A flexible bionic picking mechanism

Abstract

The present invention discloses a flexible bionic picking mechanism, which relates to the field of picking technology, and includes a clamping structure and a driving structure installed on a frame, wherein the clamping structure includes a base slidably connected to the frame, a reset structure, and a first rotating part and a second rotating part; the first rotating part is connected to an active finger, the second rotating part is connected to a passive finger, and the second rotating part is connected to a torsion structure; the driving structure includes a driving cam rotatably arranged on the frame and a power structure, and the rotation center of the driving cam is located on a straight line where the sliding direction of the base is located; within the push range of the driving cam, the first rotating part is meshed and connected with the driving cam; the active finger rotates toward the passive finger and slides away from the driving cam; within the return range, the active finger is reset. The active finger of the present invention drives the passive finger to slide linearly and rotate circumferentially, and can simulate the complex motion trajectory of manual picking under the coupling of sliding and rotation, so as to achieve the purpose of non-destructive picking of the tender shoots of famous and high-quality tea leaves that are naturally broken.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of picking, in particular to a flexible bionic picking mechanism. Background Art

[0002] At present, the research on the machine picking technology of famous and high-quality tea mainly focuses on the identification and positioning of tender buds, while there is less research on the picking mechanism. Therefore, how to realize the machine picking of famous and high-quality tea in the tea industry is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently in this field. In order to realize the machine picking of famous and high-quality tea, the picking mechanism is the core of the famous and high-quality tea picking technology and the determining factor of the picking quality. The existing picking mechanisms are mainly divided into shearing picking mechanisms, pinching picking mechanisms and squeezing picking mechanisms.

[0003] The above-mentioned type of picking mechanism is also disclosed in existing patent documents. For example, a Chinese patent with application publication number CN105580558A discloses a pair of tea picking scissors, including a frame, a shearing part and a driving mechanism; the frame is provided with a guide rail; the shearing part includes two sliders slidably connected to the frame guide rail, the sliders are provided with corresponding blades, and the blades of the two sliders are arranged oppositely; the driving mechanism includes a motor and a first connecting rod, a power rod and a second connecting rod hinged in sequence, the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod are respectively hinged to a sliding block, the power rod is tilted, and the motor output shaft is fixedly connected to the power rod. In this scheme, the first connecting rod, the power rod and the second connecting rod are used to form a crank connecting rod mechanism. When in use, the blade is aimed at the tea leaves, the motor is started, and the motor output shaft drives the power rod to rotate, and the two sliders are driven by the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod to slide along the track to the middle so as to close the blades and complete the shearing of the tea leaves. It can be seen that this scheme adopts a shearing-type picking mechanism.

[0004] For another example, a Chinese patent with authorization announcement number CN107046937B discloses a bionic tea picking clamp, comprising an outer sleeve, a middle sleeve, an inner sleeve, and a core shaft that can move relative to each other along the axial direction; a pair of lower jaws, a lower jaw outer connecting rod, a lower jaw inner connecting rod, an upper jaw, an upper jaw outer connecting rod, and an upper jaw inner connecting rod, which are symmetrically arranged with the core shaft axis; the opposite ends of a pair of upper jaws are above the opposite ends of a pair of lower jaws; when the outer sleeve moves axially relative to the middle sleeve driven by the lower jaw opening and closing driving mechanism, the opposite ends of the pair of lower jaws open and close to clamp or loosen the tea leaves; when the core shaft moves axially relative to the inner sleeve driven by the upper jaw opening and closing driving mechanism, the opposite ends of the pair of upper jaws open and close to clamp or loosen the tea leaves. When picking tea leaves, the picking jaws of this scheme need to fix the stems with the lower jaws and fix the leaves with the upper jaws. The lifting drive mechanism is activated to drive the pair of upper jaws to move axially relative to the pair of lower jaws to pull the tea leaves down. The pulling process can easily cause damage to the stems and leaves.

