A plant stem cutting assembly is provided. The cutting assembly includes a pair of shears (also referred to as scissors) equipped with a plant stem holding device. The plant stem holding device is coupled to a first blade of the shears and includes a channel adapted to secure the stem of the plant at a predefined angle with respect to the first blade. In this way, a user may place the stem of the plant into the stem holding device and easily cut the stem at the desired angle.

A plant stem cutting assembly is provided. The cutting assembly includes a pair of shears (also referred to as scissors) equipped with a plant stem holding device. The plant stem holding device is coupled to a first blade of the shears and includes a channel adapted to secure the stem of the plant at a predefined angle with respect to the first blade. In this way, a user may place the stem of the plant into the stem holding device and easily cut the stem at the desired angle.

The invention relates to an end-effector device and automated selective thinning system. The system includes vision acquisition hardware, kinematic targeting and heuristic programming, a robotic arm, and a pomologically designed end-effector. The system is utilized to improve efficiency for the fruit-thinning process in a tree orchard, such as peach thinning. By automating the mechanical process of fruit thinning, selective fruit-thinners can eliminate manual labor inputs and further enhance favorable blossom removal. Automation used in conjunction with a heuristic approach provides improvements to the system. The system may also be configured as a robotic arm or as a handheld system by including a battery and switching microcontroller with handle or wrist straps. Handheld thinning devices that are mechanical in nature may also be part of the system.

The invention relates to an end-effector device and automated selective thinning system. The system includes vision acquisition hardware, kinematic targeting and heuristic programming, a robotic arm, and a pomologically designed end-effector. The system is utilized to improve efficiency for the fruit-thinning process in a tree orchard, such as peach thinning. By automating the mechanical process of fruit thinning, selective fruit-thinners can eliminate manual labor inputs and further enhance favorable blossom removal. Automation used in conjunction with a heuristic approach provides improvements to the system. The system may also be configured as a robotic arm or as a handheld system by including a battery and switching microcontroller with handle or wrist straps. Handheld thinning devices that are mechanical in nature may also be part of the system.

An end effector includes: a target-object-positioning mechanism provided at a body member and including a first contact-move member, a second contact-move member and an opening-closing member that make contact with a part of a target object and position a portion of the target object at a processing position; and a processing mechanism provided at the body member and processing the portion of the target object positioned at the processing position. The first contact-move member and the second contact-move member intersect each other inside the opening-closing member. Portions forward of the intersection portion in the first and second contact-move members make contact with the opening-closing member by an elastic restoring force of an elastic member. The opening-closing member, when moved from a rear position to a front position, applies a forward force to the first and second contact-move members so that they are moved in a direction approaching each other.

A cutting tool includes a body formed by a first wall, a second wall, and a third wall, extending outward from a base. The first wall, second wall, third wall and the base define a trough in the body. The cutting tool further includes a blade holder in the trough, the blade holder pivotally engaged to the body, a strut assembly in the trough, the strut assembly pivotally engaged to the blade holder and pivotally engaged to the body, a blade in the blade holder, a blade channel in the body and extending through a third wall so as to receive the blade, at least one angled body channel in the body and wherein the blade holder is pivotable relative to the body to enable the blade to cut through a plant stem or tree branch present in the blade channel and the at least one angled body channel.

A tree pruner configured to reduce the width of the device to facilitate reduction of shipping costs and store space. The tree pruner comprises a leaf spring having a lower end mounted onto a lower portion of a lever, and an upper end connected to a first end of a self-locking pin, wherein the self-locking pin penetrates the lever. When the lever is at a first position at shipping or store front, the leaf spring is in tension to exert force on the self-locking pin to engage with an outer surface of a back hook to hold the lever at the position. When the lever is pulled to a second position for use, the leaf spring is at rest. The self-locking pin penetrates all the way through the lever and engages with an edge of the back hook to serve as an end stop for the lever movement.

This invention relates to a precision agriculture produce harvesting system and produce harvesting apparatus configured for integration with the system, an essential feature of which is a harvesting device subsystem (100) that includes a harvesting device, for instance pruning shears (102) and a harvesting separation stroke detector (108) housed within a control module housing (110) mounted to the shears (102). A person operating the pruning shears (102) produces discernible separation strokes when the handles (104) of the shears (102) are squeezed together to produce a shearing action. The stroke detector (108) detects the separation strokes of the shears (102). By the addition of the control module (108) to the pruning shears (102), the shears are essentially converted into a data logging device by means of which important aspects of a produce harvesting process can be digitised and supplied to a harvest data digital data processing system.

This invention relates to a precision agriculture produce harvesting system and produce harvesting apparatus configured for integration with the system, an essential feature of which is a harvesting device subsystem (100) that includes a harvesting device, for instance pruning shears (102) and a harvesting separation stroke detector (108) housed within a control module housing (110) mounted to the shears (102). A person operating the pruning shears (102) produces discernible separation strokes when the handles (104) of the shears (102) are squeezed together to produce a shearing action. The stroke detector (108) detects the separation strokes of the shears (102). By the addition of the control module (108) to the pruning shears (102), the shears are essentially converted into a data logging device by means of which important aspects of a produce harvesting process can be digitised and supplied to a harvest data digital data processing system.

A garden shears has an anvil portion, a driving arm, a blade portion and a plurality of pivot shafts. The anvil portion sandwiched an anvil, and the anvil portion and the driving arm are pivoted together by a pivot shaft. A gear and the blade portion are disposed between the driving arm. The blade portion has a straight groove and a rack portion. A pivot shaft is used to pivot the gear and the driving together is engaged and another pivot shaft passes through the straight groove and the driving arm with the pivot shaft capable of sliding in the straight groove and the gear being engaged with the rack portion to achieve the effect of a stable speed.