Integrated fruit and vegetable picking executor and its using method

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of grab shear twist integrated fruit and vegetable picking executor, including cylindrical shell, the axial direction of cylindrical shell is the direction to the fruit and vegetable to be picked, to the direction of fruit and vegetable to be picked as front direction;Cylindrical shell rear end is closed and front end is equipped with opening;Cylindrical shell is equipped with axial motion mechanism in middle rear part, and cylindrical shell is equipped with circumferential motion mechanism matched with axial motion mechanism in middle front part;Axial motion mechanism is used to drive upper clamp jaw and lower clamp jaw to fold or open by upper connecting rod hinged mechanism and lower upper connecting rod hinged mechanism;Circumferential motion mechanism is used to drive upper clamp jaw and lower clamp jaw to make rotary motion to break off the part that still exists possibly connected after twisting off cutting action under the drive of circumferential motion mechanism;The folding action of upper clamp jaw and lower clamp jaw is the grabbing action of fruit and vegetable, the action of blade insertion blade slot is cutting action, and grabbing action and cutting action are two-in-one synchronous action.The application also discloses corresponding use method.The application carries out integrated operation by grabbing, shearing and twisting off, and improves cutting effect by the cooperation of blade slot and blade, improves twisting off effect by executing twisting off action when strong tension is applied on fruit stem, improves picking effect and picking efficiency and picking success rate, avoids subsequent trouble caused by unsuccessful picking once.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of fruit and vegetable harvesting technology, and in particular to a fruit and vegetable harvesting actuator. Background Technology

[0002] Fruits and vegetables come in a wide variety and are an indispensable part of people's daily lives. Various fruits and vegetables, such as apples and tomatoes, need to be harvested manually after ripening for storage or transportation. Manual harvesting of fruits and vegetables is physically demanding, often requiring prolonged bending or climbing, which can lead to injuries such as falls, sprains, overexertion, and cuts, posing certain health and safety risks, and also resulting in low harvesting efficiency.

[0003] Therefore, fruit and vegetable harvesters using visual recognition technology have been continuously researched and developed in recent years. Their basic principle is to determine the location and depth information of fruits and vegetables through visual recognition technology, and then the fruit and vegetable harvester (actuator) completes the harvesting action.

[0004] Existing fruit and vegetable harvesters either cut the stem before grasping the fruit, or grasp the fruit first and then cut the stem. There are also techniques that only grasp without cutting, or pull the fruit down using tension. Without cutting, pulling the fruit causes the entire plant to shake violently, potentially dislodging other ripe fruits. Uncontrolled falls are easily damaged and difficult to collect. Cutting, on the other hand, can result in incomplete stem severance; if the stem skin remains, the plant will shake during fruit retrieval, causing ripe fruits to fall.

[0005] The existing fruit and vegetable harvesters do not combine grasping and cutting in one operation (therefore the harvesting efficiency needs to be improved), nor do they employ subsequent actions after grasping and cutting to improve the separation rate of the fruit from the plant. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide an integrated fruit and vegetable harvesting actuator that combines the two actions of grasping and shearing into a single action, thereby improving harvesting efficiency and increasing the separation rate of fruits from the plant through the twisting action.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the integrated fruit and vegetable harvesting actuator of the present invention includes a cylindrical housing, the axial direction of which is towards the fruit and vegetables to be harvested, with the direction of the fruit and vegetables to be harvested being the forward direction; the rear end of the cylindrical housing is closed and the front end is provided with an opening;

[0008] The cylindrical shell has an axial motion mechanism at the middle and rear, and a circumferential motion mechanism that matches the axial motion mechanism at the middle and front. The axial motion mechanism is connected to a rear upper hinge seat and a rear lower hinge seat that can rotate with the circumferential motion mechanism. The circumferential motion mechanism is connected to a middle upper hinge seat and a middle lower hinge seat.

[0009] The front opening of the cylindrical shell is provided with a front bearing that serves as the end cap of the cylindrical shell. The outer ring of the front bearing is fixed with a bearing housing. The rear end of the bearing housing is open and the bearing housing is fixedly connected to the cylindrical shell. The upper support hinge seat is provided on the upper middle part of the front side of the front bearing, and the lower support hinge seat is provided on the lower middle part of the front side of the front bearing.

[0010] The upper rear hinge seat, the middle upper hinge seat, and the upper support hinge seat are connected by an upper connecting rod hinge mechanism, and the front end of the upper connecting rod hinge mechanism is hinged with an upper gripper.

[0011] The rear lower hinge seat, the middle lower hinge seat and the lower support hinge seat are connected by a lower connecting rod hinge mechanism. The front end of the lower connecting rod hinge mechanism is hinged with a lower gripper. The upper gripper and the lower gripper are both hollow spherical and their slots are opposite each other.

[0012] The front end of the upper jaw is connected downward to a blade for cutting the fruit stem, and the upper surface of the front end of the lower jaw is provided with a groove corresponding to the blade to accommodate the blade and to bend the uncut part of the fruit stem at a right angle and increase the tension on the uncut part of the fruit stem.

[0013] The axial motion mechanism is used to drive the upper and lower jaws to close or open via the upper connecting rod hinge mechanism and the lower upper connecting rod hinge mechanism; the circumferential motion mechanism is used to drive the upper and lower jaws to rotate under the drive of the circumferential motion mechanism to twist off the still connected parts of the handle that may exist after the cutting action (cutting action is shearing action).

[0014] The closing action of the upper and lower jaws is the grasping action of picking up fruits and vegetables, and the action of inserting the blade into the blade groove is the cutting action. The grasping action and the cutting action are two-in-one synchronous actions; the rotational motion of the upper and lower jaws is the twisting action.

