Automatic maize testing method, system and application thereof

Abstract

The application provides a corn automatic grading method and system and application thereof, which comprises a feeding area, a ground rail robot transfer station provided with a wrist carrier, a feeding warehouse weighing machine for axially clamping, positioning, weighing and obtaining weight data of the corn, a corn ear detection machine for visually detecting the corn and obtaining ear grading detection data, a corn ear threshing and screening machine for vibrating and removing impurities of the corn seeds, so that the corn seeds fall into a seed collecting hopper and the impurities fall into an impurity collecting box, a corn seed bulk material detection machine for visually detecting the corn and obtaining corn seed grading detection data, drying and weighing of the collecting hopper for obtaining dryness and humidity detection data of the corn seeds, and a total control cabinet for overall planning of operation of each equipment and output of corn grading results based on the weight data, the ear grading detection data, the corn seed grading detection data and the dryness and humidity detection data. The application can significantly improve the grading efficiency and reduce the work intensity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of agricultural automation technology, and in particular to an automated method, system and application for corn seed testing. Background Technology

[0002] Corn is a crop with a large planting area and a long history of cultivation. Seed selection is an unavoidable task for corn growers. Seed selection is the selection of corn varieties. After years of development, seed selection technology has evolved from the traditional, complicated, time-consuming, and laborious manual seed selection to the efficient and rapid seed selection achieved through the use of corn seed selection equipment.

[0003] Currently, corn quality assessment generally involves three aspects: ear quality assessment, kernel quality assessment, and kernel moisture content measurement. Visual inspection and sensor technology are used to measure technical indicators such as ear length, ear width, ear circumference, ear projected area, number of rows, number of kernels per row, kernel width, and ear weight. Kernel parameters include kernel length, kernel width, kernel circumference, kernel projected area, number of kernels, kernel length-to-width ratio, kernel color, and kernel weight. Kernel moisture content is also measured. However, existing technologies typically use manual or semi-automatic testing devices. The main drawback is:

[0004] 1. The lack of automated corn cob feeding devices, automatic corn cob positioning devices, corn cob shelling and impurity removal devices, and automatic leveling devices means that samples that meet the testing requirements can only be prepared in advance, and corn cobs or corn kernels can be tested separately, making it difficult to meet the systematic corn variety testing needs.

[0005] 2. The sample preparation process requires a significant amount of manual time and effort to cut the corn ears, remove the kernels, and remove impurities. Therefore, the sample preparation process is time-consuming and has a low degree of automation.

[0006] 3. The sample preparation and testing processes require a lot of manual intervention. In the entire operation process, there are many operational errors caused by improper manual operation, which may lead to distorted test results.

[0007] 4. Before operation, the corn cobs need to be manually positioned and clamped and the corn kernels need to be manually spread out. Then the detection button is pressed to perform the detection, which results in low detection efficiency.

[0008] 5. It mainly targets the detection of individual corn ears and does not have corn ear storage facilities, so the number of corn samples that can be tested is small, and therefore the representativeness of the test results is not strong.

[0009] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a streamlined, automated corn evaluation method, system, and its application to improve corn evaluation efficiency and solve the problems existing in current technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0010] This application provides an automated corn assessment method, system, and its application, addressing the problems of low assessment efficiency and high workload in current technologies.

[0011] The core technology of this invention is that it adopts a streamlined design concept to effectively link corn ear seed testing, corn kernel seed testing, and subsequent moisture detection. By using unit modules and industrial robots for transportation, the previously independent unit modules such as corn ear weighing and detection, ear threshing and impurity removal, and kernel detection and packaging are linked together to form a complete corn seed testing equipment.

[0012] In a first aspect, this application provides an automated corn harvesting system, the system comprising:

[0013] The loading area is for manual loading and unloading.

[0014] The ground-rail robot transfer platform is equipped with wrist carriers for gripping corn and catching corn kernels, and transporting corn or corn kernels from one processing position to the next processing position;

[0015] The feeding and storage weighing machine is equipped with a barcode scanning module, a corn storage lifting device, and a static weighing device. The barcode scanning module scans the QR code affixed to the corn for feeding. The corn storage lifting device temporarily stores the corn and lifts it one by one onto the static weighing device. The static weighing device axially clamps, positions, and weighs the corn to obtain weight data.

[0016] The corn ear inspection machine is equipped with a drive translation device, a rotary centering clamping device, and a vision inspection device. The rotary centering clamping device receives corn from the transfer platform of the ground rail robot and clamps and positions the corn axially. The drive translation device moves the rotary centering clamping device to below the vision inspection device, and the vision inspection device performs visual inspection on the corn to obtain ear variety test data.

[0017] The corn threshing and screening machine is equipped with a corn threshing device, a linear vibrating screening device, a corn cob transfer frame, an impurity collection box, and a kernel collection hopper. The corn threshing device receives corn from the ground rail robot transfer platform and threshes the corn, so that the corn cob falls into the corn cob transfer frame and the corn kernels fall into the linear vibrating screening device. The linear vibrating screening device vibrates the corn kernels to remove impurities, so that the corn kernels fall into the kernel collection hopper and the impurities fall into the impurity collection box.

[0018] The corn kernel bulk material testing machine is equipped with a vibrating bulk material assembly, a flat belt conveyor, a vision inspection assembly, and a weighing and detection collection hopper. The vibrating bulk material assembly receives corn kernels from the transfer platform of the ground rail robot and vibrates all the corn kernels to make them evenly spread and fall onto the flat belt conveyor. The flat belt conveyor transports the corn kernels through the vision inspection assembly and makes the corn kernels fall into the weighing and detection collection hopper. The vision inspection assembly performs visual inspection of the corn kernels to obtain corn kernel seed quality test data. The weighing and detection collection hopper performs drying and weighing to obtain corn kernel moisture content test data.

[0019] The main control cabinet is connected to the feeding and storage weighing machine, corn ear inspection machine, ear threshing and screening machine, corn seed bulk material inspection machine, and ground rail robot transfer platform. It is used to coordinate the operation of each device and output corn seed quality test results based on weight data, ear seed quality test data, corn seed quality test data, and moisture content test data.

