A clamping integrated picking add-on structure of a unmanned aerial vehicle and a picking unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

A kind of gripping integrated picking add-on structure of unmanned plane, it is installed on unmanned plane, unmanned plane is to cross machine, including unmanned plane shell, connecting module, gripping integrated picking end effector, control end;Unmanned plane shell includes upper bottom plate, lower bottom plate, connecting portion, undercarriage, upper bottom plate and lower bottom plate are connected by connecting portion and are connected to form frame structure to accommodate the main part of unmanned plane inside, undercarriage is installed below lower bottom plate to lift unmanned plane;Upper bottom plate and lower bottom plate both extend to same side and are extended with a mounting portion, the fixed end of gripping integrated picking end effector is connected with mounting portion by connecting module;Control end is connected with gripping integrated picking end effector to control its action, control end is installed on unmanned plane shell;The battery of unmanned plane is connected with gripping integrated picking end effector to supply power.This application is easy to change ordinary unmanned plane into picking unmanned plane, belongs to fruit picking equipment technical field.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to fruit picking equipment, specifically to a clamping and picking attachment structure for a drone, which can convert an ordinary drone into a picking drone, and also relates to a picking drone. Background Technology

[0002] With social development and improved living standards, people's demand for fruit quality and processing output is gradually increasing. Traditional fruit harvesting methods have the following problems: 1. Low efficiency: Traditional manual harvesting requires a large amount of manpower, resulting in low harvesting efficiency and hindering large-scale agricultural production. 2. Low quality: Manual harvesting often causes varying degrees of damage to the fruit, affecting its quality and taste. 3. High cost: Manual harvesting requires hiring a large number of harvesters, leading to high costs. 4. High risk: Manual harvesting requires harvesters to climb to high places, posing risks associated with working at heights. 5. High labor intensity: The harvesting process involves numerous bending and climbing movements, placing a strain on the harvesters' bodies and increasing the risk of occupational diseases. 6. Environmental impact: Traditional harvesting methods require frequent movement of agricultural machinery, causing damage to fruit trees and the orchard environment.

[0003] While harvesting drones exist, they typically require special customization and close collaboration between agricultural machinery and drone engineers. There is currently no universal technology to directly convert ordinary drones into harvesting drones. Solving this problem would greatly facilitate research and development for agricultural machinery engineers and benefit end-users of harvesting drones. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the technical problems existing in the prior art, the purpose of this invention is to provide an integrated clamping and picking structure for drones, which makes it easy to modify ordinary drones into picking drones.