[0015] The upper linkage mechanism includes a rear upper linkage hinged to a rear upper hinge seat. The front end of the rear upper linkage is hinged to a middle upper linkage and a front upper linkage via a middle upper node. The other end of the middle upper linkage is hinged downward to the middle upper hinge seat.

[0016] The upper front link is hinged to the upper front node, and the upper front node is hinged to the upper support link. The upper support link is hinged to the upper support hinge seat. The upper front link is hinged to the upper support link and the rear bottom of the upper gripper through the upper front node.

[0017] The lower link hinge mechanism includes a lower rear link hinged to a lower rear hinge seat. The front end of the lower rear link is hinged to a lower middle link and a lower front link via a lower middle node. The other end of the lower middle link is hinged upwards to the lower middle hinge seat.

[0018] The front lower link is hinged forward to a front lower node, and the front lower node is hinged backward to a lower support link. The lower support link is hinged backward to a lower support hinge seat. The front lower link is hinged to the lower support link and the rear bottom of the lower gripper through the front lower node.

[0019] The front middle part of the cylindrical shell is provided with an upper through groove and a lower through groove corresponding to the upper rear connecting rod and the lower rear connecting rod. Both the upper through groove and the lower through groove extend along the axial direction of the cylindrical shell.

[0020] The upper through slot provides space for the upper rear connecting rod and the upper middle connecting rod to extend upwards out of the cylindrical housing and to perform axial forward and backward displacement as well as circumferential rotational displacement.

[0021] The lower through slot provides space for the rear lower connecting rod and the middle lower connecting rod to extend downwards out of the cylindrical housing and to perform axial forward and backward displacement as well as circumferential rotational displacement.

[0022] The axial motion mechanism includes a stepper motor, which is connected to a screw via a coupling. The stepper motor is fixed to the rear end of the cylindrical housing, and the screw extends axially along the cylindrical housing to the front bearing.

[0023] A rear axial positioning plate is connected to the middle of the screw, and a sleeve is fitted on the screw in front of the rear axial positioning plate. The rear axial positioning plate is used to locate the extreme position of the sleeve's rearward displacement.

[0024] A rear toothed nut is screwed onto the screw at the front of the sleeve. The rear toothed nut is radially fixed to a front connecting plate. The front connecting plate is connected to the front end of the sleeve through a rear bearing and is used to drive the sleeve to move axially back and forth.

[0025] The upper rear hinge seat is fixed to the upper part of the sleeve, and the lower rear hinge seat is fixed to the lower part of the sleeve;

[0026] The front end of the toothed nut is connected to a forward-pointing tooth;

[0027] The cylindrical housing is equipped with a guide constraint structure for constraining the circumferential angle of the rear toothed nut and providing axial guidance for the rear toothed nut. The guide constraint structure is used to force the rear toothed nut to move forward or backward when the screw rotates. When the rear toothed nut moves back and forth, it drives the sleeve to move back and forth together, and then drives the upper and lower jaws to close or open through the upper connecting rod hinge mechanism and the lower connecting rod hinge mechanism.

[0028] The structure of the circumferential motion mechanism is:

[0029] The inner ring of the front bearing is interference-fitted with a front sleeve rod, which is mounted forward via a mounting bracket to the upper support hinge seat and the lower support hinge seat; the front end of the bearing housing is provided with an upper through hole and a lower through hole corresponding to the upper support hinge seat and the lower support hinge seat, which are used to provide the upper support connecting rod and the lower support connecting rod with movement space.

[0030] The bearing housing between the upper and lower through holes protrudes forward and has a hollow support groove. The front end of the screw passes through the front sleeve and extends into the support groove, where it is rotatably engaged with the support groove. The support groove is used to support the front end of the screw. The screw and the front sleeve are rotatably engaged.

[0031] The front sleeve rod is equipped with a front tooth with its tip pointing backward. The front tooth is adapted to the rear tooth. The rear tooth moves forward under the drive of the axial motion mechanism and inserts into the rear tooth. During the process of meshing with the rear tooth, the rear tooth is driven to rotate. The rear tooth drives the upper and lower jaws to rotate as a whole through the front sleeve rod, the upper connecting rod hinge mechanism and the lower connecting rod hinge mechanism to form a torsion action.

[0032] Multiple return springs are evenly spaced along the circumferential surface of the front sleeve rod. Each return spring extends radially and is connected to the inner wall of the cylindrical housing. The return springs are used to drive the front sleeve rod, front tooth, upper jaw, and lower jaw to rotate and reset when the axial motion mechanism drives the rear tooth to retract and leave the front tooth.

[0033] This invention also discloses a method for using the above-mentioned integrated gripper, shearer, and twister for harvesting fruits and vegetables. The first step is to align the gripper with the fruits and vegetables to be harvested; the upper and lower grippers are aligned with the fruits and vegetables to be harvested using either of the following two methods:

[0034] The first method involves mounting a cylindrical shell onto a robotic arm and having the robotic arm guided by a vision recognition mechanism to align the upper and lower grippers with the fruits and vegetables to be picked.

[0035] The second method involves manually operating the cylindrical shell to align the upper and lower jaws with the fruits and vegetables to be harvested.

