An air-ground dual-purpose pesticide applicator with automatic liquid medicine replenishment and an automatic liquid medicine replenishment method

Abstract

The present invention discloses an air-ground dual-purpose pesticide applicator with automatic liquid medicine replenishment and an automatic liquid medicine replenishment method. The pesticide applicator includes a replenishment platform for supplying medicine to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) pesticide application platform and a ground pesticide application platform; the replenishment platform includes a replenishment tractor, on which a liquid medicine replenishment tank is provided. The outlet of the vertical water pump inside the liquid medicine replenishment tank is connected to the inlet of a pipe reel. The pipe reel extends a water outlet pipe to connect to an infusion nozzle. A liquid medicine docking replenishment device and an automatic recognition device are installed on the top of the liquid medicine replenishment tank for adjusting the angle and position of the infusion nozzle, thereby completing the replenishment operation; the replenishment tractor is equipped with a UAV parking device for parking the UAV pesticide application platform; automatic opening and closing devices are provided at the medicine tank openings of the UAV pesticide application tank and the ground pesticide application tank for automatically opening and closing the medicine tank openings and providing position signals for the automatic recognition device. The purpose of the present invention is to achieve automatic replenishment of the large-field pesticide application system, automatically complete the medicine replenishment work, and improve the pesticide application efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of agricultural automation machinery and equipment, and particularly relates to an air-ground dual-purpose pesticide applicator with automatic liquid medicine replenishment and an automatic liquid medicine replenishment method. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous optimization and timely adjustment of the agricultural industrial structure, as well as the improvement, popularization and application of modern agricultural plant protection machinery, a series of new pesticide applicators and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms have been developed in the agricultural field. However, when the traditional pesticide applicator runs out of liquid medicine during operation, it is necessary for an operator to drive a supply vehicle to the vicinity of the pesticide applicator manually, or for the UAV to return to a fixed point for liquid medicine replenishment to the liquid medicine supply tank. The operator needs to manually open the medicine box cover to replenish the liquid medicine. During this replenishment process, the UAV returning for replenishment, the driver driving the supply vehicle to the pesticide applicator, and the operator's manual operation all greatly reduce the pesticide application efficiency. Therefore, in order to improve the pesticide application efficiency, the automatic replenishment of the liquid medicine of the existing pesticide applicator has become a key link to maintain the continuous operation of the pesticide applicator.

[0003] To solve the above problems, Chinese Patent Application CN112741063A discloses an agricultural pesticide application robot system with an automatic replenishment function. It mainly realizes the precise docking among a pesticide application robot, a mobile replenishment robot and a fixed liquid medicine tank by setting special liquid medicine docking interfaces on their corresponding end faces, so as to enable the mobile replenishment robot to transport liquid medicine back and forth between the fixed liquid medicine tank and each pesticide application robot, saving the time required for the pesticide application robot to return for replenishment, and thus improving the overall operation efficiency of the system. However, the design of the liquid medicine docking interface structure of the mobile replenishment robot in this solution is complex, the docking method is cumbersome, and a robotic arm is required to operate for the picking of the interface. When the liquid inlet interface of the pesticide application robot is put back, it is necessary to first operate the picking mechanism of the liquid inlet interface on the robotic arm to remove the ring groove locking mechanism before it can be separated from the mobile replenishment robot. This complex docking and replenishment method takes a long time and has poor adaptability for different types of pesticide applicators during replenishment operations.

[0004] Chinese Patent Application CN115336565A discloses a pesticide application device based on a UAV. A driving cart is equipped with a water pump and a power supply device, and is connected to the UAV through a water pipe. The UAV takes off to a specified height, and the water pump motor starts to pump the liquid medicine into the hose, providing sufficient pesticides for the UAV to apply pesticides. The medicine tank and the power supply are arranged on the cart, greatly reducing the mass of the UAV and improving the endurance of the UAV. However, in this solution, the driving cart undertakes the functions of a liquid medicine tank and a parking platform. When the UAV takes off for pesticide application, the driving cart follows to conduct liquid medicine replenishment. This following operation mode is greatly affected by the field environment, and due to factors such as the motor power and the length of the pipeline, the UAV cannot fly at high altitudes, the operation range is limited, and the efficiency is low, unable to meet the requirements of rapid operation in large fields. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the above existing problems, the present invention proposes an air-ground dual-purpose medicine applicator with automatic liquid medicine replenishment and an automatic liquid medicine replenishment method, aiming to realize automatic replenishment of the agricultural field medicine application system, automatically complete the medicine replenishment work, liberate manpower, and improve the medicine application efficiency. The present invention adds a multi-degree-of-freedom multi-link automatic replenishment and an automatic recognition device to meet the different replenishment needs of drones and medicine applicators. At the same time, an automatic opening and closing device is adopted to realize the automatic opening and closing of the medicine tank opening, and sensor monitoring technology is used to improve the operation efficiency, reduce the waste of human resources, reduce the farmland management cost, and improve the automation, unmanned, and intelligent levels of the farm.

