Design and Experiment of Banana De-Handing Device Based on Symmetrical Shape Deployable Mechanism

Abstract

Aiming at the problem that the banana de-handing device has poor radial deployment to the banana bunch stalk during the mechanized banana de-handing procedure, this paper presented a ring deployable mechanism based on a set of planar seven-bar linkages. It consists of multiple basic deployable units, which has great folding/deploying performance and is suitable for manufacturing a banana de-handing device, the diameter of which can be variably larger. The kinematics analysis of the mechanism was done, and the trajectory in space was obtained. When the mechanism is fully deployed, the diameter is 164 mm. The ratio of the folded height to the deployed diameter is 0.732, the ratio of the folded diameter to the deployed diameter is 0.262, and the ratio of the folded volume to the maximum of the deployed volume is 0.069. An experimental prototype of 500, 500, and 768 mm in length, width, and height was manufactured, and the deploying performance was analyzed to show the feasibility. Finally, experimental results show that 71.43% of the banana hands are de-handed successfully. The mechanism has a great deploying effect on banana bunch stalk, and the quality of the banana crown incision is good.

De-Handing Technologies for Banana Postharvest Operations—Updates and Challenges

“…This design ensures that there is no missed cutting phenomenon in the de-handing process in the circumferential direction, thus improving the de-handing efficiency and cutting quality. Guo et al designed a de-handing mechanism based on the working principle of the expandable mechanism widely used in the aerospace industry, which is composed of a cutter plate, linear guides, sliders, cutting blades, connecting rods and constant force components [17]. The schematic diagram of this mechanism is shown in Figure 13.…”

“…In addition, the optimally designed radially expandable cutting blade group has higher robustness and stability. In order to make the continuous de-handing process of the whole bunch smoother, Guo et al designed a de-handing mechanism with expandable function as shown in Figure 13 according to the working principle of the expandable mechanism and with the constant force coil spring [17]. In addition, they also designed a de-handing mechanism that can exert constant clamping force as shown in Figure 14.…”

Research on the Physical Characteristic Parameters of Banana Bunches for the Design and Development of Postharvesting Machinery and Equipment

“…The dehanding operation generally relies on manual work, and the high-intensity and repetitive work brings huge health risks to the workers [6]. At present, the research on key technology and the design and manufacture of mechanical banana dehanding equipment are in the embryonic stage, and there is still a lot of room for improvement in the working performance of the mechanical mechanism [7][8][9]. The banana bunch stalk is not only rich in high-quality natural plant fibers but also a valuable biomass resource.…”

A Novel Single-Loop Mechanism and the Associated Cylindrical Deployable Mechanisms

“…Deployable mechanisms (DMs) are usually constructed by symmetrically assembling similar mechanism units, and they are capable of large configuration changes in specific manners. This enables DMs to be widely applied in aerospace engineering, civil engineering, medical and military structures, such as space antennas and reflectors [1][2][3][4][5], solar panels [6,7], mobile tents and emergency shelters [8,9], retractable rooftops [10,11], reconfigurable robots and agricultural equipment [12,13]. A large-scale DM is usually constructed by assembling modules with specific connecting approaches.…”