| CPC A01D 46/30 (2013.01) [B25J 9/1664 (2013.01); B25J 9/1697 (2013.01); B25J 15/0019 (2013.01)] | 12 Claims |
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1. A produce harvesting device, comprising:
a cylindrical member that defines a guide passage therein through which a tomato passes toward a rear side, the cylindrical member guiding the tomato toward a hose that is connected to the cylindrical member and defines a suction passage therein for air that is in communication with the guide passage;
a rotating member that radially extends from an inner circumferential surface or a front side of the cylindrical member into the guide passage and forms a through-hole member that allows the tomato to pass through from the front side to the rear side; and
a rotation driving unit that is configured to drive the rotating member to rotate about a virtual axis that extends in a direction along the guide passage, wherein
the rotating member is configured to:
when the rotating member comes into contact with the tomato while rotating, twist the tomato relative to a stem of the tomato;
when the rotating member comes into contact with the tomato moving toward the rear side, deform toward the rear side to increase the through-hole member in size when the rotating member is viewed in a direction along the virtual axis; and
reduce the through-hole member in size by returning back to an original shape of the rotating member, wherein
the rotating member includes a plurality of movable pieces and three or more slits between the plurality of movable pieces, the three or more slits each extending radially outward from a center of the rotating member to form at least a portion of the through-hole member, and
inner ends of the three or more slits are connected to a single connecting point or to a single through hole that passes through the rotating member from the front side to the rear side.
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