A linkage end effector suitable for picking a variety of fruits and vegetables

Abstract

The present invention relates to a linkage end effector suitable for picking a variety of fruits and vegetables, and the present invention is mainly used for picking fruits and vegetables with fruit stalks. The end effector accurately locates the picking point of fruits and vegetables through a binocular camera installed on the top, and the DC motor installed on the side of the box provides power for the end effector; the cam mechanism inside the end effector enables the clamping device to achieve intermittent opening and closing movement, and the deformed gear rack mechanism enables the shearing device to achieve reciprocating intermittent movement; the end effector utilizes a bevel gear reduction box, a worm gear, a cam mechanism, and a gear rack mechanism to achieve regular linkage between the clamping device and the shearing device, and realizes that the unidirectional movement of a single DC motor drives the end effector to perform regular repeated movements of first clamping and then shearing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of automatic fruit and vegetable picking, and in particular to a linkage type end effector suitable for picking a variety of fruits and vegetables. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, with the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, an increasing number of automated and intelligent machinery and equipment have been applied in agriculture. Fruit and vegetable harvesting robots, in particular, are a key area of ​​agricultural intelligence. While fruit and vegetable harvesting robot technology has achieved considerable success both domestically and internationally, commercialization remains a long way off. This is primarily due to the complexity and uncertainty of the fruit and vegetable growing environment, which poses significant challenges for fruit and vegetable harvesting robots. A high-performing end effector can improve the efficiency of fruit and vegetable harvesting robots and reduce damage to the harvested fruits and vegetables. At present, there are still many problems with the end effectors for picking fruits and vegetables, mainly manifested in the following aspects: (1) The end effector relies on the motor to perform frequent opening and closing movements. The frequent forward and reverse rotation of the motor will lead to a decrease in the life of the motor, reduced corner accuracy, and reduced clamping force and shearing efficiency; (2) The shearing effect is poor. The end effector for picking fruits and vegetables generally clamps the fruit stems first and then shears the fruit stems. The collaboration time difference between the two actions is uncertain, resulting in unsatisfactory shearing effect; (3) The versatility is poor. The existing end effectors have good picking effects on specific fruits and vegetables, but poor picking effects on other types of fruits and vegetables. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to solve the shortcomings of existing fruit and vegetable picking end effectors, the present invention provides a linkage end effector suitable for picking a variety of fruits and vegetables, which utilizes unidirectional rotation of a motor to drive a clamping device and a shearing device to perform precise linkage opening and closing movements, has an ingenious structure, and is suitable for picking a variety of fruits and vegetables.

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the technical problems is:

[0005] A linkage end effector suitable for picking a variety of fruits and vegetables includes an upper box body, a lower box body, a clamping device, a shearing device, a worm wheel, a worm, a gear, an incomplete gear, a deformed rack, a binocular camera, and a DC motor. The binocular camera is provided on the upper part of the upper box body, a left shearing blade is provided in the front of the upper box body, a clamping device is installed in the front of the upper box body, a DC motor is provided on the side of the upper box body, a flange is provided at the rear of the upper box body, and a bevel gear reduction box is installed below the DC motor.

[0006] A worm gear, a worm, a gear, an incomplete gear and a deformed rack are arranged inside the upper box body, a worm gear is arranged above the lower box body, a camshaft is arranged above the lower box body, a gear shaft is arranged above the lower box body, an intermediate shaft is arranged above the lower box body, a worm gear is installed on the intermediate shaft, a 30-tooth gear is installed above the worm gear, a 40-tooth gear is installed on the camshaft, a 70-tooth gear is arranged above the 40-tooth gear, a cam is installed above the 70-tooth gear, an incomplete gear is installed on the gear shaft, a deformed rack is arranged on the outside of the incomplete gear, a right shearing blade is arranged in front of the deformed rack, a front stopper is arranged on the right shearing blade, a trapezoidal block is arranged on the right shearing blade, and the incomplete gear and all gears are connected to the shaft through keys.

[0007] As a further improvement of the present invention, a binocular camera is provided above the upper box body, a DC motor is provided on the outside of the upper box body, and a bevel gear reduction box is provided below the DC motor.

