An intelligent on-target spraying robot

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of intelligent agricultural equipment, in particular to a kind of intelligent target spraying robot, including mobile chassis, profiling pesticide application system, information acquisition system and control system. When orchard operation, the orientation information of fruit trees can be extracted by laser radar and orchard map is created, and the target fruit trees are sprayed evenly by profiling arm on both sides from the top of crown to the bottom of crown. At the same time, when the robot spraying position deviates due to the influence of sensor measurement error, orchard terrain environment, parking inertia and other factors during autonomous spraying, the real-time target fruit tree position information transmitted by laser radar is used by host computer to adjust the attitude of the trolley on the spot to ensure that the target fruit tree is located in the profiling arm, reduce the loss of pesticide, and improve the pesticide application effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of intelligent agricultural equipment, specifically to an intelligent target spraying robot. Background Technology

[0002] Orchard plant protection is a crucial step in reducing crop losses and ensuring high-quality, high-quantity production. my country's plant protection machinery industry started relatively late, evolving from initial motorized sprayers and manual application equipment to wind-assisted sprayers and medium-to-large-sized plant protection machinery employing advanced information and control technologies. [1] my country's plant protection machinery has made significant progress. LiDAR, with its high resolution, strong resistance to active interference, small size, and light weight, is increasingly being applied in orchard plant protection. For example, Chinese patent application publication number CN212279614U describes a LiDAR-based orchard targeted wind-driven sprayer. This sprayer uses two-dimensional LiDAR to collect target parameter information of fruit trees, enabling on-demand control of pesticide dosage and wind force. Chinese patent application publication number CN107125229A describes an orchard targeted sprayer and its spraying method for the fruit tree canopy. This method uses two-dimensional LiDAR to detect canopy information, thereby dividing the canopy volume into grids for targeted pesticide application, improving the orchard's pesticide application effect. Chinese patent application publication number CN108849830A describes an automatic contour-following sprayer suitable for citrus orchard terrain. This sprayer transmits point cloud data of the surrounding environment scanned by LiDAR to the main controller, planning various operating postures in real time. Chinese patent application publication number CN109892311A describes an autonomous navigation spraying robot for orchard operations. Utilizing inertial navigation, satellite positioning, and a control system, this robot achieves autonomous operation, reducing the number of workers and the intensity of labor in orchard spraying. Chinese patent application publication number CN213705100U describes a suspension system for a self-propelled sprayer. This patent proposes an automatic adjustment system based on road conditions to ensure the stability of the self-propelled sprayer and improve spraying accuracy. These patents either utilize various sensors to detect target parameters and control key spraying parameters accordingly to improve spraying accuracy or propose new structural solutions to enhance sprayer performance and ensure spraying quality. However, none of these patents provide solutions to the problem of the spraying mechanism deviating from the ideal spraying position due to terrain, environmental factors, and sensor measurement errors during spraying. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, the present invention aims to provide an intelligent target spraying robot that can precisely adjust the spraying position and ensure that the target is within the contour arm during the spraying process, thereby solving the problem of the robot deviating from the ideal spraying position due to terrain environment, sensor measurement errors, parking inertia, etc.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0005] An intelligent target spraying robot includes a mobile chassis, a contour-following spraying system, an information acquisition system, and a control system;

[0006] The mobile chassis includes: a hub motor, omnidirectional wheels, a support frame, a vehicle body, and a battery. The hub motor is installed as a drive wheel on the front side below the vehicle body, the omnidirectional wheels are placed as driven wheels on the rear side below the vehicle body, the support frame is fixed on top of the vehicle body, and the battery is placed inside the vehicle body to provide power to the robot.

[0007] The contour-following pesticide application system includes two contour-following mechanisms and one spraying mechanism. Each contour-following mechanism includes a stepper motor, a roller, a winding rope, and a contour-following arm. The stepper motor drives the roller, which in turn controls the lifting and lowering of the contour-following arm via the winding rope. The spraying mechanism includes a pesticide tank, a water pump, multiple solenoid valves, and nozzles installed one-to-one with each solenoid valve. The water pump pumps the pesticide solution from the tank to the nozzles, and the solenoid valves control the opening and closing of the nozzles. The nozzles equipped with solenoid valves are distributed on the contour-following arm, which is located on both sides of the support frame.

