A mobile dual-arm fruit tree pruning robot

By designing a mobile double-arm fruit tree pruning robot, using track drive and visual recognition systems, the automation and intelligence of fruit tree pruning is achieved, and the problems of low pruning efficiency and single tools of traditional fruit tree pruning are solved, and the stability of fruit tree pruning is improved Sex and flexibility.

CN111149534BActive Publication Date: 2024-12-13MAOMING POLYTECHNIC
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202010112877.5
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2020-02-24
Publication Date
2024-12-13
Estimated Expiration
2040-02-24

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Traditional fruit trees are mainly artificial, with high intensity, low efficiency, and poor pruning stability, which affects the large-scale planting of fruit trees. Although existing robot applications have improved efficiency, there are still problems of movement flexibility and single tools.

Method used

Design a mobile double-arm fruit tree pruning robot, using a track drive device to drive the support platform movement, equipped with a visual recognition system and a detachable trimming saw system, to achieve flexible movement and rotation of the robot through a track drive device and a waist drive device, and use High-definition cameras and laser sensors perform automatic identification and trimming operations.

Benefits of technology

It realizes the automation and intelligence of fruit tree pruning, improves pruning efficiency, reduces labor intensity, enhances the stability and work space of the robot under different ground conditions, is suitable for large-scale fruit tree planting, and solves the movement in traditional methods. Flexibility and single tool issue.

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Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of fruit tree branch pruning, and in particular to a mobile double-arm fruit tree pruning robot, comprising a crawler drive device, a supporting platform, a base, a machine body, a column, a pruning system, a control system and a visual recognition system, wherein the crawler drive device plays a supporting role, drives the robot to move, reduces the movement turning radius of the robot, has a strong obstacle-crossing ability, and solves the problems that a wheeled chassis is easy to slip on soft or muddy roads, has a large turning radius, and occupies a large walking space; the arrangement of the machine body and the column can prevent electronic components from being wetted by rain, and the use is safer; the control system identifies branches to be pruned, thereby controlling the pruning system to perform automatic pruning, thereby realizing automatic and intelligent pruning of fruit tree branches, improving the efficiency of pruning, and reducing the labor intensity of pruning, and the robot is suitable for popularization and use.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of fruit tree branch pruning, and in particular to a mobile double-arm fruit tree pruning robot. Background Art

[0002] The shaping and pruning of fruit trees is an important technical measure in fruit tree cultivation and management. The use of correct pruning techniques is an important guarantee for achieving early fruiting, high yield, stable yield and high quality of fruit trees. Traditional fruit tree pruning is mainly manual, with high intensity, low efficiency, and poor pruning stability, which affects the large-scale planting of fruit trees. Compared with manual operations, there are precedents for applying robots to fruit tree pruning. The automated and intelligent operation of fruit tree pruning robots saves time, effort and convenience, greatly improving the economic benefits of fruit farmers. Summary of the invention

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a mobile double-arm fruit tree pruning robot to address the deficiencies of the prior art. The mobile double-arm fruit tree pruning robot can automate the fruit tree pruning operation, save manpower, and improve the efficiency of fruit tree pruning.

[0004] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0005] A mobile double-arm fruit tree pruning robot is provided, comprising two crawler drive devices, characterized in that: a support platform is installed above the two crawler drive devices, the rotation of the crawler drive device can drive the support platform to move, a base is installed on the top of the support platform, a body is installed on the top of the base, a column is installed on the top of the body, a pruning system is arranged on the left and right sides of the column, a visual recognition system is arranged on the top of the column, a control system is arranged inside the body, and the visual recognition system and the pruning system are both electrically connected to the control system.

[0006] In the above technical solution, the track drive device includes a track chassis and a chassis drive motor, the track chassis is movably mounted with a driving wheel, a guide wheel, four supporting wheels and a ring-shaped track, the track is closed and longitudinally surrounds the driving wheel, the guide wheel and the four supporting wheels, the inner annular surface of the track is in contact with the driving wheel, the guide wheel and the four supporting wheels, a side plate is provided on the inner side of the track chassis, the driving wheel is meshed with the track, the side plate is fixedly mounted with a chassis drive motor, the chassis drive motor drives the driving wheel to move, and the chassis drive motor is electrically connected to the control system.