[0008] As a further improvement of the present invention, a worm is provided on the lower box body, a worm wheel is provided on the intermediate shaft, and a 30-tooth gear is provided above the worm wheel.

[0009] As a further improvement of the present invention, a clamping claw is provided in front of the clamping device, a connector is provided at the rear of the clamping device, a connecting shaft is provided inside the clamping device, a pin hole is provided on the connecting shaft, an L-shaped rod is provided in front of the connecting shaft, and a cam is provided at the rear of the connector.

[0010] As a further improvement of the present invention, a sliding groove is provided on the cam.

[0011] As a further improvement of the present invention, a U-shaped block is provided above the connector, a ball bearing is provided on the surface of the U-shaped block, a connecting sleeve is provided at the rear of the connector, and a connecting pin is provided on the connecting sleeve.

[0012] It can be seen from the above technical solution that the present invention has a simple and ingenious structure and good adaptability, and realizes the regular opening and closing movement of the clamping device and the shearing device under the single-direction drive of a single motor; the clamping device and the shearing device of the present invention are cleverly designed, and the holding force of different sizes can be adjusted by replacing connectors of different lengths, thereby ensuring that fruits and vegetables will not fall during the picking process, and realizing the picking of a variety of fruits and vegetables; the present invention adopts motor drive, which is less expensive than pneumatic drive and hydraulic drive, has higher control accuracy and better rapid responsiveness. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 It is the positive triaxial drawing of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 2 It is the overall structure diagram of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 3 It is the internal structure diagram of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of the supporting device of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the clamping device of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the connector structure of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the shearing device structure of the present invention Figure 1 .

[0020] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the shearing device structure of the present invention Figure 2 .

[0021] 1. Clamping device, 2. Shearing device, 3. Upper housing, 4. Binocular camera, 5. Hexagon socket bolt, 6. Lower housing, 7. Bevel gear reducer, 8. DC motor, 9. Flange, 10. Left shear blade, 11. Nut, 12. Worm, 13. Deep groove ball bearing, 14. Worm gear, 15. 30-tooth gear, 16. 40-foot gear 2, 17. 70-tooth gear, 18. Cam, 19. Intermediate shaft, 20. Deformed rack, 21. Camshaft, 22. Incomplete gear, 23 .Gear shaft, 24. Key, 25. Connector, 26. Screw, 1-1. Clamp upper cover, 1-2. Clamping claw, 1-3. Clamp lower cover, 1-4. Pin hole, 1-5. Connecting shaft, 1-6. Threaded hole, 1-7. L-shaped rod, 1-8. Pin, 2-1. Right shear blade, 2-2. Front stopper, 2-3. Trapezoidal block, 25-1. U-shaped block, 25-2. Ball, 25-3. Spring, 25-4 Connector body, 25-5. Connecting pin, 25-6. Connecting sleeve. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The present invention is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementations so that those skilled in the art can better understand the present invention and implement it. However, the embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0023] See Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 oneA linkage end effector suitable for picking a variety of fruits and vegetables, including an upper box body 3, a lower box body 6, a binocular camera 4, a clamping device 1, a shearing device 2, a DC motor 8, a bevel gear reducer 7, a flange 9, and a left shearing blade 10; a binocular camera 4 is provided above the upper box body 3, and the binocular camera 4 is connected to the upper box body 3 through a hexagon socket bolt 5, and a left shearing blade 10 is provided in front of the upper box body 3, a DC motor 8 is provided on the side of the upper box body 3, and a bevel gear reducer 7 is provided below the DC motor 8, and the DC motor 8 is connected to the upper box body 3 through a hexagon socket bolt 5, and a shearing device 2 is provided in front of the upper box body 3, and a clamping device 1 is provided in front of the upper box body 3, and the upper box body 3 and the lower box body 6 are connected and fixed using hexagon socket bolts 5 and nuts 11.

[0024] See Figure 3 A deep groove ball bearing 13 is provided above the lower box body 6, a worm 12 is provided above the lower box body 6, the worm 12 is connected to the deep groove ball bearing 13, an intermediate shaft 19 is provided above the lower box body 6, a camshaft 21 is provided above the lower box body 6, and a gear shaft 23 is provided above the lower box body 6.