[0008] The information acquisition system includes a lidar and an encoder. The lidar is used to scan the surrounding environment to acquire environmental point cloud data. The encoder converts the rotational angular displacement of the hub motor into an electrical signal.

[0009] The control system includes a host computer, a slave computer, relays, stepper motor drivers, and hub motor drivers. The slave computer includes a microcontroller and a microcontroller. Microcontroller 1 is connected to the hub motor driver and the hub motor in sequence to control the movement of the trolley. Microcontroller 2 is connected to two stepper motor drivers and two stepper motors in sequence to control the movement of the two sets of contouring mechanisms. Microcontroller 2 is also connected to the relay and the solenoid valve in sequence to control the movement of the spraying mechanism. The host computer is connected to the slave computer and is used to issue commands to control the robot's movement and spraying actions. The host computer is connected to an information acquisition system and is used to receive data uploaded by the information acquisition system and calculate and determine the robot's position and posture.

[0010] Based on the above technical solution, the drug application position of the robot is adjusted by the following method:

[0011] First, a site model simulation of the orchard to be sprayed is performed in the host computer, and a coordinate system with the center of the site as the origin is established. At the same time, the coordinate data of the fruit trees to be sprayed are marked in the orchard coordinate system.

[0012] Secondly, in the host computer, a spatial rectangular coordinate system is established with the midpoint of the line connecting the centers of the two drive wheels of the moving chassis as the origin, and the spatial position coordinates of the centroid of the claw-shaped part of the contour arm in this spatial rectangular coordinate system are marked.

[0013] During the mobile chassis's movement, data is sent to the host computer via lidar and encoder, and the host computer calculates the mobile chassis's position in the entire site.

[0014] The control system controls the movement of the mobile chassis. In the host computer, the midpoint of the line connecting the fruit trees on both sides of the orchard ridge is taken as the stopping point during the movement of the mobile chassis. The coordinates of the stopping point are marked in the site model. When the midpoint of the line connecting the centroids of the claw-shaped parts of the contour arms on both sides of the mobile chassis coincides with the stopping point in the orchard coordinate system in the vertical projection direction, the control system controls the mobile chassis to stop moving.

[0015] Once the mobile chassis stops, the host computer converts the adjustment information into the rotational speed of the two drive wheels through coordinate calculations. The rotational speed of the two wheels is then sent to the microcontroller via the host computer to control the left and right swing of the mobile chassis, so that the contour arm above the mobile chassis completely covers the fruit trees that need to be sprayed.

[0016] Based on the above technical solution, the water pump is located below the support frame, the stepper motor is located above the support frame, the medicine tank is located below the support frame, and the roller is fixed on the support frame; a power distribution box is also provided above the mobile chassis, and the relay, stepper motor driver, host computer and single-chip microcomputer II are installed in the power distribution box; single-chip microcomputer I is located in the body body, the laser radar is located in the front middle position on the mobile chassis, and the encoder and wheel hub motor driver are built into the wheel hub motor.

[0017] Based on the above technical solution, the eight nozzles are respectively placed at the joint of the profiling arm. When applying the medicine, the profiling arm swings from above the tree canopy to the bottom of the tree canopy in an arc-shaped trajectory to apply the medicine to one side of the target fruit tree.

[0018] Based on the above technical solution, the host computer is a computer.

[0019] Based on the above technical solution, the lidar is a two-dimensional lidar.

[0020] The intelligent target spraying robot described in this invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0021] The intelligent target spraying robot for orchards of this invention can extract the orientation information of fruit trees and create an orchard map through lidar during orchard operations. The two contour arms on both sides scan the target fruit trees from the top of the canopy to the bottom, spraying them evenly. Simultaneously, during autonomous spraying, if the robot's spraying position deviates due to factors such as sensor measurement errors, orchard terrain, and parking inertia, the host computer uses the real-time target fruit tree position information transmitted by the lidar to adjust the robot's posture in place, ensuring the target fruit tree remains within the contour arms, reducing pesticide loss and improving spraying effectiveness. Attached Figure Description

[0022] The present invention includes the following figures:

[0023] Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural diagram of an intelligent target spraying robot for orchards;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the distribution box;

[0025] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of orchard spraying path planning for an intelligent targeted spraying robot in orchards;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the control system hardware for an intelligent target spraying robot in an orchard.

