embodiment, the roll rotation axis Axr is fixed in, for example, one side of the right and left sides of the annular member 21 in which the rotating members 22 are disposed (in the present embodiment, the left side).

On the contrary, the pitch rotation axis Axp is a rotation axis for tilting the end-effector 1 in a pitching direction. In this case, the pitch rotation axis Axp is set at, for example, the most tip end position of the annular member 21. Then, when the tilting process is executed about the pitch rotation axis Axp, the end-effector 1 is tilted so that the connecting portion between the end-effector 1 and the robot arm 52 moves upward as shown in FIGS. 64 and 65.

The approaching process includes a process to control the end-effector 1 to approach the start position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) at a constant approach angle with respect to the harvesting target 91 regardless of the positional relationship of the harvesting target 91 with respect to the main stem 92 and the branches.

Accordingly, when the tilting process is executed, the passage portion 3 of the end-effector 1 can more reliably pass through the harvesting target 91. As a result, it is possible to avoid a situation where the harvesting target 91 near the upper part of the entire bunch is cut regardless of the positional relationship between -B65 -

the harvesting target 91 and the fruit stem 93 with respect to the main stem 92. As a result, the harvesting work can be done more safely. (Eighth embodiment) Next, an eighth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 66.

The eighth embodiment is different from each embodiment in the configuration of the end-effector 1. The cutter 2 in the third embodiment is arranged in a range of half or less of the passage portion 3 in the width direction. In the present embodiment, the length dimension of the cutter 2 in the width direction of the passage portion 3 is about 1/4 of the entire width of the passage portion 3. The cutter 2 is disposed at the center of the passage portion 3 in the width direction. On the contrary, the guides 132 are disposed in a range of half or more in the width direction of the passage portion 3.

In this case, the base member 10 is the first member and the moving member 20 is the second member, as with the above-described embodiments. The base member 10 and the moving member 20 are formed in an annular shape including the cutter 2. Then, the passage portion 3 is formed therein through which a harvesting target 91 can pass.

Even with the above-mentioned configuration, the present embodiment also attains the same functions and effects as those of the above-described embodiments.

In this case, the dimension of the recess 131 in the width direction can be set to be larger than the outer diameter of the fruit stem 93 and smaller than a human finger, for example, 10 mm or less. Accordingly, the operator's finger can be prevented from entering the recess 131 and coming into contact with the cutter 2 and thus the safety can be further improved. (Ninth embodiment) Next, a ninth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 67.

In the present embodiment, the end-effector 1 includes a base member 10A instead of the base member 10 of each of the above embodiments and a moving member 20A instead of the moving member 20 of each of the above embodiments. The base member 10A is similar to the base member 10A in each of the above embodiments. The moving member 20A is substantially the same as the moving member 20 in each of the above-described embodiments, but is different in -66 -

that the cutter 2 is disposed in the annular member 21.

The cutter 2 is disposed in the annular member 21 at a position facing the gripping mechanism 40. In this case, the cutter 2 is not disposed in the base member 10A. The cutter 2 moves toward and away from the base member 10 in accordance with the movement of the moving member 20A. In the present embodiment, the moving member 20A serves as a first member, and the base member 10A and the grip member 41A serve as a second member. Then, the moving member 20A, the base member 10A, and the gripping member 41A are formed in an annular shape including the cutter 2 and define the passage portion 3 in the annular shape through which the harvesting target 91 passes.

Even with the above-mentioned configuration, the present embodiment also attains the same function and effects as those of the above-described embodiments.

(Tenth embodiment) Next, a tenth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 68 and

69.

The end-effector 1 of the present embodiment has a base member 10B, a non-moving member 20B, a gripping mechanism 40B, and a gripping member 41B instead of the base member 10, the moving member 20, the gripping mechanism 40, and the gripping member 41 of the above-described embodiments. The base member 10A is similar to the base member 10 in each of the above embodiments. The non-moving member 20B is substantially the same as the moving member 20 in the above-described embodiments, but is different in that it is fixed to the base member 10B. Further, the gripping mechanism 40B and the gripping member 41B are substantially the same as the gripping mechanism 40 and the gripping member 41 in the above-described embodiments, except that they are movable relative to the base member 10.

