A mini cotton picking robot with precision automatic operation

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of precision automatic operation small cotton picking robot. Traveling device is installed on the bottom surface of chassis to drive robot to move, front and back moving mechanism is installed in the middle of the rear of the upper surface of chassis, cotton supporting arm is fixedly installed on front and back moving mechanism;Vertical up and down mechanism is installed in the middle of the front of chassis, the top of vertical up and down mechanism is connected with cotton roller, and cotton roller is used for picking cotton;Temporary cotton storage mechanism and permanent cotton storage mechanism are respectively fixedly installed on the front and rear of the upper surface of chassis, and temporary cotton storage mechanism and permanent cotton storage mechanism are used for storing picked cotton;Infrared sensor is towards the operation direction of cotton picking robot, camera is installed on cotton storage device.The application combines the characteristics of cotton supporting device to prevent cotton lodging during picking, the high efficiency of cotton picking device, the characteristics of regular transfer of cotton storage device to prevent overflow, realizes the full-automatic efficient picking of cotton, and stores the picked cotton to the expected position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a cotton picker in the field of textiles, and in particular to a small-sized cotton picking robot capable of precise and automatic operation. Background Art

[0002] Cotton is a necessity in the textile industry. Currently, cotton is widely cultivated and has a large yield. Manual picking methods are labor-intensive and inefficient, so the development direction of the modern cotton picking industry is to mechanize, automate, and intelligentize cotton picking. Existing cotton picking mostly uses large machines, but large machines are only suitable for picking large areas of flat cotton fields and are difficult to use in mountainous areas and smaller plots. In addition, large machines do not distinguish between leaves and stems when picking cotton, which easily leads to a lot of debris in the picked cotton. The existing technology lacks a small cotton picking robot that is based on mechanical control and performs precise automatic operation through visual recognition using optical sensors and monocular cameras. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to solve the problems existing in the background technology, the present invention provides a small cotton picking robot with precise automatic operation.

[0004] The technical solution adopted in the present invention is:

[0005] It includes a chassis, a traveling device, a cotton supporting device, a cotton picking device, a cotton storage device, a camera, an infrared sensor and a control system; the traveling device is installed on the lower surface of the chassis, the cotton supporting device, the cotton picking device and the cotton storage device are all installed on the chassis, the camera is fixedly installed on the top of the cotton storage device, the infrared sensor is installed in the middle of the front end of the upper surface of the chassis, the control system is arranged in the cotton storage device, and the traveling device, the cotton supporting device, the cotton picking device, the cotton storage device, the camera, the infrared sensor are all electrically connected to the control system.

[0006] The cotton supporting device includes a front-back moving mechanism and a cotton supporting arm. The front-back moving mechanism is installed in the middle of the rear part of the upper surface of the chassis, and the cotton supporting arm is fixedly installed on the front-back moving mechanism.

[0007] The gear train is connected to the transmission mechanism, and the gear train is connected to the transmission mechanism, and the gear train is connected to the transmission mechanism, and the gear train is connected to the transmission mechanism, and the gear train is connected to the transmission mechanism.

[0008] The cotton supporting arm includes a coupling, a cotton supporting DC motor, a material-saving fence and a cotton supporting hand; the cotton supporting DC motor is fixedly installed on the upper surface of the horizontal movable slide through a motor frame, and the two material-saving fences are respectively located on the left and right sides of the cotton supporting DC motor, and each material-saving fence is arranged along the front and rear directions of the robot. The rear ends of the two material-saving fences are respectively installed on the left and right sides of the rotating shaft of the cotton supporting DC motor through couplings, and a cotton supporting hand is fixedly connected between the front ends of the two material-saving fences; the cotton supporting DC motor is connected to the control system.

[0009] The cotton picking device includes a vertical up and down mechanism and a cotton reel. The vertical up and down mechanism is installed in the middle of the front part of the chassis. The top of the vertical up and down mechanism is connected to the cotton reel. The vertical up and down mechanism and the cotton reel are both externally connected to the control system.

[0010] The vertical up and down mechanism includes a telescopic motor, a baffle, a slide rail, a slider, a sliding frame, an iron column and an end connecting frame; the two baffles are coaxially mounted on the front end of the upper surface of the chassis through angle irons, and the axial direction of the baffle is parallel to the left and right directions of the robot, the sliding frame is located between the two baffles, and the surface of the baffle close to the sliding frame is fixedly connected with the slide rail, the slide rail is arranged along the up and down direction, and the two sliders are movably mounted on the slide rails of the two baffles along the up and down direction, the left and right ends of the sliding frame are respectively fixedly connected to the two sliders, the end connecting frame is located above the sliding frame, and the end connecting frame and the sliding frame are fixedly connected by an iron column;

[0011] The telescopic motor is located below the chassis. The output shaft of the telescopic motor passes through a hole in the chassis and is connected to the sliding frame. The sliding frame is movably connected to the output shaft of the telescopic motor in the up and down directions. The telescopic motor and the control system are electrically connected.

