Greenhouse automatic vine releasing robot and vine releasing method

Abstract

The invention relates to a greenhouse automatic vine releasing robot and a vine releasing method. The vine releasing robot comprises a movable chassis, a lifting mechanism, a control cabinet, a front mechanical arm, a rear mechanical arm, an electric clamping jaw, a light curtain sensor and a photoelectric switch. The control cabinet and the lifting mechanism are installed on the movable chassis, and the two mechanical arms are fixed to the surface of a top platform of the lifting mechanism. Electric clamping jaws are installed at the tail ends of the two mechanical arms, a photoelectric switch is arranged at the top end of a main shaft of the front mechanical arm, and a light curtain sensor is installed on the tail-end clamping jaw. The greenhouse vine releasing device is suitable for greenhouse crops in a hook vine releasing mode, the height of a vine hanging steel wire is detected through a photoelectric switch above the lifting mechanism before work is started, the vine releasing hook is accurately positioned through a light curtain sensor, the vine releasing hook is taken and placed through a mechanical arm, automation of greenhouse vine releasing work is achieved, and the work efficiency is improved. And the working efficiency of greenhouse vine releasing operation is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of agricultural robots, in particular to the field of robot vine laying, and specifically refers to an automatic vine laying robot and a vine laying method for a greenhouse. Background Art

[0002] At present, greenhouse vine-falling cultivation has become the mainstream cultivation method for climbing crops. The vine-falling technology maximizes the use of greenhouse space under the condition of limited land resources. The vertical distribution of plants in the greenhouse reduces the probability of leaf overlap and shading, increases the light area of ​​crops, and promotes the circulation of air inside the greenhouse, effectively reducing the occurrence of diseases and insect pests.

[0003] The work of releasing vines is the most important and complex part of the falling vine cultivation technology. There are two main ways of releasing vines in the falling vine technology, namely the hanging rope type and the hook type. The hanging rope type uses a vine release rope to tie the plant, and the other end of the vine release rope is tied to the high place in the greenhouse. When releasing vines, it is necessary to untie the vine release rope tied at a high altitude, lower the plant to the corresponding height, and then re-tie the vine release rope. The hook type vine release uses a vine release hook with a rope loop to release vines. The vine release hook is hung at a high place in the greenhouse, and the rope is wrapped in the rope groove of the hook. When releasing vines, you only need to release the rope loop on the hook for a distance to lower the height of the plant.

[0004] Compared with the rope-type vine releasing, the hook-type vine releasing is more convenient, but the hook-type vine releasing still requires manual operation. The workload of vine releasing is huge and high-altitude operations are required. There are huge defects in efficiency and safety, and the level of automation still needs to be improved. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of the deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides an automatic vine releasing robot and a vine releasing method for a greenhouse, which can replace manpower in hook-type vine releasing operations, effectively reducing labor costs, reducing safety hazards, and greatly improving the work efficiency of vine releasing operations in the greenhouse.

[0006] The present invention is implemented by the following technical scheme, and provides a method for automatically placing vines in a greenhouse by using a vine placing robot, comprising the following steps: a. Calculation of working height: The vine-releasing hook wrapped with a vine-releasing rope is hung on the vine-releasing wire fixed in the greenhouse, and the lower end of the vine-releasing rope is connected to the vines of the plants; before the vine-releasing hook is hung on the vine-releasing wire, the vine-releasing wire is detected by the photoelectric switch installed on the vine-releasing robot, so as to determine the vine-releasing working height of the robot's mechanical arm according to the height difference between the photoelectric switch and the end of the mechanical arm, thereby ensuring that the end of the mechanical arm is within the vine-releasing operation range.

[0007] b. Positioning the hook: Use the light curtain sensor at the end of the robot arm to position the hook. During the operation, the robot moves along the rows. When the light curtain sensor detects the hook, the robot stops moving and the arm performs the vine release operation according to the motion trajectory designed by the program. After one operation is completed, the arm is reset to the posture before the operation for subsequent operations. This method uses the light curtain sensor at the end of the robot arm to position the hook, which ensures the accuracy of the vine release action and improves the quality and efficiency of vine release.

