Fruit double-line harvesting robot

Abstract

The present invention provides a fruit double-line operation picking robot, comprising: a mobile platform and a picking device; the picking device comprises a rotating base, a mechanical arm, a vacuum suction component and an end effector, the fixed end of the rotating base is arranged on the mobile platform, the head end of the mechanical arm and the vacuum suction component are both arranged on the movable end of the rotating base, and the end effector is arranged at the end of the mechanical arm; the vacuum suction component is connected to the end effector, and under the action of the suction provided by the vacuum suction component, the fruit passes through the end effector and the vacuum suction component in sequence to complete the picking. The fruit double-line operation picking robot of the present invention has reasonable design, simple operation, stable operation, can effectively improve the picking efficiency, reduce the picking time, reduce the labor cost, and can be widely promoted and used.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of agricultural robots, and in particular to a fruit double-line operation picking robot. Background Art

[0002] With the development of my country's economy and society, agricultural production is constantly shifting towards scale, intensiveness and precision, and the demand for automated and intelligent agricultural machinery and equipment is increasing. Due to the complexity of fruit picking operations, fruit picking in my country currently still relies mainly on manual work, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive, with low operating efficiency and certain risks. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly urgent and of great significance to develop an intelligent fruit picking robot to realize automated fruit picking. Summary of the invention

[0003] The invention provides a double-line fruit picking robot, which is used to solve the problem in the prior art that manual fruit picking is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and has low operation efficiency, and realizes automatic fruit picking.

[0004] The present invention provides a fruit double-line operation picking robot, comprising: a mobile platform and a picking device;

[0005] The picking device includes a rotating base, a mechanical arm, a vacuum suction component and an end effector, wherein the fixed end of the rotating base is arranged on the mobile platform, the head end of the mechanical arm and the vacuum suction component are both arranged on the movable end of the rotating base, and the end effector is arranged on the end of the mechanical arm; the vacuum suction component is communicated with the end effector, and under the action of the suction force provided by the vacuum suction component, the fruit passes through the end effector and the vacuum suction component in sequence to complete the picking.

[0006] According to a fruit dual-line operation picking robot provided by the present invention, the vacuum suction component includes a vacuum pump and a three-way pipe; the suction end of the vacuum pump is connected to the first end of the three-way pipe, the second end of the three-way pipe is connected to the end effector, and the third end of the three-way pipe is used to output fruit.

[0007] According to a fruit double-line operation picking robot provided by the present invention, the air suction end of the vacuum pump is connected to the first end of the three-way pipe through an air inlet pipe, and a filter is provided in the air inlet pipe.

[0008] According to a fruit double-line operation picking robot provided by the present invention, the end effector comprises a straw, one end of the straw is formed with a suction port, and the other end of the straw is connected to the second end of the three-way pipe.

[0009] According to a double-line fruit picking robot provided by the present invention, the end effector also includes a hair dryer and a plurality of blowing pipes, the plurality of blowing pipes are arranged along the circumference of the suction pipe, and the air outlet ends of the hair dryers are connected one by one with the blowing pipes.

[0010] According to a double-line fruit picking robot provided by the present invention, when the double-line fruit picking robot includes two picking devices, the two picking devices are arranged in a high-low matching form.

[0011] According to a double-line fruit picking robot provided by the present invention, the double-line fruit picking robot further comprises a lifting device arranged on the mobile platform, and any one of the two picking devices is arranged on the lifting device.

[0012] According to a fruit double-line operation picking robot provided by the present invention, the picking device also includes a picking device control system, a visual detection system and a visual positioning recognition system;

[0013] The picking device control system is used to control the corresponding actions of the rotating base, the robotic arm, the vacuum suction component and the end effector according to the fruit spatial position information obtained by the visual positioning and recognition system and the fruit position information obtained by the visual detection system.

[0014] According to a double-line fruit picking robot provided by the present invention, the double-line fruit picking robot also includes a monitoring communication device, and the monitoring communication device is used to obtain position information and environmental information of the mobile platform.

[0015] According to a double-line fruit picking robot provided by the present invention, the double-line fruit picking robot further comprises a fruit storage device, and the fruit storage device is provided with a sensor for sensing the amount of fruit filled in the fruit storage device.

