US 12,376,523 B2
Method and apparatus for automatically picking a fruit
Pieter Dondeyne, Heverlee (BE); Dries Gielis, Everberg (BE); and Tom Coen, Zemst (BE)
Assigned to OCTIVA BELGIUM BV, Leuven (BE); and OCTIVA GROUP B.V., De Lier (NL)
Appl. No. 17/056,865
Filed by OCTIVA BELGIUM BV, Leuven (BE)
PCT Filed Apr. 26, 2019, PCT No. PCT/IB2019/053441
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 19, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/224627, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 28, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 2018/5327 (BE), filed on May 22, 2018; and application No. 2018/5651 (BE), filed on Sep. 21, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0337733 A1, Nov. 4, 2021
Int. Cl. A01D 46/30 (2006.01); B25J 9/16 (2006.01); B25J 15/08 (2006.01)
CPC A01D 46/30 (2013.01) [B25J 9/1612 (2013.01); B25J 15/08 (2013.01)] 25 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for automatically picking a fruit from a plant using an apparatus comprising a gripper mechanism comprising two or more mutually movable fingers, the method comprising:
an approach stage wherein the gripper mechanism is put into a clamping position, wherein the fingers are positioned next to the fruit to be picked for a subsequent clamping of the fruit to be picked;
a clamping stage wherein, while the gripper mechanism is in the clamping position, the fingers are mutually moved towards the fruit to be picked until they clamp the fruit; and
a removal stage wherein the fruit clamped in the fingers is removed from the plant,
wherein during the clamping stage, the fingers are moved such that a specific maximum clamping force is not exceeded; and
during at least a part of the removal stage, the mutual position of the fingers with respect to each other is controlled by one or more selective blocking elements of a drive such that a distance between the fingers does not increase, even when a force exceeding the specific maximum clamping force is exerted on one or more of the fingers;
wherein the one or more selective blocking elements are separate from the drive and arranged to be selectively activated and deactivated; and
wherein, upon activation, the one or more selective blocking elements selectively prevent movement of the fingers, and wherein upon deactivation, the one or more selective blocking elements are arranged to permit movement of the fingers.