A transportation device for fruit and vegetable picking in a solar greenhouse is provided, which may include a guide rail, a moving mechanism and a picking box. The guide rail is horizontally fixed on side surfaces of multiple supporting columns in the solar greenhouse, an upper side and a lower side of the guide rail are respectively provided with horizontally extended sliding grooves, and a top of the moving mechanism is slidably connected to the guide rail through the sliding grooves, and the picking box is hung at a bottom of the moving mechanism. The transportation device is used to hang the picking box at a bottom of the moving mechanism, so that the moving mechanism can carry the picking box to move along the sliding grooves to transport the picking box to a destination, thereby saving time, saving labor and reducing a labor cost.

A movable harvesting apparatus includes an end effector including a suction port to suction a harvest object, a vacuum generator, vacuum spaces in which a vacuum is generated by the vacuum generator, a switching valve disposed in a path from the vacuum spaces to the suction port, and a controller to control opening and closing of the switching valve. The harvesting apparatus reduces wasteful energy consumption required for harvesting.

An example system includes a vacuum generating device, a robotic arm, and a harvesting device coupled to the robotic arm. The harvesting device includes an end-effector having an inlet; a vacuum tube coupled to the inlet of the end-effector and to the vacuum generating device, where the vacuum generating device is configured to generate a vacuum environment in the vacuum tube; an outlet mechanism coupled to the vacuum tube; and a deceleration structure configured to decelerate fruit that has traversed at least a portion of the vacuum environment.

An example system includes a vacuum generating device, a robotic arm, and a harvesting device coupled to the robotic arm. The harvesting device includes an end-effector having an inlet; a vacuum tube coupled to the inlet of the end-effector and to the vacuum generating device, where the vacuum generating device is configured to generate a vacuum environment in the vacuum tube; an outlet mechanism coupled to the vacuum tube; and a deceleration structure configured to decelerate fruit that has traversed at least a portion of the vacuum environment.

An example harvesting device includes: a conduit having a distal end and a proximal end; a nozzle coupled to the distal end of the conduit, wherein a vacuum generating device is configured to generate a vacuum environment in the conduit and the nozzle coupled thereto; a housing coupled to the proximal end of the conduit, wherein the housing defines a chamber therein, and wherein the housing includes a divider that partitions a portion of the chamber into a first section and a second section; and a wedge rotatably mounted within the housing, wherein: (i) when the wedge is in a first position, fruit that has traversed through the conduit is deflected to the first section, and (ii) when the wedge is in a second position, fruit that has traversed through the conduit is deflected to the second section.

An example harvesting device includes: a conduit having a distal end and a proximal end; a nozzle coupled to the distal end of the conduit, wherein a vacuum generating device is configured to generate a vacuum environment in the conduit and the nozzle coupled thereto; a housing coupled to the proximal end of the conduit, wherein the housing defines a chamber therein, and wherein the housing includes a divider that partitions a portion of the chamber into a first section and a second section; and a wedge rotatably mounted within the housing, wherein: (i) when the wedge is in a first position, fruit that has traversed through the conduit is deflected to the first section, and (ii) when the wedge is in a second position, fruit that has traversed through the conduit is deflected to the second section.

A fruit harvesting machine, including a sealed container (12), for collecting fruits, a vacuum pump (13), connected to the sealed container (12), for generating a vacuum in the sealed container (12), a flexible tube (14), connected to the sealed container (12), for drifting therethrough a fruit, a vehicle (28) on which the container a is placed on, a cutting device (27) located at the end (22) of the flexible tube (14), inside the tube, and a ladder (26) installed on the vehicle.

Devices, systems and methods for harvesting fruits, such as apples, pears, apricots, peaches, citrus fruits, small-citrus fruit, lemon, avocado, vines, tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers and peppers.

A three-dimensional stereo vision camera communicates the location of a targeted fruit (preferably an apple) to a controller. The controller directs a vacuum selection tube to the location of the targeted apple. The selection tube has a gripping orifice that has a smaller diameter than the apple so that the vacuum suction from the selection tube grips the apple. The selected fruit is then rotated and pulled away from the tree canopy by the selection tube until the apple detaches from the canopy. The detached apple is then gently placed in a collection bin for later sorting and processing.

A three-dimensional stereo vision camera communicates the location of a targeted fruit (preferably an apple) to a controller. The controller directs a vacuum selection tube to the location of the targeted apple. The selection tube has a gripping orifice that has a smaller diameter than the apple so that the vacuum suction from the selection tube grips the apple. The selected fruit is then rotated and pulled away from the tree canopy by the selection tube until the apple detaches from the canopy. The detached apple is then gently placed in a collection bin for later sorting and processing.