[0008] c. Design of the robot arm's motion trajectory: When the light curtain sensor detects the vine hook, the robot arm drives the clamp to move forward a certain distance toward the vine hook, so that the vine hook enters the opening and closing range of the clamp, and then the clamp closes to clamp the vine hook. Then the robot arm is controlled to move upward to lift the vine hook, and then the robot arm drives the clamp to move backward a certain distance and drives the clamp to rotate the vine hook by a positive integer multiple of 180°. Finally, the robot arm puts the vine hook back to the vine hanging wire along the original path. After the operation is completed, the robot arm resets to its initial posture. This method uses the method of rotating the vine hook to release the vines, which makes the vine release action faster and more efficient, greatly improving the efficiency of vine release. As an optimization, in step b, when the vine placing hook enters the scanning range of the light curtain sensor, the vine placing robot continues to move, and when the vine placing hook leaves the scanning range from the other edge of the light curtain, the vine placing robot stops moving, and then the robotic arm performs the vine placing operation. In the setting of this optimization scheme, after the robotic arm is reset to the initial posture, the vine placing hook has left the scanning range of the light curtain sensor, avoiding the light curtain sensor from repeatedly scanning the same vine placing hook after the robotic arm is reset.

[0009] As an optimization, the vine-releasing robot is provided with two robotic arms arranged along the direction of travel, and the spacing between the two robotic arms along the direction of travel is the target spacing distance. A light curtain sensor is installed at the end of the robotic arm in front of the direction of travel. Before the two robotic arms perform vine-releasing operations, the spacing distance of the vine-releasing hooks is adjusted first: the vine-releasing robot moves forward at a uniform speed between the rows, and the timing starts when the first vine-releasing hook enters the scanning range of the light curtain sensor at the end of the robotic arm and leaves the scanning range of the light curtain sensor from the other side. After a period of time, the second vine-releasing hook adjacent to the first vine-releasing hook enters the scanning range of the light curtain sensor, and the timing stops when the second vine-releasing hook leaves the scanning range of the light curtain sensor. The distance obtained by multiplying the timing time by the travel speed of the vine-releasing robot is the actual spacing distance between adjacent vine-releasing hooks. Then, the actual spacing distance between the two adjacent vine-releasing hooks is adjusted to the target spacing distance by moving the vine-releasing hook, thereby facilitating the two robotic arms to perform vine-releasing operations synchronously.

[0010] After the actual spacing between two adjacent vine releasing hooks is adjusted to the target spacing, the horizontal spacing between the center lines of the two mechanical arms’ grippers is adjusted to the target spacing, and the overall vine releasing operation is performed: the vine releasing robot moves along the rows, and the two adjacent vine releasing hooks are regarded as a group, and two mechanical arms are used to perform synchronous operations on a group of vine releasing hooks; when the light curtain sensor detects the second vine releasing hook in the group, the vine releasing robot stops moving, and at this time, the two adjacent vine releasing hooks are respectively located within the operating range of the corresponding mechanical arms, and then the mechanical arms perform vine releasing operations on the vine releasing hooks according to the designed trajectory. Using two mechanical arms to perform vine releasing operations simultaneously further improves the efficiency of vine releasing operations.

[0011] This solution also provides a greenhouse automatic vine placing robot used in the above-mentioned vine placing method, which includes a mobile chassis and a lifting mechanism installed on the mobile chassis, a mechanical arm is installed on the top of the lifting mechanism, and a clamp for clamping a vine placing hook and a light curtain sensor facing the side where the vine placing hook is installed at the end of the mechanical arm, and a photoelectric switch located above the plane where the clamp is installed on the mechanical arm. The vine placing robot of this solution drives the whole machine to move forward through the mobile chassis, and adjusts the height of the mechanical arm through the lifting mechanism to meet the requirements of vine placing at different heights, and facilitates the lifting of the vine placing hook to ensure the rotation of the vine placing hook; by setting a light curtain sensor, it is convenient to scan the vine placing hook so as to operate the vine placing hook.

[0012] As an optimization, the mechanical arm includes a column fixed to the lifting mechanism, a first arm body vertically slidably connected to the column, and a first driving device driving the first arm body to move up and down along the column, the first arm body is connected to the second arm body through the first vertical axis rotation, the second arm body is connected to the third arm body through the second vertical axis rotation, the third arm body is connected to the fourth arm body through the third vertical axis rotation, and the fourth arm body is connected to the clamping claw through the horizontal axis rotation; the mechanical arm also includes a second driving device driving the second arm body to rotate around the axis of the first vertical axis, a third driving device driving the third arm body to rotate around the axis of the second vertical axis, a fourth driving device driving the fourth arm body to rotate around the axis of the third vertical axis, and a fifth driving device driving the clamping claw to rotate around the axis of the horizontal axis. This optimization scheme moves the first arm body up and down through the first driving device, thereby realizing the adjustment of the height of the clamping claw, and then realizing the adjustment of the operating height of the mechanical arm. By setting each arm body, the mechanical arm is extended and retracted by utilizing the rotation of each arm body, thereby realizing the lifting, backward translation, rotation, forward translation, and downward movement of the vine hook.

