Fruit and vegetable bagging robotic arms and vision-guided fruit and vegetable bagging systems and methods

Abstract

This invention relates to a fruit and vegetable bagging robot and a vision-guided fruit and vegetable bagging system and method. The fruit and vegetable bagging robot includes a housing, a bag storage and feeding mechanism, and a suction bag delivery mechanism. The housing has an inlet and outlet for fruits and / or fruit and vegetable bags to enter and exit. The bag storage and feeding mechanism includes a bag storage tray and a rotary drive mechanism. The bag storage tray is located inside the housing and has multiple radially extending bag slots along its circumference. Each bag slot holds a fruit and vegetable bag with its opening facing outward. Magnets with different magnetic properties are arranged on both sides of the bag opening. The rotary drive mechanism is disposed between the housing and the bag storage tray and is used to drive the bag storage tray to rotate by a corresponding angle each time, so that each fruit and vegetable bag sequentially reaches the feeding position facing the inlet and outlet. The suction bag delivery mechanism includes a moving drive mechanism and two opposing electromagnetic suction mechanisms. The moving drive mechanism is disposed between the housing and the two electromagnetic suction mechanisms. This invention can ensure that only one fruit and vegetable bag is loaded at a time and can work stably for a long time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of bagging, specifically to a fruit and vegetable bagging robot, a vision-guided fruit and vegetable bagging system, and a bagging method. Background Technology

[0002] In fruit and vegetable cultivation, bagging young fruits can effectively improve the quality of produce. However, the bagging process is labor-intensive and requires a large workforce, leading to a growing demand for intelligent bagging technology. Most existing bagging robots place a stack of fruit and vegetable bags in a storage box. An elastic element is positioned at the top inside the box to hold the stack of bags in place. A roller conveyor mechanism at the bottom of the box transports the bottommost bag out. This feeding method sometimes transports two, three, or even four bags simultaneously, and is prone to jamming, causing abnormalities during the bagging process. The existing bagging robots have a complex overall structure, making the bagging process cumbersome, difficult to control, and prone to errors. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the defects of the prior art and provide a fruit and vegetable bagging robot that can ensure that only one fruit and vegetable bag is loaded at a time and can work stably for a long time.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution of the present invention is: a fruit and vegetable bagging robot, comprising:

[0005] The shell has an opening for fruits and / or fruit and vegetable bags to enter and exit;

[0006] The bag feeding mechanism includes a bag storage tray and a rotary drive mechanism. The bag storage tray is located inside the housing and has multiple radially extending bag-holding slots along its circumference. Each bag-holding slot holds a fruit and vegetable bag with its opening facing outward. Magnets with different magnetic properties are arranged on both sides of the opening of the fruit and vegetable bag. The rotary drive mechanism is disposed between the housing and the bag storage tray and is used to drive the bag storage tray to rotate by a corresponding angle each time, so that each fruit and vegetable bag sequentially reaches the feeding position facing the inlet and outlet.

[0007] The adsorption bag feeding mechanism includes a moving drive mechanism and two opposing electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms. The two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms are used to attract magnets on both sides of the opening of the fruit and vegetable bag located at the feeding position to open the fruit and vegetable bag. The moving drive mechanism is disposed between the housing and the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms and is used to drive the electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms to move between the inlet / outlet and the feeding position.

[0008] Furthermore, in order to better perform the opening and sealing operations on fruit and vegetable bags, the adsorption bag delivery mechanism also includes an opening and closing drive mechanism. The moving drive mechanism is connected to two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms through the opening and closing drive mechanism, and the opening and closing drive mechanism is used to drive the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms to move towards or away from each other.

[0009] The present invention also provides a vision-guided fruit and vegetable bagging system, comprising:

[0010] Robotic arm for bagging fruits and vegetables;

[0011] A robotic arm, connected to the fruit and vegetable bagging robotic arm, is used to drive the fruit and vegetable bagging robotic arm to move.

[0012] Visual positioning and detection equipment is used to collect video image information of fruits and vegetables, monitor the process of fruits and vegetables being bagged, and provide feedback on the target location information.

[0013] The controller is connected to the visual positioning detection device, the robotic arm, and the fruit and vegetable bagging robot, and is used to control the movement of the robotic arm based on the feedback information from the visual positioning detection device so that the robot moves to the target bagging position; and to control the movement of the fruit and vegetable bagging robot to complete the bagging operation.