[0027] Figure label:

[0028] 1—Hub motor; 2—Encoder; 3—Water pump; 4—LiDAR; 5—Medicine tank; 6—Support frame; 7—Following arm; 8—Solenoid valve; 9—Nozzle; 10—Water pipe; 11—Rope winding bracket; 12—Roller; 13—Rope winding; 14—Stepper motor; 15—Distribution box; 16—Universal wheel; 17—Vehicle body; 18—Stepper motor driver; 19—Microcontroller II; 20—Relay; 21—Computer. Detailed Implementation

[0029] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the specific embodiments of this invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this invention, not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0030] like Figure 1 , 4As shown, the intelligent target spraying robot for orchards provided in this embodiment includes a contour-following spraying system, an information acquisition system, a walking control system, and a mobile chassis. In the contour-following spraying system, eight nozzles 9 are positioned at the joints of the contour-following arm 7. During spraying, the contour-following arm 7 swings from above the tree canopy towards the bottom of the canopy in an arc-shaped trajectory, providing full and uniform coverage of one side of the target fruit tree, thus improving the pesticide coverage rate. Before spraying, the intelligent target spraying robot stops according to the set target point. A lidar 4 scans four fruit trees—two on the left and right sides of the mobile chassis and two in front—to obtain the position coordinates of the target fruit trees. This information is compared with the spatial position coordinates of the mobile chassis and the contour-following arm 7 above it. Based on the obtained error, the robot's direction is adjusted in place to ensure the target is within the contour-following arm 7 during spraying, thereby reducing the problem of the robot deviating from the ideal spraying position due to terrain, sensor measurement errors, and parking inertia, and improving spraying accuracy.

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown, the contour-following application system includes: a water pump 3, a solenoid valve 8, a stepper motor 14, a medicine tank 5, a nozzle 9, a roller 12, a contour-following arm 7, a water pipe 10, a winding rope 13, and a winding rope fixing frame 11. The water pump 3 is located below the support frame 6. Its inlet is connected to the medicine tank 5 via the water pipe 10, and its outlet is connected to the solenoid valve 8 via the water pipe 10, used to pump the medicine solution into the nozzle 9. The solenoid valve 8 is directly connected to the nozzle 9 to control the flow of the liquid. There are two stepper motors 14, located above the support frame 6. The rotation of the stepper motors 14 drives the roller 12, which in turn controls the raising and lowering of the contour-following arm 7 via the winding rope 13. A winding rope fixing frame is installed on the contour-following arm 7 to guide the winding rope 13. The medicine tank 5 is located on the support frame. Below the support frame 6, the spraying solution is stored. Four nozzles 9 are located on each side of the contour arm 7, atomizing the solution and improving spraying efficiency. Two rollers 12 are located on each side, connected to the stepper motor 14 and fixed to the support frame 6. One contour arm 7 is located on each side of the support frame 6, driving the nozzles 9 to complete the spraying action. Before spraying, the host computer sends speed commands to the two drive wheels to the microcontroller to adjust the trolley's posture, adjust the spraying position, and align the contour arm 7 relative to the target fruit tree. During spraying, the control system sends commands to close the relay 20 and open the solenoid valve 8, causing the water pump 3 to pump the solution from the tank 5 through the water pipe 10 to the nozzle. Simultaneously, the control system controls the stepper motor 14 to move, and the stepper motor 14's rotational motion is converted into the arc-shaped swing of the contour arm 7 by the winding rope 13. The contour arm 7 scans from above the tree canopy to the bottom of the canopy to complete the spraying operation on one side of the target fruit tree.