[0020] Furthermore, the wrist carrier includes pneumatic fingers for gripping corn and a kernel box for holding corn kernels, with each pneumatic finger having a V-shaped groove that mates with the side of the corn kernel.

[0021] Furthermore, the corn storage lifting device includes a material frame with a discharge port, an inclined surface located within the material frame, a top plate located on one side of the bottom end of the inclined surface, a parallel cylinder for driving the top plate to rise and fall, and a height limiting bar located above the bottom end of the inclined surface. When the top plate is at its lowest position, it forms the same inclined plane as the inclined surface, so that the corn can be moved onto the top plate and limited by the inner wall of the material frame.

[0022] Furthermore, the thickness of the top plate is 2 / 3 of the outer diameter of the corn.

[0023] Furthermore, the rotary centering clamping device includes a rotary device base plate, a parallel pneumatic gripper disposed below the rotary device base plate, a tip for inserting into both ends of the corn, and a rotary driver for driving the tip to rotate. The rotary device base plate is mounted on a drive translation device.

[0024] Furthermore, the vibrating bulk material assembly includes a circular vibrating disc for placing corn kernels, a circular vibrating machine for driving the circular vibrating disc to vibrate so that the corn kernels are output one by one in sequence, an outlet track connected to the output end of the circular vibrating disc, a flow-limiting rod provided on the outlet track, an inclined baffle provided below the outlet track, and a linear vibrating motor for driving the inclined baffle to vibrate. The outlet track is inclined on the open side, and the bottom end of the inclined baffle is connected to the flat belt conveyor.

[0025] Furthermore, the weighing detection hopper includes a weighing base plate, a weighing box disposed on the weighing base plate, a weighing sensor disposed at the bottom of the weighing box, and a heater for heating the weighing box.

[0026] Secondly, this application provides an automated corn assessment method for controlling the aforementioned automated corn assessment system, comprising the following steps:

[0027] S00. Scan the QR code pasted on one side of the corn cob to feed the corn and place it on the corn storage lifting device.

[0028] S10. Determine whether corn is being fed through the corn storage lifting device; if yes, proceed to step S20; if no, return to step S00.

[0029] S20. The corn storage lifting device lifts the corn one by one and drops it onto the static weighing device. The static weighing device performs axial clamping, positioning, and weighing of the corn to obtain weight data.

[0030] S30. The corn is transferred to the initial position of the drive translation device by the ground rail robot transfer platform, and the corn is axially clamped and positioned by the rotary centering clamping device; the rotary centering clamping device is moved to the bottom of the vision inspection device by the drive translation device, and the corn is visually inspected by the vision inspection device to obtain the ear variety test data.

[0031] S40. The corn is transferred to the corn threshing device by the ground rail robot transfer platform. The corn is threshed by the corn threshing device, so that the corn cob falls into the corn cob transfer frame and the corn kernels fall into the linear vibration screening device. The linear vibration screening device vibrates to remove impurities from the corn kernels, so that the corn kernels fall into the kernel collection hopper and the impurities fall into the impurity collection box.

[0032] S50. The corn kernels are transferred to the vibrating bulk material assembly by the ground rail robot transfer platform. The vibrating bulk material assembly vibrates all the corn kernels so that they are evenly spread and fall onto the flat belt conveyor. The flat belt conveyor transports the corn kernels through the vision detection assembly and makes the corn kernels fall into the weighing detection collection hopper. The vision detection assembly performs visual detection on the corn kernels to obtain corn kernel seed quality detection data. The weighing detection collection hopper is used for drying and weighing to obtain corn kernel moisture detection data.

[0033] S60 outputs corn variety test results, which include comprehensive weight data, ear variety test data, corn seed variety test data, and moisture content test data.

[0034] Thirdly, this application provides an electronic device, including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program and the processor is configured to run the computer program to execute the aforementioned automated corn harvesting method.

[0035] Fourthly, this application provides a readable storage medium storing a computer program, the computer program including program code for controlling a process to execute the process, the process including the above-described automated corn assessment method.

[0036] The main contributions and innovations of this invention are as follows: 1. Compared with the prior art, this application adopts a production line design concept to effectively link corn ear seed testing, corn kernel seed testing and subsequent dryness and moisture detection. Through the unit module + industrial robot transfer method, the original independent corn ear weighing and detection, ear threshing and impurity removal, kernel detection and packaging unit modules are linked together to form a complete corn seed testing equipment, which solves the problem of incomplete corn seed testing and detection, improves corn seed testing efficiency, and only requires one person to perform loading and unloading operations, eliminating the need for multiple people to operate multiple machines, significantly reducing the workload of workers;

[0037] 2. Compared with the prior art, this application uses a carrier installed on the robot's wrist to transfer corn ears and kernels, which avoids excessive human intervention in the seed testing process, reduces the frequency of human intervention and operational errors, and improves the automation level and accuracy of corn seed testing equipment.

[0038] 3. Compared with existing technologies, this application can detect a large number of corn samples at one time, and the detection results of the corn testing equipment are more reliable and representative.

[0039] 4. Compared with the prior art, this application can not only automatically perform seed testing, but also operate one of the devices independently. For example, it can weigh the corn by feeding and storing the corn, detect the corn ears by testing the corn ears to obtain seed testing data, prepare corn kernels and corn cobs by threshing and screening the corn kernels, and separately screen the corn kernels by using a corn kernel bulk material detector to obtain corn kernel seed testing data and perform drying and weighing to obtain moisture content testing data. The equipment utilization rate is higher.

[0040] 5. Compared with the prior art, this application has the function of data traceability, which can detect and print labels and test result information on a single ear of corn, realize the traceability association between test information and physical objects, and can display test result data in real time through a touch screen.