[0013] As an optimization, the lifting mechanism is a scissor-type structure, which includes a number of X-shaped units arranged in sequence vertically, and two adjacent X-shaped units are hinged by a transverse connecting shaft, and each transverse connecting shaft from top to bottom is alternately provided with an outer sleeve and an inner sleeve, and the inner sleeve is rotatably mounted with a first sprocket and a second sprocket distributed vertically, and the first sprocket and the second sprocket are connected by an annular chain transmission, and one side edge of the annular chain protrudes outward from the tube wall of the inner sleeve, and the inner wall of the outer sleeve is fixed with a tooth groove adapted to the annular chain. This optimization scheme improves the scissor-type lifting mechanism of the prior art, and by providing an outer sleeve and an inner sleeve, the annular chain can follow the transmission in the tooth groove during the extension and shortening of the scissor-type structure, thereby reducing the friction between the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve during the lifting process, improving the stability of the scissor-type structure, and reducing the shaking of the robot arm during the vine release operation.

[0014] The beneficial effects of the present invention are: (1) The use of robotic arms instead of manual labor in high-altitude vine-releasing operations reduces manpower waste and safety hazards. The use of dual robotic arms for collaborative operations improves work efficiency.

[0015] (2) Photoelectric switches are used to detect the height of the vines, and light curtain sensors are used to position the vine hooks, which reduces the development cost of the equipment compared to other positioning methods.

[0016] (3) A fixed robot arm operation trajectory was designed to simplify the control method. The robot arm moves along a fixed path, which increases the operating speed of the robot arm and reduces the occurrence of errors.

[0017] (4) The lifting mechanism is fixed horizontally and vertically by the coordinated structure of the ring chain and the tooth groove, which reduces the vibration of the lifting mechanism during operation, improves the stability of the robot arm operation, and reduces operation errors. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the automatic vine-laying robot for greenhouses of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the greenhouse hook falling vine scene; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the bottom pulley and pulley motor of the lifting mechanism; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the top pulley of the lifting mechanism; Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the inner casing and the outer casing; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the mechanical arm structure; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the method for measuring the distance between adjacent vine hooks; Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the robot arm's operating trajectory for adjusting the spacing of vine hooks; Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram of the positioning of the vine hook during the vine releasing operation; Fig.10 Schematic diagram of the motion trajectory of the robotic arm for vine releasing operations.

[0019] As shown in the figure: 1. Mobile chassis, 2. Support base, 3. First slide, 4. Bottom pulley, 5. Pulley motor, 6. Fork rod, 7. Horizontal connecting shaft, 8. Connecting beam, 9. Hydraulic rod, 10. Connecting buckle, 11. Inner sleeve, 11.1. Ring chain, 11.2. First sprocket, 11.3. Empty slot, 12. Outer sleeve, 12.1. Tooth groove, 13. Top pulley, 14. Second slide, 15. Loading platform, 16. Control cabinet, 16.1. Touch screen, 16.2. Machine switch, 16.3. Emergency stop button, 16.4. Status indicator light, 17. Front robotic arm, 17.1, column, 17.2, first arm body, 17.3, second arm body, 17.4, third arm body, 17.5, fourth arm body, 18, photoelectric switch, 19, rear robotic arm, 20, gripper, 20.1, fixed joint, 20.2, rotating joint, 20.3, gripping finger joint, 20.4, light curtain sensor, 21, vine placing hook, 22, vine placing rope, 23, vine hanging wire. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In order to clearly illustrate the technical features of this solution, this solution is described below through a specific implementation method.

[0021] like Figure 1 The automatic greenhouse vine-laying robot shown in the figure includes a mobile chassis 1, and a lifting mechanism and a control cabinet 16 installed on the mobile chassis. A mechanical arm is installed on the top of the lifting mechanism, and a clamping claw 20 for clamping a vine-laying hook 21 and a light curtain sensor 20.4 facing the side where the vine-laying hook is installed at the end of the mechanical arm. A photoelectric switch 18 located above the plane where the clamping claw is located is also installed on the mechanical arm. In the height direction, the photoelectric switch is 30 cm higher than the clamping claw. The control cabinet 16 is provided with a touch screen 16.1, a whole machine switch 16.2, an emergency stop button 16.3 and a status indicator light 16.4. The chassis moving system, the lifting system and the mechanical arm control system are all integrated in the control cabinet 16. Before operation, the whole machine switch 16.2 needs to be turned on to power on each mechanism. When a fault occurs during the operation of the equipment, the emergency stop button 16.3 is pressed to stop the whole machine from working.