[0012] The cotton reel comprises a rotary pricking cylinder, a connecting plate, a cotton picking DC motor, a bearing, a biaxial steering gear, a rear crank, a front crank, a biaxial steering gear frame and a bottom connecting frame;

[0013] The bottom connecting frame is fixedly installed on the upper surface of the end connecting frame, and the dual-axis servo is fixedly installed on the upper surface of the rear end of the bottom connecting frame through the dual-axis servo frame. The output shaft of the dual-axis servo is fixedly connected to the lower part of the rear crank, and the front crank is located in the front side of the rear crank and the lower part of the front crank is movably connected to the front of the bottom connecting frame. The connecting plate is located above the bottom connecting frame, and the top of the front crank and the top of the rear crank are respectively installed in the middle and rear of the connecting plate. The two cotton picking DC motors are respectively installed on the left and right sides of the front end of the connecting plate. The two rotating needle cylinders are respectively connected to the output shafts of the two cotton picking DC motors along their own circumference through bearings. The top cover is located above the rotating needle cylinder and the cotton picking DC motor and is fixedly installed at the front end of the connecting plate; the dual-axis servo and the cotton picking DC motor are both externally connected to the control system.

[0014] The cotton storage device of the cotton picker includes a temporary cotton storage mechanism and a permanent cotton storage mechanism, which are fixedly mounted on the front and rear of the upper surface of the chassis respectively;

[0015] The temporary cotton storage mechanism is mainly composed of a cotton storage basket, a first drive servo, a second drive servo and a first servo fixing frame; the first servo fixing frame is installed on the front part of the upper surface of the chassis, the first drive servo is fixed on the upper part of the first servo fixing frame, the output shaft of the first drive servo is fixedly connected to the lower surface of the second drive servo, and the output shaft of the second drive servo is fixedly connected to the cotton storage basket; the first drive servo and the second drive servo are both connected to the control system;

[0016] The camera is fixedly mounted on the top of the front end of the main controller storage box;

[0017] The permanent cotton storage mechanism includes a main controller storage box, a cotton storage box, a third drive servo, a third servo fixing frame, a cotton sweeping plate and a partition; the cotton storage box and the main controller storage box are respectively fixed on the left and right sides of the rear portion of the upper surface of the chassis, the cotton storage box and the main controller storage box are connected by a partition, the cotton storage box is used to store cotton, the main controller storage box is provided with a control system, the third drive servo is fixedly mounted on the inner bottom surface of the cotton storage box via the third servo fixing frame, the output shaft of the third drive servo is fixedly connected to the cotton sweeping plate; the third drive servo is electrically connected to the control system;

[0018] The traveling device is mainly composed of four walking wheels and four stepper motors. The four stepper motors are respectively located below the four corners of the chassis. Stepper motors are fixedly installed at the four corners of the lower surface of the chassis. The rotating shaft of each stepper motor is connected to a walking wheel, and each stepper motor is externally connected to the control system.

[0019] Five circles of barb groups are evenly spaced along the axial direction on the outer side wall of the rotating thorn cylinder. Each circle of barb group is mainly formed by a plurality of barbs evenly spaced along the circumference of the rotating thorn cylinder.

[0020] The support platform is located above the cotton storage box. The bottom surface of the cotton storage box begins to have a through hole. The bottom end of the support column passes through the through hole of the bottom surface of the cotton storage box and is fixed to the rear part of the chassis.

[0021] This invention provides a small, intelligent cotton picking robot for the cotton picking industry, enabling precise picking. A cleverly designed cotton reel efficiently tears the cotton without damaging the brown outer shell, ensuring the purity of the harvested cotton. A cotton support device prevents the cotton from falling over during harvesting, and a cotton storage device securely stores the harvested cotton to prevent spillage.

[0022] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0023] 1. The small cotton picking robot of the present invention achieves its walking goal by a stepping motor, and its control is simple and flexible. With the help of the running wheels, the robot can easily realize straight movement, steering and rotation. The cotton picking robot of the present invention efficiently tears the cotton through the thorns on the two cotton reel rollers, while preventing damage to the brown shell, thereby ensuring the purity of the picked cotton.

[0024] 2. The cotton picking robot of the present invention prevents the cotton from falling over during picking by using the cotton supporting device, making picking more convenient.

