A multi-zone automatic weeding robot and a control method thereof

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of multi-region automatic weeding robot and its control method, which includes robot body, inter-row weeding mechanism, inter-plant weeding mechanism, walking mechanism and control mechanism. Inter-row weeding mechanism includes weeding arm, weeding knife assembly and adjusting assembly. Inter-plant weeding mechanism includes transverse movement module, vertical movement module, inter-plant weeding motor and weeding blade; Walking mechanism includes multiple lifting legs and wheels. Control mechanism includes attitude sensor, millimeter wave radar, camera, antenna and controller. The present application can automatically adjust the driving height according to the height of crop plants, and adjust the level of attitude, so as to effectively remove weeds in inter-row area and inter-plant area, and ensure the safety of crop plants while ensuring the working speed and driving stability of robot weeding, especially suitable for the geographical characteristics of uneven terrain in traditional Chinese medicinal material planting field.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of weeding robots, in particular to a robot capable of automatically weeding in multiple areas and a control method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] Chinese medicinal materials (such as white peony root and peony) are perennial medicinal materials, and the height thereof varies within a certain range (less than 70 mm) during different growth periods. Therefore, the Chinese medicinal material planting base needs to weed the medicinal materials in different growth periods during the growth of the Chinese medicinal materials. The Chinese medicinal materials are usually planted in a matrix manner, and a row area is left between adjacent rows, and a plant area is left between adjacent plants in each row. The growth of weeds is irregular, and weeds may appear in the row area and the plant area.

[0003] The existing weeding robots are mostly suitable for large-area weeding operations and cannot simultaneously perform weeding operations in the row area and the plant area. For the case that weeds appear in the row area and the plant area, the existing weeding robots have low weeding efficiency and cannot guarantee that weeds in each area can be efficiently removed. The cutting head of the existing weeding robot does not take into account the geographical characteristics of the row area and the plant area, and the cutting head is likely to damage normal Chinese medicinal material crops during weeding operations. Moreover, the ground of the Chinese medicinal material planting field is uneven and has many pits, and the existing robot is likely to be stuck during driving in the Chinese medicinal material planting field, thereby affecting the weeding efficiency and causing damage to the weeding robot. SUMMARY

[0004] In order to solve the problems in the prior art, the present application aims to provide a robot capable of automatically weeding in multiple areas and a control method thereof. The weeding robot can not only be suitable for plants of different heights, effectively remove weeds in the row area and the plant area, and guarantee the safety of crops, but also be suitable for the geographical characteristics of the Chinese medicinal material planting field, stably drive in the Chinese medicinal material planting field, and guarantee the weeding operation speed and stability.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] A robot capable of automatically weeding in multiple areas, the robot comprising a robot main body, a row weeding mechanism, a plant weeding mechanism, a walking mechanism and a control mechanism installed on the robot main body;

[0007] The inter-row weeding mechanism includes a weeding arm, a weeding blade assembly, and an adjustment assembly. The weeding blade assembly includes a weeding bracket, a weeding rope blade, and an inter-row weeding motor. One end of the weeding arm is rotatably connected to the robot body, and the other end is rotatably connected to the weeding bracket. The inter-row weeding motor is mounted on the weeding bracket. The weeding rope blade is mounted on the output shaft of the inter-row weeding motor. The adjustment assembly is used to adjust the position of the weeding rope blade by driving the weeding arm to move, and to retract the inter-row weeding blade assembly when not performing weeding operations, allowing the robot to move quickly.

[0008] The inter-plant weeding mechanism includes a lateral movement module mounted on the robot body, a vertical movement module connected to the sliding part of the lateral movement module, an inter-plant weeding motor mounted on the sliding part of the vertical movement module, and weeding blades mounted on the output shaft of the inter-plant weeding motor.

[0009] The walking mechanism includes multiple lifting legs installed at the bottom of the robot body and wheels installed at the bottom of the lifting legs; the robot body is also equipped with a leg motor and a walking motor, the height of the lifting legs can be adjusted under the drive of the leg motor, and the wheels can be moved under the drive of the walking motor.

[0010] The control mechanism includes an attitude sensor, a millimeter-wave radar, a camera, an antenna, and a controller mounted on the robot body; the output terminals of the attitude sensor, the millimeter-wave radar, the camera, and the antenna are all connected to the input terminal of the controller.

