Apple netting device and apple netting method

Abstract

The present invention discloses an apple netting device and a netting method thereof, and belongs to the field of agricultural equipment. It comprises a sorting unit, a net feeding unit and a net supporting unit. Under the drive of a driving motor, apples are placed in the sorting unit. The sorting unit has an appearance similar to a conveyor belt, and comprises four non-interval rotating shafts, and rotates under the drive of a driving motor. After the apples enter, they fall at different parts of the rotating shafts according to the diameters of the apples, and fall into the funnel below. A pipe is connected below the funnel, and the apples enter the net supporting mechanism along the pipe after rolling into the funnel. The device completely uses machines for netting, which greatly improves work efficiency, reduces labor costs, and ensures the final quality of apples in the market. The device of the present invention is simple to operate, easy to use, simple in design, and highly safe. The design of the overall device is compact in structure, small in space, and relatively low in cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of agricultural equipment and relates to an apple netting device and a netting method thereof. Background Art

[0002] The rapid commercialization of apples has led to a large number of apples being sold in other places in China and traded internationally. Apples are fragile and tender, and they suffer mechanical damage during picking, packing, transportation, storage and deep processing, resulting in a large amount of loss. In order to effectively reduce the damage rate of apples, foam plastic nets are usually used as cushioning packaging.

[0003] At present, using nets to protect apples immediately after harvest is an important way to effectively avoid mechanical damage. However, in most small orchards, this process is done manually. Manual selection of apple sizes and manual bagging are cumbersome and inefficient. With the increase in production and labor costs, as well as the increasing requirements for the automation of apple packaging, it is imperative to design a device that can automatically and quickly net apples. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the technical problems in the above-mentioned prior art that the manual process of apple netting is cumbersome, the work efficiency is low and the cost is high, and to provide an apple netting device and a netting method thereof.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] An apple netting device comprises a sorting unit, a net feeding unit and a net supporting unit;

[0007] The sorting unit comprises a fixed shaft fixed vertically and a rotating shaft located at the top of the fixed shaft and in the horizontal direction, one end of the rotating shaft is electrically connected to a driving motor, and the other end is matched with the fixed shaft through a bearing, and the rotating shaft rotates relative to the fixed shaft under the drive of the driving motor, a funnel is installed on the rotating shaft, and a pipeline is connected to the bottom of the funnel; a controller is also installed on the fixed shaft;

[0008] The mesh feeding unit comprises a first gear assembly and a chassis arranged on the first gear assembly, a copper bar for cutting mesh bags is arranged at the bottom of the first gear assembly, and the first gear assembly is connected to a FET steering gear;

[0009] The net supporting unit comprises a base and a flexible mechanical arm mounted on the base, and the end of the flexible mechanical arm is connected with a clamping claw through a sleeve;

[0010] The controller is electrically connected to the driving motor, the FET steering gear and the flexible mechanical arm respectively, and the controller, the driving motor, the FET steering gear and the flexible mechanical arm are all externally connected to a power supply.

[0011] Preferably, there are four rotating shafts, and the distance between the ends of two adjacent rotating shafts on the same side is 30-80 mm.

[0012] Preferably, there are a plurality of funnels, which are evenly arranged on the rotating shaft; and the funnels are made of low-density polyethylene material.

[0013] Preferably, the net feeding unit further comprises friction wheels and a servo motor; the friction wheels are provided with two groups, and the friction wheels are connected to the output shaft on the servo motor; the servo motor is electrically connected to the controller.

[0014] Preferably, the clamping jaw is connected to a connecting rod mechanism, and the connecting rod mechanism is connected to the second gear assembly.

[0015] Preferably, the clamping jaw is a six-claw structure composed of six identical cones.

[0016] Preferably, the sleeve is a hollow rectangular parallelepiped structure with a circular channel in the middle for the apple to enter; a retaining ring is provided on the outer wall of the sleeve.

[0017] Preferably, the pipe is cylindrical in shape and is provided with a gasket inside.

[0018] Preferably, the upper end diameter of the funnel is 475 mm, and the lower end diameter is uniformly 100 mm; the vertical length of the pipeline is 450 mm, and the oblique downward length is 250 mm.