That is, in the present embodiment, the annular member 21 is fixed to, for example, the holding member 11 of the base member 10A. For this reason, the annular member 21 is configured to be immovable relative to the base member 10A. On the other hand, the gripping mechanism 40B is configured to be movable relative to the base member 10. Further, in the present embodiment, the motion mechanism 30 has a linear 87 -

motion actuator 39 instead of the motor 31, the bearings 32, the screw shaft 33, and the nut member 34. The linear actuator 39 is an actuator that drives in a linear direction, and is, for example, an air or electric cylinder, a linear slider, or the like.

The linear actuator 39 is disposed between the front holding member 11 and the rear holding member 12.

The linear motion actuator 39 has a drive shaft 321 and an end member

392. The end member 392 is disposed at a tip end of the drive shaft 391 and moves in the front-rear direction in accordance with motion of the drive shaft 391. The gripping mechanism 40B is connected to the drive shaft 391 via the end member

392. Then, as shown in FIGS. 69 and 69, the gripping mechanism 40B moves in the front-rear direction of the end-effector 1, that is, in the front-rear direction of the passage portion 3 as the drive shaft 391 moves forward and backward. In this case, the end member 392 has a sliding groove 393 that corresponds to the sliding groove 111 of the holding member 11. The sliding portion 412 of the gripping member 41 is slidable along the sliding groove 393.

The cutters 2 are disposed in the gripping mechanism 40B. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the gripping member 41B of the gripping mechanism 40B serves as a first member having the cutters 2 for cutting the fruit stem 93. Further, in this case, the base member 10 and the non-moving member 20B serve as a second member that is movable relative to the gripping member 41B of the gripping mechanism 40B. In the present embodiment, the gripping member 41B, which is the first member, moves with respect to the base member 10B and the annular member 21B, which constitute the second member. Then, the holding member 41B and the non-moving member 20B are formed in an annular shape including the cutters 2 and define the passage portion 3 inside the annular shape through which the harvesting target 91 can pass.

Accordingly, the same effect as that of each of the above-described embodiments can be also obtained with that structure.

(Other embodiments) In each of the above embodiments, a part or all of the configurations can be extracted and combined.

For example, one or both of the rotation axis side contact detecting section 72 and the opposite side contact detecting section 73 of the fourth embodiment may -B68 -

be applied to the first to third embodiments and may be used together with the motion process generating process and the tilting angle setting process in the first to third embodiments.

In this case, the first to third embodiments can be modified as follows. That is, when the rotation axis side contact detecting section 72 is applied to the first to third embodiments, the controller 60 moves the end-effector 1 toward the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) by executing the motion process. However, if the rotation axis side contact detecting section 72 detects contact with the main stem 92 or the like before the end-effector 1 reaches the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg), the controller 60 terminates the movement of the end-effector 1 and moves to the tilting process.

Further, when the opposite side contact detecting section 73 is applied to the first to third embodiments, the controller 60 executes the tilting process such that the angle of the end-effector 1 becomes the tilting angle ® set by the tilting angle setting process. However, if the opposite side contact detecting section 73 detects contact with the main stem 92 or the like before the end-effector 1 reaches the tilting angle 8, the controller 60 terminates the tilting process and moves to the cutting process. According to the above-mentioned configuration, the same function and effects as those of the above-described embodiments can be attained.

The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments that have been described above and illustrated in the drawings, but can arbitrarily be modified, combined, or expanded without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

The numerical values and the like shown in the embodiments described above are examples, and are not limited to those examples.

Although the present disclosure has been described in accordance with the embodiments, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments and structures disclosed therein. The present disclosure also includes various modifications and variations within an equivalent range. In addition, various combinations and forms, and further, other combinations and forms including only one element, or more or less than these elements are also within the sprit and the scope of the present disclosure.