[0005] The strict requirements of famous and high-quality tea on appearance are not only that the appearance is complete, but also that it is beautiful. The above-mentioned picking method involves forced shearing, which can easily cause mechanical damage to the buds, destroy cell tissue, and cause cell fluid leakage. During processing, the damaged parts are oxidized by high temperature, resulting in red stems, odor, etc., which seriously damages the quality of the tea. Summary of the invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a flexible bionic picking mechanism to solve the problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art. By driving the driving cam, the active finger drives the passive finger to perform both linear sliding and circumferential rotation. Under the coupling of sliding and rotation, the complex motion trajectory of manual picking can be simulated, thereby achieving the purpose of lossless picking of the tender shoots of famous and high-quality tea leaves that are naturally broken.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following solutions:

[0008] The present invention provides a flexible bionic picking mechanism, comprising a clamping structure and a driving structure installed on a frame, the clamping structure comprising a base slidably connected to the frame, a reset structure connected to the base, and a first rotating part and a second rotating part coaxially connected to the base; the first rotating part is connected to an active finger, the second rotating part is connected to a passive finger, and the second rotating part is connected to a torsion structure, when the active finger rotates toward the passive finger, it forms a clamping force with the passive finger and can continue to rotate for a certain distance; the driving structure comprises a driving cam rotatably arranged on the frame and a power structure dynamically connected to the driving cam, the rotation center of the driving cam is located on a straight line where the sliding direction of the base is located; within the push range of the driving cam, the first rotating part is meshed and connected with the driving cam; the active finger rotates toward the passive finger and slides away from the driving cam; within the return range of the driving cam, the active finger rotates away from the passive finger and slides toward the driving cam.

[0009] Preferably, it comprises a rail fixedly mounted on the frame and a slider slidably arranged on the rail, and the base is fixedly connected to the slider.

[0010] Preferably, the reset structure comprises a reset spring sleeved on the track, one end of the reset spring is fixedly connected to the track, and the other end of the reset spring is connected to the slider.

[0011] Preferably, the torsion structure adopts a torsion spring, and the torsion spring is coaxially arranged with the second rotating part, one end of the torsion spring is connected to the second rotating part, and the other end of the torsion spring is connected to the base.

[0012] Preferably, a first meshing tooth is provided at the position where the first rotating part meshes with the driving cam, a second meshing tooth meshing with the first meshing tooth is provided on the driving cam, and the second meshing tooth is provided on the driving cam at the position farthest from the rotation center of the driving cam.

[0013] Preferably, the driving cam comprises a plurality of arc-shaped protrusions in a circumferential array, each of the arc-shaped protrusions is provided with the second meshing teeth, and the arc-shaped protrusions form a radially symmetrical push stroke section and return stroke section.

[0014] Preferably, the power structure adopts a stepping motor.

[0015] Preferably, the active finger is located below the passive finger, and the active finger is reset in the rotation direction by its own weight.

[0016] Preferably, the fingertips of the active fingers and the passive fingers are respectively provided with soft materials.

[0017] Preferably, a pressure sensor or a pressure strain gauge is provided at the fingertip area.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has achieved the following technical effects:

[0019] (1) The present invention drives the first rotating part to rotate by driving the cam and simultaneously performs linear sliding, comprehensively adopts basic mechanical mechanisms such as cam mechanism, connecting rod mechanism, crank slider mechanism, etc., and innovatively designs a bionic picking mechanism that simulates manual picking action, so that the active finger drives the passive finger to perform both linear sliding and circumferential rotation. Under the coupling of sliding and rotation, the complex motion trajectory of manual picking can be simulated, thereby achieving the purpose of non-destructive picking of the tender shoots of famous and high-quality tea leaves with natural breakage;

[0020] (2) The torsion structure of the present invention adopts a torsion spring, and the passive finger can be smoothly reset by setting the torsion spring. Moreover, when the active finger and the passive finger continue to rotate after clamping the tea leaves, the torsion spring can be used to provide a pressing force to ensure the clamping force between the active finger and the passive finger.

[0021] (3) The present invention is provided with a pressure sensor or a pressure strain gauge at the fingertips, and the magnitude of the clamping force can be obtained according to the data of the pressure sensor or the pressure strain gauge, and the torsion spring can be adjusted or replaced according to the magnitude of the clamping force, and the number and position of the first meshing teeth and the second meshing teeth can be adjusted, so as to avoid damage to the tea leaves due to excessive clamping force, and to avoid low picking efficiency due to insufficient clamping force;

[0022] (4) The driving cam of the present invention includes a plurality of arc-shaped protrusions in a circular array, and each arc-shaped protrusion is provided with a second meshing tooth meshing with the first meshing tooth. When the driving cam rotates one circle, multiple clamping and loosening processes can be formed, so that multiple picking can be performed when the driving cam rotates one circle, thereby improving the picking efficiency. In addition, the driving cam is driven to rotate by a stepper motor, and the rotation speed of the driving cam can be adjusted by controlling the rotation speed of the stepper motor, thereby adjusting the picking frequency according to actual conditions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0024] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 for Figure 1 The structural diagram of the rack is not included;

