P.E.R.C.H.

#REDIRECT Orchard Picker Positioning Platform
This page is dedicated to the project work for the senior design group the Picker Enhancement Rover for Careful Harvesting (P.E.R.C.H.). The purpose of this project is to design a prototype that will aid orchard workers in picking and pruning apple and pear orchards. 
==Introduction:==
Joe Rumble owns an orchard in Washington that has grades within the orchard of up to 20 degrees. He currently has each of the workers in the orchard pick the fruit by hand and place it in a bag hanging down the worker’s chest. The worker must move around with this bag and a ladder in order to navigate the trees in the orchard. This can be a dangerous endeavor because the bag can get up to 60 pounds before it is emptied into a bin. There are also time inefficiencies in this process because of the constant re-positioning of the ladder, and the worker emptying their bag every tree or less. This was not only time consuming, but physically demanding on each of the workers. The steep grades in the orchard prevent the current picking platforms to be a viable option. Although the picking will still have to be done by hand because of the delicacy of the fruit, a machine that will aid the workers in their picking, and eliminate the constant movement of an individual ladder is our goal. The current state of the picker working conditions has not been changed in nearly 100 years, and is need of a safer, more efficient option for sloped orchards.
In order to see an orchard and the equipment that was used, the group visited Bishop's Orchard in Garfield, Washington. Although this was not our client's orchard, the sense of the slopes through the orchard were similar. The only power equipment used by this orchard was a picker lift. This was a three-wheeled device that would raise and lower a picker so that the top branches could be reached. The type of bag that was used was the same as a picker climbing a ladder, so the bag had to be emptied manually. This platform was sturdy due to the three-wheeled design, but the maneuverability of the machine was limited because the entire machine would rotate to get the arm with the picker into the correct position. This was clumsily done, and could easily cause damage to the trees because of all the branches it could hit during its movement. 
====Problem Specifications====
Design point 	Description 	Goal 	Ideal
Working platform	Create a prototype for a type of platform that can allow workers to pick fruit at different heights and different slopes up to 20% grade. 	The platform should have a type of leveling system so that working on slopes is not hazardous. It should also allow workers to pick fruit from 6 to 13 feet off the ground. 	A platform that is self leveling along 2 axes as the machine maneuvers through various orchard rows.
Transport Bins 	The prototype should have a solution to transport fruit bins so the workers will have them readily available. 	Create a system on the prototype that will minimize time spent on transporting fruit to bins. Must work with bins that are 4’x4’x30” and up to 1100 pounds when full of fruit. 	Have a bin system that will allow for minimum time used on switching between full and empty fruit bins.
Safety 	Safety must be incorporated on each part of the prototype to have a simple and usable machine for all orchard workers. 	Safe working areas for all workers on the prototype, and on the ground. A simple interface to move each part within the structure so that all workers could proficiently use the machine.	Have a integrated control so that all parts of the machine could manipulated from a central location, and an emergency stop.
Fruit Transport 	The fruit has to safely be moved from the tree to the bin without bruising or breaking the stem of the fruit, that is more efficient than the current method. It should cut down on time that the worker is spending depositing fruit into bins, and have minimal labor involved.	Create a concept that will move the fruit from the orchard workers to the bin without harming the fruit. 	Have a system that will individually transport fruit and fill the bin without any damage to the fruit.
Propulsion 	The orchard workers should be easily able to move the entire design through and orchard and between rows with minimal hassle. 	Create a design to show the proof of concept that the design could be moved without the assistance of a vehicle. 	Have an electrically powered design that can be driven safely through the orchard by a picker when shifting from tree to tree.
==Project Work==
===Main Design Areas===
#Picker Positioning
#Bin Management
#Fruit Transport and Bin Filling
Each of these areas have been researched and potential solutions have been found. 
