A harvesting machine that automatically harvests whole pepper plants

Abstract

This invention discloses an automatic pepper harvesting machine, comprising a harvesting device including a receiving hopper and a rotating gripping mechanism slidably disposed on the receiving hopper. The rotating gripping mechanism includes a first rotating structure and a second rotating structure. A mounting rod is disposed on the first rotating structure, and harvesting springs are disposed on the mounting rod. A swing arm is disposed at the end of the mounting rod and connected to the second rotating structure. The first rotating structure includes an inner rotating chain, on which the mounting rod is mounted. The second rotating structure includes an outer rotating chain, on which the swing arm is mounted. Both the first and second rotating structures are provided with transmission sprockets, which are connected to a sprocket drive structure. The harvesting springs on adjacent mounting rods are arranged in a crisscross pattern. Each harvesting spring includes a hook-shaped connecting part, a spring part, a receiving part, and a holding part. The hook-shaped connecting part is connected to the mounting rod, one end of the receiving part is connected to the hook-shaped connecting part via the spring part, and the other end of the receiving part is connected to the holding part.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of pepper harvesting technology, and in particular relates to a harvesting machine for automatically harvesting whole pepper plants. Background Technology

[0002] Hainan is my country's largest pepper-producing region, with a planting area of ​​over 300,000 mu (approximately 20,000 hectares) and an annual output of about 40,000 tons, accounting for over 90% of the national output. Currently, pepper planting and management are largely mechanized, but there is no suitable harvesting equipment on the market. Harvesting is currently mainly done manually, which is labor-intensive and inefficient. Mechanical equipment is needed for further processing. A few researchers have used robotic arms for automated pepper harvesting, controlling grippers to pick pepper spikes. While these robotic arms offer some automation, they are inefficient, costly, and unsuitable for harvesting spike-like peppers. Specifically, leaves and fruits need to be separated before harvesting, and multiple grippers cannot be deployed for picking. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic harvesting machine for whole pepper plants, so as to solve the problems of low efficiency and poor harvesting effect of current automatic pepper harvesting devices.

[0004] To achieve the objective of this invention, this invention discloses an automatic harvesting machine for whole pepper plants, comprising a harvesting device, wherein the harvesting device includes a receiving hopper and a rotating gripping mechanism slidably disposed on the receiving hopper, the rotating gripping mechanism including a first rotating structure and a second rotating structure, wherein a mounting rod is provided on the first rotating structure, the mounting rod is provided with harvesting spring teeth, and a swing arm is provided at the end of the mounting rod, the swing arm being connected to the second rotating structure.

[0005] As a further improvement to the above technical solution:

[0006] The first rotary structure includes an inner rotary chain, and the mounting rod is mounted on the inner rotary chain. The second rotary structure includes an outer rotary chain, and the swing arm is mounted on the outer rotary chain. The first rotary structure and the second rotary structure are provided with transmission sprockets, and the transmission sprockets are connected to a sprocket drive structure.

[0007] The first rotary structure includes an inner turntable, on which the mounting rod is mounted. The second rotary structure includes an outer turntable, on which the swing arm is mounted. A rotating shaft is mounted on the inner turntable, and the outer turntable is eccentrically mounted on the rotating shaft. The rotating shaft is connected to a rotation drive structure. The structure of this eccentric wheel is based on the design of a reel.

[0008] The picking teeth on adjacent mounting rods are arranged in a crisscross pattern.

[0009] The picking spring includes a hook-shaped connecting part, a spring part, a storage part, and a holding part. The hook-shaped connecting part is connected to the mounting rod. One end of the storage part is connected to the hook-shaped connecting part through the spring part, and the other end of the storage part is connected to the holding part.

[0010] A V-shaped constriction is provided between the scooping part and the storage part.

[0011] The scooping part is located below the storage part, and the V-shaped constriction part is inclined.

[0012] It also includes a lifting device, which includes a lifting slide rail, a transmission belt and a lifting drive assembly. A lifting pulley is provided on the outside of the receiving hopper. The lifting pulley is slidably installed in the lifting slide rail. One end of the transmission belt is connected to the receiving hopper. The lifting drive assembly drives the transmission belt to move, so as to realize the lifting of the receiving hopper.

[0013] It also includes a traveling device, which includes a left track assembly and a right track assembly, with a gantry frame mounted on the left and right track assemblies, and the lifting device is mounted on the gantry frame.