[0041] Details of one or more embodiments of this application are set forth in the following drawings and description to make other features, objects and advantages of this application more readily apparent. Attached Figure Description

[0042] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of this application and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments and are used to explain this application, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this application. In the drawings:

[0043] Figure 1 This is a system framework diagram of this application;

[0044] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the transfer platform structure for the ground-rail robot in this application;

[0045] Figure 3 This application is Figure 2 Enlarged diagram of A in the middle;

[0046] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the material loading and storage weighing machine of this application;

[0047] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the corn storage lifting device described in this application. Figure 1 ;

[0048] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the corn storage lifting device described in this application. Figure 2 ;

[0049] Figure 7 This application illustrates the structural design of a corn ear detection machine. Figure 1 ;

[0050] Figure 8 This application illustrates the structural design of a corn ear detection machine. Figure 2 ;

[0051] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the ear threshing and screening machine of this application;

[0052] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the corn kernel bulk material testing machine of this application. Figure 1 ;

[0053] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the corn kernel bulk material testing machine of this application. Figure 2 ;

[0054] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the export track structure of this application;

[0055] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this application;

[0056] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of an electronic device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0057] In the diagram: 1. Feeding area; 2. Ground-rail robot transfer platform; 3. Feeding and storage weighing machine; 4. Corn ear inspection machine; 5. Ear threshing and screening machine; 6. Loose corn kernel inspection machine; 7. Main control cabinet; 8. Computer cabinet; 9. Fence; 10. Corn ear; 101. Corn kernel; 21. Ground rail component; 22. Robot gripping component; 221. Six-axis robot; 222. Kernel box; 223. T-shaped plate; 224. Finger seat; 225. Pneumatic finger; 226. Gripping finger; 227. Gripping base plate; 228. Transition connecting plate; 229. Kernel base; 31. Handheld barcode scanner; 32. Corn storage lifting device; 33. Static weighing device; 321. Material frame; 322. Inclined surface; 323. Height limit bar; 324. Parallel air... 325. Cylinder; 326. Top plate; 41. Through-beam photoelectric sensor; 42. Drive translation device; 43. Rotary centering clamping device; 44. Vision inspection device; 421. Rotary device base plate; 422. Parallel pneumatic gripper; 423. Rotary driver; 424. Top tip; 51. Corn threshing device; 52. Linear vibrating screening device; 53. Corn cob transfer frame; 54. Impurity collection box; 55. Grain collection hopper; 511. Inclined feed hopper; 61. Vibrating material distribution assembly; 62. Flat belt conveyor; 63. Vision inspection assembly; 64. Weighing and detection collection hopper; 611. Circular vibrating plate; 612. Circular vibrating machine; 613. Outlet track; 614. Flow limiting rod; 615. Inclined spoiler; 616. Linear vibrating motor; 641. Weighing base plate; 642. Weighing box. Detailed Implementation

[0058] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with one or more embodiments of this specification. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of one or more embodiments of this specification as detailed in the appended claims.

[0059] It should be noted that the steps of the corresponding methods are not necessarily performed in the order shown and described in this specification in other embodiments. In some other embodiments, the methods may include more or fewer steps than described in this specification. Furthermore, a single step described in this specification may be broken down into multiple steps in other embodiments; and multiple steps described in this specification may be combined into a single step in other embodiments.

[0060] This application connects machines responsible for individual corn seed testing functions in series using a ground-rail robotic transplanting platform, forming an automated corn seed testing system. This system can perform corn ear seed testing, corn seed seed testing, and data traceability functions, enabling batch-scale systematic testing of corn from ear to kernel. The test results are linked to the actual product in real time, and it can provide data display and command input at the single-workstation level. The entire line consists of several parts, including a ground-rail robotic transplanting platform, a corn ear 10 feeding and storage machine, a corn ear testing machine 4, an ear threshing and screening machine 5, a corn seed bulk material testing machine 6, a main control cabinet 7, and a computer cabinet 8. In the following text, "corn ear 10" and "corn" both refer to the same object, namely, corn ear 10.

[0061] Example 1

[0062] This application aims to propose an automated corn seed evaluation system, specifically, referring to... Figure 1 and Figure 13 The system includes:

[0063] Loading area 1 is for manual loading and unloading operations;

[0064] In this embodiment, the loading area 1 is the position where workers operate loading and unloading, also known as the manual operation position. It can accommodate up to two workers operating at the same time. One is responsible for loading (scanning the corn and putting it into the loading warehouse weighing machine 3), and the other is responsible for unloading (taking the corn kernels 101 from the corn kernel bulk detection machine 6 and packaging them to meet the standards).

[0065] The ground-rail robot transfer platform 2 is equipped with a wrist carrier for grabbing corn and receiving corn kernels 101 and transporting the corn or corn kernels 101 from one processing position to the next processing position;

[0066] In this embodiment, as Figure 2 As shown, the ground-rail robot transfer platform 2 (hereinafter referred to as the ground-rail robot) consists of two parts: a ground-rail component 21 and a robot gripping component 22. The robot gripping component 22 is installed above the ground-rail transfer platform and moves the robot by positioning the ground-rail platform. The robot's wrist carrier is equipped with two sets of fixtures: a corn ear gripping device and a corn kernel box (kernel box 222), thereby realizing the positioning and transfer of corn ears and kernels between different workstations.

[0067] The ground rail component 21 comprises a ground rail steel frame, a 1.5KW servo motor, a planetary reducer, a drive spur gear, a rack and pinion, a linear guide rail, and a transfer platform. The servo motor is mounted on the transfer platform and directly connected to the spur gear via the planetary reducer. The transfer platform is mounted on the linear guide rail, and a rack and pinion are mounted on the ground rail steel frame. The gear and rack mesh, and when the motor rotates, it converts rotational motion into linear motion, thereby driving the transfer platform to reciprocate along the linear guide rail. This is existing technology and will not be elaborated further here.

[0068] The robot gripping component 22 (wrist carrier) comprises a six-axis robot 221, a kernel box 222, a T-plate 223, a corn ear gripper, and 120-degree gripping fingers. The corn ear 10 gripping fixture and the corn kernel box are connected via the T-plate 223. The corn ear 10 gripper is driven by pneumatic fingers 225, and the 120-degree gripping fingers 226 grip the corn. It is fixed to one side of the T-plate 223 for transferring and transporting the corn ear between different workstations in the seed testing system. The corn kernel box is fixed to the other side of the T-plate 223 for transferring the corn kernels 101.