[0016] The fruit double-line operation picking robot provided by the present invention drives the end effector to move to a specified position through the multi-dimensional movement of the mechanical arm. Under the action of the suction provided by the vacuum suction component, the fruit passes through the end effector and the vacuum suction component in sequence to complete the picking. The vacuum suction component and the mechanical arm are combined as a picking device to pick fruits in a non-contact manner, thereby reducing fruit picking damage. The fruit double-line operation picking robot of the present invention has a reasonable design, simple operation, and stable operation. It can effectively improve the picking efficiency, reduce the picking time, and reduce labor costs. It can be widely promoted and used. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the present invention or the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a front view of the fruit double-line operation picking robot provided by the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 It is a left view of the fruit double-line operation picking robot provided by the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the picking device provided by the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of the vacuum suction device provided by the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 It is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the end effector provided by the present invention;

[0023] Figure 6 This is the second structural schematic diagram of the end effector provided by the present invention;

[0024] Figure 7 It is a circuit connection diagram of the central control system provided by the present invention;

[0025] Figure 8 It is a circuit connection diagram of the control system of the picking device provided by the present invention;

[0026] Reference numerals:

[0027] 1: mobile platform; 2: first picking device; 3: second picking device;

[0028] 4: Fruit storage device; 5: Central control system; 6: Lifting device;

[0029] 7: front camera; 8: GPS module; 9: warning light;

[0030] 10: Visual inspection system; 11: Battery device; 12: Power connection device;

[0031] 13: Vacuum suction component; 14: Rotating base; 15: Motor driver;

[0032] 16: servo motor; 17: upper arm; 18: middle arm;

[0033] 19: small arm; 20: collection transmission tube; 21: R axis;

[0034] 22: U axis; 23: F axis; 24: Z axis;

[0035] 29: vacuum pump; 30: air inlet pipe; 31: filter;

[0036] 32: Three-way pipe; 33: Upper right pipe; 34: Sealed switch;

[0037] 35: Fruit conveying tube; 36: Suction port; 37: Photoelectric sensor;

[0038] 38: Fixed bracket; 39: TOF depth camera; 40: Upper air duct;

[0039] 41: Downward blowing duct; 42: Air outlet duct; 43: Hair dryer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are 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.

[0041] At present, my country's fruit production is changing from a traditional production model to a modern production model, and new cultivation technologies, agronomic technologies, and management technologies are being widely used. Especially in apple planting, the application of the "fence wall cultivation model" makes apple planting more conducive to the development of agricultural mechanization, wisdom, and intelligence. However, it also leads to new problems. For fruit picking on a 3 to 4-meter-high "apple wall", most of the existing fruit picking robots use single-line operation and contact picking methods. This picking method has the problems of long single operation time, inability to match high and low, and low operation efficiency.

[0042] In order to solve the above problems, the following Figures 1 to 8 The present invention describes a double-line fruit picking robot.

[0043] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the fruit double-line operation picking robot according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a mobile platform 1 and a picking device.

[0044] The number of picking devices is determined according to parameters such as the type of fruit to be picked and the way the fruit is grown, and is not specifically limited here.

[0045] The following is an example of a fruit double-line harvesting robot used to harvest apples in a double-line operation mode. The high-low combination of double-line operation modes greatly improves the efficiency of the harvesting operation.

[0046] When the double-line fruit picking robot includes two picking devices, the two picking devices are arranged in a high-low arrangement. The two picking devices are named a first picking device 2 and a second picking device 3 respectively.

[0047] In order to achieve the height matching of the first picking device 2 and the second picking device 3, the double-line fruit picking robot further comprises a lifting device 6 disposed on the mobile platform 1, and the second picking device 3 is disposed on the lifting device 6, that is, the lifting device 6 drives the second picking device 3 to move away from or toward the mobile platform 1.

[0048] The lifting device 6 is a hydraulic lifting device 6, which includes a lifting platform support arm, a lifting platform, a lifting arm, a hydraulic workstation and a lifting machine operating system; the hydraulic workstation is arranged on the mobile platform 1; the lifting machine operating system is arranged in the hydraulic workstation; the lifting arm is arranged on the hydraulic workstation and connected to the hydraulic workstation to control the lifting platform support arm to rise or fall; the lifting platform support arm is fixed on the hydraulic workstation and connected to the lifting arm; the lifting platform is arranged on the lifting platform support arm. Among them, the second picking device 3 is arranged on the lifting platform.

[0049] The first picking device 2 and the second picking device 3 have the same structure, but are arranged at different positions. The structure of the first picking device 2 is described in detail below. Figure 3 As shown, the first picking device 2 includes a rotating base 14, a robotic arm, a vacuum suction component 13 and an end effector. The fixed end of the rotating base 14 is arranged on the mobile platform 1, the head end of the robotic arm and the vacuum suction component 13 are both arranged at the movable end of the rotating base 14, and the end effector is arranged at the end of the robotic arm.

