Design And Experiment Of Self-propelled Multi-function Orchard Platform

In view of the low degree of mechanization in orchard operations in China,operations such as picking,pruning,and bagging in orchards are mainly labor-intensive,with complex operations,high labor intensity,low efficiency and high cost.Thus,orchards economic efficiency is low.On the other hand,with the continuous development of society,the labor costs are getting higher and higher and the demand for fruit products is also increasing,the large-scale operations of orchards are becoming more and more urgent.Therefore,the orchard mechanization is imperative.Based on the current situation of orchard operations in China and future needs,this project studies and designs a self-propelled orchard operation platform that can multi-function operate in orchards,including integrate orchard picking,transportation,fruit tree pruning and other functions.The platform adopts full-hydraulic four-wheel drive,two-wheel and four-wheel steering modes to enhance the walking ability,reduce the turning radius,and is suitable for complex terrain;with the scissor lifting mechanism and the expandable work platform,it can pick fruit and prune fruit branch in different heights and spacing.The leveling mechanism was designed to allow the workbench to remain horizontal when the platform was operated on slopes.The lifting devices for the fruit boxes were installed at the front and rear ends to facilitate loading and unloading.This article focuses on the following aspects:(1)Comprehensively analyze the research status at home and abroad,combine the scale and characteristics of orchard operations in China,the overall design plan of a multi-functional selfpropelled orchard operation platform is identified.The operation platform marching is driven by hydraulic mechanism.and the platform is leveled by hydraulically controlled combined mechanism;(2)Designing the key system and mechanism,including drive system,steering mechanism,lifting and leveling mechanism,expandable mechanism,front and rear fruit box lifting mechanism.The force of the main mechanisms is analyzed by finite element analysis to ensure the reliability of the main components;(3)According to the design scheme,the prototype of walking multi-function orchard working platform is manufactured and testing its performance.The results show that the walking speed at the maximum load is 1.92 m/s,the maximum climbing angle is 15°,the minimum turning radius is 3.5 m,the maximum lifting height is 2.43 m,the maximum operating width is 3 m,the longitudinal leveling range is 7°,and the horizontal leveling range is 5°.All of them meet the requirements of orchard operation.