A profiled end effector suitable for use in a robot for harvesting head-forming vegetables

Abstract

The application discloses a profiled execution end suitable for robot harvesting of cabbages, and belongs to the technical field of agricultural production. The profiled execution end comprises a lightweight support module, a split profiled cylinder and a cutting module. The lightweight support module is installed on a multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical arm, the split profiled cylinder is fixed at the front end of the lightweight support module, the bottom of the split profiled cylinder is hollow, and the side wall is provided with a gap; the cutting module is slidingly installed in the lightweight support module, the installation height of the cutting module is flush with the gap of the split profiled cylinder, the cutting module can reciprocate through the gap of the split profiled cylinder, and the split profiled cylinder and the cutting module cooperatively complete the positioning, clamping and cutting of the cabbages. The application is suitable for robot harvesting of cabbages, adopts a positioning, clamping and conveying and cutting cooperative harvesting mode, and utilizes technical methods such as lightweight design and profiled design, so that the execution end can realize harvesting operation on the cabbages, and has the advantages of controllable cost, good applicability, high execution efficiency and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of agricultural production technology and relates to a contour-following end effector suitable for robotic harvesting of heady vegetables. Background Technology

[0002] Heading vegetables are a type of vegetable that forms a head or flower head upon maturity, such as broccoli and cauliflower (flower-head vegetables) and cabbage and Chinese cabbage (leaf-head vegetables). Heading vegetables are mainly grown in open fields, and their maturity uniformity is generally poor, especially for broccoli and cauliflower, whose maturity period can last up to a month. Due to these agronomical characteristics, heading vegetables are currently still harvested manually. Robotic selective harvesting is the future trend that replaces manual methods. The end effector is the execution unit for robotic harvesting of heading vegetables, which needs to cut the vegetable roots in the field and harvest the head or flower head to a designated location.

[0003] CN 201911066255.7 discloses a broccoli harvesting device adaptable to various stem length requirements, which uses three cutting components working together to cut the broccoli stem. This method requires high concentricity of the three cylinders, and the arrangement of the three cylinders also increases manufacturing costs. CN 202210887823.5 discloses a broccoli end harvester, which uses a screw mechanism and a linkage mechanism to drive a clamping plate and a cutter to clamp and cut the broccoli respectively. However, the screw mechanism in the above structure has low transmission efficiency, and the linkage mechanism has limited cutting force, resulting in poor harvesting performance.

[0004] In view of the problems existing in the current terminal, it is necessary to provide a terminal for harvesting headed vegetables that is cost-effective, applicable, and efficient. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the problems existing in the prior art and provide a contour-following end effector suitable for harvesting head vegetables by robots. It adopts a coordinated operation of positioning, clamping, conveying, and cutting to improve harvesting efficiency; it uses a lightweight design to control manufacturing costs; and it uses contour-following design and ground feedback to improve applicability, so as to realize the end effector to perform head vegetable harvesting tasks efficiently and reliably.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve the technical problem is:

[0007] A contouring end effector suitable for harvesting headed vegetables by robots includes a lightweight support module, a split contouring cylinder, and a cutting module. The lightweight support module is mounted on a multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm, and the split contouring cylinder is fixed to the front end of the lightweight support module. The bottom of the split contouring cylinder is hollowed out, and there are gaps in its side walls. The cutting module is slidably mounted inside the lightweight support module, with its installation height flush with the gaps in the split contouring cylinder, and it can reciprocate through the gaps in the split contouring cylinder.

[0008] After the headed vegetables to be harvested are covered by the split-type contouring cylinder, the cutting module extends out, enters the interior of the split-type contouring cylinder through the gap, and cuts the roots of the headed vegetables, separating the roots from the headed vegetables. After the split-type contouring cylinder is moved to the discharge position by the multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm, the cutting module retracts and returns to the initial position through the gap, and the headed vegetables are discharged from the bottom of the split-type contouring cylinder.

[0009] Preferably, the lightweight support module includes an upper support plate, a threaded support rod, a middle support plate, and a lower support plate. The upper support plate, the middle support plate, and the lower support plate are connected by the threaded support rod to form a three-layer support structure.