[0069] Preferably, the wrist carrier of this application is a functional composite gripper for transporting corn ears and kernels, combining the functions of corn transport and kernel transport. The gripper has two independent components: a corn ear gripper and a corn kernel 101 transporting part, which are connected by a T-plate 223. The composite gripper as a whole is connected to the robot wrist through a transition connecting plate 228 and a T-plate 223. The T-plate 223 and the transition connecting plate 228 are connected by a hand-tightened screw and a positioning pin, thereby realizing a movable and detachable structure for the functional composite gripper, which is convenient for maintenance during use.

[0070] like Figure 3 As shown, the corn cob gripper includes pneumatic fingers 225, finger seats 224, 120-degree gripping fingers 226, and a gripping base plate 227. The finger seats 224 are mounted on the grippers of the pneumatic fingers 225, and the 120-degree gripping fingers 226 are mounted on the upper side of the finger seats 224. The gripping fingers 226 are V-grooves with self-centering characteristics, which can adapt to the gripping needs of corn cobs 10 with different diameters by changing the spacing of the gripping fingers 226. The pneumatic fingers 225 are of the 25mm cylinder diameter type, and the opening and closing range of the pneumatic fingers 225 is 0~80mm, which can widely adapt to the gripping needs of different varieties of corn cobs (Note: the outer diameter variation range near the center of different varieties of corn cobs is 40mm~75mm, which is less than the effective stroke of the pneumatic fingers 225).

[0071] Preferably, the gripper finger 226 is made of soft nylon. When the pneumatic finger 225 drives the 120-degree gripper finger 226 to grip the corn ear 10 with a certain force F, a reaction force N is generated on the inner surface of the contact point between the corn and the gripping point, causing a certain degree of plastic deformation on the inner surface of the V-shaped gripper finger 226. Through the plastic deformation of the inner surface of the V-shaped groove of the gripper finger 226, a flexible wrapping contact state is formed to grip the corn ear 10, which increases the contact area and reduces the damage rate of kernels when the fingers grip the corn ear 10. By adjusting the working air pressure of the pneumatic finger 225 through a precision pressure regulating valve, the output force of the gripper finger 226 can be precisely controlled. On the one hand, this reduces the damage rate of corn kernels 101 during gripping; on the other hand, the long stroke opening and closing characteristic of the pneumatic finger 225 increases the compatibility of the wrist carrier and can meet the needs of different varieties of corn.

[0072] Preferably, the corn cob kernel box 222 includes a kernel box 222 and a kernel base 229. The kernel box 222 is mounted on the kernel base 229 and is connected to the T-shaped plate 223 by screws. The upper part has a direct opening, and the internal volume space is used to buffer the corn kernels 101.

[0073] Preferably, each individual device in this application (except for the ground-rail robot transfer platform 2) has a touch screen and control buttons (such as conventional buttons for opening, closing, and emergency stop) and can be operated independently.

[0074] The feeding and storage weighing machine 3 is equipped with a barcode scanning module, a corn storage lifting device 32, and a static weighing device 33. The barcode scanning module scans the QR code affixed to the corn for feeding. The corn storage lifting device 32 temporarily stores the corn and lifts it one by one onto the static weighing device 33. The static weighing device 33 axially clamps, positions, and weighs the corn to obtain weight data.

[0075] In this embodiment, as Figure 4As shown, the system includes three devices: a handheld barcode scanner 31 (which can be a barcode scanning module or other scanning devices, not limited here), a corn storage lifting device 32, and a static weighing device 33. Before the corn ear 10 is tested, a QR code is first affixed to one end face of the corn ear 10 along its axial direction. During the corn ear loading operation, the barcode is first scanned with the handheld barcode scanner 31, and then the corn storage lifting device 32 is used to buffer the material. After pressing the equipment start button, the corn storage lifting device 32 pushes out a single corn ear from the hopper. After the lifting plate pushes out, the other side of the top plate 325 blocks the remaining corn ears on the sliding track, realizing the preset functions of corn storage and ear sorting loading. After the push plate reaches its highest point, the corn ear slides down the inclined connecting slide and falls into the V-shaped fixture of the static weighing device 33. First, the axial limiting device (which holds the two ends of the corn by two needle-like structures on the left and right) performs axial coarse positioning, and then the weight value of the corn ear 10 is read. After the weighing value is read, the ground-rail robot transfer platform 2 grabs and moves it into the next inspection process.

[0076] Among them, the handheld barcode scanner 31 is placed inside the barcode scanner support frame and is used to scan the QR code pasted on the axial end face of the corn ear, responsible for importing information such as the origin and variety of the corn into the data traceability system.

[0077] Among them, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the corn storage lifting device 32 includes two functional components: corn storage and corn lifting. The scanned corn ears are manually placed into the inlet of the storage box (material frame 321). A guide and limiting semi-circular bar (height limit bar 323) is welded to the upper surface of the storage box's feeding ramp (inclined surface 322). When the corn ear is released, it slides down the ramp under gravity to the bottom limiting plate (inner wall of the material frame 321). The ramp's length allows for the storage of a certain quantity of corn. After storage is complete, pressing the start button activates the photoelectric sensor 326 at the bottom of the storage box, which detects the presence of corn ears 10. The PLC controls the solenoid valve corresponding to the parallel cylinder 324 to reverse direction. The parallel cylinder 324 then lifts the top plate 325, whose width is 2 / 3 of the corn diameter. The reverse ramp blocks the remaining corn on the ramp, thus using dimensional relationships to distribute the corn ears 10. In the figure, G represents the direction of gravity, and the right figure is a cross-sectional view of the left figure.