[0005] Another objective of this invention is to provide a harvesting drone that is easy to manufacture.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] A clamping and harvesting integrated attachment structure for a drone, which is a racing drone, is installed on the drone. The structure includes: a drone shell, a connecting module, a clamping and harvesting integrated end effector, and a control terminal. The drone shell includes an upper base plate, a lower base plate, a connecting part, and landing gear. The upper and lower base plates are connected by the connecting part to form a frame structure that houses the main body of the drone. The landing gear is installed below the lower base plate to support the drone. Both the upper and lower base plates extend to the same side with a mounting part. The fixed end of the clamping and harvesting integrated end effector is connected to the mounting part via the connecting module. The control terminal is connected to the clamping and harvesting integrated end effector to control its movement and is installed on the drone shell. The drone's battery is connected to the clamping and harvesting integrated end effector for power supply.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment, the fixed end of the integrated clamping and picking end effector is an electric push rod. The electric push rod includes a pushing part, a fixed part, and an electric push rod motor arranged sequentially from front to back. The cross-sectional dimension of the electric push rod motor is larger than that of the fixed part, thus forming a step at the front end of the electric push rod motor. The mounting part is strip-shaped, with the mounting parts of the upper and lower base plates parallel to each other and symmetrically arranged vertically. The connecting module is symmetrically arranged vertically and horizontally, including a top plate, a bottom plate, a fixed plate, and a connecting rod. The two top plates are symmetrically arranged horizontally, and both top plates are fixedly connected to a bottom plate through the connecting rod. The electric push rod motor is inserted between the two top plates and the bottom plate from the top and bottom directions, with the top plate abutting the step. The fixed plate includes a horizontal part and a vertical part. The horizontal part is fixedly connected to the mounting part. After the bottom plate and the electric push rod motor are placed between the two mounting parts, the vertical part is fixedly connected to the top plate, and the mounting part is fixedly connected to the bottom plate.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment, the mounting part is provided with mounting holes, and the upper and lower sides of the base plate are provided with threaded holes. Screws pass through the mounting holes and threaded holes to fix the mounting part and the base plate together. The horizontal part is provided with threaded holes, and the mounting part is provided with threaded holes. Screws pass through the threaded holes to connect the horizontal part and the mounting part. The top plate is provided with threaded holes, and the vertical part is provided with threaded holes. Bolts pass through the threaded holes, and the tail of the bolts is screwed into the nuts to connect the top plate and the vertical part.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment, the connecting part includes multiple vertical rods, with the upper and lower base plates facing each other vertically, and the upper and lower base plates connected by multiple vertical rods surrounding the main body of the drone; both the upper and lower base plates are provided with through holes, which are directly opposite the drone's propeller.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment, the drone includes four propellers arranged in a rectangular configuration; the landing gear also consists of four units, arranged in a rectangular configuration.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment, the integrated clamping and harvesting end effector includes grippers, an air tube, and, from front to back, a suction cup, a second connector, a support column, a brushless gimbal motor, a first connector, and an electric push rod. The grippers are connected to the second connector and opened and closed by the motor. There are multiple grippers arranged around the suction cup. The rear end of the suction cup has an air hole that connects to the air tube. The air tube passes through the central hole of the second connector and extends out from the gap between the multiple support columns, connecting to a vacuum generator mounted on the drone's shell. The motor, brushless gimbal motor, and electric push rod are connected to the drone's battery. The motor, brushless gimbal motor, and electric push rod are also connected to the control terminal.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment, the gripper includes a front gripper and a rear gripper that are connected to each other. The front gripper has a triangular plate-like structure, and the rear gripper is rotatably connected to a second connector.

[0014] As a preferred option, the gripper, the first connector, the second connector, the connecting module, the support column, and the drone shell are all manufactured by 3D printing, and the material is PLA.

[0015] As a preferred option, the suction cup is made of a soft material that is not easily damaged by the fruit, and the air tube is made of a flexible soft material; the control end is an STM32 development board.

[0016] A harvesting drone includes a racing drone and a drone-mounted integrated harvesting attachment structure; the drone shell is mounted on the outside of the racing drone.

[0017] The principle of this invention is:

[0018] Design a drone shell, install it on the drone, and connect the shell to an integrated harvesting end effector via a connecting module. With simple modifications to the circuitry and control system, an ordinary drone can be converted into a harvesting drone.

[0019] It adopts a quick-assembly and disassembly structure with connecting modules, and is equipped with different harvesting end effectors to harvest different fruits.

[0020] The structure of the harvesting end effector was optimized.

[0021] The present invention has the following advantages:

[0022] 1. An add-on structure was designed for mounting on ordinary drones, making it easy to convert them into harvesting drones. This operation can be completed by technicians in the agricultural machinery field, facilitating research and development by agricultural machinery professionals and end-users of harvesting drones, ultimately promoting the widespread application of harvesting drones. The selected drone is a racing drone, which has a similar appearance and is a quadcopter drone. The drone shell design has strong versatility.

[0023] 2. An easy-to-assemble and disassemble connection module was designed. The modular design allows the drone shell to be equipped with different harvesting ends through the connection module, thus enabling the harvesting of different fruits.

[0024] 3. The structure of the end effector has been optimized, generating torque at the harvesting end. A brushless gimbal motor is used to rotate the target fruit independently, generating a torque of approximately 0.8 NM and a torque of approximately 15 N, thus improving harvesting efficiency.

[0025] 4. The suction at the end of the picking device secures the target fruit. The end of the air tube is connected to a vacuum generator, which controls the extraction and release of gas to create suction on the target fruit, thus fixing the fruit to the vacuum suction cup.

[0026] 5. The harvesting end achieves integrated clamping. The harvesting end can use the suction of the vacuum suction cup to clamp the fruit on the vacuum suction cup for a long time, and then use a mobile drone to put it into the collection basket.

[0027] 6. The use of multiple grippers expands the harvesting range and reduces the impact of the limited range of the vacuum suction cup.

[0028] 7. The vacuum suction cup is made of soft material, which reduces the loss rate of fruit.