[0011] Furthermore, the weeding arm includes a detachably connected first arm and a second arm; both the first arm and the second arm have multiple connection holes; by changing the connection position of the first arm and the second arm, the length of the weeding arm can be adjusted, and the inter-row weeding blade assembly can be retracted when not performing weeding operations, allowing the robot to move quickly.

[0012] Furthermore, the inter-row weeding mechanism also includes two crossbeams installed at the bottom of the robot body; one crossbeam is provided with a support, and the other crossbeam is provided with a lifting roller assembly; a first bearing is installed on the support, and the weeding arm rotates with the crossbeam through the first bearing.

[0013] The lifting reel assembly includes a reel mounting base mounted on one of the crossbeams, a lifting reel mounted on the reel mounting base, a lifting cable wound on the lifting reel, and a lifting motor for driving the lifting reel to rotate; one end of the lifting cable is fixed to the lifting reel, and the other end is fixed to the weeding arm.

[0014] Furthermore, the weeding support includes a weeding frame, a weeding disc installed below the weeding frame, and multiple casters installed on the weeding frame; the inter-row weeding motor is installed on the weeding disc, and the weeding rope knife is located below the weeding disc; the weeding frame is rotatably connected to the weeding arm via a second bearing.

[0015] Furthermore, a fixing plate is provided on the robot body; the lateral movement module is mounted on the fixing plate. The fixing plate includes a first fixing plate and a second fixing plate.

[0016] Furthermore, there are three horizontal movement modules and three vertical movement modules, and the horizontal movement modules are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the vertical movement modules.

[0017] Both the horizontal movement module and the vertical movement module use ball screw modules.

[0018] Furthermore, a motor mounting bracket is provided on the sliding part of the lateral movement module; the inter-plant weeding motor is mounted on the motor mounting bracket.

[0019] Furthermore, the robot body includes a chassis and a housing mounted on top of the robot body; a battery is installed on the robot body; the housing has an openable and closable maintenance door; and an operation panel, work indicator lights, headlights, rearward driving indicator lights, and a cooling fan are provided on the housing.

[0020] Furthermore, the main body of the robot is made of aluminum alloy.

[0021] The present invention also includes a control method for the above-mentioned robot capable of automatic weeding in multiple areas, the method comprising the following steps:

[0022] S1. Set the robot's driving route and use the antenna to collect the robot's position information in real time. The robot then drives according to the planned driving route.

[0023] S2. Use millimeter-wave radar to obtain crop height information, and adjust the height of each lifting leg according to the crop height information, thereby realizing the adjustment of the robot's driving height.

[0024] S3. During the robot's movement, the posture data of the robot body is acquired using a posture sensor. Based on the posture data, the height of the lifting outriggers is adjusted to make the robot body horizontal.

[0025] S4. The adjustment component drives the weeding arm to move, so that the distance between the weeding rope blade and the ground reaches the set threshold; the inter-row weeding motor works, driving the weeding rope blade to rotate and remove weeds in the inter-row area.

[0026] S5. Use a camera to collect image data of the inter-plant area, and determine whether there are weeds in the inter-plant area based on the image data; if there are weeds in the inter-plant area, start the inter-plant weeding mechanism, and drive the weeding blades to the corresponding positions through the horizontal movement module and the vertical movement module to perform weeding operation.

[0027] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are:

[0028] (1) The automatic weeding robot of the present invention has the functions of automatic tracking, visual recognition of common weeds in dry fields and automatic removal, and is especially suitable for weed removal in Chinese herbal medicine planting fields. This weeding robot can not only be applied to plants of different heights, effectively remove weeds in the inter-row and inter-plant areas to ensure the safety of crops, but also be applied to the geographical characteristics of Chinese herbal medicine planting fields, and move stably in Chinese herbal medicine planting fields to ensure the speed and stability of weeding operations.