[0010] Preferably, the lightweight support module is made of aluminum or aluminum alloy, and the upper support plate, middle support plate and lower support plate have a hollow structure.

[0011] Preferably, the split-type conforming cylinder is formed by assembling multiple positioning cylinders from top to bottom, which can be detached and installed, and comes in a standard series with different diameters to adapt to the plant morphology of different heading vegetable varieties; the gap is located between the two bottom positioning cylinders; preferably, it is formed by combining an upper positioning cylinder, a middle positioning cylinder, and a lower positioning cylinder, with the gap located between the middle and lower positioning cylinders. In application, different standard series can be achieved by replacing positioning cylinders of different sizes, thereby harvesting different varieties of heading vegetables. The split structure facilitates processing and loading / unloading.

[0012] Preferably, the cutting module is slidably mounted inside the lightweight support module via a conveying module. The conveying module includes a driven guide rail and a slider guide rail, which are installed inside the lightweight support module. The cutting module is slidably mounted on the driven guide rail and the slider guide rail.

[0013] Preferably, the cutting module includes a disc cutter, a disc motor, a cutter beam, and a motor mounting bracket. One end of the cutter beam is connected to the driven guide rail, and the other end is connected to the slider on the slider guide rail, allowing it to slide along the guide rail direction via the slider. The disc motor is mounted on the cutter beam via the motor mounting bracket. The disc cutter is connected to the disc motor and can rotate within its mounting plane under the drive of the disc motor. The mounting plane of the disc cutter is at the same height as the gap of the split-type profile cylinder, allowing the disc cutter to reciprocate through the gap of the split-type profile cylinder.

[0014] Preferably, the blade of the disc cutter is a single-sided blade, a double-sided blade, or a serrated blade.

[0015] Preferably, the diameter of the disc cutter is 150-250mm, the speed of the disc motor is 100-500rpm, and the linear speed of the slider on the slider guide rail is 150-300mm / min.

[0016] Preferably, the lightweight support module is equipped with a distance sensor at its bottom to provide ground feedback signals, thereby enabling accurate control of the robot cutting the roots of headed vegetables.

[0017] Preferably, the inner diameter of the split-type conforming cylinder is 12-18cm.

[0018] The beneficial effects of this invention are that it provides a cost-effective, adaptable, and efficient end-efficiency robot for harvesting head vegetables. It adopts a coordinated operation of positioning, clamping, conveying, and cutting to improve harvesting efficiency; it uses lightweight design to control manufacturing costs; and it uses contour design and ground feedback to improve applicability. Thus, the end-efficiency robot can efficiently and reliably perform the harvesting task of head vegetables. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a contour-following end effector structure suitable for harvesting headed vegetables by robots;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a side view of the end of the contouring process;

[0021] Figure 3 This is the main view at the end of the contouring execution;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the cutting module at the end of the contouring execution process;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a vegetable with a fixed head at the end of a contour-following process.

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a contour-following process used to cut head-shaped vegetables at the end.

[0025] In the diagram: 1. Multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm; 2. Upper support plate; 3. Threaded support rod; 4. Upper positioning cylinder; 5. Middle support plate; 6. Middle positioning cylinder; 7. Driven guide rail; 8. Lower positioning cylinder; 9. Slider guide rail; 10. Disc cutter; 11. Disc motor; 12. Cutting beam; 13. Motor mounting bracket; 14. Lower support plate; 15. Distance sensor; 16. Heading vegetable. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples.

[0027] like Figure 1 As shown, a contouring end effector suitable for harvesting headed vegetables by robots includes a lightweight support module, a split contouring cylinder, a conveying module, and a cutting module. The lightweight support module is mounted on a multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm 1, which can accurately position headed vegetables in different postures. The split contouring cylinder is mounted on the lightweight support module to form a conveying and clamping structure, which can perform contouring positioning on mature headed vegetables. The conveying module is connected to the lightweight support module, and the cutting module is connected to the conveying module. The conveying module and the cutting module form a reciprocating rotary cutting combination, which can improve the cutting capability of the end effector.

[0028] The lightweight support module includes an upper support plate 2, threaded support rods 3, a middle support plate 5, and a lower support plate 14. The upper support plate 2, the middle support plate 5, and the lower support plate 14 are connected by four threaded support rods 3 to form a support module. The size of the support module is suitable for the current planting row and plant spacing of broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc.