[0029] 8. Some parts are made of PLA biodegradable material, making them more environmentally friendly. They are also manufactured using 3D printing, making them easy to produce.

[0030] 9. Four landing gears are used for balance control when the drone lands.

[0031] 10. The front claws are designed to be flat to reduce damage to the fruit. Attached Figure Description

[0032] Figure 1 This is a front view of the harvesting drone.

[0033] Figure 2 This is the left view of the harvesting drone.

[0034] Figure 3 This is an overhead view of the harvesting drone.

[0035] Figure 4 This is the front view of the connection module.

[0036] Figure 5 This is the left view of the connection module.

[0037] Figure 6 This is a magnified view of a part of the clamping and picking end effector.

[0038] Figure 7 This is a magnified view of a harvesting drone.

[0039] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 Top view.

[0040] Figure 9 yes Figure 7 The left view.

[0041] Figure 10 This is a 3D view of the connection module.

[0042] Among them, 1 is the upper base plate, 2 is the lower base plate, 3 is the landing gear, 4 is the propeller, 5 is the rotary motor, 6 is the flight controller, 7 is the battery rack, 8 is the battery, 9 is the base plate, 10 is the top plate, 11 is the fixing plate, 12 is the fixing part, 13 is the ejection part, 14 is the first connecting piece, 15 is the brushless gimbal motor, 16 is the air pipe, 17 is the second connecting piece, 18 is the suction cup, 19 is the front claw, and 20 is the rear claw. Detailed Implementation

[0043] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to specific embodiments.

[0044] Example 1

[0045] An integrated clamping and harvesting attachment structure for a drone is provided, which is installed on the drone. The drone is a racing drone, and racing drones are similar in appearance, all being quadcopter drones with highly versatile shells. Racing drones are existing equipment, including a fuselage, propellers, rotary motors, flight controllers, battery racks, batteries, etc. In this embodiment, the main body of the drone includes the fuselage, propellers, rotary motors, and flight controllers.

[0046] A clamping and picking assembly structure for a drone includes: a drone shell, a connecting module, a clamping and picking end effector, and a control terminal; the drone shell includes an upper base plate, a lower base plate, a connecting part, and a landing gear. The upper and lower base plates are connected by the connecting part to form a frame structure that houses the main body of the drone. The landing gear is installed below the lower base plate to support the drone; both the upper and lower base plates extend to the same side with a mounting part. The fixed end of the clamping and picking end effector is connected to the mounting part through the connecting module; the control terminal is connected to the clamping and picking end effector to control its movement and is installed on the drone shell; the drone's battery is connected to the clamping and picking end effector for power supply.

[0047] The fixed end of the clamping and picking end effector is an electric push rod. The electric push rod includes a pushing part, a fixed part, and an electric push rod motor arranged sequentially from front to back. The cross-section of the electric push rod motor and the fixed part is square, while the cross-section of the pushing part is circular. The cross-sectional dimension of the electric push rod motor is larger than that of the fixed part, thus forming a step at the front end of the electric push rod motor. The mounting part is strip-shaped, specifically a long strip-shaped plate structure. The connection between the mounting part and the upper and lower base plates is rounded for a smooth connection. The mounting parts of the upper and lower base plates are parallel to each other and symmetrically arranged vertically. The connecting modules are symmetrically arranged vertically. The system is symmetrically arranged, including a top plate, a bottom plate, a fixing plate, and connecting rods. Two top plates are arranged symmetrically, each a long strip extending vertically. Both top plates are fixedly connected to a bottom plate via two connecting rods. An electric push rod motor is inserted between the two top and bottom plates from the vertical direction, with the top plate abutting the step and the electric push rod motor abutting the bottom plate. The fixing plate includes mutually perpendicular horizontal and vertical sections. The horizontal section is fixedly connected to the mounting section. After the bottom plate and the electric push rod motor are inserted between the two mounting sections from the left or right, the vertical section is fixedly connected to the top plate, and the mounting section is fixedly connected to the bottom plate.

[0048] The mounting section has mounting holes, and the top and bottom sides of the base plate have threaded holes. Screws pass through the mounting holes and threaded holes to securely connect the mounting section and the base plate. The horizontal section has threaded holes, and the mounting section has threaded holes. Screws pass through the threaded holes to connect the horizontal section and the mounting section. The top plate has threaded holes, and the vertical section has threaded holes. Bolts pass through the threaded holes, and the tail of the bolt is screwed into a nut to connect the top plate and the vertical section. The connection module can be quickly assembled and disassembled by inserting and removing the screws.

