Robot for Harvesting Cherry Tomatoes in Mobile Cultivation Facilities (Part 1)

——Outline of the Robot and 3-D Image Recognition——

Abstract

Experiments on a cherry tomato harvesting robot for a mobile cultivation facility were performed. In this report, the outline of the robot and the image recognition system are discussed. Cultivation beds were hung from 2 poles ; each pole was attached to a rail installed high in the greenhouse. The beds were moved under the rail by electric power. Plants were trained vertically along the poles. The robot consisted of a 6-axis manipulator, an end effector, a 3-D vision sensor, a personal computer, and a simple wheeler. The 3-D vision sensor scanned the plants with infrared and red laser beams. Reflected lights were detected by a PSD. Of the 247 fruits that were present in the visual field, 209 were recognized.