[0029] The split-type shaping cylinder includes an upper positioning cylinder 4, a middle positioning cylinder 6, and a lower positioning cylinder 8. The upper positioning cylinder 4 is connected to the upper support plate 2, the middle positioning cylinder 6 is connected to the middle support plate 5, and the lower positioning cylinder 8 is connected to the lower support plate 14. The upper positioning cylinder 4, the middle positioning cylinder 6, and the lower positioning cylinder 8 are combined to form a shaping cylinder. The shaping cylinder can form different standard series according to the plant morphology of different heading vegetable varieties, thus providing the applicability of the present invention.

[0030] The conveying module includes a driven guide rail 7 and a slider guide rail 9; the driven guide rail 7 and the slider guide rail 9 are respectively installed on both sides of the lower support plate 14, and the parallelism of the guide rails meets the requirements of reciprocating motion.

[0031] The cutting module includes a disc cutter 10, a disc motor 11, a cutting beam 12, and a motor mounting bracket 13. The disc cutter 10 is connected to the disc motor 11, the disc motor 11 is connected to the motor mounting bracket 13, and the motor mounting bracket 13 is fixed to the cutting beam 12. One end of the cutting beam 12 is connected to the driven guide rail 7, and the other end is connected to the slider in the slider guide rail 9. The slider can drive the cutting beam 12 to move along the guide rail. The disc motor 11 is a motor with a small thickness, and its torque and speed meet the requirements for cutting the roots of headed vegetables.

[0032] like Figure 2-3 As shown, the contouring execution end effector suitable for harvesting head vegetables by a robot has a distance sensor 15 installed on its lower support plate 14 to provide ground feedback signals, thereby enabling accurate control of the robot cutting the roots of head vegetables.

[0033] In one specific embodiment of the present invention, the bracket module adopts a lightweight design. The upper bracket plate 2, the middle bracket plate 5 and the lower bracket plate 14 are made of lightweight materials such as aluminum alloy and aluminum plate. The bracket plate has a hollow structure. The threaded bracket rod 3 is an aluminum threaded rod. The bracket plate is positioned and fixed by a nut. The above-mentioned lightweight design can effectively reduce the weight of the execution end and reduce the manufacturing cost.

[0034] The split-type contouring cylinder adopts a split contouring design. The upper positioning cylinder 4, the middle positioning cylinder 6, and the lower positioning cylinder 8 are made of lightweight materials such as plastic and are connected in sequence to form a cylinder structure. A gap is provided at the height of the cutting module to facilitate the passage of the cutting module. The inner diameter of the contouring cylinder is 12-18cm, which is slightly larger than the diameter of a mature broccoli head and corresponds to the size of a mature broccoli.

[0035] like Figure 4 As shown, the disc blade 10 of the cutting module is a single-edged, double-edged, or serrated blade, with a disc diameter of 150-250mm and a rotation speed of 100-500rpm, which can cut the root of whole headed vegetables. The cutting module can reciprocate on the slider guide rail of the conveying module with a linear speed of 150-300mm / min, which can achieve efficient and fast cutting by the disc blade 10.

[0036] The above-mentioned contour-following end effector is applied to a heading vegetable robot, such as... Figure 5-6 As shown, the working process of this invention is as follows: After the robot visually identifies and locates the mature, headed vegetables 16, the robot uses a multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm 1 to drive the end effector to the harvesting position.

[0037] The split-type contouring cylinder covers the leaf or flower head of the heading vegetable 16 from top to bottom. The height of the split-type contouring cylinder from the ground is determined by the ground feedback signal provided by the ranging sensor, thus positioning the leaf or flower head. Then, the robot drives the disc cutter 10 to rotate via the disc motor 11, and simultaneously drives the cutting module to move linearly via the conveying module. This allows the disc cutter 10 to enter the interior of the split-type contouring cylinder through the gap and cut the root of the heading vegetable, separating the root from the heading vegetable. With the cooperation of the disc cutter 10 and the split-type contouring cylinder, the cut leaf or flower head is clamped. After the disc cutter 10 completes the root cutting of the heading vegetable 16, the robot drives the end effector 1 to the storage position via the multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm 1, and then drives the cutting module to return to the initial position through the gap via the conveying module. The cut leaf or flower head is discharged from the bottom of the split-type contouring cylinder, thus completing the release of the harvested heading vegetable 16 and completing the harvesting task of the end effector for the heading vegetable 16.