[0036] The second step is to complete the grasping and cutting actions;

[0037] The stepper motor is started to drive the screw to rotate. The screw drives the toothed nut forward. The toothed nut drives the lower and upper connecting rod hinge mechanisms to extend forward through the sleeve, forcing the upper gripper and upper support connecting rod to rotate downward around the upper support hinge seat. At the same time, it forces the lower gripper and lower support connecting rod to rotate upward around the lower support hinge seat, completing the gripping action of wrapping the fruit and vegetables to be picked. While the gripping action is in progress, the blade is inserted into the blade groove. When the blade first enters the blade groove, it cuts the fruit stem. If the fruit stem is not completely cut off in the first cut, the uncut part of the fruit stem bends 90 degrees under the pressure of the blade and goes deep into the blade groove. During this process, the fruit stem is subjected to a second cut by the bending force, the tight pressure from the groove wall, and the downward cutting force of the blade. If the fruit stem is not completely cut off in the second cut, the uncut part of the fruit stem goes into the bottom of the blade groove under the action of the blade, increasing the tension between the uncut part of the fruit stem and the fruit and vegetable body.

[0038] The third step is to complete the twisting action;

[0039] After the gripping and cutting actions are synchronized, as the stepper motor continues to drive the screw to rotate, the rear tooth presses forward against the front tooth and gradually meshes with it. During the process of the rear tooth pressing forward against the front tooth, the rear tooth forces the front tooth to rotate circumferentially. The front tooth drives the upper and lower support hinge seats to rotate through the front sleeve rod. The upper and lower support hinge seats drive the upper and lower grippers to rotate synchronously through the upper and lower support connecting rods. At this time, the unbroken part of the fruit stem pressed tightly in the blade groove rotates, performing the twisting action. Because there is tension between the unbroken part of the fruit stem and the fruit and vegetable body due to the pressure of the blade, the twisting action easily breaks the unbroken part of the fruit stem.

[0040] During the third step, each reset spring is rotated and twisted, generating a reset force;

[0041] The fourth step is to control the stepper motor to reverse, forcing the rear toothed nut to retract, the rear tooth to disengage from the front tooth, and the front tooth and front sleeve rod to rotate and reset under the action of the reset spring force.

[0042] Repeat steps one through four, picking one fruit or vegetable each time steps one through four are performed.

[0043] The present invention has the following advantages:

[0044] The stem is supported on both sides of the cut by the blade groove, increasing the success rate of cutting the stem in one go. The blade groove bends the uncut portion of the stem at a right angle, thus enhancing the cutting effect. The uncut portion of the stem, under the pressure of the blade, penetrates deeper into the blade groove, increasing the tension on this part and making it easier to twist and break, thus improving the success rate of subsequent twisting actions.

[0045] Previously, grasping and cutting were two separate actions. The structure of this invention ensures that grasping and cutting are combined into a single, synchronous action, improving the efficiency of fruit and vegetable harvesting. This structure allows the cutting point to bend 90 degrees and be pressed into the blade groove if the fruit stem does not break at the beginning of the cut (in a single cutting action). This results in a significantly greater cutting force compared to a cutting process without a groove, enhancing the cutting effect and increasing the cutting rate. Following the cutting action, a twisting action occurs. At this point, the unbroken portion is still pressed deep into the blade groove. The unbroken portion already experiences strong tension (it's very taut). This twisting action significantly increases the force on the unbroken portion of the fruit stem, greatly increasing the probability of twisting compared to a situation where the fruit stem is not under tension or not significantly under tension during twisting.

[0046] This invention uses a purely mechanical structure to complete the grasping, cutting, and twisting actions under the single drive of a stepper motor. Each harvesting action includes grasping, cutting, and twisting. The cutting action is aided by a blade groove, and the twisting action is aided by the strong tension formed by the blade groove and blade on the fruit stalk (the unbroken part of the fruit stalk is bent and further away from the plant body when it is forcibly pressed into the blade groove by the blade, thus having strong tension). The probability of the fruit stalk of the fruit not being completely separated from the plant body after a single harvesting action is significantly reduced compared to the past, avoiding the subsequent troubles caused by unsuccessful harvesting, and improving the harvesting effect, harvesting efficiency, and harvesting success rate.

[0047] The upper and lower linkage hinge mechanisms are simple in structure, low in cost, and reliable in operation. Driven by the axial motion mechanism, they reliably drive the upper and lower grippers to close or open. The ingenious cylindrical housing design meets the installation and operational requirements of both the axial and circumferential motion mechanisms.

[0048] The structure of the axial motion mechanism and the circumferential motion mechanism can reliably complete the axial drive and circumferential drive functions. Except for the stepper motor, it is a purely mechanical structure, with reliable operation and long-term maintenance-free operation.

[0049] The method of using this invention is simple and convenient, and can be operated by hand or with the aid of a robotic arm. The twisting action does not require separate control; the stepper motor only needs to rotate once to complete all cutting and twisting actions, making control simple and operation convenient.

[0050] Because the cutting action involves both primary and secondary cutting, the success rate is significantly improved compared to previous methods. Using this invention, the probability of the fruit stalk remaining intact after the twisting action is extremely low, greatly reducing the subsequent processing workload caused by incomplete stalk breakage compared to previous methods. Attached Figure Description

[0051] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the integrated fruit and vegetable harvesting actuator that combines gripping, shearing, and twisting.

[0052] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the integrated grasping, shearing, and twisting actuator for harvesting fruits and vegetables.

[0053] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a cylindrical shell.

[0054] Figure 4 This is the right view of the cylindrical shell.

[0055] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the integrated fruit and vegetable harvesting actuator with gripping, shearing, and twisting functions after removing the cylindrical shell.

[0056] Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the integrated fruit and vegetable harvesting actuator with gripping, shearing, and twisting functions after removing the cylindrical shell.