[0014] A further provision provides a specific structure of a visual positioning detection device, the visual positioning detection device comprising:

[0015] A depth camera, mounted on the housing, is used to capture video image information of fruits and vegetables.

[0016] A vision controller, connected to the depth camera, is used to obtain target position information based on video image information and feed it back to the controller;

[0017] Sensors, installed at the entrance and exit, are used to monitor the start and end of the fruit and vegetable bagging process and provide feedback to the controller.

[0018] This invention also provides a visually guided method for bagging fruits and vegetables, comprising:

[0019] Acquire video image information of the target fruits and vegetables;

[0020] The video image information is processed using a target detection algorithm to obtain the target location information;

[0021] Based on the target position information, the robotic arm is controlled to move the fruit and vegetable bagging robotic hand as described in claim 1 or 2 to the target position;

[0022] The robotic arm for bagging fruits and vegetables moves to the target position to complete the bagging process.

[0023] Furthermore, the actions of the fruit and vegetable bagging robot arm that moves to the target position to complete the bagging include:

[0024] include:

[0025] SA, the rotary drive mechanism drives the storage bag tray to rotate 360 / n degrees, so that a certain fruit and vegetable bag reaches the feeding position, where n is the number of bag slots on the storage bag tray;

[0026] SB, the moving drive mechanism drives the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms to move to the feeding position. The two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms are energized to attract the magnets on both sides of the opening of the fruit and vegetable bag located at the feeding position, so that the fruit and vegetable bag opens.

[0027] SC, the moving drive mechanism drives the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms to move toward the inlet and outlet, so that the fruit and vegetable bags at the loading position are released from the bag slot by the pushing and pulling action of the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms and are put on the fruit and vegetable target.

[0028] When the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms are de-energized, the fruit and vegetable bag is sealed by the magnets on both sides of its opening, completing one bagging operation.

[0029] Furthermore, based on the vision-guided fruit and vegetable bagging system of claim 3 or 4, the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms are de-energized, comprising:

[0030] Upon receiving a signal indicating the end of the fruit and vegetable bagging process, the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms lose power.

[0031] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0032] By adopting the above technical solution, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0033] 1. This invention uses a scaled-plate storage tray for rotating bag loading, which is highly efficient and ensures that only one fruit and vegetable bag is loaded at a time, preventing bag jamming. It can work stably for a long time, and the scaled-plate storage method for fruit and vegetable bags makes the replacement process convenient and efficient.

[0034] 2. The fruit and vegetable bag of the present invention is equipped with magnets on both sides of the bag opening. The sealing operation is completed by the self-adsorption of the magnets on both sides, which is simple and convenient. The adsorption bag delivery mechanism also cooperates with the magnets on both sides to make the fruit and vegetable bag detach from the storage tray and put on the fruit and vegetables, which is convenient and time-saving.

[0035] 3. Add visual positioning and detection equipment to collect video image information of the target, monitor the bagging process of fruits and vegetables, and provide feedback on the target's position information. This, combined with the automatic control of the robotic arm, enables the robotic arm to complete the automatic bagging action. The system is highly automated and intelligent, effectively reducing the need for labor. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the fruit and vegetable bagging robot of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the first structure of the fruit and vegetable bagging robot of the present invention after the shell is removed;

[0038] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Top view;

[0039] Figure 4 This is a top view of the second structure of the fruit and vegetable bagging robot of the present invention after the shell has been removed;

[0040] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the visually guided fruit and vegetable bagging system of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the visually guided fruit and vegetable bagging method of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0042] To make the content of this invention easier to understand, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings.

[0043] Example 1

[0044] like Figure 1 , 2 As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a fruit and vegetable bagging robot includes:

[0045] The shell 1 has an opening 11 for fruits and vegetables and / or fruit and vegetable bags 4 to enter and exit;

[0046] The bag feeding mechanism includes a bag storage tray 2 and a rotary drive mechanism 3. The bag storage tray 2 is located inside the housing 1 and has multiple radially extending bag slots along its circumference. Each bag slot holds a fruit and vegetable bag 4 with its opening facing outward. Magnets with different magnetic properties are arranged on both sides of the opening of the fruit and vegetable bag 4. The rotary drive mechanism 3 is disposed between the housing 1 and the bag storage tray 2 and is used to drive the bag storage tray 2 to rotate by a corresponding angle each time, so that each fruit and vegetable bag 4 sequentially reaches the feeding position facing the inlet / outlet 11.