-69 -

Claims (10)

CONCLUSIES:CONCLUSIONS: 1. Gewasoogstsysteem omvattende een eindeffector (1) voor het oogsten van gewas, waarbij de eindeffector geconfigureerd is om een vruchtstengel (93) van een oogsttarget (91) te snijden dat gedragen wordt aan een hoofdstengel (92) of een vertakking teneinde het oogsttarget te oogsten, waarbij het systeem omvat: de eindeffector omvattende: een eerste onderdeel (10, 20A, 41) dat een snijder (2) heeft om de vruchtstengel te snijden; een tweede onderdeel (20, 41A) dat geconfigureerd is om beweegbaar te zijn ten opzichte van het eerste onderdeel; en een bewegingsmechanisme (30) dat geconfigureerd is om het tweede onderdeel te bewegen ten opzichte van het eerste onderdeel, waarbij tenminste een van het eerste onderdeel en het tweede onderdeel gevormd is in een ringvorm die de snijder includeert, waarbij het tenminste ene van het eerste onderdeel en het tweede onderdeel een doorgangsgedeelte (3) in de ringvorm definieert om het oogsttarget door het doorgangsgedeelte te laten gaan, en waarbij het bewegingsmechanisme geconfigureerd is om het tweede onderdeel te bewegen ten opzichte van het eerste onderdeel met de vruchtstengel ingebracht in het doorgangsgedeelte om een openingsgebied van het doorgangsgedeelte te reduceren zodat de vruchtstengel gesneden wordt tussen het tweede onderdeel en de snijder; een robotarm (52) waaraan de eindeffector is bevestigd; een visuele inrichting (51) die geconfigureerd is om visuele informatie te verkrijgen inclusief positie-informatie van het oogsttarget; een oogsttargetdetectiesectie (61) die geconfigureerd is om een oogsttargetdetectieproces uit te voeren om het oogsttarget te detecteren dat bevat is in de visuele informatie verkregen door de visuele inrichting; een positie-informatiespeciferende sectie (62) die geconfigureerd is om een positiespecificerend proces uit te voeren om een positie te specificeren inclusief een distale eindpositie (Pb) en een proximale eindpositie (Pt) van het oogsttarget -70 -A crop harvesting system comprising an end effector (1) for harvesting crop, the end effector being configured to cut a fruit stalk (93) from a harvest target (91) carried on a main stalk (92) or a branch to cut the harvest target. harvesting, the system comprising: the end effector comprising: a first member (10, 20A, 41) having a cutter (2) for cutting the fruit stalk; a second part (20, 41A) configured to be movable relative to the first part; and a movement mechanism (30) configured to move the second part relative to the first part, wherein at least one of the first part and the second part is formed in an annular shape including the cutter, the at least one of the first part and the second part defines a passage portion (3) in the ring shape for passing the harvesting target through the passage portion, and wherein the movement mechanism is configured to move the second part relative to the first part with the fruit stalk inserted into the passage portion to reducing an opening area of the passage portion so that the fruit stalk is cut between the second part and the cutter; a robotic arm (52) to which the end effector is attached; a visual device (51) configured to obtain visual information including position information of the harvesting target; a harvest target detection section (61) configured to perform a harvest target detection process to detect the harvest target contained in the visual information obtained by the visual device; a position information specifying section (62) configured to perform a position specifying process to specify a position including a distal end position (Pb) and a proximal end position (Pt) of the harvesting target -70 - dat gedetecteerd is tijdens het oogsttargetdetectieproces; een naderbesturingssectie (65) die geconfigureerd is om een naderingsproces uit te voeren om de eindeffector te besturen om een startpositie (Ps) te naderen die ingesteld is buiten de distale eindpositie van het oogsttarget door het besturen van de robotarm; een beweegbesturingssectie (66) die geconfigureerd is om een bewegingsproces uit te voeren om de eindeffector van de startpositie naar de proximale eindpositie te bewegen om te veroorzaken dat het oogsttarget in het doorgangsgedeelte gebracht wordt door het besturen van de robotarm; een kantelbesturingssectie (67) die geconfigureerd is om een kantelproces uit te voeren om te veroorzaken dat het doorgangsgedeelte door het oogsttarget passeert naar een positie buiten de proximale eindpositie door het kantelen van de eindeffector om langs de hoofdstengel of de vertakking te zijn; en een shijbesturingssectie (68) die geconfigureerd is om een snijproces uit te voeren om de vruchtstengel ingebracht in het doorgangsgedeelte te snijden door de eindeffector te bedienen om een openingsgebied van het doorgangsgedeelte te reduceren.that is detected during the harvest target detection process; a proximity control section (65) configured to perform an approach process to control the end effector to approach a start position (Ps) set outside the distal end