====Picker Positioning====
One of the major problems that needs to be addressed is the picker positioning. The picker must be able to get into each tree to pick all of the fruit without hassle. They must be as maneuverable, or more, than they are currently with the picking ladders that they are using. The picker must be able to get from the very top of the tree, down to about 6 feet above the ground. They also need to be able to get from the near center of the tree, out to the edges to pick the most fruit possible. Current picking platforms have tiered areas where the workers stand and can move from side to side along the tree, however they are not able to reach far into the tree, so the type of orchard it can be successfully used on is very specialized. If the orchard still has circular or oval shaped trees, the worker would be missing a lot of fruit on the inner parts of the tree. 
Ladder Mechanism
One potential solution for picker positioning would be a hydraulically operated ladder mechanism. The ladder would be attached to a laterally moving bracket on rails that could move along the P.E.R.C.H.'s sides parallel to the long axis of the machine. The ladder's angle of incline would be manipulated by hydraulic pistons while the axis of rotation for the ladder would be attached to the bracket by a hinge. The ladder could also possibly bend at its midpoint hydraulically to move the ladders axis of rotation out away from the machine to create a smaller angle of incline at lower picking heights. The ladder could include a sliding safety harness that could be moved up and down the ladder to allow picker mobility. 
Dual Scissor Lift Platforms
This solution would have the workers on a scissor lift type platform that they could maneuver around to get approximately 3 to 4 feet of width of the tree at a single height. The scissor lift could then be hydraulically moved up or down the tree as needed. The platform could be leveled individually so the picker would always have a level platform to work on. To get into the inner parts of the tree, a rotating arm on one side of the platform could be attached so that it could be rotated to "hug" one side of the tree, and allow the worker to walk into the side of the tree as well. Ideally, the platform could also move laterally into the tree so that different sized trees could be accommodated, depending on the tree's maturity.
====Bin Management====
Bin management refers to the way the P.E.R.C.H. will house bins that are being filled and how these bins will be swapped with new, empty bins.
One solution is by using forks incorporating a conveyor system much like the Bin Runner made by Crendon Machinery. There would be a set of forks on both the front and back of the P.E.R.C.H. which would incorporate two belts ran by a drive train. The belts would run in either direction from one set of forks at one end all the way along the machine's long axis to the other set of forks. These forks can also change their angle and incorporate a guard which keeps them from digging into the ground when loading. Using this solution, the empty bins can be loaded from either the front or back of the machine and then deposited on the ground either behind or in front of the P.E.R.C.H.
Another solution for bin management is to have a fork lift type mechanism, that would slip into the front and back of the bin pallet. This would allow the bin to be raised in order to move with the rest of the machine, and deposited when it became full. The arms would have to be hydraulically operated in order to raise the weight of a full fruit bin.
====Fruit Transport and Bin Filling====
Transporting the fruit from the picker to the tree to the bin has to be as economic and gentle as possible. Many options have been researched in order to find a solution to this problem. Large picking platforms have been created to solve these problems on level ground, however the issue of slope of the orchard has not yet been addressed. One particular platform uses vacuum suction and tubes in order to transport the fruit from the worker to the machine. The worker has a tube strapped to them so the tube is always readily available. The tube system created by Whoosh Innovations is gentle on the fruit and is able to transport the fruit very quickly. The fruit is then put on a conveyor belt and processed by a bin filling device that deposits the fruit into the bottom of the bin, slowly raising as the bin fills. 
Another system that is used currently is a platform called the Pluk-O-Trak. The picker is on a fixed platform and places the picked fruit on a conveyor belt. This small conveyor belt has cleats which separate the fruit from one another, and prevent the fruit from rolling and damaging themselves. The conveyor will lead to a larger conveyor that gathers the apples from four pickers situated at different points on the platform. The apples are then fed into a flexible vertical conveyor in order to fill the bin. The bin is rotated constantly so that the bin will fill evenly on all sides. The workers are not required to level the fruit in the bin because of this innovation.