[0078] Specifically, the corn stalks slide down the inclined plane under the influence of gravity. A certain number of corn stalks are buffered by the ratio between the length of the inclined plane and the outer diameter of the corn stalks. A height limit bar 323 acts as a guide and limiter during the descent, preventing axial movement of the corn stalks and preventing one corn stalk from being pulled up by another. Once the corn stalks reach the bottom of the inclined plane, a signal from the PLC controls the solenoid valve to reverse. A parallel cylinder 324 with a guide rod drives the top plate 325 upwards, moving each corn stalk upwards. At the highest point, the corn stalks slide down the inclined plane under the influence of gravity, falling into the next process. The remaining corn stalks are blocked on the outside by the reverse side of the top plate 325.

[0079] The corn ear inspection machine 4 is equipped with a drive translation device 41, a rotary centering clamping device 42, and a vision inspection device 43. The rotary centering clamping device 42 receives the corn transported by the ground rail robot transfer platform 2 and clamps and positions the corn axially. The drive translation device 41 moves the rotary centering clamping device 42 to below the vision inspection device 43. The vision inspection device 43 performs visual inspection on the corn to obtain ear variety test data.

[0080] In this embodiment, as Figure 7 As shown, the ground-rail robot transfer platform 2 uses its wrist-mounted carrier to grip and transfer the corn to the front limit point of the drive translation device 41. The rotating centering clamping device 42 axially clamps and positions the corn. The drive translation device 41 then transfers the corn to below the area scan camera of the vision inspection device 43 (the rear limit point of the drive translation device 41) for clamping and positioning, enabling the detection of relevant indicators of the corn. The specific detection algorithm can be any conventional technique and is not limited here. After visual inspection, the drive translation device 41 drives the corn to the front limit position, where the wrist-mounted carrier of the ground-rail robot transfer platform 2 grasps the corn for the next process.

[0081] Among them, such as Figure 8 As shown, the rotating centering clamping device 42 mainly consists of a rotating device base plate 421, a parallel gripper 422, a 180-degree swing cylinder (rotary driver 423), and a tip 424 (which can be inserted into both ends of the corn shaft). The parallel gripper 422 is equipped with a 180-degree swing cylinder and a tip 424 on both sides, which are controlled by two solenoid valves. One solenoid valve is responsible for controlling the opening and closing of the parallel gripper 422, and the other solenoid valve is responsible for controlling the rotation and return of the 180-degree swing cylinders on both sides. When the wrist carrier clamps the corn ear to the front limit, the control system of the ground rail robot transfer platform 2 interacts with the PLC. The PLC controls the solenoid valve to switch directions, and the parallel gripper 422 drives the 180-degree swing cylinders on both sides to center and clamp. The rotation of the corn is achieved by controlling the swing cylinders on both sides simultaneously through another solenoid valve.

[0082] The driving translation device 41 mainly consists of a translation base plate, a linear guide rail, a floating joint, a magnetically coupled rodless cylinder, and front and rear buffer limit devices. The translation base plate is installed on the linear guide rail. The floating joint, the magnetically coupled rodless cylinder, and the translation base plate are connected at the same time. The reciprocating motion of the rodless cylinder is controlled by the solenoid valve, thereby driving the translation base plate to reciprocate linearly with the centering clamping rotation mechanism.

[0083] The visual inspection device 43 consists of a light shield, a light source and controller, and an area array camera. When the driving translation device 41 moves the rotating clamping device below the visual inspection device 43, the camera takes pictures of the corn ears 10. The pictures are then analyzed by a computer using algorithms to obtain relevant detection parameters for the corn ears 10. The algorithm can be any conventional technology, which is not limited here and will not be elaborated further.

[0084] The corn threshing and screening machine 5 is equipped with a corn threshing device 51, a linear vibration screening device 52, a corn cob transfer frame 53, an impurity collection box 54, and a kernel collection hopper 55. The corn threshing device 51 receives the corn transported by the ground rail robot transfer platform 2 and threshes the corn, so that the corn cob falls into the corn cob transfer frame 53 and the corn kernels 101 fall into the linear vibration screening device 52. The linear vibration screening device 52 vibrates the corn kernels 101 to remove impurities, so that the corn kernels 101 fall into the kernel collection hopper 55 and the impurities fall into the impurity collection box 54.

[0085] Among them, such as Figure 9 As shown, the corn threshing device 51 includes an inclined feed hopper 511 for feeding, a threshing cylinder whose starting end is connected to the end of the inclined feed hopper 511, a threshing roller located below the threshing cylinder, a threshing rotary motor for driving the threshing roller to rotate, and a collection plate located at the end of the threshing cylinder. The threshing cylinder is provided with multiple openings, and the threshing roller is provided with a spiral baffle that cooperates with the openings.

[0086] In this embodiment, as Figure 9 As shown, the ground-rail robot grabs corn and clamps it into the inclined feed hopper 511 of the corn threshing device 51. The inclined feed hopper 511 is installed at an upward tilt of 15 degrees. The corn ears entering the inclined feed hopper 511 slide down under the influence of gravity and enter the corn threshing cylinder for threshing. The threshed corn cobs flow out of the outside of the threshing cylinder, and the threshed corn kernels 101 fall into the linear vibrating screening device 52 for impurity removal. The kernels fall into the collection hopper, and the impurities fall into the impurity collection box 54, thus completing the separation of corn kernels 101 and impurities. After the sensor detects the material collection, the ground-rail robot picks up the clean kernels through the kernel box 222 of the wrist carrier and transfers them to the corn kernel bulk material detector 6 for kernel parameter detection.

[0087] The corn threshing device 51 and the linear vibrating screening device 52 are conventional technologies. The principle of the corn threshing device 51 is that the threshing roller is driven by a motor to rotate, and the corn kernels 101 are scraped off by the spiral scraper on the threshing roller. The corn kernels 101 fall through the opening of the inclined feed hopper 511. The linear vibrating screening device 52 is a common technology in the field. It uses vibration and a screen to screen the corn kernels 101 and impurities. When the corn kernels 101 mixed with impurities fall into the vibrating plate of the linear vibrating screening device 52, they first fall into the upper layer of the vibrating plate. The corn kernels 101 are larger in size, while the impurities are smaller in size. Through the action of the screen on the mixture, the impurities are filtered to the lower layer of the vibrating plate. The kernels fall into the kernel collection hopper 55 under the drive of the screen, thereby achieving the separation of kernels and impurities and obtaining relatively pure corn kernels 101. Since this is existing technology, its principle and specific structure will not be described in detail.

