A pruning device for the end of a robotic arm

Abstract

This invention provides a pruning device for the end effector of a robotic arm, comprising a blade, a blade fixing shaft, a driven bevel gear, a driving bevel gear, a fixed bracket, a hollow cup motor, a return spring, a fixed housing, a sliding housing, a slide groove, a screw, a slider, a steel wire guide, a first-stage grooved wheel, a first-stage grooved wheel shaft, a second-stage grooved wheel, a second-stage grooved wheel shaft, a grooved wheel bracket, a wire-winding motor, a driving cylindrical gear, a driven cylindrical gear, a wire-winding grooved wheel, and a wire-winding grooved wheel shaft. In situations where tree branches are intricately intertwined, this pruning device can initially maintain a closed sliding housing, resulting in a streamlined and smooth design that allows it to pass through very small gaps. Upon reaching the pruning position, the sliding housing slides back, and the blade opens to perform the pruning operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of agricultural machinery technology, and more specifically relates to a pruning device for the end of a robotic arm. Background Technology

[0002] Pruning is an important aspect of tree management. It not only controls tree shape and improves light and ventilation but also provides benefits such as disease and pest resistance and increased yield. However, due to the large number of branches and their overlapping and crisscrossing, manual pruning of higher branches is extremely inconvenient and poses certain safety hazards. Robotics technology has penetrated into all areas and stages of agricultural production, especially those requiring a large amount of manual labor. However, when robotic arms perform unmanned pruning operations, a large number of branches to be pruned are located inside the tree. If the pruning device installed at the end of the robotic arm has an irregular, abrupt outline, a large size, and a bulky body, it is easily obstructed by the overlapping and complex branches during the pruning of internal branches, or even unable to prune internal branches at all. Developing a compact and smooth-looking pruning device at the end of a robotic arm can effectively solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems by designing a pruning device for the end effector of a robotic arm.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of the present invention is a pruning device for the end of a robotic arm, comprising a support portion for fixing parts, a scissor portion for pruning branches, and a sliding portion for changing the shape of the device.

[0005] The support portion includes a fixed outer shell with four longitudinal grooves machined on its inner surface, a fixed bracket installed inside the fixed outer shell and fixedly connected to the fixed outer shell by screws, and a grooved wheel bracket fixedly connected to the tail of the fixed bracket.

[0006] The scissor part includes a hollow cup motor fixedly connected to the inside of the fixed bracket, a driving bevel gear fixedly connected to the output shaft of the hollow cup motor, two driven bevel gears symmetrically meshing with the driving bevel gear, two hook-shaped blades fixedly connected to the inner side of the two driven bevel gears respectively, and a blade fixing shaft that passes through the two blades and is rotatably mounted on the fixed bracket.

[0007] The sliding part includes four arc-shaped conical sliding shells, four sliders fixedly installed at the middle of the rear end of the four sliding shells and forming a sliding connection with the internal sliding grooves of the fixed shells, a primary Geneva shaft and a secondary Geneva shaft fixedly connected to the Geneva shaft bracket, a primary Geneva wheel and a secondary Geneva wheel rotatably connected to the primary Geneva shaft and the secondary Geneva shaft respectively, a winding motor fixedly connected to the fixed shell, a driving cylindrical gear fixedly connected to the winding motor, a driven cylindrical gear meshing with the driving cylindrical gear, a winding grooved wheel fixedly connected to the driven cylindrical gear, a winding grooved wheel fixed shaft fixedly connected to the fixed shells at both ends, four steel wires fixedly connected at one end to the inner cylindrical surface of the winding grooved wheel and at the other end to the tails of the four sliders respectively, and four return springs connected at one end to the lower lifting lugs of the tails of the four sliding shells and at the other end to the four lifting lugs on the fixed bracket respectively.

[0008] The two driven bevel gear sectors always have the same angle with the axis of the driving bevel gear and move in opposite directions.