[0029] (2) This invention, by setting an adaptively adjustable robot body, can automatically raise and lower the robot body and adjust its level according to on-site working conditions (such as crop height, ground flatness, etc.), which is beneficial to improving the identification of weeds and improving weeding efficiency. This invention can adjust the robot body according to the crop height. Generally, when the crop is short, more weeds tend to grow around it because the branches and leaves are sparse. At this time, lowering the height of the robot body is equivalent to lowering the working center of gravity of the entire robot. The robot will move more smoothly and quickly, and the vision camera can be closer to the ground, making it easier to identify smaller weeds and improving the weed identification rate. At the same time, as the robot's working height is lowered, the working stroke of the weeding mechanism is reduced, which improves the weeding efficiency. In addition, when planting dryland crops in farmland, ridges are made. The adaptive robot body can adjust the robot body according to the height of the ridges to ensure the stability of the robot's movement and improve weeding efficiency.

[0030] (3) Typically, there are more weeds between crop rows and relatively fewer between individual plants. However, as these weeds grow, they can affect the crop's sunlight exposure and compete with it for nutrients. Currently, conventional weeding methods for between rows cannot effectively remove weeds between individual plants. Those that can remove weeds between individual plants have relatively low efficiency (requiring targeted weeding between plants), failing to meet the needs of removing large numbers of weeds between rows. Therefore, two rounds of weeding are often required, increasing equipment investment costs. This invention, by setting up both between-row and between-plant weeding mechanisms, can simultaneously achieve weeding functions between rows and between individual plants, reducing the number of weeding operations and resulting in better economic benefits. This invention can achieve the removal of weeds between rows and between individual plants in a single operation, improving work efficiency and reducing equipment investment and maintenance costs. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the robot capable of automatic weeding in multiple areas according to the present invention. Figure 1 ;

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the robot capable of automatic weeding in multiple areas according to the present invention. Figure 2 ;

[0033] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the robot capable of automatic weeding in multiple areas according to the present invention. Figure 3 ;

[0034] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the inter-row weeding mechanism in this invention;

[0035] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the inter-plant weeding mechanism and the walking mechanism in this invention;

[0036] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the division between row areas and plant areas;

[0037] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the working state of the automatic weeding robot in this invention. Figure 1 ;

[0038] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the working state of the automatic weeding robot in this invention. Figure 2 .

[0039] in:

[0040] 1. Robot body; 2. Shell; 3. Antenna; 4. Inspection door; 5. Work indicator light; 6. Cooling fan; 7. Rear travel indicator light; 8. Lifting outriggers; 9. Wheels; 10. Inter-row weeding motor; 11. Walking motor; 12. Vertical movement module; 13. Motor mounting bracket; 14. Inter-plant weeding motor; 15. Weeding blade; 16. First arm; 17. Second arm; 18. Weeding frame; 19. Weeding disc; 20. Weeding rope knife; 21. Casters; 22. Headlight; 23. Outrigger motor; 24. Controller; 25. Attitude sensor; 26. Millimeter-wave radar; 27. Support; 28. Crossbeam; 29. ​​Reel mounting base; 30. Lifting reel; 31. Lifting cable; 32. Lifting motor; 33. First fixing plate; 34. Camera; 35. Second fixing plate; 36. Lateral movement module. Detailed Implementation

[0041] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0042] like Figures 1-3The robot shown is capable of automatic weeding in multiple areas. The robot includes a robot body 1 and inter-row weeding mechanism, inter-plant weeding mechanism, walking mechanism and control mechanism installed on the robot body 1.

[0043] The automatic weeding robot described in this invention features automatic tracking, visual recognition of common weeds in dry fields, and automatic removal capabilities, making it particularly suitable for weed control in fields cultivating Chinese medicinal herbs. Since many Chinese medicinal herbs (such as white peony and peony) are perennial, their height varies within a certain range (less than 70mm) at different growth stages, and planting bases require weeding for herbs at different growth stages. Therefore, the weeding robot in this invention is designed with an automatically adjustable robot body in terms of height and horizontal position to adapt to plants of different heights, thereby improving the speed and stability of weeding operations.

[0044] The automatic weeding robot described in this invention possesses both autonomous driving and automatic weeding functions, enabling unmanned operation and reducing labor costs. The core of this invention lies in weed identification and the subsequent automated control and weeding process. Furthermore, an adjustable robot body is designed to suit various weeding scenarios, expanding the robot's application range. The core technologies are weed identification and calibration in various scenarios, which can meet the needs of all current dryland medicinal herb cultivation scenarios.