[0047] The adsorption bag feeding mechanism includes a moving drive mechanism 5 and two opposing electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms 6. The two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms 6 are used to attract the magnets on both sides of the bag opening of the fruit and vegetable bag 4 located at the feeding position so that the fruit and vegetable bag 4 opens. The moving drive mechanism 5 is disposed between the housing 1 and the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms 6 and is used to drive the electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms 6 to move between the inlet / outlet 11 and the feeding position.

[0048] In this embodiment, the housing 1 is openable, which facilitates the replacement of the storage bag tray 2.

[0049] In this embodiment, the magnet is a permanent magnet.

[0050] Specifically, this embodiment uses a graduated disc-type storage tray 2 for rotary bag loading, which is highly efficient and ensures that only one fruit and vegetable bag 4 is loaded at a time, preventing bag jamming. It can work stably for a long time. The fruit and vegetable bag 4 uses a graduated disc storage method, making the replacement process convenient and efficient. In this embodiment, the fruit and vegetable bag 4 is equipped with magnets on both sides of the bag opening. The sealing operation is completed by the self-adsorption of the magnets on both sides, which is simple and convenient. The adsorption bag delivery mechanism also cooperates with the magnets on both sides to make the fruit and vegetable bag 4 detach from the storage tray 2 and fit over the fruit and vegetables, which is convenient and time-saving.

[0051] In this embodiment, the rotary drive mechanism 3 includes a stepper motor and a reducer, and the stepper motor drives the storage bag tray 2 to rotate through the reducer.

[0052] In this embodiment, the moving drive mechanism 5 includes two first push rods arranged side by side. The first push rods can be hydraulic push rods, electric push rods, etc.

[0053] In this embodiment, the electromagnetic adsorption mechanism is an electromagnet, which has a stronger magnetism than the magnet located at the bag opening when energized.

[0054] In this embodiment, fruits and vegetables can enter the housing 1 through the inlet 11. After bagging, the fruit and vegetable bagging robot arm retracts under the action of external force, allowing the bagged fruits and vegetables to exit through the inlet 11. The moving drive mechanism can also drive the electromagnetic adsorption mechanism that adsorbs the fruit and vegetable bags 4 to push and pull at least a portion of the fruit and vegetable bags 4 out through the inlet 11 and cover the fruits and vegetables outside the housing.

[0055] like Figure 3 As shown, the adsorption bag delivery mechanism also includes an opening and closing drive mechanism 7. The moving drive mechanism 5 is connected to two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms 6 through the opening and closing drive mechanism 7. The opening and closing drive mechanism 7 is used to drive the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms 6 to move towards or away from each other.

[0056] In this embodiment, the opening and closing drive mechanism 7 includes two opposing second push rods, each of which is configured between a first push rod and an electromagnetic adsorption mechanism 6. The second push rods can also be hydraulic push rods, electric push rods, etc.

[0057] In this embodiment, the opening and closing drive mechanism 7 drives the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms 6 to move towards each other, bringing them closer to the magnet and thus better attracting it. After the electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms 6 have attracted the magnet, the opening and closing drive mechanism 7 drives the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms 6 to move away from each other, opening the fruit and vegetable bag 4. After the fruit and vegetable bag 4 is placed on the fruit and vegetables, the opening and closing drive mechanism 7 first drives the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms 6 to move towards each other. After the magnets on both sides of the bag opening are close together, the electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms 6 are de-energized, and the magnets on both sides of the bag opening of the fruit and vegetable bag 4 are attracted together by self-attraction, completing the sealing operation. Adding the opening drive mechanism 7 allows for more reliable opening and sealing of the fruit and vegetable bag 4.

[0058] Example 2

[0059] like Figure 1 , 2 As shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5, a vision-guided fruit and vegetable bagging system includes:

[0060] The fruit and vegetable bagging robot described in Example 1;

[0061] Robotic arm 8 is connected to the fruit and vegetable bagging robot and is used to drive the fruit and vegetable bagging robot to move.

[0062] Visual positioning and detection device 9 is used to collect video image information of fruit and vegetable targets, monitor the process of fruit and vegetable bagging, and provide feedback on target location information.

[0063] The controller 10 is connected to the visual positioning detection device 9, the robotic arm 8, and the robotic hand. It is used to control the robotic arm 8 to move to the target bagging position based on the feedback information from the visual positioning detection device 9; and to control the robotic hand to complete the bagging operation.