[0007] In the above technical solution, the bottom of the support platform is fixedly connected to the top of the side plate, the column is rotatably connected to the body, a waist drive device is arranged inside the body, the waist drive device drives the column to rotate, and the waist drive device is electrically connected to the control system.

[0008] In the above technical solution, the pruning system includes a left robotic arm and a right robotic arm, and the left robotic arm and the right robotic arm both include a first joint, a second joint, a third joint, a fourth joint and a fifth joint that are movably connected in sequence, and the column is connected to the first joint.

[0009] In the above technical solution, a pruning pliers is installed at the end of the fifth joint of the left mechanical arm, and the pruning pliers includes a movable blade, a fixed blade, a first laser sensor, a pruning pliers housing, a bevel gear transmission mechanism, a lever and a pruning pliers driving motor. The bevel gear transmission mechanism, the lever and the pruning pliers driving motor are all located in the pruning pliers housing. The pruning pliers driving motor drives the movable blade to move by driving the bevel gear transmission mechanism and the lever in turn. The first laser sensor and the pruning pliers driving motor are both electrically connected to the control system.

[0010] In the above technical solution, a pruning saw is installed at the end of the fifth joint of the right robotic arm, and the pruning saw includes a pruning saw housing, a second laser sensor, a saw blade, a ball screw mechanism and a pruning saw drive motor. The ball screw mechanism and the pruning saw drive motor are located inside the pruning saw housing. The pruning saw drive motor drives the saw blade to reciprocate by driving the ball screw mechanism. The second laser sensor and the pruning saw drive motor are both electrically connected to the control system.

[0011] In the above technical solution, the control system includes a control circuit board and a battery, and the track drive device, waist drive device, visual recognition system, battery and pruning system are all electrically connected to the control circuit board.

[0012] Specifically, the control circuit board and the battery are installed together inside the machine body.

[0013] Specifically, the controller of the control circuit board is a single chip microcomputer.

[0014] Specifically, the visual recognition system is a high-definition camera.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] (1) The present invention provides a mobile dual-arm fruit tree pruning robot, comprising a crawler drive device, a support platform, a base, a body, a column, a pruning system, a control system and a visual recognition system, wherein the crawler drive device plays a supporting role, drives the robot to move, reduces the robot's turning radius, has a strong ability to climb over obstacles, is more stable and reliable, and solves the problems of wheeled chassis easily slipping on soft or muddy roads, a large turning radius, and occupying a lot of walking space; the arrangement of the body and the column can prevent rain from wetting the electronic components, making the use safer, and avoiding the problem of water ingress and damage to the electronic components in the robot during use due to the lack of waterproof devices; the control system identifies the branches to be pruned, thereby controlling the pruning system to automatically prune, thereby realizing automatic and intelligent pruning of fruit tree branches, improving the efficiency of pruning, and reducing the labor intensity of pruning, and is suitable for popularization and use.

[0017] (2) The present invention provides a mobile double-arm fruit tree pruning robot. By setting a support platform, a base, a body and a column, the robot can be fixed on a crawler drive device and can rotate left and right, thereby increasing the robot's working space and solving the problem of small working range of manual branch pruning. By setting the first joint, the second joint, the third joint, the fourth joint and the fifth joint of the left mechanical arm and the right mechanical arm respectively, the pruning robot can move flexibly, and the double arms coordinate to complete the pruning operation, thereby solving the problem of small working range and insufficient movement of a single mechanical arm. The pruning of small branches is completed by setting a pruning pliers. A first laser sensor is installed on one side of the fixed blade of the pruning pliers. When the first laser sensor detects that there is a branch between the moving blade and the fixed blade, the signal is transmitted to the control system. The control system issues an instruction, and the pruning pliers drive motor to drive the moving blade to move toward the fixed blade to complete the pruning of small branches. The pruning saw is set for pruning For larger branches, a second laser sensor is installed on one side of the saw blade of the pruning saw. It is not strong enough to use pruning pliers to prune larger branches. If only the pruning saw is used, the branches will vibrate and are easily sawed off-center. When pruning large branches, when the first laser sensor and the second laser sensor both detect the branches, the control system sends a command to let the pruning pliers clamp the branches, and the motor of the pruning saw drives the saw blade to move and saw the branches off, solving the problem of different pruning difficulties of fruit tree branches of different sizes. The pruning saw and pruning pliers are detachable parts, and other pruning tools can be disassembled and assembled according to actual conditions, so as to realize the function of using multiple pruning tools and solve the problem of single branch pruning tools. By setting up a visual recognition system, the thickness of the branches, the position of the branches to be pruned and other information can be measured, and the corresponding data can be provided for the automatic pruning of the pruning robot, so as to realize the automation and intelligence of the pruning robot and solve the problem that the current branch pruning is mainly done manually and the labor intensity is high. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1The present invention is a structural schematic diagram of a mobile dual-arm fruit tree pruning robot.