[0057] Figure 7 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the integrated fruit and vegetable harvesting actuator with gripping, shearing, and twisting functions, taken from another angle after removing the cylindrical shell. Detailed Implementation

[0058] like Figures 1 to 7 As shown, the integrated fruit and vegetable picking actuator of the present invention includes a cylindrical housing 1. The axial direction of the cylindrical housing 1 is towards the direction of the fruit and vegetables to be picked, with the direction of the fruit and vegetables to be picked as the forward direction. The rear end of the cylindrical housing 1 is closed and the front end is provided with an opening. In the present invention, up and down are relative directions and only have the meaning of expressing the relative structural relationship of related components, rather than the up and down direction when in use.

[0059] The cylindrical shell 1 is provided with an axial motion mechanism in the middle and rear part, and a circumferential motion mechanism that matches the axial motion mechanism is provided in the middle and front part; the axial motion mechanism is connected to the rear upper hinge seat 2 and the rear lower hinge seat 3, which can rotate with the circumferential motion mechanism; the circumferential motion mechanism is connected to the middle upper hinge seat 4 and the middle lower hinge seat 5.

[0060] A front bearing 6, which serves as an end cap for the cylindrical housing 1, is provided at the front opening of the cylindrical housing 1. A bearing housing 7 is fixed to the outer ring (fixed part) of the front bearing 6. The rear end of the bearing housing 7 is open. The bearing housing 7 is fixedly connected to the cylindrical housing 1 by multiple bolts. An upper support hinge seat 8 is provided on the upper middle part of the front side of the front bearing 6, and a lower support hinge seat 9 is provided on the lower middle part of the front side of the front bearing 6. The upper support hinge seat 8 and the lower support hinge seat 9 are rotatable parts that can rotate relative to the screw 10.

[0061] The upper rear hinge seat 2, the middle upper hinge seat 4 and the upper support hinge seat 8 are connected by an upper connecting rod hinge mechanism, and the front end of the upper connecting rod hinge mechanism is hinged with an upper gripper 11.

[0062] The rear lower hinge seat 3, the middle lower hinge seat 5 and the lower support hinge seat 9 are connected by a lower connecting rod hinge mechanism. The front end of the lower connecting rod hinge mechanism is hinged with a lower gripper 12. The upper gripper 11 and the lower gripper 12 are both hollow spherical notches (approximately hemispherical notches) and their slots are opposite each other.

[0063] The front end of the upper jaw 11 is connected downward to a blade 13 for cutting the fruit stem. The upper surface of the front end of the lower jaw 12 is provided with a groove 14 corresponding to the blade 13 for accommodating the blade 13 and bending the uncut part of the fruit stem at a right angle and increasing the tension on the uncut part of the fruit stem.

[0064] The stem is supported on both sides of the cut by the groove wall of the blade groove 14, which improves the success rate of cutting the stem in one go. The blade groove 14 bends the uncut portion of the stem at a right angle, thus enhancing the cutting effect. Under the pressure of the blade 13, the uncut portion of the stem penetrates deeper into the blade groove 14, increasing the tension on the uncut portion and making it easier to twist and break, thus improving the success rate of subsequent twisting actions.

[0065] The axial motion mechanism is used to drive the upper jaw 11 and the lower jaw 12 to close or open relative to each other through the upper connecting rod hinge mechanism and the lower upper connecting rod hinge mechanism; the circumferential motion mechanism is used to drive the upper jaw 11 and the lower jaw 12 to rotate under the drive of the circumferential motion mechanism to twist off the still connected parts of the handle that may exist after the cutting action.

[0066] The closing action of the upper jaw 11 and the lower jaw 12 is the grasping action of picking up fruits and vegetables, and the action of inserting the blade 13 into the blade groove 14 is the cutting action. The grasping action and the cutting action are two-in-one synchronous actions; the rotational motion of the upper jaw 11 and the lower jaw 12 is the twisting action.

[0067] In use, this invention is preferably used in conjunction with a visual recognition mechanism and a robotic arm driven by the visual recognition mechanism. The invention is mounted on the robotic arm, and the visual recognition mechanism guides the robotic arm to align the invention with the fruits and vegetables to be harvested. Of course, this invention can also be manually operated to align with the fruits and vegetables to be harvested.

[0068] Previously, grasping and cutting were two separate actions. The structure of this invention ensures that grasping and cutting are combined into a single, synchronous action, improving the efficiency of fruit and vegetable harvesting. In the cutting action, if the fruit stalk does not break at the beginning of the cut (in a single cutting action), the cut point will bend 90 degrees and be pressed into the blade groove 14, bearing a much greater cutting force than a cutting process without the blade groove 14, thus enhancing the cutting effect and increasing the cutting rate. Following the cutting action, a twisting action is performed. At this time, the unbroken portion is still pressed deep into the blade groove 14 by the blade 13. The unbroken portion already bears strong tension (very taut). This twisting action significantly increases the force on the unbroken portion of the fruit stalk, greatly increasing the probability of twisting compared to when the fruit stalk is not under tension or not significantly under tension during twisting.

[0069] This invention uses a purely mechanical structure to complete the grasping, cutting, and twisting actions under the single drive of a single action device (stepper motor). Each harvesting action includes grasping, cutting, and twisting actions. The cutting action is coordinated with the blade groove 14, and the twisting action is coordinated with the strong tension formed by the blade groove 14 and the blade 13 on the fruit stalk (the unbroken part of the fruit stalk is bent and further away from the plant body when it is forcibly pressed into the blade groove 14 by the blade 13, thus having strong tension). The probability that the fruit stalk of the fruit is not completely separated from the plant body after a single harvesting action is significantly reduced compared to the past, avoiding the subsequent troubles caused by unsuccessful harvesting in one attempt, and improving the harvesting effect, harvesting efficiency, and harvesting success rate.

[0070] The upper linkage hinge mechanism includes a rear upper linkage 15 hinged on the rear upper hinge seat 2. The front end of the rear upper linkage 15 is hinged to the middle upper linkage 17 and the front upper linkage 18 through the middle upper node 16. The other end of the middle upper linkage 17 is hinged downward to the middle upper hinge seat 4.