[0050] In an optional embodiment, the robotic arm includes an upper arm 17, a middle arm 18, a lower arm 19, an R-axis 21, a U-axis 22, an F-axis 23 and a Z-axis 24; the R-axis 21, the U-axis 22, the F-axis 23 and the Z-axis 24 are all provided with small servo motors for driving the movement of the robotic arm.

[0051] The motor driver 15 and the servo motor 16 are both disposed on the rotating base, and are used to drive the rotating base to move, so as to realize the rotational movement of the robot arm.

[0052] The vacuum suction component 13 is connected to the end effector. Under the suction force provided by the vacuum suction component, the fruit passes through the end effector and the vacuum suction component 13 in sequence to complete the picking.

[0053] It should be noted that the mobile platform 1 may be provided with a power connection device 12 . For example, the power connection device 12 is welded to the rightmost end of the mobile platform 1 to be connected to a power device such as a tractor, so as to realize the movement of the mobile platform 1 .

[0054] In the embodiment of the present invention, the multi-dimensional movement of the robotic arm drives the end effector to move to the specified position. Under the action of the suction provided by the vacuum suction component, the fruit passes through the end effector and the vacuum suction component 13 in sequence to complete the picking. The vacuum suction component 13 and the robotic arm are combined as a picking device to pick fruits in a non-contact manner, thereby reducing fruit picking damage. The fruit double-line operation picking robot of the embodiment of the present invention has a reasonable design, simple operation, and stable operation. It can effectively improve the picking efficiency, reduce the picking time, and reduce labor costs. It can be widely promoted and used.

[0055] Based on the above embodiments, Figure 4 As shown, the vacuum suction component 13 includes a vacuum pump 29 and a three-way pipe 32; the suction end of the vacuum pump 29 is connected to the first end of the three-way pipe 32, the second end of the three-way pipe 32 is connected to the end effector, and the third end of the three-way pipe is used to output the fruit.

[0056] It should be noted that the vacuum suction component 13 also includes a shell, an exhaust port is arranged on the shell, and the exhaust port is connected to the air outlet of the vacuum pump 29 by an exhaust pipe. The vacuum pump 29 is arranged inside the shell, and the vacuum pump has a voltage of 24V, a maximum power of 320W, and a maximum air flow rate of 10.0m 3 / h, the minimum vacuum degree is 152Kpa. Among them, the three-way pipeline 32 is a Y-shaped structure.

[0057] The suction end of the vacuum pump 29 is connected to the first end of the three-way pipe 32 through the air inlet pipe 30. A filter 31 is provided in the air inlet pipe 30 to prevent leaves, fruit stems, impurities, etc. from entering; the fruit conveying pipe 35 is connected to the third end of the three-way pipe 32 with a sealing material, and the second end of the three-way pipe 32 is connected to the end effector through the collection and transmission pipe 20, that is, the upper right side pipe 33 is connected to the end effector through the collection and transmission pipe 20; the third end of the three-way pipe 32 is provided with a closed switch 34.

[0058] Based on the above embodiments, Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the end effector includes a straw, one end of which is formed with a suction port 36, and the other end of the straw is connected to the second end of the three-way pipe 32 through the collection and transmission pipe 20. The suction port is made of flexible plastic and covers around the straw port.

[0059] It should be noted that the straw can be a plastic tube. The photoelectric sensor 37 is a projection type photoelectric sensor, and the photoelectric sensor 37 includes a photoelectric transmitter and a photoelectric receiver, which are respectively arranged at the left and right ends of the suction port, and are used to determine whether the fruit is sucked into the end effector.

[0060] In an optional embodiment, the end effector further includes a hair dryer 43 and a plurality of blowing pipes, the plurality of blowing pipes are arranged along the circumference of the straw, and the air outlet ends of the hair dryers 43 are connected one by one with the blowing pipes.

[0061] It should be noted that the following description is made by taking the number of the lower blowing pipes as two as an example. The blowing pipes include an upper blowing pipe 40 and a lower blowing pipe 41. The upper blowing pipe 40 is arranged above the suction pipe, and the lower blowing pipe 41 is arranged below the air outlet pipe, and is used to blow open the leaves around the fruits to be picked. The air inlet end of the upper blowing pipe 40 and the air inlet end of the lower blowing pipe 41 are both connected to one end of the air outlet pipe 42, and the hair dryer 43 is fixed to the left side of the suction pipe and connected to the other end of the air outlet pipe 42.

[0062] Based on the above embodiments, Figure 8 As shown, the picking device also includes a picking device control system, a visual detection system 10 and a visual positioning recognition system;

[0063] The picking device control system is used to control the corresponding actions of the rotating base 14, the robotic arm, the vacuum suction component 13 and the end effector according to the fruit spatial position information obtained by the visual positioning and recognition system and the fruit position information obtained by the visual detection system.