[0025] 3. The cotton picking robot of the present invention realizes short-term and long-term storage of cotton through the cotton storage device, prevents overflow, and improves space utilization. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the small and medium-sized cotton picking robot of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the forward and backward moving mechanism of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the cotton supporting arm in the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 It is a structural diagram of the vertical up and down mechanism in the present invention;

[0030] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the cotton reel of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the temporary cotton storage mechanism of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 7It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the permanent cotton storage mechanism of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the connection between the cotton picking DC motor and the rotary barb in the present invention;

[0034] Figure 1: Chassis; 2: Traveling device; 3: Cotton supporting device; 4: Cotton picking device; 5: Cotton storage device; 6: Camera; 7: Travel wheel; 8: Stepper motor; 9: Gear; 10: Gear-driven servo; 11: Hollow rack; 12: Horizontal moving slide; 13: Support platform; 14: Bracket; 15: Rack anti-slip upper plate; 16: Rack anti-slip middle plate; 17: Coupling; 18: Cotton supporting DC motor; 19: Material-saving fence; 20: Cotton supporting hand; 21: Telescopic motor; 22: Baffle; 23: Slide rail; 24: Slider; 25: Sliding rack; 26: Iron column ; 27. End connecting frame; 28. Rotating thorn cylinder; 29. ​​Connecting plate; 30. Cotton picking DC motor; 31. Bearing; 32. Top cover; 33. Double-axis servo; 34. Rear crank; 35. Front crank; 36. Double-axis servo frame; 37. Bottom connecting frame; 38. Cotton storage basket; 39. First drive servo; 40. Second drive servo; 41. First servo fixing frame; 42. Second servo fixing frame; 43. Master controller storage box; 44. Cotton storage device; 45. Third drive servo; 46. Third servo fixing frame; 47. Cotton sweeping board; 48. Partition. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0036] like Figure 1 As shown, the picking robot includes a chassis 1, a traveling device 2, a cotton supporting device 3, a cotton picking device 4, a cotton storage device 5, a camera 6, an infrared sensor and a control system; the traveling device 2 is installed on the lower surface of the chassis 1, the cotton supporting device 3, the cotton picking device 4 and the cotton storage device 5 are all installed on the chassis 1, the camera 6 is fixedly installed on the top of the cotton storage device 5, the infrared sensor is installed in the middle of the front end of the upper surface of the chassis 1, and the control system is arranged in the cotton storage device 5. The traveling device 2, the cotton supporting device 3, the cotton picking device 4, the cotton storage device 5, the camera 6 and the infrared sensor are all electrically connected to the control system.

[0037] Camera 6 is used to record the cotton picking process, and the infrared sensor is used to locate the cotton plant stems. Both camera 6 and the infrared sensor are oriented in the robot's operating direction. When the infrared sensor detects a cotton plant stem, it returns a signal to stop the robot. The robot's operating direction is specifically the robot's forward direction; the robot's forward direction is toward the cotton picking device 4, the rear direction is toward the cotton supporting device 3, the robot's left direction is toward the temporary cotton storage mechanism, and the right direction is toward the camera 6.

[0038] The cotton supporting device 3 includes a front-to-back moving mechanism and a cotton supporting arm. The front-to-back moving mechanism is installed in the middle of the rear part of the upper surface of the chassis 1, and the cotton supporting arm is fixedly installed on the front-to-back moving mechanism.

[0039] like Figure 2 As shown, the forward and backward movement mechanism includes a support column, a gear 9, a gear-driven servo 10, a hollow rack 11, a horizontal moving slide 12, a support platform 13, a bracket 14, a rack anti-slip upper plate 15 and a rack anti-slip middle plate 16; the support platform 13 is located above the chassis 1 and the four corners of the support platform 13 are respectively fixed to the middle of the rear part of the upper surface of the chassis 1 by four support columns, the gear 9 and the gear-driven servo 10 are both located below the support platform 13, and the gear-driven servo 10 is fixedly mounted on the lower surface of the support platform 13 by the bracket 14, and the output shaft of the gear-driven servo 10 is connected to the gear 9; Two rack anti-slip middle plates 16 are fixedly connected to the left and right sides of the upper surface of the support platform 13, and a hollow rack 11 is provided between the two rack anti-slip middle plates 16. The upper surfaces of the rack anti-slip middle plates 16 and the hollow rack 11 are flush. Two rack anti-slip upper plates 15 are respectively provided on the upper surfaces of the two rack anti-slip middle plates 16. The left and right sides of the upper surface of the hollow rack 11 are in contact with the two rack anti-slip upper plates 15 respectively. The hollow rack 11 is meshed with the gear 9, and the horizontally movable slide 12 is fixedly mounted on the upper surface of the hollow rack 11 through a copper column; the gear drive steering engine 10 is connected to the control system;

[0040] The rack anti-slip upper plate 15, the rack anti-slip middle plate 16 and the hollow rack 11 are all arranged along the front and rear directions of the robot. The hollow rack 11 is located between the two rack anti-slip middle plates 16. The rack anti-slip middle plate 16 is used to limit the horizontal freedom of the hollow rack 11. The width of the rack anti-slip upper plate 15 in the left and right directions is greater than the width of the rack anti-slip middle plate 16, so that the rack anti-slip upper plate 15 limits the vertical freedom of the hollow rack 11. The hollow rack 11 is provided with a plurality of strip through grooves arranged at intervals along the front and rear directions, each strip through groove is arranged along the left and right directions, and the gear 9 is engaged with the strip through groove of the hollow rack 11; the output shaft of the gear-driven servo 10 is parallel to the left and right directions, and the gear-driven servo 10 drives the gear 9 to rotate. After the gear 9 engages with the hollow rack 11, it drives the hollow rack 11 and the horizontal moving slide 12 to move along the front and rear directions.