[0071] The front upper link 18 is hinged to the front upper node 19, and the front upper node 19 is hinged to the upper support link 20. The upper support link 20 is hinged to the upper support hinge seat 8 downward and backward. The front upper link 18 is hinged to the upper support link 20 and the rear bottom of the upper gripper 11 through the front upper node 19.

[0072] The lower link hinge mechanism includes a lower rear link 21 hinged on the lower rear hinge seat 3. The front end of the lower rear link 21 is hinged to a lower middle link 23 and a lower front link 24 through a lower middle node 22. The other end of the lower middle link 23 is hinged upward to the lower middle hinge seat 5.

[0073] The front lower link 24 is hinged forward to the front lower node 25, and the front lower node 25 is hinged backward to the lower support link 26. The lower support link 26 is hinged upward and backward to the lower support hinge seat 9. The front lower link 24 is hinged to the lower support link 26 and the rear end top of the lower gripper 12 through the front lower node 25.

[0074] The upper and lower linkage mechanisms are simple in structure, low in cost, and reliable in operation. They can reliably drive the upper jaw 11 and the lower jaw 12 to close or open under the drive of the axial motion mechanism.

[0075] The front middle part of the cylindrical shell 1 is provided with an upper through groove 27 and a lower through groove corresponding to the upper rear connecting rod 15 and the lower rear connecting rod 21. Both the upper through groove 27 and the lower through groove extend along the axial direction of the cylindrical shell 1. The lower through groove is symmetrically arranged with the upper through groove 27. The lower through groove is not shown in detail in the figure.

[0076] The upper through slot 27 is used to provide space for the upper rear connecting rod 15 and the upper middle connecting rod 17 to extend upwards out of the cylindrical housing 1 and to perform axial forward and backward displacement and circumferential rotational displacement;

[0077] The lower through slot provides space for the rear lower connecting rod 21 and the middle lower connecting rod 23 to extend downwards out of the cylindrical housing 1 and to perform axial forward and backward displacement as well as circumferential rotational displacement.

[0078] The cylindrical housing 1 is ingeniously designed to meet the installation and operation requirements of both axial and circumferential motion mechanisms.

[0079] The axial motion mechanism includes a stepper motor 30, which is connected to a screw 10 via a coupling 31. The stepper motor 30 is fixed to the rear end of the cylindrical housing 1, and the screw 10 extends along the axial direction of the cylindrical housing 1 to the front bearing 6.

[0080] A rear axial positioning plate 32 is fixedly connected to the middle of the screw 10. A sleeve 33 is sleeved on the screw 10 in front of the rear axial positioning plate 32. The rear axial positioning plate 32 is used to position the extreme position of the sleeve 33 in the rearward displacement.

[0081] A rear toothed nut 34 is screwed onto the screw 10 in front of the sleeve 33. A front connecting plate 35 is radially fixed to the rear toothed nut 34. The front connecting plate 35 is connected to the front end of the sleeve 33 via a rear bearing and is used to drive the sleeve 33 to move axially back and forth. Specifically, the front connecting plate 35 is fixedly connected to the outer ring of the rear bearing, and the inner ring of the rear bearing is fixedly connected to the sleeve. The bearing is of conventional technology and is not shown in the figure.

[0082] The upper rear hinge seat 2 is fixed to the upper part of the sleeve 33, and the lower rear hinge seat 3 is fixed to the lower part of the sleeve 33;

[0083] The front end of the rear toothed nut 34 is connected to a front-pointing rear tooth 36;

[0084] The cylindrical housing 1 is provided with a guide constraint structure for constraining the circumferential angle of the rear toothed nut 34 and providing axial guidance for the rear toothed nut 34. The guide constraint structure is used to force the rear toothed nut 34 to move forward or backward when the screw 10 rotates. When the rear toothed nut 34 moves back and forth, it drives the sleeve 33 to move back and forth together, and then drives the upper jaw 11 and the lower jaw 12 to close or open through the upper connecting rod hinge mechanism and the lower connecting rod hinge mechanism.

[0085] The circumferential angle of the constrained nut is conventional in the art to allow it to move forward or backward when the screw 10 rotates. The guide constraint structure in this invention includes a guide groove 37 on the circumferential end face of the front connecting plate 35 and a guide ridge 38 on the inner wall of the cylindrical shell 1. The guide ridge 38 is provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the guide groove 37. In this invention, there are two guide grooves 37 on each side of the front connecting plate 35 (two on the front side and two on the rear side), and four guide ridges 38 are also provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the guide grooves 37. Figure 4 In the middle, two adjacent guide ridges 38 form a groove.

[0086] The rear axial positioning plate 32 can be fixedly connected to the screw 10, or its axial position can be positioned only by the limiting platform on the screw 10 without restricting the rear axial positioning plate 32 to rotate circumferentially relative to the screw 10. When the latter connection method is adopted, the rear axial positioning plate 32 can also be provided with a guide groove 37 and a guide protrusion 38 that is adapted to it.

[0087] The structure of the circumferential motion mechanism is:

[0088] The inner ring of the front bearing 6 is interference-fitted with a front sleeve rod 39. The front sleeve rod 39 is mounted forward through the mounting bracket to the upper support hinge seat 8 and the lower support hinge seat 9. The front end of the bearing housing 7 is provided with an upper through hole 40 and a lower through hole 41 corresponding to the upper support hinge seat 8 and the lower support hinge seat 9. The upper through hole 40 and the lower through hole 41 are used to provide the upper support connecting rod 20 and the lower support connecting rod 26 with a space for movement.