[0006] The above object is achieved by the following technical solutions:

[0007] An air-ground dual-purpose medicine applicator with automatic liquid medicine replenishment, comprising a replenishment platform for supplying medicine to the drone medicine application platform and the ground medicine application platform; the replenishment platform includes a replenishment tractor, a liquid medicine replenishment tank is arranged on the replenishment tractor, a slide rail is arranged on the top of the liquid medicine replenishment tank, a vertical water pump is arranged inside the liquid medicine replenishment tank, the water outlet of the vertical water pump is connected to the water inlet of the pipe reel, the pipe reel extends out a water pipe to connect to an infusion nozzle, a liquid medicine docking replenishment device and an automatic recognition device are installed on the top of the liquid medicine replenishment tank for adjusting the angle and position of the infusion nozzle, so as to complete the replenishment operation; a drone parking device for parking the drone medicine application platform is carried on the replenishment tractor; a drone medicine application tank is arranged on the drone medicine application platform, a ground medicine application tank is arranged on the ground medicine application platform, and automatic opening and closing devices are arranged at the medicine tank openings of the drone medicine application tank and the ground medicine application tank, and the automatic opening and closing devices are used to realize the automatic opening and closing of the medicine tank opening and provide position signals for the automatic recognition device.

[0008] Furthermore, a flow detection sensor is arranged at the water outlet of the pipe reel for detecting the amount of liquid medicine pumped out from the water outlet of the vertical water pump.

[0009] Furthermore, the liquid medicine docking replenishment device includes a sliding base installed on the slide rail, which is equipped with a power supply box and can be used to drive itself to move on the slide rail. A rotary reducer driven by a rotary motor is installed on the sliding base, a motor base is installed on the rotary reducer, and a servo motor is installed on each of the inner and outer sides of the motor base.

[0010] The power output shaft of the servo motor located on the outer side is connected to the bottom end of the boom. The top end of the boom is hinged to one corner of a triangular swing arm. The top end of the second driven link is hinged to one corner of the triangular swing arm, and the bottom end of the second driven link is hinged to the motor base; the other corner of the triangular swing arm is fixedly connected to the first driven link. The power output shaft of the servo motor located on the inner side is connected to a rotary cam. The bottom end of the small arm drive rod is hinged to the rotary cam, and the top end of the small arm drive rod is fixedly connected to the small arm. The ends of the small arm and the first driven link are both hinged to a connecting seat, and the bottom end of the connecting seat is used to fix the infusion nozzle and the automatic identification device.

[0011] Further, a counterweight block is installed at the outer extension of the tail end of the rotary cam.

[0012] Optionally, the liquid medicine docking and replenishing device includes a moving chassis installed on the slide rail, which is equipped with a power supply box and can be used to drive itself to move on the slide rail. The rotary drive is placed on the moving chassis and obtains power through an external stepping motor. A column is installed on the moving chassis through a welded flange. The top of the column is horizontally hinged to an upper arm, and a first electric push rod is installed between the column and the upper arm. The upper arm is a telescopic push rod. The fixed end of the second electric push rod is installed on one section of the upper arm, and the working end of the second electric push rod is installed on the second section of the upper arm. The telescopic movement of the second electric push rod drives the length change of the second section of the upper arm within the first section of the upper arm, thereby realizing the length change of the upper arm. Leveling pull rods are arranged at the front end of the second section of the upper arm, and a first servo motor is installed on the side of the leveling pull rods. The first servo motor drives the rotation of a rotating shaft to drive the leveling pull rods to swing. A second servo motor is connected below the leveling pull rods, and the second servo motor is connected to fix the infusion nozzle and the automatic identification device.

[0013] Further, the automatic identification device includes a rotating motor, which is used to drive the movement of a rotating bearing. The infusion nozzle and an infrared identification camera are fixed on the rotating bearing. A depth sensor is placed above the infrared identification camera and is used to obtain the surrounding environment information of the replenishment platform, the drone spraying platform, and the ground spraying platform.

[0014] Further, the drone parking device includes a drone replenishment platform, platform lifting links, and link movement slide rails; a height leveling sensor is arranged at the top end of the link movement slide rails and is used to transmit the height and angle information of the parking platform to the upper computer; the number of link movement slide rails is two. The platform lifting links are connected to the link movement slide rails, and the drone replenishment platform is installed on the platform lifting links. The retraction and extension of the platform lifting links and the height adjustment of the links on the link movement slide rails can realize the retraction, extension, angle, and height adjustment of the drone replenishment platform.

[0015] Further, the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spraying platform includes a frame, on which a pump and a medicine tank grabbing frame are installed. The medicine tank grabbing frame is used to grab the UAV spraying medicine tank, and the pump is used to extract the liquid medicine in the UAV spraying medicine tank into the pipeline through an infusion pipe and then conduct field spraying operations through a spraying nozzle; a signal receiving terminal and a brushless motor are also arranged on the frame.

[0016] Further, the ground spraying platform includes an autonomous tractor, on which a folding spray boom and a ground spraying medicine tank are carried, and is used to realize the automatic opening and closing of the medicine tank opening. A liquid level detection sensor is placed inside the medicine tank to detect the real-time liquid level information of the liquid medicine inside the medicine tank.

[0017] Further, the automatic opening and closing device includes a rotary base, with an opening in the middle of the rotary base. A group of rotary connecting rods are connected to a group of tank cover blades on the rotary base. A driving connecting rod is also connected to the base, and the driving connecting rod is connected to a deviation cam, which is driven by a driving motor installed on a U-shaped base; a group of RGB lights for providing position information for an infrared camera are installed on the rotary base; distance sensors for detecting the real-time distance of an automatic recognition device are installed on the tank cover blades.