[0038] Using the aforementioned contouring end effector suitable for harvesting head vegetables by robots, efficient and rapid harvesting of head vegetables can be achieved through the coordinated operation of the split contouring cylinder, conveying module, and cutting module. The lightweight support module and contouring cylinder can effectively reduce the weight and cost of the end effector. The contouring cylinder and ranging sensor can effectively improve the applicability and reliability of the end effector, ultimately enabling the end effector to perform the harvesting task of head vegetables efficiently and reliably.

[0039] The above examples are merely specific embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and many variations are possible. All variations that can be directly derived or conceived by those skilled in the art from the disclosure of the present invention should be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A contour-following end effector suitable for robotic harvesting of heady vegetables, characterized in that, It includes a lightweight support module, a split-type profiling cylinder, a conveying module and a cutting module. The lightweight support module is connected to a multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm (1), the split-type profiling cylinder is connected to the lightweight support module, the conveying module is connected to the lightweight support module, and the cutting module is connected to the conveying module. The lightweight support module includes an upper support plate (2), a threaded support rod (3), a middle support plate (5), and a lower support plate (14). The upper support plate (2), the middle support plate (5), and the lower support plate (14) are connected by the threaded support rod (3) to form a three-layer support structure. A distance sensor (15) is installed at the bottom of the lightweight support module to provide ground feedback signals. The split-type conforming cylinder is formed by assembling multiple positioning cylinders from top to bottom. It can be disassembled and installed, and comes in a standard series with different diameters to adapt to the plant morphology of different heading vegetable varieties. The gap is located between the two bottom positioning cylinders. The cutting module is slidably installed inside the lightweight support module via the conveying module. The conveying module includes a driven guide rail (7) and a slider guide rail (9). The driven guide rail (7) and the slider guide rail (9) are installed inside the lightweight support module. The cutting module is slidably installed on the driven guide rail (7) and the slider guide rail (9). The cutting module includes a disc cutter (10), a disc motor (11), a cutting beam (12), and a motor mounting bracket (13). One end of the cutting beam (12) is connected to the driven guide rail (7), and the other end is connected to the slider on the slider guide rail (9), allowing it to slide along the guide rail direction via the slider. The disc motor (11) is mounted on the cutting beam (12) via the motor mounting bracket (13). The disc cutter (10) is connected to the disc motor (11) and can rotate within the mounting plane of the disc cutter (10) under the drive of the disc motor (11). The mounting plane of the disc cutter (10) is consistent with the gap height of the split-type profile cylinder, allowing the disc cutter (10) to reciprocate through the gap of the split-type profile cylinder. When the headed vegetables to be harvested are covered by the split-type contouring cylinder, the cutting module extends out, enters the interior of the split-type contouring cylinder through the gap, and cuts the roots of the headed vegetables, separating the roots from the headed vegetables; after the split-type contouring cylinder is moved to the discharge position by the multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm (1), the cutting module retracts and returns to the initial position through the gap, and the headed vegetables are discharged from the bottom of the split-type contouring cylinder.

2. The contour-following end effector for harvesting headed vegetables by a robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lightweight support module is made of aluminum or aluminum alloy, and the upper support plate (2), middle support plate (5) and lower support plate (14) have a hollow structure.

3. The contour-following end effector for harvesting headed vegetables by a robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The blade of the disc cutter (10) is a single-sided blade, a double-sided blade, or a serrated blade.

4. The contour-following end effector for harvesting headed vegetables by a robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The disc cutter (10) has a diameter of 150-250 mm, the disc motor (11) has a speed of 100-500 rpm, and the linear speed of the slider on the slider guide rail (9) is 150-300 mm / min.

5. The contour-following end effector for harvesting headed vegetables by a robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner diameter of the split-type conforming cylinder is 12-18 cm.

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