[0088] The corn kernel bulk material testing machine 6 is equipped with a vibrating bulk material assembly 61, a flat belt conveyor 62, a vision inspection assembly 63, and a weighing and detection collection hopper 64. The vibrating bulk material assembly 61 receives corn kernels 101 conveyed by the ground rail robot transfer platform 2 and vibrates all corn kernels 101 to make them evenly spread and fall onto the flat belt conveyor 62. The flat belt conveyor 62 transports the corn kernels 101 through the vision inspection assembly 63 and makes the corn kernels 101 fall into the weighing and detection collection hopper 64. The vision inspection assembly 63 performs visual inspection of the corn kernels to obtain the seed quality test data of the corn kernels 101. The weighing and detection collection hopper 64 performs drying and weighing to obtain the dryness and moisture test data of the corn kernels 101.

[0089] In this embodiment, as Figures 10-12 As shown, the vibrating bulk material assembly 61 includes a circular vibrating disc 611 for holding corn kernels 101, a circular vibrating motor 612 for driving the circular vibrating disc 611 to vibrate so that the corn kernels 101 are output one by one in sequence, an outlet track 613 connected to the output end of the circular vibrating disc 611, a flow-limiting rod 614 provided on the outlet track 613, an inclined baffle 615 provided below the outlet track 613, and a linear vibrating motor 616 for driving the inclined baffle 615 to vibrate. The bottom end of the inclined baffle 615 is connected to the flat belt conveyor 62, and the inclined baffle 615 is provided with multiple protrusions. Figure 11 As shown, the weighing detection hopper 64 includes a weighing base plate 641, a weighing box 642 disposed on the weighing base plate 641, a weighing sensor disposed at the bottom of the weighing box 642, and a heater for heating the weighing box 642.

[0090] In this process, a ground-rail robot pours threshed and impurity-removed corn kernels 101 into a vibrating material distribution assembly 61. The vibrating material distribution assembly 61 spreads the corn kernels into a single layer and places them onto a flat conveyor belt 62. A vision inspection assembly 63 is installed above the flat conveyor belt 62 (the structure and principle of the vision inspection assembly 63 here are basically the same as the vision inspection device 43 of the corn ear inspection machine 4, the difference being that the recognition algorithm is different), thereby inspecting the corn kernels 101 on the flat conveyor belt 62. After the corn kernels 101 are inspected, they fall into a weighing hopper for weighing. The "dry weighing test method" is used, which detects the moisture loss by heating the kernels at regular intervals, thereby calculating the moisture content (dryness) of the corn kernels 101. For example, after the single corn kernel 101 test is completed, the weighing value of the weighing sensor is read first, and the reading value is the wet weight value; then the corn kernel box is heated by the heating rod to evaporate the moisture, and the weight is read again, and the reading value is the dry weight value. The difference between the wet weight value and the dry weight value is the moisture content. The ratio of the moisture content to the dry weight multiplied by 100% is the moisture content of the corn.

[0091] Preferably, the vibrating bulk material assembly 61, through the coordinated action of two vibrators and a belt conveyor, straightens the originally disordered grains into a single layer of material flow, which is then spread on the straight-running flat belt conveyor 62, and is dynamically visually inspected by a line scan camera above the belt conveyor. After the ground-rail robot pours corn kernels 101 into the circular vibrating plate 611 through the kernel box 222, the circular vibrating machine 612 drives the vibrating plate to move, and the kernels are fed. By limiting the size of the discharge port of the circular vibrating plate 611, individual corn kernels 101 are pushed into the discharge port track of the circular vibrating plate 611 in sequence, forming a straight material flow in the outlet track 613. The bottom of the outlet track 613 is inclined downward at 15°, and a flow-limiting rod 614 is spot-welded along the lowest side of the inclined surface. The corn kernels 101 are squeezed and moved forward inside the outlet track 613. During the process of moving forward, a material flow is formed that falls at an angle. The inclined baffle 615 disperses the falling corn kernels 101 a second time, thereby obtaining a single layer of corn kernel 101 material flow, which falls onto the upper surface of the flat belt conveyor 62. The relevant kernel parameters are dynamically detected by the vision detection component 63.

[0092] The main control cabinet 7 is connected to the feeding and storage weighing machine 3, the corn ear detection machine 4, the ear threshing and screening machine 5, the corn seed bulk material detection machine 6, and the ground rail robot transfer platform 2. It is used to coordinate the operation of each device and output the corn seed quality test results based on weight data, ear seed quality test data, corn seed 101 quality test data, and moisture content test data. The results can be in the form of charts or raw data, which is convenient for staff to analyze and process later.

[0093] In this embodiment, the various unit components communicate with each other via Ethernet and switches, and use the Profinet protocol for command issuance and data acquisition. The PC and the PLC controller communicate via the OPC-UA protocol for command issuance and data acquisition.

[0094] like Figure 1 The internal equipment can be numbered, such as OP10 ground rail robot transfer platform 2, OP20 feeding and weighing machine 3, OP30 corn ear detection machine 4, OP40 ear threshing and screening machine 5, and OP50 corn kernel bulk detection machine 6, for easy internal identification. Internally, OPXX can be used to represent the equipment. This application may also include a computer cabinet 8 and an external fence 9. A maintenance door can be set in the fence 9. The area outside the fence 9 is the logistics line, which can greatly facilitate the transportation of corn. Maintenance passages are left between the various equipment to facilitate maintenance by workers.

[0095] Example 2

[0096] Based on the same concept, this application also proposes an automated method for corn seed evaluation, including the following steps:

[0097] S00. Scan the QR code pasted on one side of the corn cob 10 along the axial direction, load the corn and place it on the corn storage lifting device 32.

[0098] S10. Determine whether corn is being fed using the corn storage lifting device 32; if yes, proceed to step S20; if no, return to step S00.