[0019] Figure 2 The figure is a side view of a mobile dual-arm fruit tree pruning robot according to the present invention.

[0020] Figure 3 The present invention is a partial cross-sectional view of a mobile dual-arm fruit tree pruning robot.

[0021] Figure 4 The present invention is a partial cross-sectional view of the pruning pliers of a mobile dual-arm fruit tree pruning robot.

[0022] Figure 5 The present invention is a partial cross-sectional view of a pruning saw of a mobile dual-arm fruit tree pruning robot.

[0023] In the figure: 1, crawler drive device; 2, support platform; 3, base; 4, machine body; 5, column; 6, pruning system; 61, left mechanical arm, 611, first joint, 612, second joint, 613, third joint, 614, fourth joint, 615, fifth joint; 62, right mechanical arm; 63, pruning pliers, 631, moving blade, 632, fixed blade, 633, first laser sensor, 634, pruning pliers housing, 635, Bevel gear transmission mechanism, 636, lever; 64, pruning saw, 641, pruning saw housing, 642, second laser sensor, 643, saw blade, 644, ball screw mechanism; 7, control system, 71, visual recognition system, 72, control circuit board, 73, battery; 8, driving wheel; 9, guide wheel; 10, crawler track; 11, side panel; 12, chassis driving motor; 13, waist driving device; 14, crawler chassis; 15, supporting wheel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] like Figures 1 to 5As shown, a mobile dual-arm fruit tree pruning robot includes two crawler drive devices 1, a support platform 2 is installed above the two crawler drive devices 1, the rotation of the crawler drive device 1 can drive the support platform 2 to move, a base 3 is installed on the top of the support platform 2, a body 4 is installed on the top of the base 3, a column 5 is installed on the top of the body 4, pruning systems 6 are arranged on the left and right sides of the column 5, a visual recognition system 71 is arranged on the top of the column 5, a control system 7 is arranged inside the body 4, and the visual recognition system 71 and the pruning system 6 are both electrically connected to the control system 7.

[0026] In this embodiment, the track drive device 1 includes a track chassis 14 and a chassis drive motor 12. Drive wheels 8, guide wheels 9, four support wheels 15 and annular tracks 10 are movably installed on both sides of the track chassis. The track 10 is closed and longitudinally surrounds the drive wheel 8, guide wheel 9 and four support wheels 15. The inner annular surface of the track 10 is in contact with the drive wheel 8, guide wheel 9 and four support wheels 15. A side plate 11 is provided on the inner side of the track chassis 14. The drive wheel 8 is meshed with the track 10. The side plate 11 is fixedly installed with a chassis drive motor 12. The chassis drive motor 12 drives the drive wheel 8 to move. The chassis drive motor 12 is electrically connected to the control system 7.

[0027] In this embodiment, the bottom of the support platform 2 is fixedly connected to the top of the side panel 11, the column 5 is rotatably connected to the body 4, and a waist drive device 13 is provided inside the body 4. The waist drive device 13 drives the column 5 to rotate, and the waist drive device 13 is electrically connected to the control system 7.

[0028] In this embodiment, the pruning system 6 includes a left robotic arm 61 and a right robotic arm 62. Both the left robotic arm 61 and the right robotic arm 62 include a first joint 611, a second joint 612, a third joint 613, a fourth joint 614 and a fifth joint 615 that are movably connected in sequence, and the column 5 is connected to the first joint 611.

[0029] In this embodiment, a pruning pliers 63 is installed at the end of the left mechanical arm 61. The pruning pliers 63 includes a movable blade 631, a fixed blade 632, a first laser sensor 633, a pruning pliers housing 634, a bevel gear transmission mechanism 635, a lever 636 and a pruning pliers driving motor. The bevel gear transmission mechanism 635, the lever 636 and the pruning pliers driving motor are all located in the pruning pliers housing 634. The pruning pliers driving motor drives the movable blade 631 to move by driving the bevel gear transmission mechanism 635 and the lever 636 in turn. The first laser sensor 633 and the pruning pliers driving motor are both electrically connected to the control system 7.