[0018] The present invention also provides a method for automatically replenishing the liquid medicine of the above-mentioned air-ground dual-purpose spraying machine for automatic liquid replenishment, and the method includes the following steps:

[0019] S101: When the UAV spraying platform and / or the ground spraying platform are operating in the field, the liquid level detection sensor in the UAV spraying medicine tank / ground spraying medicine tank detects the liquid level of the liquid medicine in the medicine tank in real time. By setting a limit height, if the liquid level remains above the limit height, the UAV spraying platform and / or the ground spraying platform work normally. If the liquid level is about to reach the limit, the upper computer estimates the remaining operation time, and the upper computer obtains the position information of the replenishment platform, the UAV spraying platform and / or the ground spraying platform through GPS positioning and estimates the meeting point through path planning using ArcGIS technology. At this time, the automatic opening and closing device and the lights at the medicine tank opening of the UAV spraying medicine tank / ground spraying medicine tank remain closed. The upper computer is simultaneously connected to the replenishment platform and the spraying machine, the UAV spraying platform and the ground spraying platform, to make preparations in advance for the replenishment work;

[0020] S102: If the host computer issues an early warning, the host computer commands the supply platform to move forward, and the UAV pesticide application platform and / or the ground pesticide application platform to the meeting point for supply. If the host computer has not issued an early warning, the UAV pesticide application platform and / or the ground pesticide application platform continue to operate, and the supply vehicle moves to the meeting point; the host computer connects the supply platform, the UAV pesticide application platform, and the ground pesticide application platform. At this time, the ground pesticide application platform and the supply platform are initially positioned and aligned according to the path position information provided by ARGGIS, and the UAV pesticide application platform uses RTK GPS positioning technology to send position information to the host computer and combines the height leveling sensor information for pre-landing; at this time, the automatic opening and closing device at the medicine box opening drives the deflection cam to drive the connecting rod to move through the driving motor, and then drives the rotary base to drive the box cover blade to rotate to open the medicine box opening, and the RGB light is on to ensure that the light signal of the medicine box opening can be recognized by the infrared recognition camera;

[0021] S103: The infrared recognition camera determines whether it can obtain the light signal. If not, the host computer instructs the ground pesticide application platform and / or the drone pesticide application platform to perform initial positioning or pre-landing again; if it can, the host computer uses the infrared recognition camera to obtain the signal of the RGB light to obtain the position of the medicine box opening, and the depth sensor obtains the surrounding environment information of the supply platform and transmits it to the host computer. The host computer performs path planning, starts the servo motor located on the outside to drive the big arm to swing, and the base is driven by the electric box to adjust forward and backward on the slide rail to perform the first position adjustment. At the same time, the host computer drives the pipe coil to release a certain length of water pipe to leave a certain moving space for adjustment; the servo motor located on the inside drives the rotary cam to drive the small arm drive rod to move, and drives the small arm to adjust the pitch; align the infusion nozzle with the medicine box opening; the first driven connecting rod and the second driven connecting rod will follow the movement of the big arm and the small arm to pull the infrared recognition camera for the third adjustment, and the end is always kept horizontal; the rotary motor drives the infrared recognition camera and the infusion nozzle to rotate, and the infusion nozzle is adjusted at a small angle;

[0022] S104: When the infusion nozzle is aligned with the opening of the medicine box, the vertical water pump is started. At the same time, the flow detection sensor located at the water outlet of the pipe coil will detect the pumped flow in real time, and determine whether the operation needs to be terminated in combination with the liquid level detection sensor in the drone medicine application box / ground medicine application box; if it is determined that the replenishment is completed, each part of the device stops working and returns to the original state, the automatic opening and closing device of the drone medicine application platform and / or the ground medicine application platform is closed, and the operation continues.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0024] The present invention uses a liquid level detection sensor to detect the real-time liquid level inside the medicine box in real time. The medicine box opening and closing device realizes the automatic opening and closing of the medicine box opening and provides position information. The medicine box identification and positioning device performs positioning and adjustment, and the liquid medicine docking and replenishment device realizes docking and replenishment, liquid medicine transportation and flow detection, and can realize functions such as the above-mentioned liquid medicine level monitoring, automatic identification, automatic replenishment, and automatic opening and closing. The embodiment of the present invention effectively solves the problem of manual liquid medicine replenishment during field spraying, realizes fully automatic liquid medicine replenishment operation, improves the spraying efficiency, reduces the labor input, and enhances the level of unmanned operation on the farm. Description of the Drawings

[0025] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the liquid medicine docking and replenishment device of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the automatic identification device of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the automatic opening and closing device of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the unmanned aerial vehicle spraying platform of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another embodiment of the liquid medicine docking and replenishment device of the present invention.

[0031] Description of the Reference Numerals:

[0032] 1. Supply platform; 3. Liquid medicine docking and supply device; 4. Automatic identification device; 5. UAV parking device; 6. Automatic opening and closing device; 7. UAV spraying platform; 8. Ground spraying platform; 101. Supply tractor; 102. Liquid medicine supply tank; 103. Slide rail; 201. Vertical water pump; 202. Pipe reel; 203. Flow detection sensor; 204. Outlet pipe; 301. Sliding base; 302. Servo motor; 303. Rotary reducer; 304. Motor base; 305. Boom; 306. Forearm; 307. Connecting seat; 308. First driven link; 309. Triangular swing arm; 310. Second driven link; 311. Forearm drive rod; 312. Rotary cam; 313. Counterweight; 314. Rotary motor; 315. Mobile chassis; 316. External hanging stepper motor; 317. Rotary drive; 318. Column; 319. First electric push rod; 320. Upper arm; 321. Second electric push rod; 322. First servo; 323. Leveling pull rod; 324. Second servo; 401. Rotary motor; 402. Depth sensor; 403. Infusion nozzle; 404. Infrared identification camera; 501. UAV supply platform; 502. Platform lifting link; 503. Link motion slide rail; 504. Height leveling sensor; 601. U-shaped base; 602. Drive motor; 603. Biased cam; 604. Drive link; 605. Rotary base; 606. Rotary link; 607. Tank cover blade; 608. RGB light; 609. Distance sensor; 701. Signal receiving terminal; 702. Pump; 703. Spraying nozzle; 704. Medicine box grabbing rack; 705. UAV medicine box; 706. Infusion tube; 707. Brushless motor; 801. Folding spray bar; 802. Medicine box; 803. Liquid level detection sensor; 804. Driverless tractor; Detailed implementation mode Embodiment

