Patent ID: 11968928
Assignee: OCTIVA GROUP B.V.
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC A  B | IPC A  B

Claim 18:
19. A device for picking fruit, provided with:
an optical detection means, configured to detect and spatially locate a piece of fruit to be picked and hanging from a plant;
a robot arm, fitted with a gripper mechanism provided with at least two fingers; and
a processing unit, operatively connected to the optical detection means, the robot arm, and the gripper mechanism;
in which the processing unit is configured such that it actuates the robot arm to make the gripper mechanism move at least partly about the piece of fruit to be picked in an upward movement from below after a piece of fruit to be picked has been located by the optical detection means, the upward movement from below being defined with an angle which diverts less than 10 degrees from a substantially vertical first axis, wherein the fingers of the gripper mechanism are directed upwards during the upward movement from below of the gripper mechanism;
and in which the processing unit is configured such that it actuates the gripper mechanism, when it has been positioned around the piece of fruit to be picked, in order to:
grasp the piece of fruit to be picked between the at least two fingers, wherein the fingers of the gripper mechanism are directed upwards; and
rotate the gripper mechanism through a rotation angle in a range 70 and 110 degrees, independently from the robot arm, about a substantially horizontal axis such that the piece of fruit to be picked is rotated in such a way about the substantially horizontal axis or about a second axis situated in a plane which is at right angles to the direction of the stalk of the piece of fruit that it comes away from the plant;

wherein the gripper mechanism defines a longitudinal axis and is fixed in a parallel orientation with the substantially vertical axis during movement at least partly about the piece of fruit to be picked in the upward movement from below;
wherein the at least two fingers, on the side facing the fruit to be picked, are provided with an elongate, elastically deformable surface, which surface is configured to assume, upon contact with the piece of fruit to be picked, a concave shape which, viewed in a vertical plane, at least partly follows the contour of the piece of fruit to be picked;
wherein the elongate, elastically deformable surface is configured to bear upon a soft plastic framework of the at least two fingers, the soft plastic framework comprising sufficient roundings.