[0064] Specifically, a visual positioning detection device 9 is added to collect video image information of the target, monitor the bagging process of fruits and vegetables, and provide feedback on the target's position information. This works in conjunction with the robotic arm 8 to automatically control the operation of the fruit and vegetable bagging robot, completing the automatic bagging action. The device is highly automated and intelligent, effectively reducing the need for labor.

[0065] In this embodiment, the visual positioning detection device 9 includes:

[0066] A depth camera, mounted on housing 1, is used to capture video image information of fruits and vegetables.

[0067] A vision controller, connected to the depth camera, is used to obtain target position information based on video image information and feed it back to the controller 10;

[0068] The sensor, installed at entrance / exit 11, is used to monitor the start and end of the fruit and vegetable bagging process and feed the feedback to the controller 10.

[0069] In this embodiment, the depth camera and the vision controller are connected via USB, and the vision controller communicates with the controller 10 using a communication protocol.

[0070] Example 3

[0071] like Figure 6 As shown, a visually guided method for bagging fruits and vegetables includes:

[0072] S1, acquire video image information of the fruit and vegetable target;

[0073] S2, The video image information is processed using a target detection algorithm to obtain target location information;

[0074] S3, based on the target position information, control the robotic arm 8 to drive the fruit and vegetable bagging robotic hand as described in claim 1 or 2 to the target position;

[0075] S4, the fruit and vegetable bagging robot moves to the target position to complete the bagging.

[0076] In this embodiment, S4 includes:

[0077] S41, the rotary drive mechanism 3 drives the storage bag tray 2 to rotate 360 / n degrees, so that a certain fruit and vegetable bag 4 reaches the feeding position, where n is the number of bag slots on the storage bag tray 2;

[0078] S42, the moving drive mechanism 5 drives the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms 6 to move to the feeding position. The two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms 6 are energized to attract the magnets on both sides of the opening of the fruit and vegetable bag 4 located at the feeding position, so that the fruit and vegetable bag 4 opens.

[0079] S43, the moving drive mechanism 5 drives the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms 6 to move toward the inlet / outlet 11, so that the fruit and vegetable bag 4 at the loading position is released from the bag slot by the pushing and pulling action of the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms 6 and is put on the fruit and vegetable target.

[0080] S44, the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms 6 are de-energized, causing the fruit and vegetable bag 4 to be sealed by the magnets on both sides of its opening, completing one bagging operation.

[0081] The visually guided fruit and vegetable bagging method in this embodiment is based on the visually guided fruit and vegetable bagging system in Embodiment 2. The two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms 6 are de-energized, including:

[0082] Upon receiving a signal indicating the end of the fruit and vegetable bagging process, the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms 6 are de-energized.

[0083] In this embodiment, in step S43, upon receiving a signal indicating the end of the fruit and vegetable bagging process, the moving drive mechanism 5 is controlled to stop moving.

[0084] After one bagging operation is completed, the moving drive mechanism 5 drives the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms 6 to reset, and the bagging action of the fruit and vegetable bagging robot is completed.

[0085] Based on the above-described preferred embodiments of the present invention, and through the foregoing description, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the inventive concept. The technical scope of this invention is not limited to the contents of the specification, but must be determined according to the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A robotic arm for bagging fruits and vegetables, characterized in that, include: The shell (1) has an opening (11) for fruits and vegetables and / or fruit and vegetable bags (4) to enter and exit. The bag feeding mechanism includes a bag storage tray (2) and a rotary drive mechanism (3). The bag storage tray (2) is located inside the housing (1) and has multiple radially extending bag slots along the circumference. Each bag slot holds a fruit and vegetable bag (4) with its opening facing outward. Magnets with different magnetic properties are arranged on both sides of the opening of the fruit and vegetable bag (4). The rotary drive mechanism (3) is arranged between the housing (1) and the bag storage tray (2) and is used to drive the bag storage tray (2) to rotate by a corresponding angle each time so that each fruit and vegetable bag (4) arrives at the feeding position facing the inlet (11) in sequence. The adsorption bag feeding mechanism includes a moving drive mechanism (5) and two opposing electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms (6). The two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms (6) are used to attract the magnets on both sides of the bag opening of the fruit and vegetable bag (4) located at the feeding position so that the fruit and vegetable bag (4) opens. The moving drive mechanism (5) is disposed between the housing (1) and the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms (6) and is used to drive the electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms (6) to move between the inlet / outlet (11) and the feeding position. The magnets on both sides of the bag opening of the fruit and vegetable bag (4) are used to seal the bag under self-adsorption after the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms (6) are de-energized. The moving drive mechanism (5) includes two first push rods arranged in parallel. The housing (1) is openable, which makes it convenient to replace the storage bag tray (2). The bagging process includes: The first step is to drive the rotary drive mechanism (3) to rotate the storage bag tray (2) by 360 / n degrees, so that a certain fruit and vegetable bag (4) reaches the feeding position, where n is the number of bag slots on the storage bag tray (2); The second step is to move the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms (6) to the feeding position. The two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms (6) are energized to attract the magnets on both sides of the opening of the fruit and vegetable bag (4) located at the feeding position, so that the fruit and vegetable bag (4) opens. The third step is to move the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms (6) towards the inlet and outlet (11) so that the fruit and vegetable bag (4) at the loading position is released from the bag slot under the pushing and pulling action of the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms (6) and put on the fruit and vegetable target. In the fourth step, the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms (6) lose power, causing the fruit and vegetable bag (4) to be sealed by the magnets on both sides of its opening, thus completing one bagging process.