[0025] A worm wheel 14 is provided above the intermediate shaft 19 , and a 30-tooth gear 15 is provided above the worm wheel 14 . The worm gear mechanism is used to convert horizontal motion into vertical motion, and the 30-tooth gear is used to transmit power.

[0026] A 40-tooth gear 16 is provided above the camshaft 21, a 70-tooth gear 17 is provided above the 40-tooth gear 16, and a cam 18 is provided above the 70-tooth gear 17. The 70-tooth gear with a module of 0.5 is used to transmit power to the next level, and the cam mechanism is used to achieve intermittent motion.

[0027] An incomplete gear 22 is provided above the gear shaft 23, a deformed rack 20 is provided on the outside of the incomplete gear 22, and a right shearing blade 2-1 is provided on the outside of the deformed rack 20. Power is transmitted by the gear rack mechanism, and intermittent motion is achieved by the incomplete gear and deformed rack mechanism.

[0028] See Figure 4 、 Figure 5 、 Figure 6 A cam 18 is provided above the camshaft 21, and a slide groove is provided on the cam 18. The camshaft 21 is connected to the cam 18 through a key 24. The cam 18 is connected to one end of the connector 25, and the other end of the connector 25 is connected to the clamping device 1.

[0029] The front end of the connector 25 is provided with a U-shaped block 25-1, and a ball 25-2 is provided on the top of the U-shaped block 25-1 to facilitate the U-shaped block 25-1 to slide better in the slide groove of the cam 18. A spring 25-3 is installed at one end of the U-shaped block 25-1. The connector 25 and the cam 18 can be installed and unloaded by stretching the two U-shaped blocks 25-1. The tail end of the connector body 25-4 is provided with a connecting sleeve 25-6, and both ends of the connecting sleeve 26-6 are provided with connecting pins 25-5. The other end of the connecting sleeve 25-6 is connected to the clamping device 1.

[0030] The clamping device includes a clamper upper cover 1-1, a clamping claw 1-2, a clamper lower cover 1-3, a pin hole 1-4, a connecting shaft 1-5, a threaded hole 1-6, an L-shaped rod 1-7, and a pin 1-8; a clamping claw 1-2 is provided in front of the clamper lower cover 1-3, and a sliding groove is provided in front of the clamper lower end 1-3 to facilitate the movement of the clamping claw 1-2, a connecting shaft 1-5 is provided above the clamper lower end 1-3, and pin holes are provided at both ends of the L-shaped rod.

[0031] The tail end of the connecting shaft 1-5 is connected to the connector 25 through the pin hole 1-4 and the connecting pin 25-5, and the front end of the connecting shaft 1-5 is connected to the L-shaped rod 1-7. The L-shaped rod 1-7 is connected to the clamping claw 1-2. The pin hole at one end of the L-shaped rod 1-7 is connected through a ball hinge, which is conducive to the L-shaped rod 1-5 driving the clamping claw 1-2 to move.

[0032] A pin 1-8 is provided at the pin hole at the other end of the L-shaped rod 1-7, and the pin 1-8 connects the upper end 1-1 of the clamp and the lower end 1-3 of the clamp, and the pin hole at one end of the L-shaped rod allows the L-shaped rod to rotate around the axis of the pin 1-8, thereby driving the opening and closing of the clamping claw. The connecting sleeve 25-6 is nested on the connecting shaft 1-5, and forms a hinge connection with the pin hole 1-4 through the connector body 25-5. By changing the length of the connecting sleeve 25-6, the stroke of the connecting shaft 1-5 can be changed, thereby changing the stroke of the clamping claw, thereby achieving the purpose of changing the holding force. The lower end 1-2 of the clamp is provided with a threaded hole 1-6, and the lower end 1-2 of the clamp is fixed to the upper end 1-1 of the clamp by the threaded hole 1-6 and the hexagon socket bolt 5.