[0041] like Figure 3As shown, the cotton supporting arm includes a coupling 17, a cotton supporting DC motor 18, a material-saving fence 19 and a cotton supporting hand 20; the cotton supporting DC motor 18 is fixedly installed on the upper surface of the horizontal movable slide 12 through a motor frame, and the two material-saving fences 19 are respectively located on the left and right sides of the cotton supporting DC motor 18, and each material-saving fence 19 is arranged along the front and rear directions of the robot, and the rear ends of the two material-saving fences 19 are respectively installed on the left and right sides of the rotating shaft of the cotton supporting DC motor 18 through the coupling 17, and the cotton supporting hand 20 is fixedly connected between the front ends of the two material-saving fences 19; the cotton supporting DC motor 18 is connected to the control system.

[0042] The material-saving fence (19) in the cotton-supporting arm can drive the cotton-supporting hand 20 to swing around the material-saving fence (19). The upper surface of the cotton-supporting hand 20 is approximately semicircular, and the side surface of the cotton-supporting hand 20 is a curved surface. The upper part of the cotton-supporting hand 20 is connected to the material-saving fence 19 through an angle iron; the middle part of the material-saving fence 19 adopts a hollow design, which achieves material saving while ensuring strength. A baffle is provided at the rear end of the cotton-supporting hand 20, which will give the cotton a backward force, and this force will generate an inward rotation torque on the cotton. This inward rotation torque causes the cotton in different directions to be subjected to force toward the robot. The cotton-supporting hand 20 constrains the cotton in a certain space and plays a role in preventing lodging: the cotton picking device 4 extends forward and touches the cotton to operate, which will give the cotton a forward force. When the cotton has a tendency to fall forward, the cotton-supporting device gives the cotton a backward reaction force to prevent the cotton from falling.

[0043] like Figure 4 As shown, the cotton picking device 4 includes a vertical up-and-down mechanism and a cotton reel. The vertical up-and-down mechanism is installed in the middle of the front of the chassis 1. The top of the vertical up-and-down mechanism is connected to the cotton reel. Both the vertical up-and-down mechanism and the cotton reel are externally connected to a control system.

[0044] The vertical up and down mechanism includes a telescopic motor 21, a baffle 22, a slide rail 23, a slider 24, a sliding frame 25, an iron column 26 and an end connecting frame 27; the two baffles 22 are coaxially mounted on the front end of the upper surface of the chassis 1 through angle irons, and the axial direction of the baffle 22 is parallel to the left and right directions of the robot, the sliding frame 25 is located between the two baffles 22, and the surface of the baffle 22 close to the sliding frame 25 is fixedly connected with the slide rail 23, which is arranged along the up and down direction. The two sliders 24 are movably mounted on the slide rails 23 of the two baffles 22 along the up and down direction, and the left and right ends of the sliding frame 25 are fixedly connected to the two sliders 24 respectively. The end connecting frame 27 is located above the sliding frame 25, and the end connecting frame 27 and the sliding frame 25 are fixedly connected by an iron column 26;

[0045] The telescopic motor 21 is located below the chassis 1. The output shaft of the telescopic motor 21 passes through a hole in the chassis 1 and is connected to the sliding frame 25. The sliding frame 25 is connected to the output shaft of the telescopic motor 21 so as to be movable in the up and down directions. The telescopic motor 21 is electrically connected to the control system.

[0046] The sliding frame 25 moves up and down with the two sliders 24. The lower end of the iron column 26 is connected to the sliding frame 25, and the upper end is connected to the end connecting frame 27. The cotton reel is installed on the end connecting frame 27. The up and down vertical movement of the output shaft of the telescopic motor 21 will drive the end connecting frame 27 and the cotton reel to perform the same movement; the telescopic motor 21 is electrically connected to the control system.