2. The fruit and vegetable bagging robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The adsorption bag delivery mechanism also includes an opening and closing drive mechanism (7). The moving drive mechanism (5) connects two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms (6) through the opening and closing drive mechanism (7). The opening and closing drive mechanism (7) is used to drive the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms (6) to move towards each other or away from each other.

3. A visually guided fruit and vegetable bagging system, characterized in that, include: The fruit and vegetable bagging robot as described in claim 1 or 2; The robotic arm (8) is connected to the fruit and vegetable bagging robot and is used to drive the fruit and vegetable bagging robot to move. Visual positioning detection equipment (9) is used to collect video image information of fruit and vegetable targets, monitor the process of fruit and vegetable bagging, and provide feedback on target location information. The controller (10) is connected to the visual positioning detection device (9), the robotic arm (8) and the fruit and vegetable bagging robot, and is used to control the robotic arm (8) to move to the bagging target position based on the feedback information of the visual positioning detection device (9); and to control the fruit and vegetable bagging robot to complete the bagging operation.

4. The vision-guided fruit and vegetable bagging system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The visual positioning detection device (9) includes: A depth camera, mounted on the housing (1), is used to capture video image information of fruit and vegetable targets; A vision controller, connected to the depth camera, is used to obtain target position information based on video image information and feed it back to the controller (10). The sensor is installed at the entrance (11) to monitor the start and end of the fruit and vegetable bagging process and to feed back to the controller (10).

5. A visually guided method for bagging fruits and vegetables, characterized in that, include: Acquire video image information of the target fruits and vegetables; The video image information is processed using a target detection algorithm to obtain the target location information; Based on the target position information, the robotic arm (8) is controlled to move the fruit and vegetable bagging robot described in claim 1 or 2 to the target position; The robotic arm for bagging fruits and vegetables moves to the target position to complete the bagging process.

6. The visually guided fruit and vegetable bagging method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The robotic arm for bagging fruits and vegetables moves to the target position to complete the bagging process, including: include: SA, the rotary drive mechanism (3) drives the storage bag tray (2) to rotate 360 / n degrees, so that a certain fruit and vegetable bag (4) reaches the feeding position, where n is the number of bag slots on the storage bag tray (2); SB, the moving drive mechanism (5) drives the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms (6) to move to the feeding position. The two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms (6) are energized to adsorb the magnets on both sides of the bag opening of the fruit and vegetable bag (4) located at the feeding position, so that the fruit and vegetable bag (4) opens. SC, the moving drive mechanism (5) drives the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms (6) to move toward the inlet and outlet (11), so that the fruit and vegetable bag (4) at the loading position is released from the bag slot under the pushing and pulling action of the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms (6) and is put on the fruit and vegetable target. SD, the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms (6) lose power, causing the fruit and vegetable bag (4) to be sealed by the magnets on both sides of its opening, thus completing one bagging operation.

7. The visually guided fruit and vegetable bagging method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Based on the visually guided fruit and vegetable bagging system described in claim 3 or 4, the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms (6) are de-energized, comprising: Upon receiving a signal indicating the end of the fruit and vegetable bagging process, the two electromagnetic adsorption mechanisms (6) lose power.

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