[0019] The invention discloses an apple netting method based on an apple netting device, wherein the specific operations are as follows: apples are placed in a sorting unit, an external power switch is turned on, a controller controls a driving motor to start, a rotating shaft rotates relative to a fixed shaft driven by the driving motor, and then a funnel is driven to rotate, and the apples roll into the funnel and enter a net supporting mechanism along a pipeline; the controller controls an FET steering gear to start, and the net is delivered through a first gear assembly; the controller controls the movement of a flexible mechanical arm to realize the grabbing and netting of apples.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0021] The present invention discloses an apple netting device, including a sorting unit, a net feeding unit and a net supporting unit. The controller controls the driving motor to start, and the rotating shaft rotates relative to the fixed shaft under the drive of the driving motor, thereby driving the funnel to rotate; the controller controls the FET steering gear to start, and the net is fed through the first gear assembly; the controller controls the movement of the flexible mechanical arm to achieve the grasping and netting of the apples. Apples can be quickly sorted and netted. The device completely uses machines for netting, which greatly improves work efficiency, reduces labor costs, and ensures the final quality of apples in the market. The device of the present invention is simple to operate, easy to use, simple in design, and highly safe. The overall device has a compact structure, occupies a small space, and has a low cost.

[0022] Furthermore, the rotating shaft rotates counterclockwise as viewed from the left. There are four rotating shafts in total. The four rotating shafts are in different positions and have different spacings. The distance between each rotating shaft on the left is 80 mm, and the distance between each rotating shaft on the right is 30 mm. The spacing at one end of the transmission shaft is wide, and the spacing at the other end is narrow in order to screen apples of different sizes. Larger apples will fall from the wider side, and smaller apples will fall from the narrower side.

[0023] Furthermore, a copper strip is provided at the end below the rack, which can be used to cut the mesh bag after being electrically heated.

[0024] Furthermore, the net feeding unit also includes friction wheels and a servo motor connected to the friction wheels. The friction wheels are provided with two groups. The friction wheels are connected to the output shaft on the servo motor. The net bag passes between the two friction wheels, and the friction of the friction wheels on the net bag realizes the transportation of the net bag.

[0025] Furthermore, the clamp is connected to a connecting rod mechanism, which is connected to a second gear assembly. The clamp is a six-claw structure composed of six identical cones. The sleeve is a hollow rectangular structure with a circular channel in the middle for apples to enter, so as to open the net bag and grab the apples.

[0026] Furthermore, a retaining ring is provided on the outer wall of the sleeve for fixing the steering gear and the rack and pinion module.

[0027] Furthermore, the upper end diameter of the funnel is 475 mm, and the lower end diameter is uniformly 100 mm; the vertical length of the pipeline is 450 mm, and the oblique downward length is 250 mm, which is used to collect apples of different sizes that fall into the funnel, thereby making the device of the present invention more widely used and more practical.

[0028] Furthermore, the pipe is in a cylindrical shape and is provided with a soft liner inside. When the apples fall from the upper end to the lower end of the cylinder, the internal liner can ensure that the apples are not damaged.

[0029] Furthermore, the funnel is made of low-density polyethylene material, which can protect the apples from being damaged due to gravity impact when they fall.

[0030] The present invention also discloses a method for netting apples, which is based on the above device. When the external power switch is turned on, the controller controls the driving motor to start, and the rotating shaft rotates relative to the fixed shaft under the drive of the driving motor, thereby driving the funnel to rotate; the controller controls the FET steering gear to start, and the net is sent through the first gear assembly; the controller controls the movement of the flexible mechanical arm to achieve the capture and netting of apples. The operation method is simple, and because the device occupies a small area, the application range of the method of the present invention is relatively wide. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 It is a front view of the sorting mechanism in the apple netting device of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 It is a top view of the sorting mechanism in the apple netting device of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the net feeding mechanism in the apple net covering device of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of the friction wheel in the apple netting device of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the gear rack module in the apple netting device of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of the net supporting mechanism in the apple net covering device of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the apple netting device of the present invention;

[0038] Among them: 1-rotating shaft; 2-fixed shaft; 3-driving motor; 4-funnel; 5-pipeline; 6-first rack; 7-chassis; 8-servo; 9-first gear; 10-friction wheel; 11-servo motor; 12-copper bar; 13-base; 14-flexible mechanical arm; 15-sleeve; 16-grip; 17-connecting rod mechanism; 18-second gear assembly; 19-second gear; 20-second rack. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the scheme of the present invention, the technical scheme in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0040] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present invention and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present invention described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0041] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0042] Example 1

[0043] An apple netting device comprises three parts: a sorting unit, a net feeding unit and a net supporting unit.

[0044] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 The sorting unit is provided with a rotating shaft 1, a fixed shaft 2, a driving motor 3, a funnel 4, and a pipe 5. The rotating shaft 1 rotates counterclockwise in the left-view direction. There are four rotating shafts 1 in total. The four rotating shafts 1 are at different positions and have different spacings. The distance between each rotating shaft on the left side is 80 mm, and the distance between each rotating shaft 1 on the right side is 30 mm. The driving motor 3 provides power for the rotating shaft 1 to rotate.