[0026] Among them, 1. frame; 2. clamping structure; 21. first rotating part; 22. active finger; 23. second rotating part; 24. passive finger; 25. base; 26. track; 27. slider; 28. reset spring; 29. ​​first meshing tooth; 3. driving structure; 31. driving cam; 32. stepping motor; 33. second meshing tooth; 4. young tea leaves. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions 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 are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a flexible bionic picking mechanism to solve the problems existing in the prior art. By driving the driving cam, the active finger drives the passive finger to perform both linear sliding and circumferential rotation. Under the coupling of sliding and rotation, the complex motion trajectory of manual picking can be simulated, thereby achieving the purpose of lossless picking of the tender shoots of famous and high-quality tea leaves that are naturally broken.

[0029] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0030] like Figures 1-2As shown, the present invention provides a flexible bionic picking mechanism, including a clamping structure 2 and a driving structure 3 installed on a frame 1, wherein the frame 1 is used as a supporting frame of the picking mechanism, and is used to support the clamping structure 2 and the driving structure 3, so that the clamping structure 2 and the driving structure 3 can achieve corresponding motion states. Specifically, the clamping structure 2 includes a base 25 slidably connected to the frame 1, a reset structure connected to the base 25, and a first rotating part 21 and a second rotating part 23 coaxially connected to the base 25. Through the setting of the reset structure, the reset structure can be used to reset the base 25 after sliding a distance. The reset structure can be a spring or an elastic rope, etc., and of course, an active force reset structure (such as a cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, etc.) can also be used. The base 25 can be provided with a slide groove, and is slidably connected to a track 26 installed on the frame 1 through the slide groove, or the base 25 is connected to a slider 27, and the slider 27 is slidably connected to the track 26. A rotating shaft is provided on the base 25, and the first rotating part 21 and the second rotating part 23 are installed at different axial positions on the same rotating shaft, and they slide against each other in the axial direction or are provided with a gasket for spacing, and the first rotating part 21 and the second rotating part 23 do not affect each other while coaxially rotating. The first rotating part 21 is connected to an active finger 22, and the second rotating part 23 is connected to a passive finger 24. The active finger 22 and the passive finger 24 are used to simulate the index finger and thumb of a human hand, respectively, and can also be set in shape, and the clamping parts close to each other are set in the form of a finger belly structure, so that the active finger 22 and the passive finger 24 can cooperate to clamp the picked leaves or buds. The second rotating part 23 is connected to a torsion structure. When the clamping action is not performed, the torsion structure can keep the second rotating part 23 in a fixed state. When the passive finger 24 is pushed by the active finger 22, it can overcome the torsion of the torsion structure to deflect, that is, when the active finger 22 rotates toward the passive finger 24, it forms a clamping force with the passive finger 24 to clamp the leaves or buds to be picked, and can continue to rotate for a distance to form a simulated lifting picking action. The driving structure 3 includes a driving cam 31 rotatably set on the frame 1 and a power structure connected to the driving cam 31. The power structure is used to drive the driving cam 31 to rotate, and can be driven by a motor or manually. The rotation center of the driving cam 31 is located on the straight line where the sliding direction of the base 25 is located, that is, the base 25 can slide close to the driving cam 31 or away from the driving cam 31 on a straight line track. In order to realize the driving connection between the first rotating part 21 and the driving cam 31, the first rotating part 21 is meshed and connected with the driving cam 31 within the pushing range of the driving cam 31. At this time, the driving cam 31 can use its own rotation to drive the first rotating part 21 to rotate, and can use the pushing range of the driving cam 31 to push the first rotating part 21 to slide. Therefore, the active finger 22 connected to the first rotating part 21 can rotate toward the passive finger 24 connected to the second rotating part 23. At the same time, the active finger 22 and the passive finger 24 slide away from the driving cam 31 as a whole.Within the return range of the driving cam 31, there is no longer a meshing relationship between the first rotating part 21 and the driving cam 31, and the driving cam 31 no longer drives the first rotating part 21 to rotate. At this time, the active finger 22 can rotate away from the passive finger 24 under the action of its own gravity or the elastic recovery mechanism connected thereto. At the same time, the active finger 22 and the passive finger 24 as a whole slide toward the driving cam 31 under the action of the reset structure. In summary, the present invention drives the first rotating part 21 to rotate while sliding linearly through the driving cam 31, and innovatively designs a bionic picking mechanism that simulates manual picking movements, so that the active finger 22 drives the passive finger 24 to slide linearly and rotate circumferentially. Under the coupling of sliding and rotation, the complex motion trajectory of manual picking can be simulated, and the purpose of non-destructive picking of leaves or buds, especially the tender shoots 4 of famous and high-quality tea leaves that are naturally broken, is achieved.