[0064] It should be noted that the picking device control system includes a vacuum suction control circuit board, a mechanical arm control circuit board and a control communication circuit board. The control communication circuit board is connected to the vacuum suction control circuit board, the mechanical arm control circuit board, the visual detection system 10 and the visual positioning recognition system by a data line; the mechanical arm control circuit board is connected to the motor driver 15 and the servo motor 16 by a data line. Among them, the small servo motor used to drive the mechanical arm movement is connected to the mechanical arm control circuit board by a data line. The closed switch 34 is connected to the vacuum suction control circuit board by a wire, and the vacuum suction control circuit board is connected to the vacuum pump 29 by a data line.

[0065] In an optional embodiment, the photoelectric sensor is connected to the control communication circuit board to send fruit suction information to the control communication circuit board.

[0066] Furthermore, the visual positioning and recognition system includes a housing, a fixing frame 38, a TOF depth camera 39 and a visual processing circuit board; the housing is arranged on the right side of the end effector and fixed by the fixing frame 38; the TOF depth camera 39 is arranged in the housing to obtain the spatial position information of the fruit; the visual processing circuit board is arranged in the housing, and the visual processing circuit board can be a Jetson TX2 edge computing development board. The visual processing circuit board has a first interface and a second interface, and the first interface and the TOF depth camera 39 are connected by a video data line, and the second interface and the control communication circuit board are connected by a data line.

[0067] Furthermore, the visual inspection system includes a rack, multiple lighting lamps, a capture camera and a visual processing circuit board; the rack is fixed on the mobile platform 1 and is located on the rear side of the robotic arm; four lighting lamps are respectively located at the four corners of the rack and are connected to the control communication circuit board with wires; the capture camera is arranged at the top of the rack; the visual processing circuit board is arranged at the bottom of the rack and is connected to the capture camera with a video transmission line; and the visual processing circuit board and the control communication circuit board are connected with a data line.

[0068] Based on the above embodiments, Figure 7 As shown, the double-line fruit picking robot also includes a central control system 5, which includes a shell, a display screen, a main switch, a controller, a main control circuit board, an operating light and a warning light.

[0069] The shell is fixed on the mobile platform 1, and a display, an operating light, and a warning light 9 are arranged on the shell; the main switch, the controller and the main control circuit board are all arranged in the shell; the main control circuit board and the main switch are connected by a wire; the main control circuit board and the controller, the display, the operating light, and the warning light are connected by a data cable; the central control system 5 and the visual positioning recognition system, the visual detection system, the picking device control system, and the elevator operating system are connected by a bus.

[0070] On the basis of the above-mentioned embodiment, the dual-line fruit picking robot further includes a monitoring communication device, which is used to obtain the position information and environmental information of the mobile platform 1 .

[0071] It should be noted that the monitoring communication device includes a front camera 7, a GPS module 8, a communication module and a monitoring communication system; the communication module is connected to the GPS module 8 and the front camera 7 by a data cable; the monitoring communication system is arranged in the communication module and connected to the central control system by a data cable; the communication module is used to receive and send relevant information.

[0072] On the basis of the above-mentioned embodiment, the double-line fruit picking robot further includes a fruit storage device 4 , and the fruit storage device 4 is provided with a sensor for sensing the filling amount of the fruit in the fruit storage device 4 .

[0073] It should be noted that the fruit storage device includes a fruit storage bar and a fruit storage sensor; the left and right sides of the fruit storage bar are respectively connected to the first picking device and the second picking device for storing fruits; a loading and unloading switch door is also provided on the front side of the fruit storage bar for loading and unloading fruits; the fruit storage sensor is arranged inside the top of both sides of the fruit storage bar to sense whether the fruit is full; the fruit storage sensor is connected to the central control system 5 via a bus.

[0074] On the basis of the above-mentioned embodiment, the dual-line fruit picking robot also includes a battery device 11, which consists of a plurality of 24V battery packs and a charging port; the charging port is arranged on the mobile platform 1 and connected to the plurality of battery packs with a wire; the battery device is connected to the central control system, the visual positioning and recognition system, the visual detection system, the picking device control system, and the elevator operating system with a wire.