[0032] like Figure 3As shown, the method for path planning and pesticide application location adjustment is as follows: First, a site model simulation of the orchard to be sprayed is performed in advance, establishing a coordinate system with the center of the site as the origin. Simultaneously, the coordinate data of the fruit trees to be sprayed are marked in the orchard coordinate system. Second, a spatial rectangular coordinate system is established with the midpoint of the line connecting the centers of the two drive wheels of the mobile chassis as the origin. The spatial position coordinates of the contour arm 7 in this spatial rectangular coordinate system are also marked. During the mobile chassis's movement, the trajectory of the two wheels is controlled so that each time the mobile chassis stops, the origin of the spatial rectangular coordinate system coincides with the midpoint of the fruit trees on both sides of the ridge in the orchard coordinate system in the vertical projection direction. At this time, the host computer calculates and adjusts the data through coordinate calculation to make the coordinates of the contour arm 7 coincide with the coordinates of the fruit trees. The adjustment data is then sent to the microcontroller to control the rotation speed of the two drive wheels of the mobile chassis, fine-tuning the orientation of the mobile chassis's front end in place, so that the fruit trees are within the contour arm 7, achieving precise target spraying.

[0033] like Figure 1 , 4 As shown, the information acquisition system includes a lidar 4 and an encoder 2. The lidar 4 is positioned at the center of the front of the upper surface of the mobile chassis body 17 and is connected to the host computer via a data cable. It is used to scan the robot's surrounding environment and transmit the point cloud data of the environment to the host computer. The encoder 2 is fixed to the hub motor 1 of the mobile chassis and is used to detect the robot's driving speed data. During operation, the information acquisition system collects target position information through the lidar 4 and speed and angle information of the robot during its movement through the encoder 2. The two are combined to perform local path planning for the robot.

[0034] like Figure 2 , 4 As shown, the control system includes: a host computer, a slave computer, a relay 20, a stepper motor driver 18, and a hub motor driver. The host computer, a computer 21, is located in the power distribution box 15 and is used for orchard map drawing and path planning. The host computer is connected to the slave computer and is used to issue commands to control the robot's movement and spraying actions. The host computer is also connected to the information acquisition system to receive data uploaded by the information acquisition system and calculate and determine the robot's position and posture. The slave computer includes a microcontroller 1 and a microcontroller 2 19. The microcontroller 1 is located inside the mobile chassis body 17 and is connected in sequence to the hub motor driver and hub motor 1 to control the movement of the vehicle. The microcontroller 2 19 is located in the power distribution box 15 and is connected in sequence to two stepper motor drivers 18 and two stepper motors to control the actions of the two sets of contouring mechanisms. The microcontroller 2 19 is also connected in sequence to the relay 20 and the solenoid valve 8 to control the actions of the spraying mechanism. Among them, the relay 20 and the stepper motor driver 18 are located in the distribution box 15, and the hub motor driver is integrated into the hub motor 1.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, the mobile chassis includes: hub motors 1, casters 16, support frame 6, chassis body 17, and battery. There are two hub motors 1, which serve as drive wheels mounted on the front side below the chassis body 17, integrating the vehicle's power system, transmission system, and braking system into one unit. The casters 16, as driven wheels, are located on the rear side below the chassis body 17, following the movement of the hub motors 1 to make the vehicle move more smoothly. The support frame 6 is fixed above the chassis body 17 to support the contouring arm 7 and the medicine box 5. The battery is located inside the chassis body 17 to provide power to the robot.

[0036] This spraying system enables autonomous spraying in orchards. It performs local path planning based on global path planning and adjusts the trolley's posture to address spraying position errors caused by the robot, allowing the trolley to accurately spray fruit trees on both sides within the same row.