[0045] like Figures 1-3 As shown, the walking mechanism includes multiple lifting legs 8 mounted on the bottom of the robot body 1 and wheels 9 mounted on the bottom of the lifting legs 8. The robot body 1 is also equipped with a leg motor 23 and a walking motor 11. Driven by the leg motors, the height of the lifting legs can be adjusted; driven by the walking motor 11, the wheels can move. The use of the walking motor 11 is to simplify the powertrain and avoid occupying too much space, thus minimizing its impact on crops during movement.

[0046] like Figures 1-3 As shown, the control mechanism includes an attitude sensor 25, a millimeter-wave radar 26, a camera 34, an antenna 3, and a controller 24 mounted on the robot body 1. The output terminals of the attitude sensor 25, the millimeter-wave radar 26, the camera 34, and the antenna 3 are all connected to the input terminal of the controller 24. The attitude sensor 25 is used to obtain the levelness of the robot body. The millimeter-wave radar 26, the camera 24, the antenna 3, and the controller 24 are used to realize the robot body's height adjustment and automatic driving functions.

[0047] like Figures 1-3As shown, the robot body 1 includes a chassis and a housing 2 mounted on top of the robot body; a battery is installed on the robot body 1; the housing 2 has an openable maintenance door 4; the housing 2 is equipped with an operation panel, a work indicator light 5, a headlight 22, a rearward travel indicator light 7, and a cooling fan 6. All of the above mechanisms are housed within the housing 2. To reduce weight and improve the robot's working endurance, the robot body 1 is made of aluminum alloy and is equipped with a maintenance door 4 for convenient maintenance of internal electrical components.

[0048] This invention utilizes a built-in 48V 100A lithium-ion battery. To further enhance battery life, a lightweight all-aluminum structural design is employed, reducing the robot's weight by 30%. A highly integrated hub motor solution is used, with the drive motor integrated inside the hub, eliminating the need for a separate motor mounting bracket, reducer, and corresponding transmission mechanism, further reducing the robot's weight. The robot features a large maintenance door for convenient daily maintenance and debugging. It is equipped with a work indicator light, a headlight, and a rearward travel indicator light. The work indicator light flashes at a certain frequency when the robot is ready to work, and remains constantly lit after entering normal operation. The headlight can be used for illumination during nighttime operations or as supplemental lighting for cameras. The rearward travel indicator light illuminates during nighttime movement. The control panel allows for starting and stopping the robot, setting relevant operating parameters, and troubleshooting.

[0049] like Figure 4 As shown, the inter-row weeding mechanism includes a weeding arm, a weeding blade assembly, and an adjustment assembly. The weeding blade assembly includes a weeding bracket, a weeding rope blade 20, and an inter-row weeding motor 10. One end of the weeding arm is rotatably connected to the robot body, and the other end is rotatably connected to the weeding bracket. The inter-row weeding motor 10 is mounted on the weeding bracket. The weeding rope blade 20 is mounted on the output shaft of the inter-row weeding motor 10. The adjustment assembly is used to adjust the position of the weeding rope blade by driving the weeding arm to move, and to retract the inter-row weeding blade assembly when not performing weeding operations, allowing the robot to move quickly.

[0050] In some embodiments, the weeding arm includes a first arm 16 and a second arm 17 that are detachably connected; both the first arm 16 and the second arm 17 have multiple connection holes; the length of the weeding arm can be adjusted by changing the connection position of the first arm 16 and the second arm 17.

[0051] In some embodiments, the inter-row weeding mechanism further includes two crossbeams 28 mounted on the bottom of the robot body 1; one crossbeam has a support, and the other crossbeam has a lifting reel assembly; a first bearing is mounted on the support, and the weeding arm rotates with the crossbeam through the first bearing. The lifting reel assembly includes a reel mounting base 29 mounted on one of the crossbeams, a lifting reel 30 mounted on the reel mounting base 29, a lifting cable 31 wound around the lifting reel 30, and a lifting motor 32 that drives the lifting reel 30 to rotate; one end of the lifting cable 31 is fixed to the lifting reel 30, and the other end is fixed to the weeding arm.

[0052] In some embodiments, the weeding support includes a weeding frame 18, a weeding disc 19 mounted below the weeding frame 18, and a plurality of casters 21 mounted on the weeding frame 18; the inter-row weeding motor is mounted on the weeding disc 19, and the weeding rope blade 20 is located below the weeding disc 19; the weeding frame 18 is rotatably connected to the weeding arm via a second bearing.

