Fruit harvesting robot hand

A fruit harvester comprising;

• a pair of right and left drive wheels,
• a pair of front and rear free wheels,
• a plurality of vertically movable outriggers,
• a swivel deck having an axis,
• a vertically movable lift device having a top end disposed at said axis of the swivel deck,
• a robot hand attached to said top end of said lift device and further including a movable arm, a fruit intake case articulatably attached to an extreme end of the arm, contact sensor means arranged around an opening of the case for detecting a position of fruit to be harvested, a calyx cutter projectable and retractable relative to the opening, and at least one fruit detecting sensor mounted upon a support means disposed within the case and adapted to be movable axially relative to the case, and
• the fruit detecting sensor is movable between a first position in an upper portion of the case to act as a centering sensor for centering the case relative to the fruit to be harvested and a second position in a lower portion of the case to act as an intake completion sensor for detecting completion of fruit intake.

A fruit harvesting robot hand comprising;

• a movable arm,
• a fruit intake case having an opening and articulatably attached to an extreme end of the arm,
• contact sensor means arranged around said opening of said case for detecting a position of fruit to be harvested,
• a calyx cutter projectable and retractable relative to said opening in said case,
• an upper fruit detecting sensor mounted on the case and arranged to be movable between a position directly over the opening of the case and an inoperative retracted position outwardly of the case, and
• a lower fruit detecting sensor mounted on the case to be movable between a position in the case and an inoperative retracted position outwardly of the case,
• wherein the upper sensor acts as sensor for centering the case relative to the fruit, and the lower sensor acts as sensor for detecting completion of fruit intake.