猕猴桃自动采摘机器人研究中,为了自动获取目标果实的空间坐标,提出了一种基于Kinect传感器的猕猴桃果实空间坐标获取方法。首先利用Kinect传感器的红外投影机和红外摄像机获取深度图像,利用彩色摄像机获取RGB图像,根据彩色图和深度图对应关系,转换成深度坐标;然后通过Map Depth Point To Skeleton Point函数得到以红外摄像机为原点的坐标系坐标。实验表明:该方法能够有效获取猕猴桃目标果实的空间坐标,其定位误差小于2mm。
The harvesting of fresh kiwifruit is a labor-intensive operation that accounts for more than 25%of annual production costs.Mechanized harvesting technologies are thus being developed to reduce labor requirements for harvesting kiwifruit.To improve the efficiency of a harvesting robot for picking kiwifruit,we designed an end-effector,which we report herein along with the results of tests to verify its operation.By using the established method of automated picking discussed in the literature and which is based on the characteristics of kiwifruit,we propose an automated method to pick kiwifruit that consists of separating the fruit from its stem on the tree.This method is experimentally verified by using it to pick clustered kiwifruit in a scaffolding canopy cultivation.In the experiment,the end-effector approaches a fruit from below and then envelops and grabs it with two bionic fingers.The fingers are then bent to separate the fruit from its stem.The grabbing,picking,and unloading processes are integrated,with automated picking and unloading performed using a connecting rod linkage following a trajectory model.The trajectory was analyzed and validated by using a simulation implemented in the software Automatic Dynamic Analysis of Mechanical Systems(ADAMS).In addition,a prototype of an end-effector was constructed,and its bionic fingers were equipped with fiber sensors to detect the best position for grabbing the kiwifruit and pressure sensors to ensure that the damage threshold was respected while picking.Tolerances for size and shape were incorporated by following a trajectory groove from grabbing and picking to unloading.The end-effector separates clustered kiwifruit and automatically grabs individual fruits.It takes on average 4–5 s to pick a single fruit,with a successful picking rate of 94.2%in an orchard test featuring 240 samples.This study shows the grabbing–picking–unloading robotic end-effector has significant potential to facilitate the harvesting of kiwifruit.