Although both of these platforms have great innovations for harvesting fruit, the technology is new and therefore, expensive. To incorporate even part of these inventions, it would be tens of thousands of dollars. For the P.E.R.C.H. these ideas will be kept as inspiration, and alternative solutions are being considered.
For other ideas for solutions, a paper by William Messner and Brian Kliethermes on Augmented Fruit Harvesting was consulted. They present several solutions on how to handle fruit when filling bins and when transporting the fruit from the tree. Bin filling is a large issuer because this is when there is a large amount of fruit in one spot, with the greatest potential for damage. The fruit cannot be dropped into the bin, so an alternative method must be used. When commenting on conveyor systems, Messner and Kliethermes note that nearly 100% fruit singulation can be attained. This is ideal so that fruit will not be damaged by other fruit during its transportation. 
Conveyor belts
Conveyor belts could be used in our design to transport the fruit away from the picker. Cleats would be incorporated on our conveyor because the picker would be up on a ladder, and the angle of the conveyor would be very steep. The picker could pick the fruit and place it on the conveyor. This would eliminate the use of bags, and would cause much less strain on the worker. The picker would also be more productive because there would be no need to climb down from the ladder to empty a bag. A conveyor belt could also be useful when collecting the fruit from several pickers and transporting it into the bin. The conveyor could have several smaller conveyors deposit onto it, and then travel to the bin. 
Gravity-Fed Tubes
Since the pickers will usually be higher than the bin, a tube using gravity could feed the fruit away from the picker. A semi-flexible tube could be attached to the picker, and they could simply drop the fruit into the opening. Gravity would pull the fruit down to the bin. To slow the fruit, baffles within the tube could be placed to slow the fruit as it falls. This is a very simple solution, but would not work it the picker was level to, or below the bin they are filling. 
Bin Fillers
There are several solutions on how to fill a bin with fruit quickly and gently. The vertical conveyor that is on the Pluk-O-Trak is a great solution and would only require the workers manually crank the filler to the bottom of the bin. After that sensors would take over and slowly raise the bin as the fruit filled it. Along the same idea, a sensors could be installed on a large flexible fan that would rotate and deposit fruit as it spun.
==Current Design==
The design of the PERCH has progressed continuously from an original sketch from Joe Rumble to current designs. The current design has incorporated a forklift-type mechanism to lift fruit bins, and carry them along with the machine, so there would be no struggle to get fruit to the bins efficiently. The machine would pick up an empty bins, have it filled with fruit, and then drop the full bin off to be transported later. 
The platform the the worker will be standing on would be a scissor lift. This would allow the picker to reach the height that was needed while standing on a stable platform. The platform itself would be leveled, so the picker would have a flat platform regardless of how hilly it is in the orchard.
==Group Members==
thumb|400px|left|From Left to Right: Spencer, Sydney, Jordan, Cole
Sydney Osterloh	I am currently a Mechanical Engineering student at University of Idaho. I grew up in Colorado and enjoy horseback riding, skiing and traveling. Upon graduation I will be entering the U.S. Navy and hopefully pursuing a career within the submarine community.
Spencer Marquis	I am studying to be a Mechanical Engineer, originally from Yakima Washington. I enjoy golf and hiking, after graduation I hope to join the workforce fairly close to home.
Cole Lewis 	I am studying to be a mechanical engineer. I grew up in Kellogg, Idaho. After graduating in May, I will be attending graduate school. My favorite activities include camping and fishing along with many other outdoor activities. During the summer, I have been working as a mechanical engineer at the Clearwater Paper Corporation in Lewiston, Idaho.
Jordan Schwers 	I am a Bio Ag Engineer also working towards a minor in Mechanical Engineering. I grew up in Eagle, ID and enjoy athletics and outdoor activities of any kind. Upon graduating I will pursue either graduate studies in the Biomedical Field or enter the job market.
==Appendix==
 Current Timeline
Design Review Powerpoint
Group Meeting Minutes