[0099] S20, the corn storage lifting device 32 lifts the corn one by one and drops it onto the static weighing device 33. The static weighing device 33 performs axial clamping, positioning, and weighing of the corn to obtain weight data.

[0100] S30. The corn is transferred to the initial position of the drive translation device 41 by the ground rail robot transfer platform 2, and the corn is axially clamped and positioned by the rotary centering clamping device 42; the rotary centering clamping device 42 is moved to the under of the vision inspection device 43 by the drive translation device 41, and the corn is visually inspected by the vision inspection device 43 to obtain the ear variety test data.

[0101] S40. The corn is transferred to the corn threshing device 51 by the ground rail robot transfer platform 2. The corn is threshed by the corn threshing device 51, so that the corn cob falls into the corn cob transfer frame 53 and the corn kernel 101 falls into the linear vibration screening device 52. The linear vibration screening device 52 vibrates the corn kernel 101 to remove impurities, so that the corn kernel 101 falls into the kernel collection hopper 55 and the impurities fall into the impurity collection box 54.

[0102] S50. The corn kernels 101 are transferred to the vibrating bulk material assembly 61 by the ground rail robot transfer platform 2. The vibrating bulk material assembly 61 vibrates all the corn kernels 101 so that they are evenly spread and fall onto the flat belt conveyor 62. The flat belt conveyor 62 transports the corn kernels 101 through the vision detection assembly 63 and makes the corn kernels 101 fall into the weighing detection collection hopper 64. The vision detection assembly 63 performs visual detection on the corn kernels to obtain the corn kernels 101 seed quality detection data. The weighing detection collection hopper 64 performs drying and weighing to obtain the dryness and moisture detection data of the corn kernels 101.

[0103] The S60, comprehensive weight data, ear variety test data, corn kernel 101 variety test data, and moisture content test data output the corn variety test results.

[0104] Example 3

[0105] This embodiment also provides an electronic device, see reference. Figure 14 It includes a memory 404 and a processor 402, wherein the memory 404 stores a computer program and the processor 402 is configured to run the computer program to perform the steps in any of the above method embodiments.

[0106] Specifically, the processor 402 may include a central processing unit (CPU), or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits that can be configured to implement the embodiments of this application.

[0107] Memory 404 may include a mass storage device for data or instructions. For example, and not limitingly, memory 404 may include a hard disk drive (HDD), a floppy disk drive, a solid-state drive (SSD), flash memory, an optical disk drive, a magneto-optical disk drive, magnetic tape, or a Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive, or a combination of two or more of these. Where appropriate, memory 404 may include removable or non-removable (or fixed) media. Where appropriate, memory 404 may be internal or external to a data processing device. In a particular embodiment, memory 404 is non-volatile memory. In a particular embodiment, memory 404 includes read-only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM). Where appropriate, the ROM may be a mask-programmed ROM, a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable read-only memory (EEPROM), an electrically alterable read-only memory (EAROM), or flash memory, or a combination of two or more of these. Where appropriate, the RAM can be Static Random-Access Memory (SRAM) or Dynamic Random-Access Memory (DRAM). DRAM can be Fast Page Mode Dynamic Random-Access Memory (FPMDRAM), Extended Data Out Dynamic Random-Access Memory (EDODRAM), Synchronous Dynamic Random-Access Memory (SDRAM), etc.

[0108] The memory 404 can be used to store or cache various data files that need to be processed and / or communicated, as well as possible computer program instructions executed by the processor 402.

[0109] The processor 402 reads and executes computer program instructions stored in the memory 404 to implement any of the automated corn assessment methods in the above embodiments.

[0110] Optionally, the electronic device may further include a transmission device 406 and an input / output device 408, wherein the transmission device 406 is connected to the processor 402, and the input / output device 408 is connected to the processor 402.

[0111] The transmission device 406 can be used to receive or send data via a network. Specific examples of the network described above may include wired or wireless networks provided by the communication provider of the electronic device. In one example, the transmission device includes a Network Interface Controller (NIC), which can connect to other network devices via a base station to communicate with the Internet. In another example, the transmission device 406 may be a Radio Frequency (RF) module used for wireless communication with the Internet.

[0112] Input / output device 408 is used to input or output information. In this embodiment, the input information may be startup information, etc., and the output information may be detection results, etc.

[0113] Example 4

[0114] This embodiment also provides a readable storage medium storing a computer program, the computer program including program code for controlling a process to execute the process, the process including the automated corn assessment method according to Embodiment 1.

[0115] It should be noted that the specific examples in this embodiment can refer to the examples described in the above embodiments and optional implementations, and will not be repeated here.

[0116] Generally, various embodiments can be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects of the invention can be implemented in hardware, while others can be implemented by firmware or software executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device, but the invention is not limited thereto. Although various aspects of the invention may be shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, by way of non-limiting example, these blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0117] Embodiments of the present invention can be implemented by computer software, which may be executable by a data processor of a mobile device, such as a processor entity, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. Computer software or programs (also referred to as program products), including software routines, applets, and / or macros, can be stored in any device-readable data storage medium, and they include program instructions for performing specific tasks. A computer program product may include one or more computer-executable components configured to perform embodiments when the program is run. One or more computer-executable components may be at least one piece of software code or a portion thereof. Additionally, it should be noted that any block in the logical flow of the figures may represent a program step, or interconnected logic circuits, blocks, and functions, or a combination of program steps and logic circuits, blocks, and functions. The software may be stored on physical media such as memory chips or blocks of storage implemented within a processor, magnetic media such as hard disks or floppy disks, and optical media such as, for example, DVDs and their data variants, CDs, etc. The physical medium is a non-transient medium.