[0022] There are two robotic arms in this embodiment, which are arranged along the moving direction of the mobile chassis. The two robotic arms have the same structure and perform the vine placing operation synchronously. The two robotic arms are respectively a front robotic arm 17 and a rear robotic arm 19. Along the moving direction of the mobile chassis, the front robotic arm 17 is located in front of the rear robotic arm 19. A photoelectric switch 18 is provided at the top of the column 17.1 of the front robotic arm, and a light curtain sensor 20.4 is installed at the end.

[0023] During the operation, the mobile chassis 1 carries other mechanisms to move forward. The mobile chassis adopts rear-wheel drive, can be steered by the front wheels, and provides 220V power supply for other components. The control cabinet 16 controls the mobile chassis 1, the lifting mechanism, the front mechanical arm 17, the rear mechanical arm 19, the photoelectric switch 18, the clamp 20 and the light curtain sensor 20.4. The equipment is powered on by pressing the whole machine switch 16.2, and the status indicator 16.4 can display the operating status of the lifting mechanism and the mechanical arm. The moving speed of the mobile chassis and the height of the lifting mechanism can be adjusted through the touch screen 16.1, and the mechanical arm can be controlled at the same time.

[0024] The mechanical arm and the clamp at its end can adopt the existing technology to realize the clamp moving up and down, moving away from and close to the vine release hook, and rotating around the axis extending in the front-back direction. For example, the clamp adopts the rotary electric clamp in the existing technology; the rotary electric clamp includes a fixed section 20.1, a rotating section 20.2, a clamping finger joint 20.3 and a light curtain sensor 20.4; the fixed section 20.1 is embedded in the fourth arm body, and the rotating section 20.2 is placed on the top of the fixed section 20.1, which can rotate without angle restriction; the top of the rotating section 20.2 is equipped with a clamping finger joint 20.3, which can open and close. The light curtain sensor 20.4 is installed on the left side of the fixed section 20.1 of the mechanical arm, and can emit a fan-shaped light curtain within a certain distance towards the side where the vine release hook is located. The fan-shaped light curtain and the clamp 20 are on the same horizontal plane, and the center lines of the two coincide. The maximum width of the light curtain is smaller than the opening and closing range of the clamping finger joint 20.3.

[0025] The mechanical arm includes a column 17.1 fixedly connected to the lifting mechanism, a first arm body 17.2 vertically slidably connected to the column, and a first driving device driving the first arm body to move up and down along the column, the first arm body is connected to the second arm body 17.3 by a first vertical axis, the second arm body is connected to the third arm body 17.4 by a second vertical axis, the third arm body is connected to the fourth arm body 17.5 by a third vertical axis, and the fourth arm body is connected to the clamp 20 by a transverse axis. The mechanical arm also includes a second driving device driving the second arm body to rotate around the axis of the first vertical axis, a third driving device driving the third arm body to rotate around the axis of the second vertical axis, a fourth driving device driving the fourth arm body to rotate around the axis of the third vertical axis, and a fifth driving device driving the clamp to rotate around the axis of the transverse axis, the second arm body 17.3 can perform ±90° rotational movement in the horizontal direction; the third arm body 17.4 can perform ±164° rotational movement in the horizontal direction; the fourth arm body 17.5 can perform ±1080° rotational movement in the horizontal direction. The first driving device can adopt the synchronous belt drive or gear rack drive of the existing technology, and the second driving device, the third driving device, the fourth driving device and the second driving device can all be driven by motors, and the specific structure will not be repeated here.

[0026] The lifting mechanism is a scissor-type structure, which includes a plurality of X-shaped units arranged in sequence vertically, and two adjacent X-shaped units are hinged by a transverse connecting shaft 7. The main part of the scissor-type structure can be made of existing technology, for example, Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the main part of the scissor-type structure includes a support base 2, a fork rod 6, a connecting beam 8, a hydraulic rod 9, a fixed horizontal axis 7, a bottom pulley 4, a top pulley 13, a pulley motor 5 and a load-bearing platform 15. The support base 2 is installed on the mobile chassis 1, and a mechanical arm is fixed on the top surface of the load-bearing platform 15. Each fork rod 6 is connected end to end to form a scissor-type structure. One end of the bottom fork rod is hinged to the support base 2, and a pulley 4 is installed at the other end. The pulley 4 is embedded in the first slide groove 3 of the side wall of the support base. The pulley 4 is driven by the motor 5 so that the end point of the bottom fork rod 6 can move horizontally during the lifting process. The end points of each fork rod 6 are hinged to form a scissor-type fork rod group. The forks located at the same layer in the height direction form an X-shaped unit. The fork rod 6 is a wide rectangular structure with a hollow interior, which is light in weight and has a certain stability. One end of the top fork rod 6 is hinged to the load-bearing platform 15, and a pulley 13 is installed at the other end. The pulley is embedded in the second slide groove 14 on the lower plane of the load-bearing platform. The connecting beam 8 is placed inside the fork rod group, and the fork rods on both sides are connected and fixed thereto. Both ends of the hydraulic rod 9 are respectively hinged to the connecting beam 8. There are two groups of upper and lower hydraulic rods inside the fork rod group, with three fork rods spanning each end, which have a certain fixing effect on the lifting mechanism. The two groups of hydraulic rods work together when the equipment is lifted or lowered.