[0030] In this embodiment, a pruning saw 64 is installed at the end of the right robotic arm 62. The pruning saw 64 includes a pruning saw housing 641, a second laser sensor 642, a saw blade 643, a ball screw mechanism 644 and a pruning saw drive motor. The ball screw mechanism 644 and the pruning saw drive motor are both located inside the pruning saw housing 641. The pruning saw drive motor drives the saw blade 643 to reciprocate by driving the ball screw mechanism 644. The second laser sensor 642 and the pruning saw drive motor are both electrically connected to the control system 7.

[0031] In this embodiment, the control system 7 includes a control circuit board 72 and a battery 73 , and the track drive device 1 , the waist drive device 13 , the visual recognition system 71 , the battery 73 and the pruning system 6 are all electrically connected to the control circuit board 72 .

[0032] In this embodiment, the control circuit board 72 and the battery 73 are installed together inside the body 4 .

[0033] In this embodiment, the controller of the control circuit board 72 is a single chip microcomputer.

[0034] In this embodiment, the visual recognition system 71 is a high-definition camera.

[0035] The working principle of a mobile double-arm fruit tree pruning robot of the present embodiment is as follows: the driving motor 12 of the crawler driving device 1 drives the driving wheel 8 to move, pushing the crawler driving device 1 to move, so that the robot reaches the location of the branch, and the visual recognition system 71 judges the thickness of the branch and the location to be pruned. If it is a small branch, the control circuit board 72 controls the movement of the left mechanical arm 61. When the first laser sensor 633 on the pruning pliers 63 at the end of the left mechanical arm 61 detects that there is a branch between the moving blade 631 and the fixed blade 632, the bevel gear transmission mechanism 635 of the left mechanical arm 61 drives to drive the lever 636 to rotate, pushing the moving blade 631 to move closer to the fixed blade 632, and using The pruning pliers are used to prune small branches; if it is a large branch, the pruning pliers 63 and the pruning saw 64 need to be used together, and the control circuit board 72 controls the movement of the left mechanical arm 61 and the right mechanical arm 62. When the first laser sensor 633 on the pruning pliers 63 at the end of the left mechanical arm 61 and the second laser sensor 642 on the pruning saw 64 at the end of the right mechanical arm 62 detect the branch, the bevel gear transmission mechanism 635 of the left mechanical arm 61 drives the lever 636 to rotate, pushing the moving blade 631 to move closer to the fixed blade 632, so that the pruning pliers 63 clamp the large branch, and the ball screw mechanism 644 of the right mechanical arm 62 drives the saw blade 643 to move forward and backward, and the pruning saw 64 is used to saw off the branch. The mobile double-arm fruit tree pruning robot in this embodiment can automatically identify the branches that need to be pruned, effectively solving the problem of pruning branches of different sizes, and realizing the automation and intelligence of branch pruning.

[0036] The standard parts used in this embodiment can all be purchased from the market. The specific connection methods of the various parts in this embodiment all adopt conventional means such as mature bolts, rivets, welding, etc. in the prior art. The machinery, parts and equipment all adopt conventional models in the prior art, and the circuit connection adopts the conventional connection method in the prior art, which will not be described in detail here.