[0009] The upper and lower curved surfaces of the inner cross-section of the slide groove, and the lower curved surface of the outer side, are all centered on the inner curved surface of the cross-section of the fixed outer shell; the radii of the upper and lower curved surfaces of the cross-section of the slider are equal in size to the radii of the upper and lower curved surfaces of the inner cross-section of the slide groove; the upper and lower curved surfaces of the longitudinal direction of the slide groove are all centered on the upper and lower curved surfaces of the longitudinal direction of the slider.

[0010] After adopting the above solution, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: When facing a dense tree branch environment, the streamlined shape of the sliding shell formed by its closed shell can pass through the narrow gaps between branches to reach the inside of the tree. When the sliding shell is open, it can slide smoothly in the groove inside the fixed shell and perform operations. It is more suitable for installation with a robotic arm for unmanned operation, can cope with more complex branch environments, and can prune the branches inside the tree, greatly improving the success rate of mechanized pruning.

[0011] This invention, with its streamlined shape and compact body, employs a symmetrical double-conical toothed fan to achieve dual rotation of two blades. Compared to a single-rotating blade, it has a larger opening angle within a limited space, allowing for the trimming of larger diameter branches. The hooks on the two blades can clamp the branches between them during pruning, preventing branches from slipping away during unmanned pruning.

[0012] Four sliding housings are fixedly connected to the winding grooved wheel via steel wire guides. After being guided by the first-stage and second-stage grooved wheels, they converge into a single winding grooved wheel to achieve synchronous sliding. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a half-sectional view of the side of the fixed outer shell of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a detailed schematic diagram of the reset spring and steel wire conductor of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the tail structure of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the longitudinal curved surface relationship between the fixed outer shell, sliding outer shell, slide groove, and slider of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the cross-sectional relationship between the fixed outer shell, the sliding outer shell, the slide groove, and the slider of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the sliding outer shell of the present invention in the closed state.

[0019] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the pruning operation state of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 8 This is a detailed schematic diagram of the fixing point between the steel wire conductor and the winding groove wheel of the present invention.

[0021] Component names and numbers in the diagram: 1-Blade; 2-Blade fixing shaft; 3-Driven bevel gear; 4-Driving bevel gear; 5-Hollow cup motor; 6-Fixed bracket; 7-Fixed housing; 8-Wound wheel fixing shaft; 9-Wound motor; 10-Driven cylindrical gear; 11-Driving cylindrical gear; 12-Return spring; 13-Steel wire conductor; 14-Wound wheel bracket; 15-First-stage grooved wheel; 16-Second-stage grooved wheel; 17-Wound wheel; 18-Second-stage grooved wheel shaft; 19-First-stage grooved wheel shaft; 20-Sliding housing; 21-Slider; 22-Slide groove; 23-Screw. Implementation Method

[0022] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0023] Before reaching the pruning position, neither the hollow cup motor 5 nor the winding motor 9 is working. The two blades 1 are in a closed state, and the sliding housing 20 is at its foremost position and remains closed. It passes through the gaps between branches in this configuration until the desired pruning position is reached. At this point, the winding motor 9 starts working, with the driving cylindrical gear 11 rotating forward, driving the driven cylindrical gear 10 to rotate. The winding groove wheel 17 rotates simultaneously around the winding groove wheel shaft 8. Since the four steel wires 13 are fixedly connected to the winding groove wheel 17, the steel wires 13 are under tension and are wound on the winding groove wheel 17. The steel wires 13, after passing through the secondary groove wheel 16 and then the primary groove wheel 15, pull the sliding housing 20. The sliding housing 20 and the slider 21 slide towards the tail along the groove 22 inside the fixed housing 7. As the machine moves, blade 1 gradually emerges until the driven bevel gear 3 emerges, at which point the winding motor 9 stops rotating. Then, the hollow cup motor 5 rotates clockwise, causing the driving bevel gear 4 to rotate and drive the driven bevel gear 3 to rotate around the blade fixing shaft 2. Simultaneously, blade 1, which is fixedly connected to the driven bevel gear 3, also rotates around the blade fixing shaft 2. The distance between the tips of the two blades 1 increases until the driven bevel gear 3 reaches its maximum rotation angle, at which point the driving bevel gear 4 stops rotating. Then, the robotic arm pushes the device forward, and the branch to be pruned contacts the base of blade 1. Then, the hollow cup motor 5 rotates counterclockwise, and the driven bevel gear 3 rotates in the opposite direction around the blade fixing shaft 2. The distance between the tips of the two blades 1 decreases, and the pruning operation is performed until the two blades 1 are in complete contact. The hollow cup motor 5 then stops rotating, and the pruning operation is completed. Then the winding motor 9 reverses its operation, and the sliding housing 20, which is fixedly connected to the slider 21, is pulled forward by the return spring 12, which is connected to the fixed bracket 6 at one end. Since the winding motor 9 rotates in the opposite direction, the wire 13 does not apply a backward pulling force to the sliding housing 20 and the slider 21. Therefore, the sliding housing 20 and the slider 21 slide forward along the groove 22 inside the fixed housing 7 until the four vertices of the sliding housing 20 come into contact. The winding motor 9 then stops working, and the device exits the working area with the sliding housing 20 in the closed state.