[0047] like Figure 5 As shown, the cotton reel includes a rotating pricking cylinder 28, a connecting plate 29, a cotton picking DC motor 30, a biaxial steering gear 33, a rear crank 34, a front crank 35, a biaxial steering gear frame 36 and a bottom connecting frame 37;

[0048] The bottom connecting frame 37 is fixedly mounted on the upper surface of the end connecting frame 27. The dual-axis servo 33 is fixedly mounted on the upper surface of the rear end of the bottom connecting frame 37 through the dual-axis servo frame 36. The output shaft of the dual-axis servo 33 is fixedly connected to the lower part of the rear crank 34. The lower surface of the rear crank 34 contacts the upper surface of the dual-axis servo frame 36. The front crank 35 is located at the front side of the rear crank 34 and the lower part of the front crank 35 is movably connected to the front part of the bottom connecting frame 37. The connecting plate 29 is located above the bottom connecting frame 37. The top of the front crank 35 and the rear crank are connected. The top of 34 is respectively installed on the middle and rear parts of the connecting plate 29, and the two cotton picking DC motors 30 are respectively installed on the left and right sides of the front end of the connecting plate 29. The cotton picking DC motor 30 is located in front of the bottom connecting frame 37. The two rotating needle cylinders 28 can be rotatable along their own circumferences through bearings and are respectively connected to the output shafts of the two cotton picking DC motors 30. The top cover 32 is located above the rotating needle cylinder 28 and the cotton picking DC motor 30 and is fixedly installed on the front end of the connecting plate 29; the dual-axis servo 33 and the cotton picking DC motor 30 are both externally connected to the control system.

[0049] like Figure 8 As shown, a bearing is provided in the middle of the rotating needle cylinder 28, and two through holes are provided at the front end of the connecting plate 29. The output shaft of the cotton picking DC motor 30 passes through the through holes at the front end of the connecting plate 29 and is connected to the bearing on the rotating needle cylinder 28. The output shaft of the cotton picking DC motor 30 is parallel to the up and down directions. The dual-axis servo 33 can drive the rear crank 34 to rotate, thereby driving the connecting plate 29 to move forward and backward. After the top cover 32 is connected to the connecting plate 29, the internal cotton picking DC motor 30 can be completely covered.

[0050] The cotton storage device 5 of the cotton picker includes a temporary cotton storage mechanism and a permanent cotton storage mechanism, which are fixedly mounted on the front and rear of the upper surface of the chassis 1 respectively;

[0051] like Figure 6 As shown, the temporary cotton storage mechanism mainly consists of a cotton storage basket 38, a first drive servo 39, a second drive servo 40 and a first servo fixing frame 41; the first servo fixing frame 41 is mounted on the left side of the front portion of the upper surface of the chassis 1, the first drive servo 39 is fixed to the upper portion of the first servo fixing frame 41, the output shaft of the first drive servo 39 is fixedly connected to the lower surface of the second drive servo 40, and the output shaft of the second drive servo 40 is fixedly connected to the cotton storage basket 38; the first drive servo 39 and the second drive servo 40 are both connected to the control system; the camera 6 is fixedly mounted on the top of the front end of the main controller storage box 43;

[0052] The output shaft of the first drive servo 39 is vertical, and the output shaft of the second drive servo 40 is horizontal. The first drive servo 39 is fixed to the first servo fixing frame 41 to prevent the position of the first drive servo 39 from changing. The second drive servo 40 is fixed to the second servo fixing frame 42 to limit the position. When the first drive servo 39 rotates under the drive of electric current, the second drive servo 40 rotates accordingly, thereby controlling the rotation of the cotton storage basket 38 in the horizontal plane. When the second drive servo 40 rotates under the drive of electric current, the cotton storage mechanism fixed at the end rotates in the vertical plane.

[0053] like Figure 7 As shown, the permanent cotton storage mechanism includes a main controller storage box 43, a cotton storage box 44, a third drive servo 45, a third servo fixing frame 46, a cotton sweeping plate 47 and a partition 48; the cotton storage box 44 and the main controller storage box 43 are respectively fixed to the left and right sides of the rear portion of the upper surface of the chassis 1, and the cotton storage box 44 and the main controller storage box 43 are connected by a partition 48. The cotton storage box 44 is used to store cotton, and the main controller storage box 43 is provided with a control system. The third drive servo 45 is fixedly mounted on the inner bottom surface of the cotton storage box 44 via the third servo fixing frame 46, and the output shaft of the third drive servo 45 is fixedly connected to the cotton sweeping plate 47; the third drive servo 45 and the control system are electrically connected;

[0054] The output shaft of the third driving servo 45 is parallel to the up and down direction, and the axial direction of the cotton sweeping plate 47 is perpendicular to the output shaft of the third driving servo 45. The main controller storage box 43 is hollowed out on all sides, which is conducive to air exchange and increases the heat dissipation rate. At the same time, a hole is opened at the bottom for wiring. There is a partition 48 between the main controller storage box 43 and the cotton storage box 44 to isolate the main controller storage box 43 from the cotton storage box 44 and prevent the stored cotton from contacting the control system and causing safety hazards. When the cotton in the temporary cotton storage mechanism reaches a certain volume, the cotton will be poured into the cotton storage box 44 through the coordinated movement of the first driving servo 39 and the second driving servo 40. After that, under the drive of the third driving servo 45, the cotton sweeping plate 47 sweeps the dumped cotton into the interior of the cotton storage box 44, thereby improving the utilization rate of the space and also increasing the space for storing cotton.

