Simulation to determination of significant parameters on apple stress for combing harvesting in trellis trained trees

Abstract

Standardized planting architecture is gradually replacing traditional hedge pattern. However, the development of harvesters adapted to the standardized planting architecture is relatively rare. This study proposed a combing harvesting method that was suitable for “vertical fruiting wall architecture” and developed the combing apple-picker prototype for experimentation. This research aimed to identify the significant parameters of apple stress in combing harvesting of vertical fruiting wall architecture through a simulation of an apple combing picker that inserts combing fingers into the “fruiting wall”. According to the analysis of the hanging fruit structure of apples, the fruit detachment force, and a two-end fixed branch model, including contact force theory, seven parameters were selected as the factors in the simulation experiment. The rigid-flexible coupling model of combing apple-picker was established by using kinetic analysis and the finite element method. Compared with high-speed camera and simulation results, the simulation error was about 15.8 %, which proved the rigid-flexible coupling model can better simulate the detaching motion of an apple. The simulation results revealed that the significant parameters on apple stress were the rotation speed of the combing roller, the forward velocity of the picker, and the position of the combing finger on the apple (p < 0.05). The simulation method used here can be used for improvements in combing picker applications.