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Research on the Jet Distance Enhancement Device for Blueberry Harvesting Robots Based on the Dual-Ring Model

Wenxin Li, Hao Yin (), Yuhuan Li, Xiaohong Liu, Jiang Liu and Han Wang
Additional contact information
Wenxin Li: School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, China
Hao Yin: School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, China
Yuhuan Li: School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, China
Xiaohong Liu: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China
Jiang Liu: School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, China
Han Wang: College of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-22

Abstract: In China, most blueberry varieties are characterized by tightly clustered fruits, which pose challenges for achieving precise and non-destructive automated harvesting. This complexity limits the design of robots for this task. Therefore, this paper proposes adding a jetting step during harvesting to separate fruit clusters and increase the operational space for mechanical claws. First, a combined approach of flow field analysis and pressure-sensitive experiments was employed to establish design criteria for the number, diameter, and inclination angle parameters of two types of nozzles: flat tip and round tip. Furthermore, fruit was introduced, and a fluid–structure coupling method was employed to calculate the deformation of fruit stems. Simultaneously, a mechanical analysis was conducted to quantify the relationship between jet characteristics and separation gaps. Simulation and pressure-sensitive experiments show that as the number of holes increases and their diameter decreases, the nozzle’s convergence becomes stronger. The greater the inclination angle of the circular nozzle holes, the more the gas diverges. The analysis of the output characteristics of the working section indicates that the 8-hole 40° round nozzle is the optimal solution. At an air compressor working pressure of 0.5 MPa, force analysis and simulation results both show that it can increase the picking space for the mechanical claw by about 5–7 mm without damaging the blueberries in the jet area. The final field experiments show that the mean distance for Type I (mature fruit) is 5.41 mm, for Type II (red fruit) is 6.42 mm, and for Type III (green fruit) is 5.43 mm. The short and curved stems of the green fruit are less effective, but the minimum distance of 4.71 mm is greater than the claw wall thickness, meeting the design requirements.

Keywords: blueberry; picking robot; jet device; fluid–structure coupling; pressure-sensitive experiments; structural optimization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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