[0055] The traveling device 2 is mainly composed of four walking wheels 7 and four stepper motors 8. The four stepper motors 8 are respectively located below the four corners of the chassis 1. The four corners of the lower surface of the chassis 1 are fixedly installed with stepper motors 8. The rotating shaft of each stepper motor 8 is connected to a walking wheel 7. The stepper motor 8 is used to drive the walking wheel 7 to rotate. The rotating shaft of the stepper motor 8 is horizontal, and each stepper motor 8 is externally connected to the control system.

[0056] Five circles of barb groups are evenly spaced along the axial direction on the outer side wall of the rotating barb cylinder 28 . Each circle of barb groups is mainly formed by a plurality of barbs evenly spaced along the circumference of the rotating barb cylinder 28 .

[0057] In a specific implementation, each circle of barb groups has a total of 6 barbs evenly spaced. When viewed from the bottom up, each barb is bent in a clockwise direction. The barbs of the two rotating barb cylinders 28 are staggered with each other in the circumferential direction, and the axial spacing between the barbs is slightly larger than the axial length of a barb. Therefore, a barb on one rotating barb cylinder 28 can cut into the space between two barbs of the other rotating barb cylinder 28.

[0058] The support platform 13 is located above the cotton storage box 44. The bottom surface of the cotton storage box 44 begins to have a through hole. The bottom end of the support column passes through the through hole on the bottom surface of the cotton storage box 44 and is fixed to the rear of the chassis 1.

[0059] A protective ring is provided on the upper portion of the cotton storage box 44 , in which the gear 9 and the gear-driven servo 10 are both located, to prevent cotton wool from coming into contact with the gear 9 during cotton picking, thereby reducing the life of the gear 9 .

[0060] The cotton picking robot's control system consists of two Arduino microcontrollers: a lower-layer microcontroller and an upper-layer microcontroller. The lower-layer microcontroller drives a stepper motor 8, which in turn rotates the corresponding running wheels 7, thereby enabling the robot's movement. The upper-layer microcontroller controls and drives all motors, servos, and sensors except the running wheels 7. Communication between the two microcontrollers is achieved through high and low-level signals.

[0061] The specific implementation of cotton picking by the picking robot of the present invention is as follows:

[0062] After the cotton picking robot is started, the telescopic motor 21 in the vertical up and down mechanism drives the sliding frame 25 to move upward, and the second driving servo 40 in the temporary cotton storage mechanism rotates synchronously to keep the cotton storage basket 38 in a horizontal position, and the first driving servo 39 rotates clockwise to make the cotton storage basket 38 reach directly below the rotating thorn cylinder 28.

[0063] Subsequently, the cotton picking robot moves autonomously in the work site according to a predetermined program. When the infrared sensor detects the cotton plant stem, the traveling device 2 stops moving.

[0064] The forward and backward movement mechanism drives the cotton support arm forward, and then the cotton support DC motor 18 drives the cotton support arm downward, and the cotton support hand 20 stops at the front side of the cotton. The camera 6 fixed to the permanent cotton storage mechanism detects the height of the cotton, and the vertical up and down mechanism drives the cotton reel to the center of the cotton.

[0065] At this point, the forward and backward movement mechanism drives the cotton-supporting arm backward, clamping the cotton between the cotton-supporting arm 20 and the rotating barbed cylinder 28. After the rotating barbed cylinder 28 touches the cotton, the upper microcontroller controls and drives the cotton-picking DC motor 30 to rotate. The cotton-picking DC motor 30 drives the two rotating barbed cylinders 28 to rotate toward the center and outward. During this rotation, the dense barbs on the rotating barbed cylinders 28 fully contact the cotton fibers and tear the cotton from the cotton shell. During the tearing process, the entire cotton plant will tend to fall forward. The cotton-supporting mechanism will suppress this tendency and keep the cotton plant in a relatively upright position. Most of the torn cotton will fall directly into the cotton storage basket 38 below the drum. A small amount of cotton will adhere to the barbs or be mixed in the gaps between the barbs. At this time, the two rotating barbed cylinders 28 are controlled to rotate toward the center and most of the attached cotton will be scraped off by the interlaced barbs and fall into the temporary cotton storage basket, completing the collection of a cotton plant.

[0066] After one operation is completed, the cotton picking robot continues to move, and when the infrared sensor recognizes the stalks of the cotton plants, it performs the operation according to the above-mentioned operation method.