[0118] Those skilled in the art should understand that the technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments have been described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0119] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of this application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An automated corn seed testing system, characterized in that, include: The loading area is for manual loading and unloading operations. The ground-rail robot transfer platform is equipped with wrist carriers for gripping corn and catching corn kernels, and transporting corn or corn kernels from one processing position to the next processing position; The feeding and storage weighing machine is equipped with a barcode scanning module, a corn storage lifting device, and a static weighing device. The barcode scanning module scans the QR code affixed to the corn for feeding. The corn storage lifting device temporarily stores the corn and lifts it one by one into the static weighing device. The static weighing device axially clamps, positions, and weighs the corn to obtain weight data. The corn ear inspection machine is equipped with a drive translation device, a rotary centering clamping device, and a vision inspection device. The rotary centering clamping device receives corn from the transfer platform of the ground-rail robot and clamps and positions the corn axially. The drive translation device moves the rotary centering clamping device to below the vision inspection device, and the vision inspection device performs visual inspection on the corn to obtain ear variety test data. The corn threshing and screening machine is equipped with a corn threshing device, a linear vibrating screening device, a corn cob transfer frame, an impurity collection box, and a kernel collection hopper. The corn threshing device receives corn transported by the ground-rail robot transfer platform and threshes the corn, so that the corn cob falls into the corn cob transfer frame and the corn kernels fall into the linear vibrating screening device. The linear vibrating screening device vibrates the corn kernels to remove impurities, so that the corn kernels fall into the kernel collection hopper and the impurities fall into the impurity collection box. The corn kernel bulk material testing machine is equipped with a vibrating bulk material assembly, a flat belt conveyor, a vision inspection assembly, and a weighing and detection collection hopper. The vibrating bulk material assembly receives corn kernels transported by the ground-rail robot transfer platform and vibrates all the corn kernels to make them evenly spread and fall onto the flat belt conveyor. The flat belt conveyor transports the corn kernels through the vision inspection assembly and causes the corn kernels to fall into the weighing and detection collection hopper. The vision inspection assembly performs visual inspection of the corn kernels to obtain corn kernel seed quality test data. The weighing and detection collection hopper performs drying and weighing to obtain corn kernel moisture content test data. The main control cabinet is communicatively connected to the feeding and weighing machine, the corn ear detection machine, the ear threshing and screening machine, the corn seed bulk material detection machine, and the ground-rail robot transfer platform. It is used to coordinate the operation of each device and output the corn seed testing results based on the weight data, the ear seed testing data, the corn seed testing data, and the moisture content testing data.

2. The automated corn seed testing system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The wrist carrier includes pneumatic fingers for gripping corn and a kernel box for holding corn kernels. Each of the pneumatic fingers has a V-shaped groove that mates with the side of the corn kernel.

3. The automated corn seed testing system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The corn storage lifting device includes a material frame with a discharge port, an inclined surface located inside the material frame, a top plate located on one side of the bottom end of the inclined surface, a parallel cylinder for driving the top plate to rise and fall, and a height limiting rod located above the bottom end of the inclined surface. When the top plate is at its lowest position, it forms the same inclined plane as the inclined surface, so that the corn can be moved onto the top plate and limited by the inner wall of the material frame.

4. The automated corn seed testing system as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The thickness of the top plate is 2 / 3 of the outer diameter of the corn.

5. The automated corn seed testing system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The rotary centering clamping device includes a rotary device base plate, a parallel pneumatic gripper disposed below the rotary device base plate, a tip for inserting into both ends of the corn, and a rotary driver for driving the tip to rotate. The rotary device base plate is mounted on the drive translation device.

6. The automated corn seed testing system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The vibrating bulk material assembly includes a circular vibrating disc for placing corn kernels, a circular vibrating machine for driving the disc to vibrate so that the corn kernels are output one by one in sequence, an outlet track connected to the output end of the disc, a flow-limiting rod on the outlet track, an inclined baffle plate below the outlet track, and a linear vibrating motor for driving the inclined baffle plate to vibrate. The outlet track is inclined on the open side, and the bottom end of the inclined baffle plate is connected to the flat belt conveyor.

7. The automated corn seed testing system as described in any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The weighing detection hopper includes a weighing base plate, a weighing box disposed on the weighing base plate, a weighing sensor disposed at the bottom of the weighing box, and a heater for heating the weighing box.

8. An automated corn seed testing method, used to control the automated corn seed testing system according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S00. Scan the QR code pasted on one side of the corn cob to feed the corn and place it on the corn storage lifting device. S10. Determine whether corn is being fed through the corn storage lifting device; if yes, proceed to step S20; if no, return to step S00. S20. The corn storage lifting device lifts the corn one by one and drops it onto the static weighing device. The static weighing device performs axial clamping, positioning, and weighing of the corn to obtain weight data. S30. The corn is transferred to the initial position of the drive translation device by the ground rail robot transfer platform, and the corn is axially clamped and positioned by the rotary centering clamping device; the rotary centering clamping device is moved to the bottom of the vision inspection device by the drive translation device, and the corn is visually inspected by the vision inspection device to obtain the ear variety test data. S40. The corn is transferred to the corn threshing device by the ground rail robot transfer platform. The corn is threshed by the corn threshing device, so that the corn cob falls into the corn cob transfer frame and the corn kernels fall into the linear vibration screening device. The linear vibration screening device vibrates to remove impurities from the corn kernels, so that the corn kernels fall into the kernel collection hopper and the impurities fall into the impurity collection box. S50. The corn kernels are transferred to the vibrating bulk material assembly by the ground rail robot transfer platform. The vibrating bulk material assembly vibrates all the corn kernels so that they are evenly spread and fall onto the flat belt conveyor. The flat belt conveyor transports the corn kernels through the vision detection assembly and makes the corn kernels fall into the weighing detection collection hopper. The vision detection assembly performs visual detection on the corn kernels to obtain corn kernel seed quality detection data. The weighing detection collection hopper is used for drying and weighing to obtain corn kernel moisture detection data. S60 outputs corn variety test results, which include comprehensive weight data, ear variety test data, corn seed variety test data, and moisture content test data.

9. An electronic device comprising a memory and a processor, characterized in that, The memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to execute the automated corn assessment method of claim 8.

10. A readable storage medium, characterized in that, The readable storage medium stores a computer program, the computer program including program code for controlling a process to execute the process, the process including the automated corn assessment method according to claim 8.

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