[0049] The connecting part includes multiple vertical rods, with the upper and lower base plates facing each other vertically. The upper and lower base plates are connected by multiple vertical rods surrounding the main body of the drone. Both the upper and lower base plates are provided with through holes, which are directly opposite the drone's propellers.

[0050] The drone consists of four propellers arranged in a rectangular pattern; it also has four landing gear units arranged in a rectangular pattern.

[0051] The integrated clamping and harvesting end effector includes grippers, an air tube, and, from front to back, a suction cup, a second connector, a support column, a brushless gimbal motor, a first connector, and an electric push rod. The grippers are connected to the second connector and opened and closed by the motor. There are four grippers, evenly distributed around the suction cup. The rear end of the suction cup has an air hole that connects to the air tube. The air tube passes through the central hole of the second connector and extends out from the gap between the multiple support columns, connecting to a vacuum generator mounted on the drone's shell. The motor, brushless gimbal motor, electric push rod, and vacuum generator are connected to the drone's battery. The motor, brushless gimbal motor, electric push rod, and vacuum generator are also connected to the control terminal.

[0052] The gripper consists of a front gripper and a rear gripper that are connected to each other. The front gripper has a triangular plate-like structure, and the rear gripper is rotatably connected to the second connector.

[0053] The gripper, first connector, second connector, connecting module, support column, and drone shell are all manufactured using 3D printing, and the material is PLA.

[0054] The suction cup is made of a soft material that is not easy to damage the fruit, and the air tube is made of a flexible soft material; the control end is an STM32 development board.

[0055] Example 2

[0056] A harvesting drone includes a racing drone and a drone-mounted integrated harvesting attachment structure; the drone shell is mounted on the outside of the racing drone.

[0057] The working process of the harvesting drone is as follows:

[0058] Harvesting drones can be equipped with depth cameras. Based on the location data of the target fruit collected by the depth camera, the drone moves closer to the target fruit and harvests it.

[0059] The first step is for the drone's depth camera to identify and detect the target fruit, and then the drone, carrying a harvesting end effector, flies to the front of the target fruit.

[0060] The second step involves aiming at the target fruit. The grippers open, and an electric actuator pushes the vacuum suction cup closer to the fruit. Once the fruit enters the gripper's coverage area, the grippers close, causing the fruit to adhere to the suction cup. At this point, the vacuum generator activates, expelling all air from the suction cup through an air tube, thus adhering the fruit to the suction cup.

[0061] The third step involves the brushless gimbal motor rotating, which, under the action of the second connector and the support column, drives the gripper to rotate, generating torque to separate the fruit from the stem. After separating the target fruit from the stem, the target fruit remains attached to the vacuum suction cup.

[0062] The fourth step involves the drone carrying the fruit to the top of the collection basket, opening its grippers, and driving the vacuum generator to input gas through the air tube, causing the harvested fruit to fall freely into the collection basket under the influence of gravity.

[0063] Thus, one harvesting process came to an end.

[0064] This invention improves harvesting efficiency, reduces damage, is applicable to the harvesting of various fruits, and is easy to scale up.