position of the harvesting target by controlling the robot arm; a movement control section (66) configured to perform a movement process to move the end effector from the start position to the proximal end position to cause the harvesting target to be brought into the passage portion by controlling the robot arm; a tilt control section (67) configured to perform a tilting process to cause the passage portion to pass through the harvesting target to a position outside the proximal end position by tilting the end effector to be along the main stem or branch; and a shear control section (68) configured to perform a cutting process to cut the fruit stalk inserted into the passage portion by operating the end effector to reduce an opening area of the passage portion. 2. Gewasoogstsysteem volgens conclusie 1, voorts omvattende: een kantelhoekinstellingssectie (63) die geconfigureerd is om een kantelhoekinstellingsproces uit te voeren om een kantelhoek in te stellen voor de eindeffector om te worden gekanteld langs de hoofdstengel of de vertakking, waarbij het kantelhoekinstellingsproces een proces omvat om de kantelhoek in te stellen op een vooraf bepaalde constante waarde, en de kantelbesturingssectie geconfigureerd is om het kantelproces uit te voeren gebaseerd op de kantelhoek ingesteld tijdens het kantelhoekinstellingsproces.The crop harvesting system of claim 1, further comprising: a tilt angle adjustment section (63) configured to perform a tilt angle adjustment process to set a tilt angle for the end effector to be tilted along the main stem or branch, the tilt angle adjustment process comprising a process to set the tilt angle to a predetermined constant value, and the tilt control section is configured to perform the tilt process based on the tilt angle set during the tilt angle setting process. 3. Gewasoogstsysteem volgens conclusie 1, voorts omvattende: een kantelhoekinstellingssectie (63) die geconfigureerd is om een kantelhoekinstellingsproces uit te voeren om een kantelhoek in te stellen voor de eindeffector om te worden gekanteld langs de hoofdstengel of de vertakking, waarbij het kantelhoekinstellingsproces een proces omvat om de kantelhoek in te -71 -The crop harvesting system of claim 1, further comprising: a tilt angle adjustment section (63) configured to perform a tilt angle adjustment process to set a tilt angle for the end effector to be tilted along the main stem or branch, the tilt angle adjustment process comprising a process to set the tilt angle -71 - stellen gebaseerd op de visuele informatie gedetecteerd door de visuele inrichting, en de kantelbesturingssectie geconfigureerd is om het kantelproces uit te voeren gebaseerd op de kantelhoek ingesteld tijdens het kantelhoekinstellingsproces.based on the visual information detected by the visual device, and the tilt control section is configured to perform the tilt process based on the tilt angle set during the tilt angle setting process. 4. Gewasoogstsysteem volgens conclusie 3, voorts omvattende: een opslaggebied (602) dat een data-tabel opslaat die een relatie heeft tussen een hoogtepositie van het oogsttarget en de kantelhoek voor de hoogtepositie, waarbij het kantelhoekinstellingsproces een proces omvat om: de hoogtepositie (Pt) van het oogsttarget te specificeren gebaseerd op de visuele informatie verkregen door de visuele inrichting; en de kantelhoek in te stellen op een hoek corresponderend met de gespecificeerde hoogtepositie van het oogsttarget door raadplegen van de data- tabel.The crop harvesting system of claim 3, further comprising: a storage area (602) storing a data table having a relationship between a height position of the crop target and the tilt angle for the height position, the tilt angle setting process comprising a process of: adjusting the height position (Pt ) specifying the harvest target based on the visual information obtained by the visual device; and set the tilt angle to an angle corresponding to the specified height position of the harvesting target by referring to the data table. 5. Gewasoogstsysteem volgens conclusie 3, waarbij het kantelhoekinstellingsproces een proces omvat om: een vorm van de hoofdstengel of de vertakking te extraheren uit de visuele informatie verkregen door de visuele inrichting; en de kantelhoek in te stellen door het uitvoeren van patroonvergelijkingsbewerkingen of pasbewerking op de geëxtraheerde vorm van de hoofdstengel of de vertakking.The crop harvesting system of claim 3, wherein the tilt angle adjustment process comprises a process of: extracting a shape of the main stem or branch from the visual information obtained by the visual device; and adjusting the tilt angle by performing pattern matching operations or fitting operations on the extracted shape of the main stem or the branch. 6. Gewasoogstsysteem volgens conclusie 1, voorts omvattende: een tegenovergelegenkantcontactdetectiesectie (73) die geconfigureerd is om een contact door een object met een gedeelte van de eindeffector te detecteren tegenover een rotatie-as van de eindeffector tijdens het kantelproces, waarbij de kantelbesturingssectie geconfigureerd is om het kantelproces te beëindigen wanneer de tegenovergelegenkantcontactdetectiesectie het contact door het object detecteert tijdens het kantelproces. 