[0053] like Figure 5 As shown, the inter-plant weeding mechanism includes a lateral movement module 36 mounted on the robot body 1, a vertical movement module 12 connected to the sliding part of the lateral movement module 36, an inter-plant weeding motor 14 mounted on the sliding part of the vertical movement module 12, and a weeding blade 15 mounted on the output shaft of the inter-plant weeding motor 14.

[0054] In some embodiments, a fixing plate is provided on the robot body; the lateral movement module 36 is mounted on the fixing plate. The fixing plate includes a first fixing plate 33 and a second fixing plate 35.

[0055] In some embodiments, there are three horizontal movement modules 36 and three vertical movement modules 12, and the horizontal movement modules 36 and the vertical movement modules 12 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence; both the horizontal movement modules 36 and the vertical movement modules 12 are ball screw modules.

[0056] In some embodiments, a motor mounting bracket 13 is provided on the sliding portion of the lateral movement module 36; the inter-plant weeding motor 14 is mounted on the motor mounting bracket 13.

[0057] The present invention also includes a control method for the above-mentioned robot capable of automatic weeding in multiple areas, the method comprising the following steps:

[0058] S1. Set the robot's driving route and use antenna 3 to collect the robot's position information in real time. The robot then drives according to the driving route.

[0059] S2. Obtain crop height information using millimeter-wave radar, and adjust the height of each lifting outrigger 8 according to the crop height information;

[0060] S3. During the robot's movement, the posture data of the robot body 1 is acquired using the posture sensor 25. Based on the posture data, the height of the lifting legs 8 is adjusted so that the robot body 1 is in a horizontal state.

[0061] S4. The adjustment component drives the weeding arm to move, so that the distance between the weeding rope blade 20 and the ground reaches the set threshold; the row weeding motor 10 works, driving the weeding rope blade 20 to rotate and remove weeds in the row area;

[0062] S5. Use camera 34 to collect image data of the inter-plant area. Based on the image data, determine whether there are weeds in the inter-plant area. If there are weeds in the inter-plant area, start the inter-plant weeding mechanism. Drive the weeding blade 15 to the corresponding position through the horizontal moving module 36 and the vertical moving module 12 to perform weeding operation.

[0063] The weeding robot in this invention senses crop height using millimeter-wave radar, the output of which is connected to the controller via an Ethernet interface. The controller is the core of the entire system, incorporating motor control algorithms, robot leveling algorithms, and weed recognition algorithms. The controller connects to three cameras, one millimeter-wave radar sensor, and one attitude sensor via the Ethernet interface. Twelve motor drivers are connected in series via a CAN bus, each driver connecting to one of the twelve motors. Two motors drive the vehicle; four motors are used for leg raising and lowering, adjusting the robot's height and dynamic leveling; three motors drive the weeding blades; and three motors drive the weeding rope blades. The millimeter-wave radar senses crop height. The attitude sensor detects changes in the robot's posture due to uneven ground during operation in the field, transmitting this posture information to the controller, which then adjusts the leg raising and lowering accordingly to ensure the robot operates in a relatively level position. A camera acquires image data of the corresponding inter-row area, which is transmitted to the controller. The controller, which integrates a weed recognition algorithm, dynamically identifies the weeds between the rows. After identification, it calculates the X, Y, and Z coordinates of the weeds and then drives the weeding motors between the rows. These motors control three 2-axis modules, which move the weeding blades to the coordinates of the weeds according to the coordinates output by the controller, achieving targeted weeding. Simultaneously, another controller controls the rotation of the roller of the inter-row weeding mechanism, enabling its raising and lowering. Once the inter-row weeding mechanism is lowered into position, it controls the rotation of the weeding motors. As the robot moves forward, the weeding arm pulls the weeding mechanism forward synchronously, achieving efficient weeding between rows.

[0064] The automatic weeding robot of the present invention has the following functions:

[0065] (1) Automatic driving function

[0066] This invention features two RTK antennas connected to a controller 24. The weeding robot acquires its position and orientation information via satellite signals. Before operating in the field, the robot plans its path by setting waypoints at equal intervals on a map. The controller 24 is connected to the walking motor 11, controlling the robot's forward, backward, and turning movements via differential speed between the two wheels. During operation, the robot follows the planned route, continuously adjusting its position based on its position and orientation information.