[0065] The above embodiments are preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiments. Any changes, modifications, substitutions, combinations, or simplifications made without departing from the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be considered equivalent substitutions and shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A clamping integrated picking add-on structure of a UAV, installed on a UAV, the UAV being a striding machine, characterized in that, The utility model relates to a kind of unmanned aerial vehicle, including: unmanned aerial vehicle shell, connecting module, clamping integrated picking end effector, control end;Unmanned aerial vehicle shell includes upper bottom plate, lower bottom plate, connecting part, landing gear, upper bottom plate and lower bottom plate are connected by connecting part and are surrounded into frame structure to be housed in the main part of unmanned aerial vehicle, landing gear is installed below lower bottom plate to be lifted by unmanned aerial vehicle frame;Upper bottom plate and lower bottom plate are all extended to same side with a mounting portion, the fixed end of clamping integrated picking end effector is connected with mounting portion by connecting module;Control end is connected with clamping integrated picking end effector to control its action, and control end is installed on unmanned aerial vehicle shell;The battery of unmanned aerial vehicle is connected with clamping integrated picking end effector to power supply;Unmanned aerial vehicle shell is made by 3D printing; The fixed end of clamping integrated picking end effector is electric push rod, and electric push rod includes push-out part, fixed part and electric push rod motor arranged from front to back in sequence, and the cross-sectional dimension of electric push rod motor is greater than fixed part, so that a step part is formed at the front end of electric push rod motor; The mounting portion is strip-shaped, and the mounting portions of upper bottom plate and lower bottom plate are arranged symmetrically in upper and lower directions and are parallel to each other; The connecting module is arranged symmetrically in upper and lower directions and symmetrically in left and right directions, and includes top plate, bottom plate, fixed plate and connecting rod;Two top plates are arranged symmetrically in left and right directions, and the two top plates are fixedly connected with one bottom plate by connecting rods, the electric push rod motor is inserted into the space between the two top plates and the bottom plate from the upper and lower directions, and the top plate abuts against the step part;The fixed plate includes horizontal part and vertical part, the horizontal part is fixedly connected with the mounting portion, after the bottom plate and the electric push rod motor are arranged in the two mounting portions, the vertical part is fixedly connected with the top plate, and the mounting portion is fixedly connected with the bottom plate; The mounting portion is provided with a mounting hole, the upper and lower sides of the bottom plate are provided with threaded holes, and the mounting portion and the bottom plate are fixedly connected by screws passing through the mounting hole and the threaded holes;The horizontal part is provided with a threaded hole, the mounting portion is provided with a threaded hole, and the horizontal part and the mounting portion are connected by a screw passing through the threaded holes;The top plate is provided with a threaded hole, the vertical part is provided with a threaded hole, a bolt passes through the threaded holes, and the tail of the bolt is screwed into a nut to connect the top plate and the vertical part; The unmanned aerial vehicle shell is sleeved on the outside of the crossing machine. The connecting part includes a plurality of vertical rods, the upper bottom plate and the lower bottom plate are arranged in upper and lower directions, and the upper bottom plate and the lower bottom plate are connected by the plurality of vertical rods surrounding the main part of the unmanned aerial vehicle;The upper bottom plate and the lower bottom plate are provided with through holes, and the through holes are opposite to the propellers of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

2. The integrated gripping and picking add-on structure for unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The unmanned aerial vehicle includes four propellers, and the four propellers are arranged in a rectangular shape;The number of landing gears is four, and the landing gears are arranged in a rectangular shape.

3. The integrated gripping and picking add-on structure for unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 2, characterized in that: The clamping integrated picking end effector includes clamping jaws, an air pipe and a suction disc, a second connecting member, a support, a brushless gimbal motor, a first connecting member and an electric push rod arranged in sequence from front to back;The clamping jaws are connected with the second connecting member and are driven to open and close by the motor, the number of clamping jaws is multiple, and the clamping jaws are arranged around the suction disc;The rear end of the suction disc is provided with an air hole, the air hole is connected with the air pipe, the air pipe passes through the center hole of the second connecting member and extends out from the gap between the multiple supports, and the air pipe is connected with a vacuum generator carried on the unmanned aerial vehicle shell;The motor, the brushless gimbal motor and the electric push rod are connected with the battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle;The motor, the brushless gimbal motor and the electric push rod are connected with the control end.

4. The integrated gripping and picking add-on structure for unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: ​ 5. The integrated gripping and picking add-on structure for unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 4, characterized in that: The clamping jaw comprises a front jaw and a rear jaw connected with each other, the front jaw is a triangular plate structure, and the rear jaw is rotationally connected with the second connecting piece.

6. The integrated gripping and picking add-on structure for unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 4, characterized in that: The clamping jaw, the first connecting piece, the second connecting piece, the connecting module and the support column are all made through 3D printing, and the material is PLA; the material of the unmanned aerial vehicle shell is PLA.

7. The integrated gripping and picking add-on structure for UAVs according to claim 4, characterized in that: The suction cup is made of soft material which is not easy to damage fruits, and the air pipe is made of flexible soft material; the control end is an stm32 development board.

8. A picking drone, characterized in that, The picking integrated structure is composed of a crossing machine and a clamping unmanned aerial vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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