72-The crop harvesting system of claim 1, further comprising: an opposite side contact detecting section (73) configured to detect contact by an object with a portion of the end effector opposite an axis of rotation of the end effector during the tilting process, the tilt control section being configured to terminate the tilting process when the opposite side contact detecting section detects the contact by the object during the tilting process. 72- 7. Gewasoogstsysteem volgens een der conclusies 1 t/m 5, waarbij het bewegingsproces een proces omvat om de eindeffector naar een targetpositie (Pg) te bewegen die zodanig is ingesteld dat het doorgangsgedeelte door het oogsttarget gaat naar een positie buiten de proximale eindpositie van het oogsttarget wanneer de eindeffector wordt gekanteld, en de kantelbesturingssectie het kantelproces uitvoert wanneer de eindeffector de targetpositie bereikt.A crop harvesting system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the moving process comprises a process for moving the end effector to a target position (Pg) set such that the passage portion passes through the harvesting target to a position outside the proximal end position of the harvest target when the end effector is tilted, and the tilt control section performs the tilt process when the end effector reaches the target position. 8. Gewasoogstsysteem volgens een der conclusies 1 t/m 5, voorts omvattende: een rotatie-aszijdecontactdetectiesectie (72) die geconfigureerd is om een contact door een object met een gedeelte van de eindeffector dichtbij een rotatie-as van de eindeffector te detecteren tijdens het kantelproces, waarbij het bewegingsproces een proces omvat om de eindeffector te bewegen naar een eindpositie (Pe) ingesteld buiten de proximale eindpositie van het oogsttarget, en de kantelbesturingssectie geconfigureerd is om het kantelproces te starten wanneer de rotatie-aszijdecontactdetectiesectie het contact door het object detecteert terwijl de eindeffector bewogen wordt naar de eindpositie tijdens het bewegingsproces.The crop harvesting system of any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: a rotational axis side contact detecting section (72) configured to detect contact by an object with a portion of the end effector close to a rotational axis of the end effector during said tilting process, wherein the moving process includes a process of moving the end effector to an end position (Pe) set outside the proximal end position of the harvesting target, and the tilt control section is configured to start the tilting process when the rotation axis side contact detecting section detects the contact through the object while the end effector is moved to the end position during the movement process. 9. Gewasoogstsysteem volgens een der conclusies 1 t/m 8, waarbij een rotatie-as van de eindeffector tijdens het kantelproces is ingesteld op een gefixeerde positie van de eind-effector, en het naderingsproces een proces omvat om: een axiale richting van de rotatie-as aan te passen om de vruchtstengel die zich uitstrekt vanaf de hoofdstengel te snijden; en om de eindeffector te bewegen om de startpositie te naderen.A crop harvesting system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein an axis of rotation of the end effector is set to a fixed position of the end effector during the tilting process, and the approach process comprises a process of: an axial direction of the rotation -axis adjust to cut the fruit stem extending from the main stem; and to move the end effector to approach the start position. 10. Gewasoogstsysteem volgens een der conclusies 1 t/m 8, waarbij het kantelproces een proces omvat om de eindeffector te kantelen om een gedeelte van de eindeffector, als een rotatie-as (Axr, Axp), die het dichtst bij de hoofdstengel of de vertakking is zodanig dat een gedeelte van de eindeffector 73 -A crop harvesting system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the tilting process comprises a process of tilting the end effector about a portion of the end effector, such as an axis of rotation (Axr, Axp), closest to the main stem or the branching is such that a portion of the end effector 73 - tegenover de rotatie-as de hoofdstengel of de vertakking nadert, en het naderingsproces een proces omvat om de eindeffector te besturen om de startpositie te naderen met een constante hoek ten opzichte van het oogsttarget ongeacht een positionele relatie van het oogsttarget ten opzichte van de hoofdstengel of de vertakking. -74 -opposite the axis of rotation approaches the main stem or branch, and the approach process includes a process of controlling the end effector to approach the starting position at a constant angle to the harvesting target regardless of a positional relationship of the harvesting target to the main stem or the branch. -74 -