[0033] Such as Figures 1-5As shown in the figure, an air-ground dual-purpose medicine applicator with automatic liquid medicine replenishment in this embodiment includes a replenishment platform 1 for supplying medicine to the UAV medicine application platform 7 and the ground medicine application platform 8; the replenishment platform 1 includes a replenishment tractor 101, a liquid medicine replenishment tank 102 is arranged on the replenishment tractor 101, a slide rail 103 is arranged on the top of the liquid medicine replenishment tank 102, a vertical water pump 201 is arranged inside the liquid medicine replenishment tank 102, the water outlet of the vertical water pump 201 is connected to the water inlet of a pipe reel 202, the pipe reel 202 extends a water outlet pipe 204 to connect to an infusion nozzle 403, and the pipe reel 202 is placed on the slide rail 103. Its function is to store and release the water pipe. When the liquid medicine is replenished through the docking replenishment device, the pipe reel releases a certain redundant water pipe in advance. And it can be translated back and forth for position adjustment; a liquid medicine docking replenishment device 3 and an automatic identification device 4 are installed on the top of the liquid medicine replenishment tank 102 to adjust the angle and position of the infusion nozzle 403, so as to complete the replenishment operation; a UAV parking device 5 for parking the UAV medicine application platform 7 is carried on the replenishment tractor 101; a UAV medicine application tank 705 is arranged on the UAV medicine application platform 7, a ground medicine application tank 802 is arranged on the ground medicine application platform 8, and automatic opening and closing devices 6 are arranged at the medicine tank openings of the UAV medicine application tank 705 and the ground medicine application tank 802. The automatic opening and closing device 6 is used to realize the automatic opening and closing of the medicine tank opening and provide a position signal for the automatic identification device 4.

[0034] In this embodiment, a flow detection sensor 203 is arranged at the water outlet of the pipe reel 202 to detect the amount of liquid medicine pumped out at the water outlet of the vertical water pump 201, to real-time feedback the amount of replenished liquid medicine to the upper computer, and then to judge whether to terminate the replenishment operation.

[0035] In this embodiment, the liquid medicine docking and replenishing device 3 includes a sliding base 301 installed on the slide rail 103, which is equipped with a power supply box and can be used to drive itself to move on the slide rail. A rotary reducer 303 driven by a rotary motor 314 is installed on the sliding base 301. A motor base 304 is installed on the rotary reducer. A servo motor 302 is installed on each of the inner and outer sides of the motor base 304. The power output shaft of the servo motor 302 located on the outer side is connected to the bottom end of the boom 305. The top end of the boom 305 is hinged to one corner of a triangular swing arm 309. One corner of the triangular swing arm 309 is hinged to the top end of the second driven link 310. The bottom end of the second driven link 310 is hinged to the motor base 304. The other corner of the triangular swing arm 309 is fixedly connected to the first driven link 308. The power output shaft of the servo motor 302 located on the inner side is connected to a rotary cam 312. The bottom end of a small arm drive rod 311 is hinged to the rotary cam 312. The top end of the small arm drive rod 311 is fixedly connected to the small arm 306. The ends of the small arm 306 and the first driven link 308 are both hinged to a connecting seat 307. The bottom end of the connecting seat 307 is used to fix the infusion nozzle 403 and the automatic identification device 4. The inner servo motor drives the boom 305 to swing and adjust. The outer servo motor drives the rotary cam 312 to drive the small arm drive rod 311 to drive the small arm to move. The device connecting seat 307 is fixed to the front end of the small arm 309 through a pin shaft. At this time, the medicine box identification and positioning device 4 is at a horizontal angle with the ground. When the small arm and the boom of the liquid medicine docking and replenishing device 3 are working, the first driven link and the second driven link follow the movement of the boom and the small arm through the link swing arm, and can provide traction for the device connecting seat to ensure that the liquid medicine docking and replenishing device 4 always maintains a horizontal state during operation. The triangular swing arm 309 is fixed at the shoulder joint rotation axis of the boom 305 and connects two driven links. One end of the first driven link 308 is connected to the device connecting seat 307, and the other end is connected to the link swing arm 309. The second driven link 310 is fixed to the triangular swing arm 309 and the motor base 304. During the replenishment process, the first driven link 308 and the second driven link 310 will swing with the movement of the boom 305 and the small arm 306 to provide traction for the medicine box identification and positioning device.

[0036] In this embodiment, a counterweight 313 is installed at the outer extension of the tail end of the rotary cam 312. When the small arm swings, it provides a downward moment to balance the moment influence of the medicine box identification and positioning device on the small arm.

[0037] In this embodiment, the automatic identification device 4 includes a rotary motor 401, which is used to drive the rotary bearing to move. The infusion nozzle 403 and the infrared identification camera 404 are fixed on the rotary bearing. The depth sensor 402 is placed above the infrared identification camera 404 and is used to obtain the surrounding environment information of the supply platform 1, the drone spraying platform 7 and the ground spraying platform 8.

