Abstract:Aiming to address the current challenges of low efficiency, inconsistent quality, and high labor intensity in bulk tea harvesting, a motorized self-propelled profiling tea harvester was designed by incorporating the topographic and environmental characteristics of tea plantations, cultivation management requirements, and agronomic operational protocols. Firstly, the overall structural design of the electric- driven self-propelled cantilever profiling tea harvester was carried out, including four parts: the crawler chassis, posture adjustment device, tea harvesting device, and image acquisition device. Subsequently, a binocular camera and YOLO v8s were employed to detect and locate fresh leaves on the tea canopy in real time, after which the least squares method was used to solve the theoretical operating posture of the tea harvester. Through the coordinated action of a posture adaptive adjustment device and an intelligent harvesting actuator, profiling control and automated harvesting of bulk tea were achieved. Finally, a prototype of the self-propelled cantilever profiling tea harvester was developed. The stability of the entire machine was analyzed to determine the critical tipping angles under longitudinal and transverse slopes during both transfer and operation conditions, thereby verifying the safe operating boundaries. Field harvesting experiments for bulk tea were conducted in a tea plantation. The experimental results demonstrated that the positional error of the machine remained consistently within the preset threshold during the tea harvesting process, and the actual working posture dynamically adapted to changes in the height and tilt angle of the tea canopy. The average bud integrity rate reached 83. 9% , with a missed collection rate of 0. 74% and a missed picking rate of 0. 95% . The proportion of apical buds with three leaves or fewer accounted for 87. 8% . All performance indicators met the industry standards for tea harvester operation quality, providing technical and equipment support for efficient and precise harvesting of bulk tea.