[0067] (2) Automatic lifting and automatic leveling functions

[0068] To achieve automatic lifting and leveling functions, one controller, one millimeter-wave radar, one attitude sensor, four lifting outriggers, four lifting motors, and four motor drivers are required.

[0069] After the robot enters the work area, the millimeter-wave radar 26 senses the height of the crops and transmits the corresponding information to the controller 24. The controller 24 controls the drivers of the four lifting motors 32 in real time according to the integrated algorithm, driving the four lifting legs 8 to perform lifting and lowering actions. Through timely information feedback from the millimeter-wave radar 26, the robot reaches the height specified by the weeding robot. At the same time, based on the level information fed back by the attitude sensor 25, the robot is kept at the optimal working height and the main body of the robot is kept in a horizontal state.

[0070] After the height and level are adjusted, the weeding robot begins its work. When the wheels travel to a pothole, the attitude sensor 25 instantly detects the change in the robot's posture the moment the wheel enters the pothole and transmits the posture information to the controller 24. After calculation, the controller 24 controls the actuator to raise the corresponding lifting leg 8 in a timely manner to maintain the robot's overall level. When the wheels 9 leave the pothole area, the attitude sensor 25 instantly detects the change in posture, and the controller 24 controls the leg motor 23 to lower, maintaining the robot's level posture.

[0071] (3) Weeding function in the inter-row area

[0072] Interrow weeding involves removing weeds located in the area between rows, such as... Figure 6The diagram shows the inter-row and inter-plant areas. The inter-plant area refers to a certain area located on both sides of the crop planting axis. Due to potential deviations in straightness during planting, and the presence of crop roots and lower branches, sufficient width must be reserved within this area when weeding to minimize accidental damage to the crops. Generally, the area of ​​the inter-row area is larger than that of the inter-plant area, and there are no other crops within the inter-row area. Weeding can be performed using a surface-level operation method. The program is set to direct the vehicle's travel direction towards the inter-row area. Because the weeding blades also have a diameter, the program roughly calculates the area of ​​weeds, determines a cutting point, and then removes the weeds within that area via module-driven operation.

[0073] The inter-row weeding mechanism includes a crossbeam 28, a mounting bracket 27, a first arm 16, a second arm 17, an inter-row weeding motor 10, a weeding disc 19, a weeding frame 18, casters 21, a weeding rope blade 20, a lifting motor 32, a lifting reel 30, a reel mounting base 29, and a lifting cable 31. The crossbeam 28 in the inter-row weeding mechanism is the main load-bearing component of the robot, forming the robot's main body along with other components. In this embodiment, there are two sets of inter-row weeding mechanisms, capable of simultaneously completing weeding in two rows. Mounting support 27 is fixed to crossbeam 28 via brackets and can be adjusted left and right to accommodate weeding between rows of different crop row spacings. The first arm 16 is connected to mounting support 27, and the second arm 17 is connected to weeding frame 18 via bearings, improving the operational flexibility of the weeding mechanism. Casters 21 are mounted on weeding frame 18. The inter-row weeding motor 10 is fixed to weeding frame 18 via weeding disc 19, and the weeding rope blade 20 is mounted on the shaft of weeding motor 10. Reel mounting base 29 is fixed to another set of mounting crossbeams. Lifting motor 32 and lifting reel 30 are fixed to reel mounting base 29. Lifting cable 31 is connected to lifting reel 30, and its other end is connected to the connecting seat on the first arm 16.

[0074] After the weeding robot completes its posture adjustment and enters the working state, the controller 24 controls the two lifting motors 32 to descend simultaneously. Upon sensing that the casters 21 have landed (determined by the operating current of the lifting motors; after landing, the lifting mechanism is in an unloaded state, and the current suddenly decreases), the inter-row weeding motor 10 is activated to begin weeding. During the robot's movement, the weeding mechanism moves forward with the robot, clearing all weeds from the inter-row area. The second arm 17 has adjustment holes, allowing it to slide relative to the first arm 16 to adapt to weeding needs at different heights and to reduce the overall size during installation and transportation. The weeding disc 19 and the weeding rope blade 20 must be used together. The working area of ​​the weeding rope blade 20 must not exceed the diameter of the weeding disc 19 to avoid damage to crops, especially delicate seedlings.