[0038] In this embodiment, the drone parking device 5 includes a drone supply platform 501, a platform lifting connecting rod 502, and a connecting rod movement slide rail 503. A height leveling sensor 504 is provided at the top end of the connecting rod movement slide rail 503 and is used to transmit the height and angle information of the parking platform 501 to the host computer. The number of the connecting rod movement slide rails 503 is two. The platform lifting connecting rod 502 is connected to the connecting rod movement slide rail 503. The drone supply platform 501 is installed on the platform lifting connecting rod. The retraction and extension of the platform lifting connecting rod 502 and the height adjustment of the connecting rod on the connecting rod movement slide rail 503 can realize the retraction, extension, angle and height adjustment of the drone supply platform 501.

[0039] In this embodiment, the drone spraying platform 7 includes a frame. A pump 702 and a medicine box grabbing frame 704 are installed on the frame. The medicine box grabbing frame 704 is used to grab the drone medicine box 705. The pump 702 is used to pump the liquid medicine in the drone medicine box 705 into the pipeline through the infusion pipe 706 and then perform field spraying operations through the spraying nozzle 703. A signal receiving terminal 701 and a brushless motor 707 are also provided on the frame. The brushless motor 707 is used to drive the medicine box grabbing frame 704.

[0040] The specific implementation plan for the accurate landing of the drone is as follows: When the host computer commands the supply platform 1 to move forward to the rendezvous point, the host computer obtains the height and angle information of the drone supply platform 501 through the height leveling sensor 504. The drone supply platform 501 performs leveling processing through the platform lifting connecting rod 502 and the connecting rod movement slide rail 503. At this time, the host computer obtains the height information of the drone supply platform 501 and transmits it to the drone signal receiving terminal 701. The drone spraying platform transmits its own speed and position information to the host computer, and realizes the accurate landing of the drone based on the RTK GPS technology.

[0041] Preferably, the implementation plan for the drone landing also includes a visual perception system, an inertial navigation system, and traditional GPS multi-star positioning technology, etc.

[0042] In this embodiment, the ground spraying platform 8 includes an unmanned tractor 804, on which a folding spray boom 801 and a ground spraying tank 802 are mounted. The ground spraying tank 802 is used to automatically open and close the tank opening. A liquid level detection sensor 803 is placed inside the tank 802 to detect the real-time liquid level information of the liquid medicine inside the tank. By setting the upper limit and lower limit information of the liquid level, warnings are given and feedback is sent to the upper computer.

[0043] In this embodiment, the automatic opening and closing device 6 includes a rotary base 605 with an opening in the middle. A set of rotary connecting rods 606 are connected to a set of tank cover blades 607 on the rotary base 605. A driving connecting rod 604 is also connected to the base 605. The driving connecting rod 604 is connected to a bias cam 603, which is driven by a driving motor 602. The driving motor 602 is installed on a U-shaped base 601. A set of RGB lights 608 for providing position information for the infrared camera are installed on the rotary base 605. Distance sensors 609 for detecting the real-time distance of the automatic identification device 4 are installed on the tank cover blades 607.

[0044] The present invention also provides a method for automatically replenishing the liquid medicine of the above-mentioned air-ground dual-purpose spraying machine with automatic liquid replenishment. The method includes the following steps:

[0045] S101: When the unmanned aerial vehicle spraying platform 7 and / or the ground spraying platform 8 are operating in the field, the liquid level detection sensors in the unmanned aerial vehicle spraying tank 705 / ground spraying tank 802 detect the liquid level of the liquid medicine in the tank in real time. By setting the limit height, if the liquid level remains above the limit height, the unmanned aerial vehicle spraying platform 7 and / or the ground spraying platform 8 operate normally. If the liquid level is about to reach the limit, the upper computer estimates the remaining operation time. The upper computer obtains the position information of the replenishment platform, the unmanned aerial vehicle spraying platform 7 and / or the ground spraying platform 8 through GPS positioning and estimates the meeting point through path planning using ArcGIS technology. At this time, the automatic opening and closing device 6 and the lights at the tank opening of the unmanned aerial vehicle spraying tank 705 / ground spraying tank 802 remain closed. The upper computer is connected to the replenishment platform and the spraying machine, the unmanned aerial vehicle spraying platform 7 and the ground spraying platform 8 at the same time to make preparations in advance for the replenishment work;

[0046] S102: If the host computer issues a warning, the host computer commands the supply platform 1 to move forward, and the unmanned aerial vehicle spraying platform 7 and / or the ground spraying platform 8 go to the rendezvous point for resupply. If the host computer has not issued a warning yet, the unmanned aerial vehicle spraying platform 7 and / or the ground spraying platform 8 continue to operate, and the supply vehicle moves forward to the rendezvous point; the host computer is connected to the supply platform 1, the unmanned aerial vehicle spraying platform 7, and the ground spraying platform 8. At this time, the ground spraying platform 8 and the supply platform 1 are initially positioned and aligned according to the path position information provided by ARGGIS. The unmanned aerial vehicle spraying platform 7 uses RTK GPS positioning technology to send position information to the host computer and combines it with the height leveling sensor information for pre-landing; at this time, the automatic opening and closing device 6 at the medicine box opening drives the driving link 604 by driving the motor 602 to drive the cam 603 to move, and then drives the rotary base 605 to drive the box cover blade 607 to rotate and open the medicine box opening. At the same time, the RGB light 608 lights up to ensure that the light signal at the medicine box opening can be recognized by the infrared recognition camera 404;