[0089] The bearing housing 7 between the upper through hole 40 and the lower through hole 41 has a hollow support groove 42 protruding forward. The front end of the screw 10 passes through the front sleeve 39 and extends into the support groove 42, and is rotatably engaged with the support groove 42. The support groove 42 is used to support the front end of the screw 10. The screw 10 and the front sleeve 39 are rotatably engaged (the two can rotate relative to each other).

[0090] The front sleeve rod 39 is equipped with a rearward-pointing front tooth 43, which is adapted to the rear tooth 36. The rear tooth 36 moves forward under the drive of the axial motion mechanism and is inserted into the rear tooth 36. During the process of meshing with the rear tooth 36, the rear tooth 36 is driven to rotate. The rear tooth 36 drives the upper jaw 11 and the lower jaw 12 to rotate as a whole through the front sleeve rod 39, the upper connecting rod hinge mechanism and the lower connecting rod hinge mechanism to form a torsion action.

[0091] Multiple reset springs 44 are evenly spaced along the circumferential surface of the front sleeve rod 39. Each reset spring 44 extends radially and is connected to the inner wall of the cylindrical housing 1. The reset springs 44 are used to drive the front sleeve rod 39, the front tooth 43, the upper jaw 11 and the lower jaw 12 to rotate and reset when the axial motion mechanism drives the rear tooth 36 to retract and leave the front tooth 43.

[0092] The structure of the axial motion mechanism and the circumferential motion mechanism can reliably complete the axial drive and circumferential drive functions. Except for the stepper motor 30, it is a purely mechanical structure, with reliable operation and long-term maintenance-free operation.

[0093] This invention also discloses a method for using the above-mentioned integrated gripper, shearer, and twister for harvesting fruits and vegetables. The first step is to align the fruit or vegetable to be harvested; the upper gripper 11 and the lower gripper 12 are aligned with the fruit or vegetable to be harvested using either of the following two methods:

[0094] 1. The cylindrical shell 1 is mounted on the robotic arm and guided by the vision recognition mechanism so that the upper gripper 11 and the lower gripper 12 are aligned with the fruits and vegetables to be picked;

[0095] 2. Manually operate the cylindrical shell 1 to align the upper jaw 11 and lower jaw 12 with the fruits and vegetables to be harvested;

[0096] The second step is to complete the grasping and cutting actions (the action of inserting the blade 13 into the blade groove 14).

[0097] The stepper motor 30 is started to drive the screw 10 to rotate. The screw 10 drives the rear toothed nut 34 to move forward. The rear toothed nut 34 drives the lower connecting rod hinge mechanism and the upper connecting rod hinge mechanism to extend forward through the sleeve 33, forcing the upper gripper 11 and the upper support connecting rod 20 to rotate downward around the upper support hinge seat 8; at the same time, it forces the lower gripper 12 and the lower support connecting rod 26 to rotate upward around the lower support hinge seat 9, completing the gripping action of wrapping the fruit and vegetables to be picked; while the gripping action is in progress, the blade 13 is inserted into the blade groove 14. When the blade 13 initially enters the blade groove 14, it performs a cutting action on the fruit stem; if the fruit stem is not cut in one cut... In the case where the fruit stem is completely cut off under the first cutting action, the uncut part of the stem bends 90 degrees under the pressure of the blade 13 and penetrates into the groove 14. During this process, the stem is subjected to a secondary cutting action formed by the bending force, the tight pressure from the groove wall of the groove 14, and the downward cutting force of the blade 13. If the stem is not completely cut off under the secondary cutting action, the uncut part of the stem enters the bottom of the groove 14 under the action of the blade 13, increasing the tension between the uncut part of the stem and the fruit and vegetable body. Both the first and second cutting actions are the result of the cutting action (the action of the blade 13 inserting into the groove 14).

[0098] The third step is to complete the twisting action;

[0099] After the grasping and cutting actions are synchronized, as the stepper motor 30 continues to drive the screw 10 to rotate, the rear tooth 36 presses forward against the front tooth 43 and gradually forms a meshing state with the front tooth 43. During the process of the rear tooth 36 pressing forward against the front tooth 43, the rear tooth 36 forces the front tooth 43 to rotate circumferentially (the rotation angle depends on the matching tooth profile design of the front tooth 43 and the rear tooth 36). The front tooth 43 drives the upper support hinge seat 8 and the lower support hinge seat 9 to rotate through the front sleeve rod 39. The upper support hinge seat 8 and the lower support hinge seat 9 drive the upper gripper 11 and the lower gripper 12 to rotate synchronously through the upper support connecting rod 20 and the lower support connecting rod 26. At this time, the unbroken part of the fruit stem pressed tightly in the blade groove 14 by the blade 13 rotates and performs the twisting action. Since there is tension between the unbroken part of the fruit stem and the fruit and vegetable body due to the pressure of the blade 13, the twisting action easily breaks the unbroken part of the fruit stem.

[0100] During the third step, each reset spring 44 is rotated and twisted, generating a reset force;

[0101] The fourth step is to control the stepper motor 30 to reverse, forcing the rear toothed nut 34 to retract, the rear tooth 36 to disengage from the front tooth 43, and the front tooth 43 and the front sleeve rod 39 to rotate and reset under the action of the reset spring force.

[0102] Repeat steps one through four, picking one fruit or vegetable each time steps one through four are performed.

[0103] The method of using this invention is simple and convenient, and can be operated by hand or with the aid of a robotic arm. The twisting action does not require separate control; the stepper motor 30 only needs to rotate once to complete all cutting and twisting actions, making control simple and operation convenient.