Claims

1. A pruning device for the end effector of a robotic arm, characterized in that: It includes a support part for fixing parts, a shearing part for pruning branches, and a sliding part for changing the shape of the device; The support part includes a fixed housing (7) with four longitudinal grooves (22) machined on the inner surface, a fixed bracket (6) installed inside the fixed housing (7) and fixedly connected to the fixed housing (7) by screws (23), and a grooved wheel bracket (14) fixedly connected to the tail of the fixed bracket (6). The scissor section includes a hollow cup motor (5) fixedly connected to the inside of the fixed bracket (6), a driving bevel gear (4) fixedly connected to the output shaft of the hollow cup motor (5), two driven bevel gears (3) symmetrically meshing with the driving bevel gear (4), two hook-shaped blades (1) fixedly connected to the inside of the two driven bevel gears (3) respectively, and a blade fixing shaft (2) rotatably mounted on the fixed bracket (6) through the two blades (1); The sliding part includes four arc-shaped conical sliding shells (20), four sliders (21) fixedly installed at the middle of the rear end of the four sliding shells (20) and forming a sliding connection with the internal sliding groove (22) of the fixed shell (7), a primary Geneva shaft (19) and a secondary Geneva shaft (18) fixedly connected to the Geneva support (14), a primary Geneva wheel (15) and a secondary Geneva wheel (16) rotatably connected to the primary Geneva shaft (19) and the secondary Geneva shaft (18) respectively, a winding motor (9) fixedly connected to the fixed shell (7), and a main [unclear - possibly a component or component] fixedly connected to the winding motor (9). The driving cylindrical gear (11), the driven cylindrical gear (10) meshing with the driving cylindrical gear (11), the winding groove wheel (17) fixedly connected to the driven cylindrical gear (10), the winding groove wheel fixing shaft (8) fixedly connected to the fixed housing (7) at both ends, one end fixedly connected to the inner cylindrical surface of the winding groove wheel (17), and the other end fixedly connected to the tail of the four sliders (21) respectively. The other end is connected to the lifting lugs below the tail of the four sliding housings (20) respectively, and the other end is connected to the four lifting lugs on the fixed bracket (6) respectively. After the pruning operation is completed, the winding motor reverses its operation, and the return spring (12) provides a forward pulling force, causing the sliding housing (20) and the slider (21) to slide forward along the groove (22) inside the fixed housing (7) until the four vertices of the sliding housing (20) come into contact, and the winding motor (9) stops working.

2. A pruning device for the end effector of a robotic arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two driven bevel gears (3) always have the same angle with the axis of the driving bevel gear (4) and move in opposite directions.

3. A pruning device for the end effector of a robotic arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper and lower curved surfaces of the inner cross-section of the slide groove (22) and the lower curved surface of the outer side are at the same center as the inner curved surface of the cross-section of the fixed shell (7); the radii of the upper and lower curved surfaces of the cross-section of the slider (21) are equal to the radii of the upper and lower curved surfaces of the inner cross-section of the slide groove (22); the upper and lower curved surfaces of the inner longitudinal direction of the slide groove (22) and the upper and lower curved surfaces of the slider (21) are at the same center.

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