[0045] See also Figure 3 and Figure 4 The net feeding unit includes a first rack 6, a chassis 7, a steering gear 8, a first gear 9, a friction wheel 10, a servo motor 11, and a copper bar 12. The chassis 7 is provided with a first rack 6 and a first gear 9. The steering gear 8 drives the first gear 9 to rotate to control the up and down movement of the first rack 6 meshed with the first gear 9. Below the first rack 6 is a copper bar 12 at the end, which can be used to cut the mesh bag after being electrically heated.

[0046] See also Figure 5 , Figure 6and Figure 7 The net supporting unit includes a base 13, a flexible mechanical arm 14, a sleeve 15, a clamp 16, a connecting rod mechanism 17, and a second gear assembly 18. The clamp 16 is a six-claw structure, consisting of six identical cones, each of which has a bottom diameter of 5 mm and a height of 40 mm, and the clamp has an inclination angle of 86°. The clamp 16 is connected to the connecting rod mechanism 17, and the connecting rod mechanism 17 cooperates with the second gear assembly 18. The clamp 16, the connecting rod mechanism 17 and the second rack 20 cooperate with a crank rocker mechanism. There is a retaining ring on the outside of the sleeve 15 for fixing the steering gear 8 and the second gear assembly 18. A controller is also installed on the fixed shaft 2, and the controller is electrically connected to the drive motor, the FET steering gear and the flexible mechanical arm 14 respectively, and the controller, the drive motor, the FET steering gear and the flexible mechanical arm 14 are all externally connected to a power supply.

[0047] Example 2

[0048] Except for the following contents, the rest of the contents are the same as those in Example 1.

[0049] There are three funnels 4 for collecting apples of different sizes, and the upper diameter of each funnel is 475 mm, and the lower diameter is 100 mm. There are three pipes, each of which has a vertical length of 450 mm and a diagonal length of 250 mm.

[0050] Example 3

[0051] Except for the following contents, the rest of the contents are the same as those in Example 1.

[0052] There are two groups of friction wheels 10, both of which are powered by a servo motor 11 to rotate. The sleeve 15 is a hollow rectangular parallelepiped with a circular channel in the middle for apples to enter.

[0053] The working principle of the device of the present invention is as follows:

[0054] During operation, apples are placed in the sorting unit, which is similar in appearance to a conveyor belt and includes four uninterrupted rotating shafts 1, which rotate under the drive of a driving motor 3. After the apples enter, they fall at different positions of the rotating shafts 1 according to the diameters of the apples, and fall into the funnel 4 below. A pipe 5 is connected below the funnel 4. After the apples roll into the funnel 4, they follow the pipe 5 into the supporting net mechanism.

[0055] While the sorting mechanism is working, the net feeding mechanism also starts working. There are two groups of friction wheels 10. The mesh bag is fed in by the first group of friction wheels 10 and sent out by the second group of friction wheels 10. There is a distance of 100mm between the two groups of friction wheels 10. The controller controls the start and stop of the friction wheels 10 through the signal feedback of the number of rotations of the first and second groups of friction wheels 10. When the required length of the mesh bag reaches the set standard, the controller feedback signal controls the FET steering gear to energize and heat the copper strip 12 at the lower end of the first rack 6, and controls the friction wheel 10 to stop rotating, and controls the steering gear 8 to drive the first gear 9, control the up and down movement of the first rack 6 meshing with the first gear 9, and cut the mesh bag through the heated copper strip 12. The mesh bag is cut by thermal cutting. The advantages of this cutting method are convenient cutting, low cost, and neat cutting.

[0056] After the mesh bag is cut, the controller controls the second set of friction wheels to work and send out the cut mesh bag. At the same time, the net supporting mechanism starts to work, controls the flexible mechanical arm 14 to rotate 45 degrees counterclockwise with the base 13 as the rotation center, and sends the tightened clamping claw 16 into the mesh bag. The clamping claw 16 is connected to the connecting rod mechanism 17, and the connecting rod mechanism 17 cooperates with the gear rack module 18. The clamping claw 16, the connecting rod mechanism 17 and the rack 20 are coordinated by a crank rocker mechanism. After the clamping jaw 16 enters the mesh bag, the servo controls the second gear assembly 18, and the servo fixed by the retaining ring starts to rotate. The second gear 19 is driven by the servo, and the second rack 20 meshing with the second gear 19 moves up and down. The second rack 20 is connected to the connecting rod mechanism 17, and the connecting rod mechanism 17 is connected to the clamping jaw 16. When the second rack 20 moves, the connecting rod mechanism 17 transmits upward, driving the tightened clamping jaw 16 to open outward by 45° to ensure that the mesh bag of sufficient diameter is opened, so that the apples can enter the mesh bag smoothly.