[0027] This scheme is improved on the basis of the existing scissor-type lifting structure. Specifically, the transverse connecting shaft 7 is extended so that the transverse connecting shaft 7 is connected to the end point of the opposite fork rod 6, and the lifting mechanism is fixed horizontally. In addition, an outer sleeve 12 and an inner sleeve 11 are alternately fixed on each transverse connecting shaft from top to bottom, and the connection between the transverse connecting shaft and the outer sleeve and the inner sleeve is fixed by a connecting buckle 10 respectively, so that the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve can be extended and retracted with the lifting mechanism. The first sprocket 11.2 and the second sprocket distributed vertically are rotatably installed on the inner sleeve, and the first sprocket and the second sprocket are connected by a ring chain 11.1. One side of the ring chain protrudes outward from the tube wall of the inner sleeve, and the inner wall of the outer sleeve is fixed with a tooth groove 12.1 adapted to the ring chain. In order to improve the stabilization effect, the present embodiment respectively opens three empty grooves 11.3 on the two opposite side walls of the inner sleeve 11, and the first sprocket 11.2 and the second sprocket are respectively installed in each empty groove 11.3. The improved structure of this scheme allows the chain to follow the transmission in the tooth groove during the lifting process, reducing the friction between the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve during the lifting process. By reinforcing the lifting mechanism horizontally and vertically, the vibration of the lifting mechanism during operation is reduced, thereby improving the operating accuracy of the robotic arm and the work efficiency of the operation.

[0028] The lifting mechanism is powered by a hydraulic rod 9, and a hydraulic pump is installed inside the mobile chassis 1. Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, pulleys are installed at the ends of the bottom and top fork rods. The bottom pulley 4 is driven by a pulley motor 5 to assist the lifting mechanism in lifting. The top pulley 13 can slide laterally during the movement of the lifting mechanism. The lifting movement of the entire mechanism is achieved in the following way: the fork rod 6 is assembled in a scissor-type structure. During the lifting process of the lifting mechanism, the hydraulic pump controls the hydraulic rod 9 to provide power for the lifting action. The pulley motor controls the bottom pulley to move laterally to provide auxiliary power. The top pulley moves laterally during the lifting process, thereby realizing the lifting movement of the load-bearing platform. The fork rods 6 on both sides are laterally connected and fixed by a transverse connecting shaft 7, and the transverse connecting shaft 7 is longitudinally connected by an inner sleeve 11 and an outer sleeve 12. As shown Figure 5 As shown, the front and rear walls of the inner sleeve 11 are provided with a rotatable chain group, and the inner wall of the outer sleeve 12 is provided with a tooth groove for the chain to move. When the lifting mechanism performs lifting movement, the inner sleeve 11 and the outer sleeve 12 fix the mechanism longitudinally, and the ring chain can move in the tooth groove following the lifting movement. The transverse connecting shaft 7 and the inner sleeve 11 and the outer sleeve 12 fix the lifting mechanism transversely and longitudinally respectively, reducing the shaking during the operation.

[0029] The method for releasing vines using the automatic vine releasing robot for greenhouse of this embodiment comprises the following steps: a. Calculation of working height: The plants cultivated by hook-type vine dropping are connected to the vine releasing hook 21 through the vine releasing rope 22. The vine releasing hook wrapped with the vine releasing rope is hung on the vine hanging wire 23 fixed in the greenhouse, and the lower end of the vine releasing rope is connected to the vine of the plant; before the vine releasing hook is hung on the vine hanging wire, the vine hanging wire is detected by the photoelectric switch installed on the vine releasing robot to determine the vine releasing working height of the mechanical arm of the vine releasing robot; the supporting base carrying the mechanical arm is lifted by controlling the lifting mechanism. During the rising process, the light beam of the photoelectric switch will scan the vine hanging wire. At this time, the photoelectric switch will send a signal to the control system, and the machine body will stop moving after continuing to rise by 30cm, so that the mechanical arm reaches a suitable working height.