[0037] The contents not described in detail in this specification are existing technologies known to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. An intelligent on-target spraying robot, characterized in that: it comprises a mobile chassis, a profiled spraying system, an information acquisition system and a control system; the mobile chassis comprises a wheel hub motor, a universal wheel, a support frame, a vehicle body and a battery, the wheel hub motor is installed as a driving wheel under the front side of the vehicle body, the universal wheel is placed as a driven wheel under the rear side of the vehicle body, the support frame is fixed above the vehicle body, and the battery is placed inside the vehicle body to provide power for the robot; the profiled spraying system comprises two sets of profiled mechanisms and a set of spraying mechanisms, the profiled mechanism comprises a stepper motor, a roller, a winding rope and a profiled arm, the stepper motor drives the roller to control the lifting of the profiled arm through the winding rope; the spraying mechanism comprises a pesticide tank, a water pump, a plurality of electromagnetic valves and a nozzle installed one by one with the electromagnetic valve, the water pump is used to pump the pesticide liquid in the pesticide tank to the nozzle, and the electromagnetic valve is used to control the on-off of the nozzle; the nozzles with electromagnetic valves are distributed on the profiled arms, and the profiled arms are located on both sides of the support frame; the information acquisition system comprises a laser radar and an encoder, the laser radar is used to scan the surrounding environment to obtain environmental point cloud data, and the encoder converts the rotational angular displacement of the wheel hub motor into an electrical signal; the control system comprises an upper computer, a lower computer, a relay, a stepper motor driver and a wheel hub motor driver; the lower computer comprises a single-chip microcomputer I and a single-chip microcomputer II, the single-chip microcomputer I is connected with the wheel hub motor driver and the wheel hub motor in sequence to control the movement of the mobile chassis; the single-chip microcomputer II is connected with two stepper motor drivers and two stepper motors in sequence to control the actions of the two sets of profiled mechanisms, and the single-chip microcomputer II is also connected with the relay and the electromagnetic valve in sequence to control the actions of the spraying mechanism; the upper computer is connected with the lower computer to issue instructions to control the movement and spraying actions of the robot; the upper computer is connected with the information acquisition system to receive the data uploaded by the information acquisition system and calculate the position and posture of the robot; the laser radar scans four fruit trees, i.e. two fruit trees on the left and right sides of the mobile chassis and two fruit trees in front of the mobile chassis, to obtain the position coordinate information of the target fruit trees, and compares the position coordinate information with the spatial position coordinates of the mobile chassis and the profiled arms above the mobile chassis, adjusts the direction of the mobile chassis in situ according to the obtained error to ensure that the target is located in the profiled arms during spraying, so that the mobile chassis can accurately spray the double-sided fruit trees in the same furrow. The spraying position of the robot is adjusted by the following method: firstly, a field model simulation is performed in the upper computer for the orchard to be sprayed, a coordinate system with the center of the field as the origin is established, and the coordinate data of the fruit trees to be sprayed are marked in the orchard coordinate system; secondly, in the upper computer, a space rectangular coordinate system is established with the midpoint of the connecting line of the two driving wheels of the mobile chassis as the origin, and the spatial position coordinates of the centroid of the claw-shaped part of the profiled arm in the space rectangular coordinate system are marked; ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2. The intelligent on-target spraying robot of claim 1, wherein, ​ ​ ​ In the walking operation process of the mobile chassis, the laser radar and the encoder send data to the host computer, and the position of the mobile chassis in the whole field at that time is obtained through the calculation of the host computer; The control system controls the mobile chassis to walk, and the midpoint of the connecting line of the fruit trees on both sides of the orchard ridge is taken as the stopping point in the walking process of the mobile chassis, and the coordinates of the stopping point are marked in the field model. When the midpoint of the centroid connecting line of the claw-shaped part of the profiling arm on both sides of the mobile chassis coincides with the stopping point in the vertical projection direction in the orchard coordinate system, the control system controls the mobile chassis to stop moving; After the mobile chassis stops, the host computer converts the adjusted information into the rotating speed of the two drive wheels through coordinate calculation, and sends the rotating speed of the two drive wheels to the single-chip microcomputer to control the left and right swing of the mobile chassis, so that the profiling arm above the mobile chassis completely covers the fruit trees that need to be sprayed.

3. The intelligent target-spraying robot according to claim 1, wherein: The water pump is located below the support frame, the stepping motor is located above the support frame, the medicine box is located below the support frame, and the roller is fixed on the support frame. The mobile chassis is further provided with a distribution box, and the relay, the stepping motor driver, the host computer and the single-chip microcomputer two are installed in the distribution box. The single-chip microcomputer one is arranged in the vehicle body, the laser radar is arranged at the front middle position on the mobile chassis, and the encoder and the hub motor driver are arranged in the hub motor.

4. The intelligent on-target spraying robot of claim 1, wherein: Eight nozzles are arranged at the joints of the profiling arms, and when spraying, the profiling arms swing from above the tree crown to the bottom of the tree crown in a circular arc trajectory to spray one side of the target fruit tree.

5. The intelligent on-target spraying robot of claim 1, wherein: The host computer is a computer.

6. The intelligent on-target spraying robot of claim 1, wherein: The laser radar is a two-dimensional laser radar.

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