[0037] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A control method for a mobile dual-arm fruit tree pruning robot, the mobile dual-arm fruit tree pruning robot comprising two crawler drive devices (1), characterized in that: A support platform (2) is installed above the two crawler drive devices (1), and the rotation of the crawler drive device (1) can drive the support platform (2) to move. A base (3) is installed on the top of the support platform (2), and a body (4) is installed on the top of the base (3). A column (5) is installed on the top of the body (4). A pruning system (6) is arranged on the left and right sides of the column (5), and a visual recognition system (71) is arranged on the top of the column (5). A control system (7) is arranged inside the body (4), and the visual recognition system (71) and the pruning system (6) are both electrically connected to the control system (7); The crawler drive device (1) comprises a crawler chassis (14) and a chassis drive motor (12); the crawler chassis (14) is movably provided with a driving wheel (8), a guide wheel (9), four support wheels (15) and an annular crawler track (10); the crawler track (10) is closed and longitudinally surrounds the driving wheel (8), the guide wheel (9) and the four support wheels (15); the inner annular surface of the crawler track (10) is in contact with the driving wheel (8), the guide wheel (9) and the four support wheels (15); a side plate (11) is provided on the inner side of the crawler chassis (14); the driving wheel (8) is meshed with the crawler track (10); the side plate (11) is fixedly provided with a chassis drive motor (12); the chassis drive motor (12) drives the driving wheel (8) to move; the chassis drive motor (12) is electrically connected to a control system (7); The bottom of the support platform (2) is fixedly connected to the top of the side plate (11), the column (5) is rotatably connected to the body (4), a waist driving device (13) is arranged inside the body (4), the waist driving device (13) drives the column (5) to rotate, and the waist driving device (13) is electrically connected to the control system (7); The pruning systems (6) on the left and right sides are respectively a left mechanical arm (61) and a right mechanical arm (62), and the left mechanical arm (61) and the right mechanical arm (62) both include a first joint (611), a second joint (612), a third joint (613), a fourth joint (614) and a fifth joint (615) which are movably connected in sequence, and the column (5) is connected to the first joint (611); a pruning pliers (63) is installed at the end of the fifth joint (615) of the left mechanical arm (61), and a pruning saw (64) is installed at the end of the fifth joint (615) of the right mechanical arm (62), and the pruning pliers (63) and the pruning saw (64) are both electrically connected to the control system (7); The pruning pliers (63) comprises a movable blade (631), a fixed blade (632), a first laser sensor (633), a pruning pliers housing (634), a bevel gear transmission mechanism (635), a lever (636) and a pruning pliers driving motor. The bevel gear transmission mechanism (635), the lever (636) and the pruning pliers driving motor are all located in the pruning pliers housing (634). The pruning pliers driving motor drives the movable blade (631) to move by driving the bevel gear transmission mechanism (635) and the lever (636) in turn. The first laser sensor (633) and the pruning pliers driving motor are both electrically connected to a control system (7). The pruning saw (64) comprises a pruning saw housing (641), a second laser sensor (642), a saw blade (643), a ball screw mechanism (644) and a pruning saw driving motor. The ball screw mechanism (644) and the pruning saw driving motor are both located in the pruning saw housing (641). The pruning saw driving motor drives the ball screw mechanism (644) to drive the saw blade (643) to reciprocate. The second laser sensor (642) and the pruning saw driving motor are both electrically connected to a control system (7). The control system (7) comprises a control circuit board (72) and a battery (73), and the track drive device (1), the waist drive device (13), the visual recognition system (71), the battery (73) and the pruning system (6) are all electrically connected to the control circuit board (72); The control circuit board (72) and the battery (73) are installed together inside the machine body (4); The controller of the control circuit board (72) is a single chip microcomputer; The visual recognition system (71) is a high-definition camera; The control method comprises: The driving motor (12) of the crawler driving device (1) drives the driving wheel (8) to move, pushing the crawler driving device (1) to move, so that the robot reaches the location of the branch; the visual recognition system (71) determines the thickness of the branch and the location to be pruned. If it is a small branch, the control circuit board (72) controls the movement of the left mechanical arm (61). When the first laser sensor (633) on the pruning pliers (63) at the end of the left mechanical arm (61) detects that there is a branch between the moving blade (631) and the fixed blade (632), the bevel gear transmission mechanism (635) of the left mechanical arm (61) is driven to drive the lever (636) to rotate, pushing the moving blade (631) to move closer to the fixed blade (632), and using the pruning pliers (63) to complete the small branch. Branch pruning: if the branch is large, the control circuit board (72) controls the movement of the left mechanical arm (61) and the right mechanical arm (62). When the first laser sensor (633) on the pruning pliers (63) at the end of the left mechanical arm (61) and the second laser sensor (642) on the pruning saw (64) at the end of the right mechanical arm (62) both detect the branch, the bevel gear transmission mechanism (635) of the left mechanical arm (61) drives the lever (636) to rotate, pushing the moving blade (631) to move closer to the fixed blade (632), so that the pruning pliers (63) clamp the large branch, and the ball screw mechanism (644) of the right mechanical arm (62) drives the saw blade (643) to move forward and backward, and the pruning saw (64) is used to saw off the branch.

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