[0057] After the clamping claw 16 opens the mesh bag, the flexible mechanical arm 14 rotates 45°, and the flexible mechanical arm 14 automatically rotates and adjusts to align the sleeve 15 of the mesh supporting mechanism with the pipe 5 of the sorting mechanism. The fixed rail of the sleeve 15 cooperates with the sorting mechanism, so that the circular channel in the sleeve 15 is embedded with the pipe 5, which is convenient for the apple to fall into. The front clamping claw 16 of the flexible mechanical arm 14 can open the mesh bag, and then the clamping claw 16 grabs the apple, and the bagging function of the apple can be realized. The mesh supporting unit is connected to the pipe 5 as a whole, and the sleeve 5 of the mesh supporting unit is opened. The apple uses gravity to smoothly pass through the sleeve 15 and roll into the clamping claw 16, and finally falls into the mesh bag and falls into the packaging box together.

[0058] It should be noted that the servo used in this embodiment is a FET servo, and the funnel 4 is made of low-density polyethylene material, which can protect the apples from being damaged due to gravity impact when they fall.

[0059] The above contents are only for explaining the technical idea of ​​the present invention and cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any changes made on the basis of the technical solution in accordance with the technical idea proposed by the present invention shall fall within the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An apple netting device, characterized in that: It includes a sorting unit, a net feeding unit and a net supporting unit; The sorting unit comprises a fixed shaft (2) fixed vertically and a rotating shaft (1) located at the top of the fixed shaft (2) and in the horizontal direction. One end of the rotating shaft (1) is electrically connected to a driving motor (3), and the other end is matched with the fixed shaft (2) through a bearing. Four rotating shafts (1) are provided. The distance between the ends of two adjacent rotating shafts (1) on the same side is 30 to 80 mm. The four rotating shafts have different spacings at different positions. The rotating shaft (1) rotates relative to the fixed shaft (2) under the drive of the driving motor. A funnel (4) is installed on the rotating shaft (1), and a pipe (5) is connected to the bottom of the funnel (4). A controller is also installed on the fixed shaft (2). The net feeding unit comprises a first rack, a chassis, a steering gear, a first gear, a friction wheel, a servo motor and a copper bar; The chassis is provided with a first rack and a first gear. The steering gear drives the first gear to rotate and controls the up and down movement of the first rack meshing with the first gear. The lower end of the first rack is a copper bar, which can be used to cut the mesh bag after being electrically heated. The friction wheel is connected to the output shaft on the servo motor, and the servo motor is electrically connected to the controller. The net supporting unit comprises a base, a flexible mechanical arm, a sleeve, a clamping claw, a connecting rod mechanism and a second gear assembly; The clamp is a six-claw structure composed of six identical cones, the clamp is connected to a connecting rod mechanism, the connecting rod mechanism cooperates with the second gear assembly, the connecting rod mechanism is connected to the second rack, the clamp, the connecting rod mechanism and the second rack cooperate with a crank rocker mechanism, the sleeve (15) is a hollow rectangular structure, with a circular channel in the middle for apples to enter, a retaining ring is provided on the outside of the sleeve for fixing the steering gear and the second gear assembly, and the sleeve is connected to the flexible mechanical arm; The controller is electrically connected to the drive motor, the FET steering gear and the flexible mechanical arm (14) respectively, and the controller, the drive motor, the FET steering gear and the flexible mechanical arm (14) are all externally connected to a power supply.

2. The apple netting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of funnels (4) are provided, which are evenly arranged on the rotating shaft (1); the funnels (4) are made of low-density polyethylene material.

3. The apple netting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The friction wheels (10) are provided in two groups.

4. The apple netting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pipe (5) is cylindrical in shape and has a gasket inside.

5. The apple netting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper end diameter of the funnel (4) is 475 mm, and the lower end diameter is uniformly 100 mm; the vertical length of the pipe (5) is 450 mm, and the oblique downward length is 250 mm.

6. An apple netting method based on the apple netting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The specific operation is as follows: apples are placed in the sorting unit, an external power switch is turned on, the controller controls the drive motor to start, the rotating shaft (1) rotates relative to the fixed shaft (2) under the drive of the drive motor, and the apples roll into the funnel (4) and enter the net supporting mechanism along the pipeline (5); the controller controls the FET steering gear to start, and the net is sent through the net sending unit; the controller controls the flexible mechanical arm (14) to move, so as to realize the grasping and netting of the apples.

Images