[0067] After collecting three cotton plants, the temporary cotton storage basket 38 is filled with cotton. The upper microcontroller then controls and drives the first and second joint servos 39 and 40, which in turn move the cotton storage basket 38 to the top of the cotton storage box 44 and tilt it upside down. The cotton then automatically flows from the cotton storage basket 38 into the cotton storage box 44. The third drive servo 45 of the permanent cotton storage device 5 then drives the cotton sweeping plate 47 to swing, pushing the newly poured cotton into the cotton storage box 44 to the side and compacting it. After all operations are completed, all mechanisms return to their original positions.

Claims

1. A small-sized cotton picking robot capable of precise and automatic operation, characterized by: The invention comprises a chassis (1), a traveling device (2), a cotton-supporting device (3), a cotton-picking device (4), a cotton-storing device (5), a camera (6), an infrared sensor and a control system; the traveling device (2) is mounted on the lower surface of the chassis (1), the cotton-supporting device (3), the cotton-picking device (4) and the cotton-storing device (5) are all mounted on the chassis (1), the camera (6) is fixedly mounted on the top of the cotton-storing device (5), the infrared sensor is mounted in the middle of the front end of the upper surface of the chassis (1), the control system is arranged in the cotton-storing device (5), and the traveling device (2), the cotton-supporting device (3), the cotton-picking device (4), the cotton-storing device (5), the camera (6) and the infrared sensor are all electrically connected to the control system; The cotton supporting device (3) comprises a front-back moving mechanism and a cotton supporting arm, the front-back moving mechanism is mounted in the middle of the rear portion of the upper surface of the chassis (1), and the cotton supporting arm is fixedly mounted on the front-back moving mechanism; The forward and backward moving mechanism comprises a support column, a gear (9), a gear-driven steering gear (10), a hollow rack (11), a horizontal moving slide (12), a support platform (13), a bracket (14), a rack anti-slip upper plate (15) and a rack anti-slip middle plate (16); the support platform (13) is located above the chassis (1) and the four corners of the support platform (13) are respectively fixed to the middle of the rear part of the upper surface of the chassis (1) through four support columns, the gear (9) and the gear-driven steering gear (10) are both located below the support platform (13), the gear-driven steering gear (10) is fixedly mounted on the lower surface of the support platform (13) through the bracket (14), and the output shaft of the gear-driven steering gear (10) and the gear (9) are fixed to the lower surface of the support platform (13). Connection; two rack anti-slip middle plates (16) are fixedly connected to the left and right sides of the upper surface of the support platform (13), a hollow rack (11) is provided between the two rack anti-slip middle plates (16), the upper surfaces of the rack anti-slip middle plates (16) and the hollow rack (11) are flush, the upper surfaces of the two rack anti-slip middle plates (16) are respectively provided with two rack anti-slip upper plates (15), the left and right sides of the upper surface of the hollow rack (11) are respectively in contact with the two rack anti-slip upper plates (15), the hollow rack (11) and the gear (9) are meshed and connected, and the horizontal moving slide (12) is fixedly mounted on the upper surface of the hollow rack (11) through a copper column; the gear drive steering engine (10) is connected to the control system; The cotton supporting arm comprises a coupling (17), a cotton supporting DC motor (18), a material-saving fence (19) and a cotton supporting hand (20); the cotton supporting DC motor (18) is fixedly mounted on the upper surface of the horizontal movable slide (12) through a motor frame, the two material-saving fences (19) are respectively located on the left and right sides of the cotton supporting DC motor (18), and each material-saving fence (19) is arranged along the front and rear directions of the robot, the rear ends of the two material-saving fences (19) are respectively mounted on the left and right sides of the rotating shaft of the cotton supporting DC motor (18) through the coupling (17), and the cotton supporting hand (20) is fixedly connected between the front ends of the two material-saving fences (19); the cotton supporting DC motor (18) is connected to the control system.

2. The small-sized cotton picking robot with precise automatic operation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cotton picking device (4) includes a vertical up-and-down mechanism and a cotton reel. The vertical up-and-down mechanism is installed in the middle of the front of the chassis (1). The top of the vertical up-and-down mechanism is connected to the cotton reel. Both the vertical up-and-down mechanism and the cotton reel are externally connected to a control system. The vertical up-down mechanism comprises a telescopic motor (21), a baffle (22), a slide rail (23), a slider (24), a slide frame (25), an iron column (26) and an end connecting frame (27); the two baffles (22) are coaxially mounted on the front end of the upper surface of the chassis (1), and the axial direction of the baffle (22) is parallel to the left-right direction of the robot, the slide frame (25) is located between the two baffles (22), and the surface of the baffle (22) on the side close to the slide frame (25) is fixedly connected with the slide rail (23), the slide rail (23) is arranged along the up-down direction, the two sliders (24) are movably mounted on the slide rails (23) of the two baffles (22) along the up-down direction, the left and right ends of the slide frame (25) are respectively fixedly connected to the two sliders (24), the end connecting frame (27) is located above the slide frame (25), and the end connecting frame (27) and the slide frame (25) are fixedly connected by the iron column (26); The telescopic motor (21) is located below the chassis (1). The output shaft of the telescopic motor (21) passes through a hole in the chassis (1) and is connected to the sliding frame (25). The sliding frame (25) is connected to the output shaft of the telescopic motor (21) so as to be movable in an up-down direction. The telescopic motor (21) is electrically connected to a control system.