[0030] b. Positioning of vine hook: Use the light curtain sensor at the end of the robot's mechanical arm to position the vine hook. To avoid interference of plant leaves in the positioning process, the vine release operation must be performed before the plant growth height reaches the hook hanging height. During the operation, the vine release robot moves along the rows. When the light curtain sensor detects the vine release hook, the vine release robot stops moving, and the mechanical arm performs the vine release operation according to the motion trajectory designed by the program. After one operation is completed, the mechanical arm resets to the posture before the operation for subsequent operations. To avoid the light curtain sensor from repeatedly scanning the same vine release hook after the mechanical arm is reset, the vine release robot continues to move when the vine release hook enters the scanning range of the light curtain sensor. When the vine release hook leaves the scanning range from the other edge of the light curtain, the vine release robot stops moving, and then the mechanical arm performs the vine release operation. In this way, after the mechanical arm is reset to the initial posture, the vine release hook has left the scanning range of the light curtain sensor.

[0031] c. Design of the movement trajectory of the robotic arm: The principle of releasing the vines by hook is to release the vine rope a certain distance by flipping the hook to achieve the release of the crop vines. This process is achieved by controlling the robotic arm to move along a fixed trajectory. Since the light curtain sensor and the clamp are on the same horizontal plane, and its maximum width is smaller than the opening and closing range of the clamp, when the light curtain sensor detects the vine release hook, the robotic arm drives the clamp to move forward a certain distance toward the vine release hook, so that the vine release hook enters the opening and closing range of the clamp, and then the clamping knuckles of the clamp are closed to clamp the vine release hook, and then the robotic arm is controlled to move vertically upward to lift the vine release hook, and then the robotic arm drives the clamp to move horizontally backward for a distance and drive the clamp to rotate the vine release hook by a positive integer multiple of 180°, and finally the robotic arm puts the vine release hook back to the vine hanging wire along the original path. After the operation is completed, the robotic arm resets to the initial posture. In this step, the side where the vine release hook is located is the front, and the robotic arm is located at the back of the vine release hook. In order to improve the efficiency of vine placing, the vine placing robot of this scheme is equipped with two robotic arms arranged along the direction of travel. The two robotic arms work synchronously, and the operating movements of the two robotic arms are completely consistent. Therefore, before the overall operation, the spacing distance of the vine placing hooks in the greenhouse needs to be unified. First, the fixed spacing distance of adjacent hooks is determined according to actual needs, and then the light curtain sensor is used to measure the actual spacing of the hooks.

[0032] Specifically, the distance between the two robotic arms along the direction of travel is the target spacing distance. A light curtain sensor is installed at the end of the robotic arm in front of the direction of travel. Before the two robotic arms perform the vine-releasing operation, the spacing distance between the vine-releasing hooks is adjusted first: The vine-releasing robot moves forward at a constant speed between the rows. The timing starts when the first vine-releasing hook enters the scanning range of the light curtain sensor at the end of the robotic arm and leaves the scanning range of the light curtain sensor from the other side. After a period of time, the second vine-releasing hook adjacent to the first vine-releasing hook enters the scanning range of the light curtain sensor. The timing stops when the second vine-releasing hook leaves the scanning range of the light curtain sensor. The distance obtained by multiplying the timing duration by the traveling speed of the vine-releasing robot is the actual interval distance between adjacent vine-releasing hooks. Then the robotic arm of the vine-releasing robot is controlled to move the vine-releasing hook to adjust the actual interval distance between the two adjacent vine-releasing hooks to the target interval distance.

[0033] Specifically, after the distance measurement is completed, the interval between the hooks is adjusted by the mechanical arm and the electric gripper, so that the mechanical arm moves along a fixed trajectory to adjust the hook spacing. The movement trajectory of the mechanical arm is as follows: Figure 8 As shown: the robot arm first moves from point Q1 to point Q2, at which time the electric claw knuckles are controlled to close and clamp the vine hook; then the robot arm moves longitudinally to lift the vine hook and move it to point Q3; then the system calculates the horizontal distance the robot arm needs to move based on the different hook spacings, and then moves the hook from point Q3 to point Q4, then the robot arm descends to point Q5 and rehangs the hook. This method can unify the spacing between all hooks in the greenhouse.