[0075] The operation steps of the fruit double-line harvesting robot according to the embodiment of the present invention are as follows:

[0076] Step 1: Start the central control system 5, and the battery device 11 supplies power to the central control system 5, the visual positioning and recognition system, the visual detection system 10, the picking device control system, the elevator operating system, and the monitoring and communication system;

[0077] Step 2: Run the picking device control system, start the visual detection system 10, use the light sensor to collect current light information, if the light information is weak, turn on the light, otherwise do not turn on the light;

[0078] Step 3: Use the capture camera to capture the fruit position at the current position. If the fruit information is obtained, the fruit position information is sent to the picking device control system, and the picking device control system controls the mechanical arm to approach the fruit area;

[0079] Step 4: Start the visual positioning recognition system to obtain the position and distance information of the fruit, send the fruit position information to the picking device control system, the picking device control system controls the robot arm to make the end effector approach the fruit, start the blower 43 to blow open the leaves around the fruit, start the vacuum suction component 13, and use negative pressure to suck the fruit;

[0080] Step 5: Use the photoelectric sensor 37 to sense whether the fruit is sucked in. If yes, open the sealed switch 34, and the fruit enters the fruit conveying pipe 35 through the collection and transmission pipe 20, the three-way pipe 32, and the sealed switch 34, and the fruit is transported to the fruit storage column; if the photoelectric sensor 37 senses that the fruit is not sucked in, start the visual positioning and recognition system to reposition the fruit;

[0081] Step 6: The fruit is transferred to the fruit storage bar, and the visual positioning recognition system is started to determine whether there is any fruit at the current location. If so, go to step 4; if not, go to step 3;

[0082] Step 7: Determine whether the fruit storage column is full. If it is full, the picking device control system stops running, starts the alarm device, and sends relevant information to the background using the monitoring communication system.

[0083] The fruit double-line harvesting robot provided by the embodiment of the present invention uses a first harvesting device and a second harvesting device on a mobile platform to form a high-low double-line harvesting robot, which greatly improves the efficiency of the harvesting operation; a visual positioning recognition system and a visual detection system are provided to realize rapid detection and positioning of fruits; a vacuum suction device and a mechanical arm are combined as the fruit harvesting device to realize non-contact harvesting of fruits and reduce fruit picking damage; the design is reasonable, the operation is simple, the operation is stable, the picking efficiency can be effectively improved, the picking time can be reduced, and the labor cost can be reduced, and the robot can be widely promoted and used.

[0084] The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative, wherein the units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place, or they may be distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the scheme of this embodiment. Ordinary technicians in this field can understand and implement it without paying creative labor.

[0085] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fruit double-line picking robot, characterized in that: include: Mobile platforms and picking devices; The picking device comprises a rotating base, a mechanical arm, a vacuum suction component and an end effector, wherein the fixed end of the rotating base is arranged on the mobile platform, the head end of the mechanical arm and the vacuum suction component are both arranged on the movable end of the rotating base, and the end effector is arranged on the end of the mechanical arm; the vacuum suction component is communicated with the end effector, and under the action of the suction force provided by the vacuum suction component, the fruit passes through the end effector and the vacuum suction component in sequence to complete the picking; The vacuum suction assembly comprises a vacuum pump and a three-way pipe; the suction end of the vacuum pump is connected to the first end of the three-way pipe, the second end of the three-way pipe is connected to the end effector, and the third end of the three-way pipe is used to output the fruit; The end effector comprises a straw, one end of which is formed with a suction port, and the other end of which is connected to the second end of the three-way pipe; The end effector further comprises a blower and a plurality of blow pipes, wherein the plurality of blow pipes are arranged along the circumference of the suction pipe, and the air outlet ends of the blowers are connected one by one with the blow pipes; When the fruit double-line operation picking robot includes two picking devices, the two picking devices are arranged in a high-low matching form; The air suction end of the vacuum pump is connected to the first end of the three-way pipe through an air inlet pipe, and a filter is arranged in the air inlet pipe.

2. The fruit double-line harvesting robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fruit double-line operation picking robot also includes a lifting device arranged on the mobile platform, and any one of the two picking devices is arranged on the lifting device.

3. The fruit double-line harvesting robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The picking device also includes a picking device control system, a visual detection system and a visual positioning recognition system; The picking device control system is used to control the corresponding actions of the rotating base, the robotic arm, the vacuum suction component and the end effector according to the fruit spatial position information obtained by the visual positioning and recognition system and the fruit position information obtained by the visual detection system.

4. The fruit double-line harvesting robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fruit dual-line operation picking robot also includes a monitoring communication device, and the monitoring communication device is used to obtain the position information and environmental information of the mobile platform.

5. The fruit double-line harvesting robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fruit double-line operation picking robot also includes a fruit storage device, and the fruit storage device is provided with a sensor for sensing the fruit filling amount in the fruit storage device.

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