[0075] (4) Interplant weeding function

[0076] Inter-row weeding refers to removing weeds in the inter-row area. The present invention can achieve removing weeds in both the inter-row area and the row area during one trip. Since there are crops in the inter-row area in the driving direction of the robot and the blank areas are discontinuous, in order to remove the weeds in the row and inter-row areas at one time during driving, the robot adopts a method of visual recognition of weeds and fixed-point removal in the inter-row area. The inter-row weeding mechanism is as Figure 5 shown, mainly composed of two fixed plates, a lateral movement module 36, a vertical movement module 12, a motor mounting bracket 13, an inter-row weeding motor 14, and a weeding blade 15.

[0077] This embodiment is capable of weeding three inter-row areas simultaneously. Three groups of weeding blades are respectively fixed and connected to three inter-row weeding motors 14, and then independently controlled by three vertical movement modules 12 to achieve the vertical movement (Z direction) of the weeding blades 15. The three vertical movement modules 12 are respectively and simultaneously connected to three lateral movement modules 36, and the lateral movement module 36 can achieve the left and right movement (Y direction) of the weeding blades. The lateral movement modules 36 are distributed in a "pin" shape. The 2 front lateral movement modules are fixed on the first fixed plate 33 at the front side, and this fixed plate is fixed to the installation cross beam of the robot. The 1 lateral movement module at the rear side is fixed on the second fixed plate 35 at the rear side, and this fixed plate is arranged in the middle. The stroke of the up and down movement of the vertical movement module 12 can work in coordination with the automatic lifting mechanism of the robot to ensure that when the robot is at the maximum working height, the weeding blades can still remove the weeds in the inter-row area.

[0078] As Figure 7 and Figure 8 shown, when the three lateral movement modules 36 do not receive the weeding instruction, they will maintain the middle position of the row area, and at the same time, the vertical movement module 12 is also at the highest position to avoid damage to the crops by the inter-row weeding mechanism when the robot is driving. After the robot enters the weeding state, 3 cameras 34 installed in front of the robot respectively take pictures of the three inter-row areas, and transmit the picture information to the controller 24 through the Ethernet interface. The controller 24 identifies the weeds and the corresponding position areas, and judges whether they are in the inter-row area. If it is judged that the weeds are in the inter-row area, the controller 24 controls and drives the lateral movement module to move to the corresponding Y-direction coordinate through the CAN bus. After the robot travels to the corresponding X-direction coordinate, it then controls the vertical movement module 12 to move to the position of the weeds and starts the inter-row weeding motor ⑥ to remove the weeds. If it is judged that the weeds are in the row area, the lateral movement module 36 does not move, and maintains the middle position of the row area and the highest position of the vertical movement module 12, as Figure 7 shown.

[0079] The above-described embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Various modifications and improvements made by those skilled in the art to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the present invention should fall within the protection scope defined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A robot capable of automatically weeding in multiple areas, characterized in that, The robot includes a robot body and a row weeding mechanism, a plant weeding mechanism, a walking mechanism, and a control mechanism installed on the robot body. The inter-row weeding mechanism includes a weeding arm, a weeding blade assembly, and an adjustment assembly; the weeding blade assembly includes a weeding bracket, a weeding rope blade (20), and an inter-row weeding motor (10); one end of the weeding arm is rotatably connected to the robot body, and the other end is rotatably connected to the weeding bracket; the inter-row weeding motor (10) is mounted on the weeding bracket; the weeding rope blade (20) is mounted on the output shaft of the inter-row weeding motor (10); the adjustment assembly is used to adjust the position of the weeding rope blade (20) by driving the weeding arm to move; The inter-plant weeding mechanism includes a lateral movement module (36) mounted on the robot body, a vertical movement module (12) connected to the sliding part of the lateral movement module (36), an inter-plant weeding motor (14) mounted on the sliding part of the vertical movement module (12), and a weeding blade (15) mounted on the output shaft of the inter-plant weeding motor (14). The walking mechanism includes multiple lifting legs (8) installed at the bottom of the robot body and wheels (9) installed at the bottom of the lifting legs (8); the robot body is also equipped with a leg motor (23) and a walking motor (11). Under the drive of the leg motor (23), the height of the lifting legs (8) can be adjusted, and under the drive of the walking motor (11), the wheels (9) can move. The control mechanism includes an attitude sensor (25), a millimeter-wave radar (26), a camera (34), an antenna (3), and a controller (24) installed on the robot body; the output terminals of the attitude sensor (25), the millimeter-wave radar (26), the camera (34), and the antenna (3) are all connected to the input terminal of the controller (24).