[0034] After the actual spacing between two adjacent vine-releasing hooks is adjusted to the target spacing, the horizontal spacing between the center lines of the two robotic arms' grippers is adjusted to the target spacing to perform the overall vine-releasing operation: the vine-releasing robot moves at a uniform speed between the rows, and the two adjacent vine-releasing hooks are regarded as a group, and two robotic arms are used to perform synchronous operations on a group of vine-releasing hooks. When the light curtain sensor detects the second vine-releasing hook in the group, the control system brakes the mobile chassis and the vine-releasing robot stops moving. At this time, the two adjacent vine-releasing hooks are respectively within the operating range of the corresponding robotic arms, and then the robotic arms perform vine-releasing operations on the vine-releasing hooks according to the designed trajectory. If the total number of hooks in a single row is an odd number, the front robotic arm is controlled to perform separate operations on the remaining hooks.

[0035] Combination Fig. 9As shown in the figure, when the light curtain sensor detects the second vine hook in the group, the control system will brake the mobile chassis. At this time, the two adjacent vine hooks are within the operating range of the corresponding robot arms. After that, the two robot arms will perform vine release operations according to the set motion trajectory to achieve synchronous pick-up and placement of the two adjacent vine hooks. After the light curtain sensor locates the vine hook, the robot arm is controlled as follows Fig.10 The vine laying operation can be completed by moving along the trajectory shown: The robotic arm moves from point P1 to point P2, at which time the electric gripper is controlled to grip the vine releasing hook; then the robotic arm is controlled to drive the electric gripper to extract the vine releasing hook upward and move it to point P3; then the robotic arm is translated backward from point P3 to point P4, at point P4 the electric gripper is controlled to rotate the hook 180°, then the robotic arm is controlled to pass through points P3 and P2 in turn to re-hang the vine releasing hook, and finally the robotic arm is reset to point P1.

[0036] The present invention is suitable for greenhouse crops that adopt the form of hooking vines. Before the work starts, the photoelectric switch above the lifting mechanism detects the height of the vine hanging wire, so that the mechanical arm reaches a suitable working height, and there is no need to manually adjust the height of the lifting mechanism, thereby improving the accuracy of the operation. A light curtain sensor is used to accurately position the vine hook. Compared with other positioning methods, the light curtain sensor used is easy to develop and greatly reduces the cost of the equipment. The mechanical arm adjusts the interval between adjacent hooks to unify the interval between adjacent vine hooks; the mechanical arm is used to take and place the vine hooks, thereby realizing the automation of greenhouse vine release work and improving the work efficiency of greenhouse vine release work. The mechanical arm moves along a fixed track during operation to realize flow-type operation. By simplifying the path planning method of the mechanical arm, the operation time of a single vine release process is shortened, the operation efficiency is improved, and the movement of the mechanical arm along a fixed track can reduce the operation error. Two mechanical arms perform vine release operations at the same time, and the interval between each vine release hook can be unified before the operation, which greatly improves the operation efficiency. The vine release operation can be performed on crops with different planting intervals, and can adapt to a variety of operating environments.

[0037] Of course, the above description is not limited to the above examples. Technical features not described in the present invention can be achieved by or by using existing technologies, which will not be described here. The above embodiments and drawings are only used to illustrate the technical scheme of the present invention and are not limitations of the present invention. The present invention is described in detail with reference to the preferred implementation methods. Ordinary technicians in this field should understand that changes, modifications, additions or substitutions made by ordinary technicians in this technical field within the essential scope of the present invention do not depart from the purpose of the present invention, and should also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for automatically releasing vines using a greenhouse vine releasing robot, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: a. Calculation of working height: The vine placing hook wrapped with a vine placing rope is hung on the vine hanging wire fixed in the greenhouse, and the lower end of the vine placing rope is connected to the vine of the plant; before the vine placing hook is hung on the vine hanging wire, the vine hanging wire is detected by the photoelectric switch installed on the vine placing robot, so as to determine the vine placing working height of the robot's mechanical arm; b. Positioning of vine hook: The light curtain sensor at the end of the vine hook is used to position the vine hook. During the operation, the vine hook moves along the rows. When the light curtain sensor detects the vine hook, the vine hook stops moving and the robot arm performs the vine release operation according to the motion trajectory designed by the program. After one operation is completed, the robot arm is reset to the posture before the operation for subsequent operations; c. Design of the motion trajectory of the robotic arm: When the light curtain sensor detects the vine releasing hook, the robotic arm drives the clamp to move forward a certain distance toward the vine releasing hook, so that the vine releasing hook enters the opening and closing range of the clamp, and then the clamp closes to clamp the vine releasing hook. Then the robotic arm is controlled to move upward to lift the vine releasing hook, and then the robotic arm drives the clamp to move horizontally backward for a certain distance and drives the clamp to rotate the vine releasing hook by a positive integer multiple of 180°. Finally, the robotic arm puts the vine releasing hook back to the vine hanging wire along the original path. After the operation is completed, the robotic arm resets to its initial posture.