3. The small-sized cotton picking robot capable of precise and automatic operation according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cotton reel comprises a rotating pricking cylinder (28), a connecting plate (29), a cotton picking DC motor (30), a bearing, a biaxial steering gear (33), a rear crank (34), a front crank (35), a biaxial steering gear frame (36) and a bottom connecting frame (37); The bottom connecting frame (37) is fixedly mounted on the upper surface of the end connecting frame (27), the dual-axis steering gear (33) is fixedly mounted on the upper surface of the rear end of the bottom connecting frame (37) through the dual-axis steering gear frame (36), the output shaft of the dual-axis steering gear (33) is fixedly connected to the lower part of the rear crank (34), the front crank (35) is located at the front side of the rear crank (34) and the lower part of the front crank (35) is movably connected to the front part of the bottom connecting frame (37), the connecting plate (29) is located above the bottom connecting frame (37), the top of the front crank (35) and the rear crank The top of the handle (34) is respectively mounted on the middle and rear of the connecting plate (29); the two cotton picking DC motors (30) are respectively mounted on the left and right sides of the front end of the connecting plate (29); the two rotating thorn cylinders (28) are respectively connected to the output shafts of the two cotton picking DC motors (30) through bearings so as to be rotatable along their own circumferences; the top cover (32) is located above the rotating thorn cylinders (28) and the cotton picking DC motors (30) and is fixedly mounted on the front end of the connecting plate (29); the dual-axis steering gear (33) and the cotton picking DC motors (30) are both externally connected to the control system.

4. The small-sized cotton picking robot capable of precise and automatic operation according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cotton storage device (5) of the cotton picker includes a temporary cotton storage mechanism and a permanent cotton storage mechanism, and the temporary cotton storage mechanism and the permanent cotton storage mechanism are fixedly mounted on the front and rear of the upper surface of the chassis (1), respectively; The temporary cotton storage mechanism mainly consists of a cotton storage basket (38), a first driving servo (39), a second driving servo (40) and a first servo fixing frame (41); the first servo fixing frame (41) is mounted on the front of the upper surface of the chassis (1); the first driving servo (39) is fixed to the upper part of the first servo fixing frame (41); the output shaft of the first driving servo (39) is fixedly connected to the lower surface of the second driving servo (40); the output shaft of the second driving servo (40) is fixedly connected to the cotton storage basket (38); the first driving servo (39) and the second driving servo (40) are both connected to the control system; the camera (6) is fixedly mounted on the top of the front end of the main controller storage box (43); The permanent cotton storage mechanism comprises a main controller storage box (43), a cotton storage box (44), a third driving servo (45), a third servo fixing frame (46), a cotton sweeping plate (47) and a partition (48); the cotton storage box (44) and the main controller storage box (43) are respectively fixed on the left and right sides of the rear portion of the upper surface of the chassis (1); the cotton storage box (44) and the main controller storage box (43) are connected via a partition (48); the cotton storage box (44) is used to store cotton; the main controller storage box (43) is provided with a control system; the third driving servo (45) is fixedly mounted on the inner bottom surface of the cotton storage box (44) via the third servo fixing frame (46); the output shaft of the third driving servo (45) and the cotton sweeping plate (47) are fixedly connected; and the third driving servo (45) and the control system are electrically connected.

5. The small-sized cotton picking robot capable of precise and automatic operation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The traveling device (2) is mainly composed of four running wheels (7) and four stepper motors (8). The four stepper motors (8) are respectively located below the four corners of the chassis (1). The four corners of the lower surface of the chassis (1) are fixedly mounted with stepper motors (8). The rotating shaft of each stepper motor (8) is connected to a running wheel (7), and each stepper motor (8) is externally connected to a control system.

6. The small-sized cotton picking robot capable of precise and automatic operation according to claim 3, characterized in that: Five circles of barb groups are evenly spaced along the axial direction on the outer side wall of the rotating barb cylinder (28), and each circle of barb groups is mainly formed by a plurality of barbs evenly spaced along the circumference of the rotating barb cylinder (28).

7. The small-sized cotton picking robot capable of precise and automatic operation according to claim 1 or 4, characterized in that: The support platform (13) is located above the cotton storage box (44), and a through hole is formed on the bottom surface of the cotton storage box (44). The bottom end of the support column passes through the through hole on the bottom surface of the cotton storage box (44) and is fixed to the rear of the chassis (1).

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