[0031] It includes a rail 26 fixedly mounted on the frame 1 and a slider 27 slidably set on the rail 26. The rail 26 can be in the shape of a T-slot, a column, etc. The slider 27 is constrained on the rail 26 and can only slide along the rail 26. The base 25 is fixedly connected to the slider 27, that is, the base 25 is slidably connected to the rail 26 under the action of the slider 27. On the basis of the sliding of the base 25, the active finger 22 and the passive finger 24 can slide along the rail 26 as a whole.

[0032] The reset structure connected to the base 25 may include a reset spring 28 sleeved on the track 26, and can withstand tension or pressure according to the installation position of the reset spring 28. When the reset spring 28 is arranged on the side of the slider 27 away from the driving cam 31, the end of the reset spring 28 away from the driving cam 31 is fixedly connected to the track 26, and the other end of the reset spring 28 close to the driving cam 31 is connected to the slider 27. At this time, when the base 25 is forced to slide, the reset spring 28 is compressed to withstand pressure; when the reset spring 28 is arranged on the side of the slider 27 close to the driving cam 31, the other end of the reset spring 28 close to the driving cam 31 is fixedly connected to the track 26, and the end of the reset spring 28 away from the driving cam 31 is connected to the slider 27. At this time, when the base 25 is forced to slide, the reset spring 28 is stretched to withstand tension.

[0033] The torsion structure connected to the second rotating part 23 can adopt a torsion spring (not shown in the figure), which is coaxially arranged with the second rotating part 23, one end of which is connected to the second rotating part 23, and the other end of which is connected to the base 25. The torsion spring can provide a torsion restoring force, and after the second rotating part 23 rotates to overcome the torsion restoring force, it can rotate and reset under the action of the torsion restoring force. Therefore, the passive finger 24 can be smoothly reset by the arrangement of the torsion spring, and when the active finger 22 and the passive finger 24 continue to rotate after clamping the leaf or bud, the torsion spring can be used to provide a pressing force to ensure the clamping force between the active finger 22 and the passive finger 24.

[0034] The first meshing teeth 29 are arranged at the position where the first rotating part 21 meshes with the driving cam 31, and the driving cam 31 is provided with the second meshing teeth 33 meshing with the first meshing teeth 29. In order to realize the intermittent driving of the driving cam 31 on the first rotating part 21, the second meshing teeth 33 can be arranged only at the position farthest from the rotation center of the driving cam 31 on the driving cam 31, or also arranged on the pushing section. The setting position of the second meshing teeth 33 can be adaptively adjusted according to factors such as the timing of clamping the leaves or buds and the length of the clamping time. In addition, the first meshing teeth 29 can be arranged all over the first rotating part 21 without affecting the driving effect of the driving cam 31. The second meshing teeth 33 are not arranged in the return section of the driving cam 31, so as to ensure the smooth reset of the first rotating part 21 on the basis of the driving cam 31 not stopping its rotation.

[0035] Specifically, when designing the driving cam 31, the driving cam 31 may include a plurality of arc-shaped protrusions in a circumferential array, each arc-shaped protrusion is provided with a second meshing tooth 33, and the arc-shaped protrusion forms a radially symmetrical push stroke section and return stroke section. For example, in specific implementation, the arc-shaped protrusions may be set as a part of an ellipse, evenly distributed at intervals of 120°, each arc-shaped protrusion is provided with a group of second meshing teeth 33, a total of three groups, and the number of the second meshing teeth 33 in each group may be set to 5.

[0036] By setting a plurality of arc-shaped protrusions, multiple clamping and loosening processes can be formed when the driving cam 31 rotates one circle, so that multiple picking can be performed when the driving cam 31 rotates one circle, thereby improving the picking efficiency. In addition, the power structure can adopt a stepper motor 32, and the driving cam 31 is driven to rotate by the stepper motor 32. The rotation speed of the driving cam 31 can be adjusted by controlling the rotation speed of the stepper motor 32, and the picking frequency can be adjusted according to actual conditions.

[0037] The active finger 22 can be located below the passive finger 24. When the active finger 22 rotates, it pushes the passive finger 24 upward to rotate and moves horizontally at the same time, simulating the action of picking leaves or buds with hands. At this time, the active finger 22 can reset the rotation direction by its own weight. Alternatively, a spring is also provided between the active finger 22 and the passive finger 24, and the spring is used to push the active finger 22 to reset. Regardless of which reset method is adopted, the purpose is to form a clamping space between the active finger 22 and the passive finger 24, and the clamping space is used for leaves or buds to enter, and the clamping function is realized when the active finger 22 and the passive finger 24 are closed.