[0047] S103: The infrared recognition camera 404 determines whether it can obtain the light signal. If not, the host computer instructs the ground spraying platform 8 and / or the unmanned aerial vehicle spraying platform 7 to perform initial positioning or pre-landing again; if it can, the host computer uses the infrared recognition camera 404 to obtain the position of the medicine box opening by obtaining the signal of the RGB light 608. The depth sensor 402 obtains the surrounding environment information of the supply platform 1 and transmits it to the host computer. The host computer performs path planning, starts the servo motor 302 on the outside to drive the boom 305 to swing, and the base 301 is driven by the electric box to adjust back and forth on the slide rail 103 for the first position adjustment. At the same time, the host computer drives the pipe reel 202 to release a certain length of water pipe to provide a certain moving space for the position adjustment; the servo motor 302 on the inside drives the rotary cam 312 to drive the small arm drive rod 311 to move, driving the small arm 306 to perform pitching adjustment; align the infusion nozzle 403 with the medicine box opening; the first driven link 308 and the second driven link 310 will follow the movement of the boom 305 and the small arm 306 to drive the infrared recognition camera 404 for the third position adjustment, and the end always remains horizontal; the rotation motor 401 drives the infrared recognition camera 404 and the infusion nozzle 403 to rotate, and the infusion nozzle 403 performs a small-angle position adjustment.

[0048] The depth sensor 402 is placed above the infrared recognition camera 404 to obtain the surrounding environment information of the supply platform 1, the ground unmanned spraying machine 8, and the aerial unmanned spraying machine 7.

[0049] Among them, the rotary motor 401 is installed above the slewing bearing, and the infusion nozzle 403, the infrared camera 404 and the depth sensor 402 are installed below the slewing bearing. The slewing bearing is driven to rotate by the rotary motor 401, and then the above-mentioned function execution mechanism is driven to adjust the angle. The depth sensor 402 can identify the surrounding environment information of the replenishment platform 1, and the infrared recognition camera 404 can identify the RGB light signal through the light signal. The two transmit information to the upper computer, and the upper computer perceives the information through the infrared recognition camera 404 and the depth sensor 402 to perform path planning. After the liquid medicine docking replenishment device 3 performs the above three position adjustment operations and the medicine box identification and positioning device is leveled, the infusion nozzle 403 is aligned with the medicine box opening to replenish the liquid medicine.

[0050] Preferably, the depth sensor of the medicine box identification and positioning device can adopt methods such as lidar (LiDAR), TOF camera, ultrasonic sensor, structured light sensor, etc.

[0051] The positioning process includes initial positioning and precise positioning:

[0052] Initial positioning: When the replenishment platform replenishes liquid to the unmanned aerial vehicle or the spraying machine, the upper computer commands the replenishment platform to perform initial positioning with the spraying machine or the unmanned aerial vehicle, so that the automatic identification device 4 on the replenishment platform can identify the medicine box opening and closing device 6. At this time, the medicine box opening and closing device 6 is opened, leaving the medicine box opening, the RGB light is turned on, and after the infrared recognition camera 404 detects the position information of the medicine box opening, the slewing motor 314 and the two servo motors 302 of the liquid medicine docking replenishment device 3 are started to provide power for the liquid medicine docking replenishment device 3. At this time, the inner servo motor drives the boom 305 to swing and adjust, and the mounting base 301 moves horizontally on the slide rail 103 to perform the first position adjustment according to the coordinate information transmitted by the upper computer. The purpose of the first position adjustment is to drive the medicine box identification and positioning device by the automatic replenishment mechanism to roughly align with the medicine box opening.

[0053] After the medicine box identification and positioning device is roughly aligned with the medicine box opening, the small arm drive rod 311 obtains power through the slewing cam 312 under the servo motor 302 installed on the outside, and then swings to drive the small arm 306 to move with the tail, and then drives the triangular swing arm 309 to perform pitching adjustment. This is the second position adjustment of the liquid medicine docking replenishment device 3, and its purpose is to drive the small arm to perform pitching adjustment to adjust the precise position of the medicine box identification and positioning device 4.

[0054] While the second precise positioning is carried out, the movements of the boom 305 and the forearm 307 will drive the first driven link 308 and the second driven link 310 to swing, providing traction for the device connecting seat 307 to keep the medicine box identification and positioning device 4 in a horizontal state. The motor above the medicine box identification and positioning device 4 will drive the camera and the nozzle to rotate for positioning. This is the third positioning of the multi-degree-of-freedom multi-link liquid medicine docking and replenishing device 3, aiming to horizontally place the medicine box identification and positioning device to provide an accurate position for the liquid replenishment operation.

[0055] It should be noted that there is no clear sequence for the three positionings of the above multi-degree-of-freedom multi-link liquid medicine docking and replenishing device. When the medicine box identification and positioning device recognizes the light signal at the medicine box opening, the first positioning is to roughly align the medicine box identification and positioning device with the medicine box opening. The second and third positionings are to achieve precise positioning of the medicine box identification and positioning device, making it in a suitable position and horizontal angle.

[0056] S104: When the infusion nozzle 403 is aligned with the medicine box opening, start the vertical water pump 201. At the same time, the flow detection sensor 203 located at the water outlet of the pipeline coiling 202 will detect the pumped flow in real time, and combine with the liquid level detection sensor in the UAV medicine application box 705 / ground medicine application box 802 to judge whether to terminate the operation; if it is determined that the replenishment is completed, each part of the device stops working and returns to the original state, and the automatic opening and closing device 6 of the UAV medicine application platform 7 and / or the ground medicine application platform 8 closes, and the operation continues.