[0104] Because the cutting action involves both primary and secondary cutting, the success rate is significantly improved compared to previous methods. Using this invention, the probability of the fruit stalk remaining intact after the twisting action is extremely low, greatly reducing the subsequent processing workload caused by incomplete stalk breakage compared to previous methods.

[0105] The above embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the technical solutions of the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can still be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the screw 10 can be replaced with a ball screw, the toothed nut 34 can be replaced with a ball screw nut, and a toothed nut 36 structure can be provided at the front end of the ball screw nut, so that the sleeve 33 can be driven to move axially back and forth by the ball screw nut. Such equivalent substitution structures should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention. Since the cost of the ball screw and ball screw nut is higher than that of the screw 10 and the toothed nut with a guide constraint structure, the axial drive structure of the screw 10 and the toothed nut with a guide constraint structure is preferred.

Claims

1. A fruit and vegetable picking executor with integrated plucking, cutting and twisting functions, comprising a cylindrical shell, the axial direction of the cylindrical shell being the direction towards the fruit and vegetable to be picked, and the direction towards the fruit and vegetable to be picked being the front direction; the rear end of the cylindrical shell being closed and the front end being provided with an opening; characterized in that the cylindrical shell being provided with an axial movement mechanism at the middle and rear part, and being provided with a circumferential movement mechanism matching the axial movement mechanism at the middle and front part; the axial movement mechanism being connected with a rear upper hinged seat and a rear lower hinged seat that can rotate with the circumferential movement mechanism, and the circumferential movement mechanism being connected with a middle upper hinged seat and a middle lower hinged seat; the front end opening of the cylindrical shell being provided with a front bearing as an end cover of the cylindrical shell, the outer ring of the front bearing being fixed with a bearing shell, the rear end of the bearing shell being open, the bearing shell being fixedly connected with the cylindrical shell, the middle upper part of the front side of the front bearing being provided with an upper support hinged seat, and the middle lower part of the front side of the front bearing being provided with a lower support hinged seat; the rear upper hinged seat, the middle upper hinged seat and the upper support hinged seat being provided with an upper connecting rod hinged mechanism, the front end of the upper connecting rod hinged mechanism being hinged with an upper clamping jaw; the rear lower hinged seat, the middle lower hinged seat and the lower support hinged seat being provided with a lower connecting rod hinged mechanism, the front end of the lower connecting rod hinged mechanism being hinged with a lower clamping jaw; the upper clamping jaw and the lower clamping jaw both being hollow and spherical in shape, and the notches of the two being opposite to each other; the front end of the upper clamping jaw being connected downward with a blade for cutting off the fruit stem, and the upper surface of the front end of the lower clamping jaw being provided with a blade groove for accommodating the blade and bending the unbroken part of the fruit stem at a right angle and increasing the tension of the unbroken part of the fruit stem; the axial movement mechanism being used to drive the upper clamping jaw and the lower clamping jaw to close or open through the upper connecting rod hinged mechanism and the lower connecting rod hinged mechanism; the circumferential movement mechanism being used to drive the upper clamping jaw and the lower clamping jaw to rotate to twist off the part that may still be connected after the cutting action under the driving of the circumferential movement mechanism; the cylindrical shell being mounted on a mechanical arm and guided by a visual recognition mechanism to guide the mechanical arm, so that the upper clamping jaw and the lower clamping jaw are aligned with the fruit and vegetable to be picked, the closing action of the upper clamping jaw and the lower clamping jaw being the plucking action, the action of the blade inserted into the blade groove being the cutting action, the plucking action and the cutting action being the synchronous action of two-in-one, and the rotating action of the upper clamping jaw and the lower clamping jaw being the twisting action.

2. The plucking, cutting and twisting integrated fruit and vegetable picking actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper connecting rod hinged mechanism comprises a rear upper connecting rod hinged on the rear upper hinged seat, the front end of the rear upper connecting rod being hinged with a middle upper connecting rod and a front upper connecting rod through a middle upper node, the other end of the middle upper connecting rod being hinged with the middle upper hinged seat downward, the front upper connecting rod being hinged with a front upper node forward, the front upper node being hinged with an upper support connecting rod backward, the upper support connecting rod being hinged with the upper support hinged seat backward; the front upper connecting rod being hinged with the rear end bottom of the upper clamping jaw and the upper support connecting rod through the front upper node; The lower connecting rod hinged mechanism comprises a rear lower connecting rod hinged on the rear lower hinged seat, the front end of the rear lower connecting rod being hinged with a middle lower connecting rod and a front lower connecting rod through a middle lower node, the other end of the middle lower connecting rod being hinged with the middle lower hinged seat upward, the front lower connecting rod being hinged with a front lower node forward, the front lower node being hinged with a lower support connecting rod backward, the lower support connecting rod being hinged with the lower support hinged seat backward; the front lower connecting rod being hinged with the rear end bottom of the lower clamping jaw and the lower support connecting rod through the front lower node.

3. The plucking, cutting and twisting integrated fruit and vegetable picking actuator according to claim 2, characterized in that: The middle front part of the cylindrical shell is provided with an upper through slot and a lower through slot corresponding to the rear upper link and the rear lower link, and the upper through slot and the lower through slot extend along the axial direction of the cylindrical shell; The upper through slot is used to provide space for the rear upper link and the middle upper link to extend out of the cylindrical shell upward and to perform axial forward and backward displacement and circumferential rotational displacement, The lower through slot is used to provide space for the rear lower link and the middle lower link to extend out of the cylindrical shell downward and to perform axial forward and backward displacement and circumferential rotational displacement.

