Working within the worldwide framework of creating robots to harvest fruit for fresh consumption, the Catania A.A.T., resuming an old project, has created a new robot version for harvesting oranges. Trials were first carried out in the laboratory to assess the efficiency of the arm and the vision system for identifying the fruit, and subsequently in the field to assess the functionality of the machine in a citrus grove and to examine the problems presented by the width of the space between the rows and the natural position of the fruit on the tree. The trials in the laboratory gave encouraging results, but there are still many problems to solve concerning reliability in the field and the machine-plant interaction. In the field, in fact, difficulties emerged connected with the structure of the plant (pruning system, branches interfering with the movement of the collecting arm, etc.) and with the environmental conditions (periodic blinding of the telecamera or excessive shading of the fruit caused by variability of sun rays), which impede the harvesting of the oranges. Nevertheless, the prototype certainly is a good basis for future development. During the trials, a study was also carried out of the unloading of the harvested fruit and the transferral of containers in the field, in order to optimise the times the robot is in use and to minimise dead times.
Nella prospettiva mondiale di approntare robot per la raccolta di frutta destinata al consumo fresco, la A.A.T. di Catania, riprendendo un vecchio progetto, ha realizzato una nuova versione di robot per la raccolta di arance, del quale si riferisce nel presente lavoro. Sono state condotte prove prima in laboratorio, per verificare l’efficienza del braccio e del sistema di visione e riconoscimento dei frutti e, poi, in campo, per valutare l’operatività della macchina all’interno di un agrumeto ed evidenziare le problematiche relative alla larghezza dell’interfilare e al naturale posizionamento dei frutti sulla pianta. Le prove in laboratorio hanno dato risultati confortanti, mentre restano ancora molti nodi da sciogliere sull’affidabilità in campo e, quindi, sull’interazione macchina-pianta. In campo, infatti, sono emerse difficoltà connesse alla struttura della pianta (sistema di potatura, rami che interferiscono con l’avanzamento del braccio di raccolta, etc.) e alle condizioni ambientali (periodici fenomeni di abbagliamento della telecamera o di ombreggiamento eccessivo dei frutti dovuti all’incidenza variabile dei raggi solari), che ostacolano la raccolta delle arance. Ciò nonostante il prototipo è certamente una buona base per un futuro sviluppo. Nell’ambito della sperimentazione è stato effettuato anche uno studio del sistema di scarico della frutta raccolta e della movimentazione in campo dei contenitori, in modo da ottimizzare i tempi di asservimento del robot e minimizzare i tempi morti.
La raccolta meccanica di agrumi: stato dell'arte e prospettive
CERRUTO, Emanuele;MANETTO, Giuseppe Ezio
2005-01-01
Abstract
Working within the worldwide framework of creating robots to harvest fruit for fresh consumption, the Catania A.A.T., resuming an old project, has created a new robot version for harvesting oranges. Trials were first carried out in the laboratory to assess the efficiency of the arm and the vision system for identifying the fruit, and subsequently in the field to assess the functionality of the machine in a citrus grove and to examine the problems presented by the width of the space between the rows and the natural position of the fruit on the tree. The trials in the laboratory gave encouraging results, but there are still many problems to solve concerning reliability in the field and the machine-plant interaction. In the field, in fact, difficulties emerged connected with the structure of the plant (pruning system, branches interfering with the movement of the collecting arm, etc.) and with the environmental conditions (periodic blinding of the telecamera or excessive shading of the fruit caused by variability of sun rays), which impede the harvesting of the oranges. Nevertheless, the prototype certainly is a good basis for future development. During the trials, a study was also carried out of the unloading of the harvested fruit and the transferral of containers in the field, in order to optimise the times the robot is in use and to minimise dead times.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.