[0033] See Figure 7The shearing device includes a right shearing blade 2-1, a left shearing blade 10, a front stopper 2-2, a trapezoidal block 2-3, an incomplete gear 22, and a deformed rack 20; an incomplete gear 22 is provided above the gear shaft 23, and a deformed rack 20 is provided on the outside of the incomplete gear 22. The gear rack mechanism is used to convert rotational motion into linear motion. The cooperation of the incomplete gear 22 and the deformed rack 20 is used to realize intermittent motion and reciprocating motion at the same time, and the unidirectional rotation of the gear shaft 23 is converted into intermittent and reciprocating motion of the shearing device.

[0034] The front end of the upper box body 3 is provided with a left shearing blade 10, the front end of the deformed rack 20 is provided with a right shearing blade 2-1, a front stopper 2-2 is provided above the right shearing blade 2-1, and a

[0035] The trapezoidal block 2-3 limits the vertical movement of the right shear blade 2-1 at the front end opening of the upper box body 3 through the cantilever surface of the right shear blade 2-1, and uses the front stopper 2-2 on the right shear blade 2-1 to limit the horizontal position of the right shear blade 2-1. The self-locking principle of the trapezoidal block 2-3 is used to ensure that the right shear blade 2-1 is easy to install while limiting the horizontal movement of the right shear blade 2-1.

[0036] The right shear blade 2 - 1 is connected to the deformable rack 20 via a screw 26 .

[0037] A binocular camera is provided above the upper box body 3 for locating the fruit and vegetable picking points and obtaining the three-dimensional coordinates of the picking points.

[0038] The above embodiments are only for explaining the technical concept of the present invention and cannot be used to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any changes made on the basis of the technical solution in accordance with the technical concept of the present invention shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A linkage end effector suitable for picking a variety of fruits and vegetables, comprising an upper box, a lower box, a clamping device, a shearing device, a worm wheel, a worm, a 30-tooth gear, a 40-tooth gear, a 70-tooth gear, an incomplete gear, a deformed rack, a binocular camera, and a DC motor. The upper part of the upper box is provided with a binocular camera, the front of the upper box is provided with a left shearing blade, the front of the upper box is provided with a clamping device, the side of the upper box is provided with the DC motor, the rear of the upper box is provided with a flange, and the lower part of the DC motor is provided with a bevel gear reduction box; the front of the clamping device is provided with a clamping claw, the rear of the clamping device is provided with a connector, the interior of the clamping device is provided with a connecting shaft, the connecting shaft is provided with a pin hole, the front of the connecting shaft is provided with an L-shaped rod, the rear of the connecting shaft is provided with a connector, the rear of the connector is provided with a cam, and the cam is provided with a slide groove; A worm wheel, a worm, a 30-tooth gear, a 40-tooth gear, a 70-tooth gear, an incomplete gear, and a deformed rack are arranged inside the upper box body, a worm is arranged above the lower box body, a camshaft is arranged above the lower box body, a gear shaft is arranged above the lower box body, an intermediate shaft is arranged above the lower box body, a worm wheel is mounted on the intermediate shaft, a 30-tooth gear is mounted above the worm wheel, a 40-tooth gear is mounted on the camshaft, a 70-tooth gear is arranged above the 40-tooth gear, a cam is mounted above the 70-tooth gear, an incomplete gear is mounted on the gear shaft, a deformed rack is arranged on the outside of the incomplete gear, a right shearing blade is arranged in front of the deformed rack, a front stopper is arranged on the right shearing blade, a trapezoidal block is arranged on the right shearing blade, and the incomplete gear and all gears are connected to the shaft through keys.

2. The linkage end effector suitable for picking a variety of fruits and vegetables according to claim 1, characterized in that: A binocular camera is arranged above the upper box body, and the binocular camera is connected to the upper box body through a hexagon socket bolt. A DC motor is arranged on the outer side of the upper box body, and a bevel gear reduction box is arranged below the DC motor. A worm is arranged on the lower box body, and a worm wheel is arranged on the intermediate shaft.

3. The linkage end effector suitable for picking a variety of fruits and vegetables according to claim 1, characterized in that: A U-shaped block is arranged above the connector, a ball bearing is arranged on the surface of the U-shaped block, a connecting sleeve is arranged at the rear of the connector, and a connecting pin is arranged on the connecting sleeve.

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