4. The plucking, cutting and twisting integrated fruit and vegetable picking actuator according to claim 3, characterized in that: The axial movement mechanism comprises a stepping motor, the stepping motor is connected with a screw rod through a shaft coupling, the stepping motor is fixed to the rear end of the cylindrical shell, and the screw rod extends to the front bearing along the axial direction of the cylindrical shell; The middle part of the screw rod is connected with a rear axial positioning plate, a sleeve is sleeved on the screw rod in front of the rear axial positioning plate, and the rear axial positioning plate is used to position the limit position of the rear displacement of the sleeve; A rear tooth-shaped nut is screwed on the screw rod in front of the sleeve, the rear tooth-shaped nut is fixedly connected with a front connecting plate in the radial direction, the front connecting plate is connected with the front end of the sleeve through the rear bearing and is used to drive the sleeve to move forward and backward in the axial direction; A rear upper hinge seat is fixed to the upper part of the sleeve, and a rear lower hinge seat is fixed to the lower part of the sleeve; The front end of the rear tooth-shaped nut is connected with a rear tooth with a forward pointed tip in front; The cylindrical shell is provided with a guide constraint structure for constraining the circumferential angle of the rear tooth-shaped nut and axially guiding the rear tooth-shaped nut, the guide constraint structure is used to force the rear tooth-shaped nut to move forward or backward when the screw rod rotates, the rear tooth-shaped nut drives the sleeve to move forward and backward when moving forward and backward, and then drives the upper jaw and the lower jaw to close or open through the upper link hinge mechanism and the lower link hinge mechanism.

5. The plucking, cutting and twisting integrated fruit and vegetable picking actuator according to claim 4, characterized in that: The structure of the circumferential movement mechanism is: The inner ring of the front bearing is interference-fitted with a front sleeve rod, the front sleeve rod is used to install the upper support hinge seat and the lower support hinge seat through a mounting frame; the front end of the bearing shell is provided with an upper through hole and a lower through hole corresponding to the upper support hinge seat and the lower support hinge seat, and the upper through hole and the lower through hole are used to provide space for the upper support link and the lower support link to move; The bearing shell between the upper through hole and the lower through hole is provided with a hollow support groove in front of the bearing shell, the front end of the screw rod extends into the support groove through the front sleeve rod and is rotationally connected with the support groove, and the support groove is used to support the front end of the screw rod; the screw rod is rotationally connected with the front sleeve rod; The front sleeve rod is rearwardly provided with a front tooth with a rearward pointed tip, the front tooth is matched with the rear tooth, the rear tooth is driven to rotate in the process of moving forward and being inserted into the rear tooth under the driving of the axial movement mechanism, and the rear tooth drives the upper jaw and the lower jaw to rotate integrally to form a torsional break action through the front sleeve rod, the upper link hinge mechanism and the lower link hinge mechanism; A plurality of reset tension springs are uniformly and spacedly connected to the circumferential surface of the front sleeve rod in the circumferential direction, each reset tension spring extends in the radial direction and is connected with the inner wall of the cylindrical shell; the reset tension spring is used to drive the front sleeve rod, the front tooth, the upper jaw and the lower jaw to rotate and reset when the rear tooth is driven to retreat away from the front tooth by the axial movement mechanism.

6. The use method of the integrated fruit and vegetable picking and cutting device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first step is to aim at the fruit and vegetable to be picked; The second step is to complete the grabbing action and the cutting action. The step motor is started to drive the screw to rotate, the screw drives the rear toothed nut to advance, the rear toothed nut drives the lower connecting rod hinged mechanism and the upper connecting rod hinged mechanism to stretch forward through the sleeve, forces the upper clamping jaw and the upper support connecting rod to rotate downward around the upper support hinged seat, and forces the lower clamping jaw and the lower support connecting rod to rotate upward around the lower support hinged seat, so that the picking action of wrapping the fruit and vegetable to be picked in is completed; the blade is inserted into the knife slot at the same time of the picking action, the blade produces a cutting action on the fruit stem when the blade initially enters the knife slot; if the fruit stem is not completely cut off under the first cutting action, the unbroken part of the fruit stem is bent by 90 degrees under the pressure of the blade and is deeply inserted into the knife slot, and the fruit stem is subjected to the second cutting action formed by the bending force, the pressure from the wall of the knife slot and the downward cutting force of the blade; if the fruit stem is not completely cut off under the second cutting action, the unbroken part of the fruit stem is inserted into the bottom of the knife slot under the action of the blade, and the tension between the unbroken part of the fruit stem and the fruit and vegetable body is increased; The third step is to complete the twisting action; After the picking action and the cutting action are completed synchronously, the screw continues to be driven to rotate by the step motor, the rear tooth tightly presses the front tooth and gradually forms the meshing state with the front tooth, in the process of tightly pressing the front tooth, the rear tooth forces the front tooth to rotate circumferentially, the front tooth drives the upper support hinged seat and the lower support hinged seat to rotate through the front sleeve rod, the upper support hinged seat and the lower support hinged seat drive the upper clamping jaw and the lower clamping jaw to rotate synchronously through the upper support connecting rod and the lower support connecting rod, at this time, the unbroken part of the fruit stem tightly pressed in the knife slot rotates to perform the twisting action; since the tension between the unbroken part of the fruit stem and the fruit and vegetable body exists due to the tight pressing of the blade, the twisting action can easily twist the unbroken part of the fruit stem; In the process of the third step, each reset tension spring is twisted and distorted to generate a reset elastic force; The fourth step is to control the step motor to reverse, force the rear toothed nut to retreat, and the rear tooth to disengage from the front tooth, and the front tooth and the front sleeve rod to rotate to reset under the action of the reset elastic force; The first to fourth steps are repeatedly performed, and the fruit of one fruit and vegetable is picked every time the first to fourth steps are executed.

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