[0057] When the UAV replenishment platform is operating, the signal receiving terminal 701 will receive signals from the upper computer. The pump 702 extracts the liquid medicine from the UAV medicine application box 705 through the infusion tube 706 and transfers it to the medicine application nozzle 703 through the pipeline, thus realizing aerial field medicine application. The UAV active gripper 704 can realize the active grasping and placing of the UAV medicine application box 705 under the drive of the brushless motor 707.

[0058] When the liquid medicine in the drone medicine box 705 reaches the limit, the signal receiving terminal sends a signal warning to the host computer and determines the rendezvous point between the supply platform and the drone. The drone returns to the supply platform 1 for liquid replenishment. At this time, the drone supply platform 5 receives the signal from the host computer, and the drone supply station 501 realizes height and horizontal adjustment under the action of the platform lifting connecting rod 502 and the connecting rod motion slide rail 503. When the drone returns for liquid replenishment, the drone makes a precise landing. Then, the medicine box gripper 704 places the drone medicine box 705 on the supply station 501. At this time, after the drone is separated from the medicine box, it will hover in the air and wait. Then, the medicine box opening and closing device on the drone medicine box 705 fully opens the medicine box opening, and the liquid medicine docking supply device 3 conducts liquid medicine replenishment. After the replenishment is completed, the drone descends in height, and the medicine box gripper 704 actively grabs the medicine box. The drone ascends to the operation height and continues the spraying operation.

[0059] It should be noted that the function and structure of the drone medicine box opening and closing device are the same as those of the medicine box opening and closing device 6 in the spraying machine 8. However, during the spraying process of the drone, the medicine box opening and closing device on its medicine box cannot be fully closed and needs to be slightly opened. The infusion tube 706 under the pump 702 enters the medicine box to extract the liquid medicine.

[0060] The key to the drone achieving precise landing lies in that the drone signal receiving terminal 701 serves as a reference station to enable the host computer to continuously observe the drone and send its position data to the host computer in real time. The host computer, based on the principle of relative positioning, calculates the three-dimensional coordinates and their accuracy of the drone in real time. Combining the information of the height leveling sensor 504, a precise target landing position is given, and then, combined with the precise real-time position of the drone itself, the drone precisely lands on the drone supply platform. At this time, the medicine box gripper 704 puts down the medicine box, and the unmanned spraying machine in the air hovers in the air for replenishment.

[0061] Specifically, when the ground unmanned spraying machine 8 or the aerial unmanned spraying machine 7 is operating in the field, the liquid level detection sensor 803 continuously detects the liquid level inside the medicine tank. When the limit is reached, it sends a warning to the upper computer. After receiving the information command, the upper computer orders the supply platform to move forward to rendezvous with the spraying vehicle. After the initial positioning of the two vehicles, the medicine tank opening and closing device 6 opens and the lights turn on. The medicine tank identification and positioning device 4 obtains the light signal and the surrounding environment information of the supply platform and transmits them to the upper computer. The upper computer makes a path plan based on the real-time data. At this time, the liquid medicine docking and replenishing device 3 adjusts its position and aligns the interfaces through the power transmission of the connecting rod. The infusion nozzle replenishes the liquid medicine pumped out by the water pump through the coiled water pipe. After the replenishing operation is completed, each mechanism returns to its original state. Further, when the liquid medicine docking and replenishing device replenishes the liquid medicine tank, the function of the unmanned aerial spraying tank is the same as that of the spraying machine medicine tank. When the liquid medicine docking and replenishing device replenishes the liquid medicine, the flow sensor monitors the amount of liquid medicine pumped out, and combines it with the upper limit warning signal of the liquid level detection sensor to determine whether to terminate the replenishment. Embodiment

[0062] The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that the liquid medicine docking and replenishing device 3 includes a moving chassis 315 installed on the slide rail 103, which is equipped with a power supply box and can be used to drive itself to move on the slide rail. The slewing drive 317 is placed on the moving chassis 315 and obtains power through the external stepping motor 316. A column 318 is installed on the moving chassis 315 by welding a flange. The top of the column 318 is horizontally hinged with an upper arm 320. A first electric push rod 319 is installed between the column 318 and the upper arm 320. A second electric push rod 321 is installed on the upper arm 320; the upper arm 320 is a telescopic push rod. The fixed end of the second electric push rod 321 is installed on one section of the upper arm 320, and the working end of the second electric push rod 321 is installed on the second section of the upper arm 320. The telescopic movement of the second electric push rod 321 drives the length change of the second section of the upper arm 320 inside the first section of the upper arm 320, thereby realizing the length change of the upper arm 320; leveling pull rods 323 are arranged at the front end of the second section of the upper arm 320, and a first servo motor 322 is installed on the side of the leveling pull rods 323. The first servo motor 322 drives the rotation of the rotating shaft to drive the leveling pull rods 323 to swing. A second servo motor 324 is connected below the leveling pull rods 323, and the second servo motor 324 is connected to fix the infusion nozzle 403 and the automatic identification device 4.

[0063] When using the liquid medicine docking and replenishing device 3 described in this embodiment, during the working process:

[0064] 1. The mobile chassis 315 obtains power through its own power supply and moves back and forth on the slide rail. At this time, the slewing drive 317 can drive the boom mechanism to slewing under the drive of the stepper motor 316. When the infrared camera in the medicine box identification and positioning device 4 can roughly identify the position information of the medicine box opening, the mobile chassis and the slewing drive will stop emergently.