2. The robot capable of automatic weeding in multiple areas according to claim 1, characterized in that, The weeding arm includes a first arm (16) and a second arm (17) that are detachably connected; both the first arm (16) and the second arm (17) have multiple connection holes; the length of the weeding arm can be adjusted by changing the connection position of the first arm (16) and the second arm (17).

3. The robot capable of automatic weeding in multiple areas according to claim 1, characterized in that, The weeding mechanism also includes two crossbeams (28) installed at the bottom of the robot body; one crossbeam is provided with a support (27), and the other crossbeam is provided with a lifting roller assembly; a first bearing is installed on the support (27), and the weeding arm rotates with the crossbeam (28) through the first bearing; The lifting reel assembly includes a reel mounting base (29) mounted on one of the crossbeams, a lifting reel (30) mounted on the reel mounting base (29), a lifting cable (31) wound on the lifting reel (30), and a lifting motor (32) for driving the lifting reel (30) to rotate; one end of the lifting cable (31) is fixed to the lifting reel (30), and the other end is fixed to the weeding arm.

4. The robot capable of automatic weeding in multiple areas according to claim 1, characterized in that, The weeding support includes a weeding frame (18), a weeding disc (19) installed below the weeding frame (18), and multiple casters (21) installed on the weeding frame (18); the inter-row weeding motor (10) is installed on the weeding disc (19), and the weeding rope knife (20) is located below the weeding disc (19); the weeding frame (18) is rotatably connected to the weeding arm through a second bearing.

5. The robot capable of automatic weeding in multiple areas according to claim 1, characterized in that, A fixed plate is provided on the robot body; the lateral movement module is mounted on the fixed plate. The fixing plate includes a first fixing plate (33) and a second fixing plate (35).

6. The robot capable of automatic weeding in multiple areas according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of the horizontal moving module (36) and the vertical moving module (12) are both three, and the horizontal moving module (36) and the vertical moving module (12) are set in a one-to-one correspondence; Both the horizontal movement module (36) and the vertical movement module (12) adopt ball screw modules.

7. The robot capable of automatic weeding in multiple areas according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sliding part of the lateral movement module (36) is provided with a motor mounting bracket (13). The inter-plant weeding motor (14) is mounted on the motor mounting bracket (13).

8. The robot capable of automatic weeding in multiple areas according to claim 1, characterized in that, The robot body includes a chassis and a shell (2) mounted on top of the robot body (1); The robot body (1) is equipped with a battery; The housing (2) has an openable and closable access door (4); The housing is equipped with an operation panel, a work indicator light (5), a headlight (22), a rear driving indicator light (7), and a cooling fan (6).

9. The robot capable of automatic weeding in multiple areas according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main body of the robot is made of aluminum alloy.

10. The control method for a robot capable of automatic weeding in multiple areas according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The method includes the following steps: S1. Set the robot's driving route and use the antenna (3) to collect the robot's position information in real time. The robot then drives according to the driving route. S2. Use millimeter-wave radar (26) to obtain crop height information, and adjust the height of each lifting leg (8) according to the crop height information; S3. During the robot's movement, the posture data of the robot body is obtained by using the posture sensor (25). Based on the posture data, the height of the lifting legs (8) is adjusted so that the robot body is in a horizontal state. S4. Use the adjustment component to drive the weeding arm to move, so that the distance between the weeding rope blade (20) and the ground reaches the set threshold; the row weeding motor (10) works, drives the weeding rope blade (20) to rotate, and removes weeds in the row area; S5. Use the camera (34) to collect image data of the inter-plant area. Based on the image data, determine whether there are weeds in the inter-plant area. If there are weeds in the inter-plant area, start the inter-plant weeding mechanism. Drive the weeding blade (15) to the corresponding position through the horizontal moving module (36) and the vertical moving module (12) to perform weeding operation.

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