2. The method for releasing vines by an automatic vine releasing robot in a greenhouse according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step b, when the vine placing hook enters the scanning range of the light curtain sensor, the vine placing robot continues to move. When the vine placing hook leaves the scanning range from the other edge of the light curtain, the vine placing robot stops moving, and then the robotic arm performs the vine placing operation.

3. The method for releasing vines by an automatic vine releasing robot in a greenhouse according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vine placing robot is equipped with two mechanical arms arranged along the direction of travel. The distance between the two mechanical arms along the direction of travel is the target spacing distance. A light curtain sensor is installed at the end of the mechanical arm in front of the direction of travel. Before the two mechanical arms perform the vine placing operation, the spacing distance of the vine placing hooks is adjusted first: The vine-releasing robot moves forward at a constant speed between the rows. When the first vine-releasing hook enters the scanning range of the light curtain sensor at the end of the robot arm and leaves the scanning range of the light curtain sensor from the other side, the timing starts. After a period of time, the second vine-releasing hook adjacent to the first vine-releasing hook enters the scanning range of the light curtain sensor. When the second vine-releasing hook leaves the scanning range of the light curtain sensor, the timing stops. The distance obtained by multiplying the timing time by the moving speed of the vine-releasing robot is the actual interval distance between adjacent vine-releasing hooks. Then, the actual interval distance between two adjacent vine-releasing hooks is adjusted to the target interval distance by moving the vine-releasing hook. After the actual spacing between two adjacent vine-releasing hooks is adjusted to the target spacing, the horizontal spacing between the center lines of the two mechanical arm grippers is adjusted to the target spacing to perform the overall vine-releasing operation: The vine releasing robot moves along the rows, regards two adjacent vine releasing hooks as a group, and uses two robotic arms to perform synchronous operations on a group of vine releasing hooks; when the light curtain sensor detects the second vine releasing hook in the group, the vine releasing robot stops moving. At this time, the two adjacent vine releasing hooks are respectively located within the operating range of the corresponding robotic arms, and then the robotic arms perform vine releasing operations on the vine releasing hooks according to the designed trajectory.

4. A greenhouse automatic vine-laying robot used in the vine-laying method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The invention comprises a mobile chassis (1) and a lifting mechanism mounted on the mobile chassis, wherein a mechanical arm is mounted on the top of the lifting mechanism, and a clamping claw (20) for clamping a vine-releasing hook (21) and a light curtain sensor (20.4) facing the side where the vine-releasing hook is located are mounted at the end of the mechanical arm, and a photoelectric switch (18) located above the plane where the clamping claw is located is also mounted on the mechanical arm.

5. The greenhouse automatic vine-laying robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The mechanical arm comprises a column (17.1) fixedly connected to the lifting mechanism, a first arm body (17.2) vertically slidably connected to the column, and a first driving device for driving the first arm body to move up and down along the column; the first arm body is rotatably connected to the second arm body (17.3) via a first vertical axis, the second arm body is rotatably connected to the third arm body (17.4) via a second vertical axis, the third arm body is rotatably connected to the fourth arm body (17.5) via a third vertical axis, and the fourth arm body is rotatably connected to the clamping claw (20) via a transverse axis; the mechanical arm also comprises a second driving device for driving the second arm body to rotate around the axis of the first vertical axis, a third driving device for driving the third arm body to rotate around the axis of the second vertical axis, a fourth driving device for driving the fourth arm body to rotate around the axis of the third vertical axis, and a fifth driving device for driving the clamping claw to rotate around the axis of the transverse axis.

6. The greenhouse automatic vine-laying robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The lifting mechanism is a scissor-type structure, which includes a plurality of X-shaped units arranged in sequence in the vertical direction, wherein two adjacent X-shaped units are hingedly connected via a transverse connecting shaft, and each transverse connecting shaft from top to bottom is alternately provided with an outer sleeve (12) and an inner sleeve (11), and a first sprocket (11.2) and a second sprocket distributed in the vertical direction are rotatably mounted on the inner sleeve, and the first sprocket and the second sprocket are connected in transmission via an annular chain (11.1), one side edge of the annular chain protrudes outwardly from the wall of the inner sleeve, and a tooth groove (12.1) adapted to the annular chain is fixedly provided on the inner wall of the outer sleeve.

Images