[0065] 2. The upper computer calculates the distance between the obtained position information of the medicine box opening and its own spatial position, and performs spatial position decoupling, and further controls the movement of the two electric push rods of the device. When the infrared camera detects the medicine box, the slewing drive stops emergently. At this time, the first electric push rod 319 retracts, driving the upper arm 320 to rotate downward, and the working height of the boom decreases. At the same time, the second electric push rod 321 advances the push rod, driving the secondary boom to move, changing the length of the upper arm 320, and the identification and positioning device 3 moves to the vicinity of the medicine box opening.

[0066] 3. When the infrared camera and the distance sensor detect that the identification and positioning device 3 reaches the vicinity of the medicine box opening, the upper computer commands the first electric push rod 319 and the second electric push rod 321 to stop working, and the first servo motor 322 rotates, driving the leveling pull rod 323 to swing. When the infrared camera in the liquid medicine identification and positioning device 4 detects that the device 4 is flush with the medicine box opening, the leveling pull rod 323 stops working. At this time, the second servo motor rotates, driving the rotary bearing above the device 4 to rotate, adjusting the angle of the infusion nozzle, and performing the liquid medicine replenishment operation.

Claims

1. A dual-purpose air-ground pesticide applicator with automatic liquid replenishment, characterized in that: It includes a supply platform for supplying medicine to the UAV pesticide application platform and the ground pesticide application platform; the supply platform includes a supply tractor, the supply tractor is provided with a liquid medicine supply box, the top of the liquid medicine supply box is provided with a slide rail, a vertical water pump is provided inside the liquid medicine supply box, the water outlet of the vertical water pump is connected to the water inlet of the pipe coil, the water outlet pipe extending from the pipe coil is connected to the infusion nozzle, the liquid medicine docking supply device is installed above the slide rail, and the automatic identification device is installed on the top of the forearm of the liquid medicine docking supply device, which is used to adjust the angle and position of the infusion nozzle; the supply tractor is equipped with a UAV parking device for parking the UAV pesticide application platform; the UAV pesticide application box is provided on the UAV pesticide application platform, and the ground pesticide application box is provided on the ground pesticide application platform, and the medicine box openings of the UAV pesticide application box and the ground pesticide application box are provided with automatic opening and closing devices for realizing automatic opening and closing of the medicine box opening and providing position signals for the automatic identification device; The medicine liquid docking and supplying device comprises a mobile chassis installed on a slide rail, which is equipped with a power box and can be used to drive itself to move on the slide rail. The rotary drive is placed on the mobile chassis and obtains power through an external stepper motor. A column is installed on the mobile chassis through a welding flange, and an upper arm is hinged laterally on the top of the column. A first electric push rod is installed between the column and the upper arm, and a second electric push rod is installed on the upper arm. The upper arm is a telescopic push rod, and the fixed end of the second electric push rod is installed on one section of the upper arm. The working end of the second electric push rod is installed on the second section of the upper arm, and the length of the two sections of the upper arm in one section of the upper arm is driven by the telescopic movement of the second electric push rod; a leveling pull rod is arranged at the front end of the second section of the upper arm, and a first servo is installed on the side of the leveling pull rod, and the first servo drives the rotating shaft to move and then drives the leveling pull rod to swing, and a second servo is connected below the leveling pull rod, and the second servo is connected to a fixed infusion nozzle and an automatic identification device; The drone parking device includes a drone supply platform, a platform lifting connecting rod, and a connecting rod motion slide rail; a height leveling sensor is arranged at the top of the connecting rod motion slide rail, which is used to transmit the height and angle information of the drone supply platform to the upper computer; the connecting rod motion slide rail is arranged in two numbers, the platform lifting connecting rod is connected to the connecting rod motion slide rail, and the drone supply platform is installed on the platform lifting connecting rod; The automatic opening and closing device includes a rotating base with an opening in the middle. The rotating base is connected to a group of box cover blades through a group of rotating connecting rods. The base is also connected to a driving connecting rod, which is connected to a deflection cam. The deflection cam is driven by a driving motor, and the driving motor is installed on the U-shaped base; a group of RGB lights for providing position information to the infrared camera are installed on the rotating base; and a distance sensor for detecting the real-time distance of the automatic identification device is installed on the box cover blades.

2. The air-ground dual-purpose pesticide applicator with automatic liquid replenishment according to claim 1, characterized in that: A flow detection sensor is arranged at the water outlet of the pipe coil, which is used to detect the amount of liquid medicine pumped out from the water outlet of the vertical water pump.

3. The air-ground dual-purpose pesticide applicator with automatic liquid replenishment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The automatic identification device includes a rotating motor, which is used to drive a rotating bearing to move. The infusion nozzle and the infrared identification camera are fixed on the rotating bearing. The depth sensor is placed above the infrared identification camera to obtain the surrounding environment information of the supply platform, the drone application platform and the ground application platform.

4. A dual-purpose air-to-ground pesticide applicator with automatic liquid replenishment according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that: The drone pesticide application platform includes a frame, on which a pump and a medicine box grabbing frame are installed. The medicine box grabbing frame is used to grab the drone pesticide application box, and the pump is used to extract the medicine liquid in the drone pesticide application box into the pipeline through an infusion tube and then use the pesticide nozzle to perform field pesticide application operations; the frame is also provided with a signal receiving terminal and a brushless motor, and the brushless motor is used to drive the medicine box grabbing frame.

5. The air-ground dual-purpose pesticide applicator with automatic liquid replenishment according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that: The ground pesticide application platform includes an unmanned tractor, which is equipped with a folding spray rod and a ground pesticide application box. The automatic opening and closing device is used to realize the automatic opening and closing of the medicine box mouth. The liquid level detection sensor is placed inside the medicine box to detect the real-time liquid level information of the medicine liquid inside the medicine box.

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