[0038] In order to avoid damage to leaves or buds caused by the clamping action and to better simulate the hand structure, soft materials such as silicone or rubber and other soft and elastic materials can be provided on the fingertips of the active finger 22 and the passive finger 24 respectively.

[0039] Furthermore, a pressure sensor or a pressure strain gauge can be provided at the fingertips, and the clamping force can be obtained according to the data of the pressure sensor or the pressure strain gauge, and the torsion spring can be adjusted or replaced according to the clamping force, and the number and position of the first meshing teeth 29 and the second meshing teeth 33 can be adjusted, so as to avoid damage to leaves or buds due to excessive clamping force, and to avoid low picking efficiency due to insufficient clamping force.

[0040] The picking process of the present invention is as follows:

[0041] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the driving cam 31 rotates counterclockwise under the drive of the stepping motor 32, and the first rotating part 21 is driven to rotate through the meshing of the second meshing teeth 33 and the first meshing teeth 29. The first rotating part 21 rotates clockwise and drives the active finger 22 to rotate, and cooperates with the passive finger 24 to clamp the tender tea leaves 4 and rotate together, so that the tender tea leaves 4 are bent; at the same time, because the driving cam 31 has a pushing section, a lateral pushing force is generated on the first rotating part 21, and the first rotating part 21 drives the passive finger 24 and the active finger 22 to move to the left together through the base 25. Therefore, the movement of the passive finger 24 and the active finger 22 is a composite movement of clockwise rotation around the base 25 and left translation, and the actual movement trajectory is a curved movement in the upper left direction, simulating the movement of fingers turning and lifting when picking by hand.

[0042] The present invention uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The above examples are only used to help understand the method and core ideas of the present invention. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the ideas of the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

Claims

1. A flexible bionic picking mechanism, characterized in that: The invention comprises a clamping structure and a driving structure installed on a frame, wherein the clamping structure comprises a base slidably connected to the frame, a reset structure connected to the base, and a first rotating part and a second rotating part coaxially connected to the base; the first rotating part is connected to an active finger, the second rotating part is connected to a passive finger, and the second rotating part is connected to a torsion structure, and when the active finger rotates toward the passive finger, it forms a clamping force with the passive finger and can continue to rotate for a certain distance; the driving structure comprises a driving cam rotatably arranged on the frame and a power structure dynamically connected to the driving cam, and the rotation center of the driving cam is located on a straight line where the sliding direction of the base is located; Within the pushing range of the driving cam, the first rotating part is meshed and connected with the driving cam; the active finger rotates toward the passive finger and slides away from the driving cam; Within the return range of the driving cam, the active finger rotates away from the passive finger and slides toward the driving cam.

2. The flexible bionic picking mechanism according to claim 1 is characterized in that: It comprises a track fixedly mounted on the frame and a slider slidably arranged on the track, and the base is fixedly connected to the slider.

3. The flexible bionic picking mechanism according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The reset structure comprises a reset spring sleeved on the track, one end of the reset spring is fixedly connected to the track, and the other end of the reset spring is connected to the slider.

4. The flexible bionic picking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The torsion structure adopts a torsion spring, and the torsion spring is coaxially arranged with the second rotating part. One end of the torsion spring is connected to the second rotating part, and the other end of the torsion spring is connected to the base.

5. The flexible bionic picking mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: A first meshing tooth is provided at the position where the first rotating part meshes with the driving cam, and a second meshing tooth meshing with the first meshing tooth is provided on the driving cam, and the second meshing tooth is provided on the driving cam at the position farthest from the rotation center of the driving cam.

6. The flexible bionic picking mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The driving cam comprises a plurality of arc-shaped protrusions in a circumferential array, each of the arc-shaped protrusions is provided with the second meshing teeth, and the arc-shaped protrusions form a radially symmetrical push stroke section and a return stroke section.

7. The flexible bionic picking mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The power structure adopts a stepping motor.

8. The flexible bionic picking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The active finger is located below the passive finger, and the active finger is reset in the rotation direction by its own weight.

9. The flexible bionic picking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fingertips of the active finger and the passive finger are respectively provided with soft materials.

10. The flexible bionic picking mechanism according to claim 9, characterized in that: The fingertips are provided with pressure sensors or pressure strain gauges.

Images