[0014] The rotating gripping mechanism includes an outer mounting cover, telescopic slide rails on both sides of the outer mounting cover, a telescopic drive structure at the rear of the outer mounting cover, a telescopic pulley inside the receiving hopper, the telescopic pulley being slidably installed in the telescopic slide rail, a rack inside the receiving hopper, and the telescopic drive structure including a gear meshing with the rack and a gear drive assembly.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0016] The automatic whole-plant pepper harvesting machine of the present invention solves the problems of low efficiency and poor harvesting effect of current automatic pepper harvesting devices.

[0017] Automatic control can be achieved through PLC, allowing a pepper plant to be harvested completely according to the programmed route, which can reduce the burden of manual pepper harvesting to a certain extent and replace manual labor for more efficient harvesting.

[0018] The automatic whole-plant pepper harvester of this invention is designed according to the large-scale and standardized pepper planting model in China. It is suitable for traversing narrow pepper forests, and the harvesting height can meet the needs of most pepper plants. The tracked chassis is adapted to complex road environments, and the wide body has strong anti-tipping ability.

[0019] The automatic whole-plant pepper harvester of this invention harvests peppers by continuously brushing the pepper branches with rows of picking teeth. Through the reasonable design of the structure of the picking teeth, the damage to the branches and leaves during the harvesting process is minimized, and only mature pepper spikes are caught during the harvesting process, while immature peppers will slip off. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the harvesting machine for automatically harvesting whole pepper plants according to the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is one of the schematic diagrams of the harvesting device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a second schematic diagram of the harvesting device structure in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 This is the third schematic diagram of the harvesting device structure in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 This is the fourth schematic diagram of the harvesting device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 This is one of the schematic diagrams of the internal structure of the harvesting device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 This is a second schematic diagram of the internal structure of the harvesting device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the picking tooth installation structure of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the picking tooth structure of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 10 This is one of the schematic diagrams of the harvesting device in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 11 This is the second schematic diagram of the harvesting device in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the harvesting device in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the "extending" operation of the harvesting device of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 14 This is one of the schematic diagrams of the "comb" function of the harvesting device of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 15 This is the second schematic diagram of the "comb" function of the harvesting device of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the "pocket" of the harvesting device of the present invention in operation;

[0036] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of the "plucking" operation of the harvesting device of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 18 This is a schematic diagram of the operation of the "card" in the harvesting device of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 19 This is a schematic diagram of the "pulling" operation of the harvesting device of the present invention.

[0039] Reference numerals: 1. Receiving hopper; 11. Lifting pulley; 12. Telescopic pulley; 13. Rack; 2. Rotary gripping mechanism; 20. Outer mounting cover; 21. First rotary structure; 211. Inner rotating chain; 212. Inner turntable; 22. Second rotary structure; 221. Outer rotating chain; 222. Outer turntable; 23. Mounting rod; 24. Swing arm; 25. Sprocket drive structure; 26. Rotating shaft; 27. Rotation drive structure; 28. Telescopic slide rail; 29. ​​Telescopic drive structure; 3. Picking spring tooth; 31. Hook-shaped connecting part; 32. Spring part; 33. Storage part; 34. V-shaped constriction part; 35. Holding part; 41. Lifting slide rail; 42. Transmission belt; 43. Lifting drive assembly; 51. Left track assembly; 52. Right track assembly; 6. Gantry frame. Detailed Implementation

[0040] To make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects of this invention easier to understand, the invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0041] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "upper," "lower," "inner," "outer," "front end," "rear end," "both ends," "one end," and "the other end," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this invention and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0042] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installed," "equipped with," "connected," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be a connection within two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0043] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0044] Example 1

[0045] like Figure 1 As shown, the automatic harvesting machine for whole pepper plants in this embodiment includes:

[0046] The harvesting device includes a receiving hopper 1 and a rotating gripping mechanism 2 slidably disposed on the receiving hopper 1. The pepper spikes harvested by the rotating gripping mechanism 2 enter the receiving hopper 1 and are transferred from the bottom of the receiving hopper 1 into a collection box.

[0047] The rotating gripping mechanism 2 includes a first rotating structure 21 and a second rotating structure 22. A mounting rod 23 is mounted on the first rotating structure 21, and a picking tooth 3 is mounted on the mounting rod 23. A swing arm 24 is located at the end of the mounting rod 23, and the swing arm 24 is connected to the second rotating structure 22. The pepper spikes are gripped and pulled by the rotation of the picking tooth 3.

[0048] The lifting device includes a lifting slide rail 41, a transmission belt 42, and a lifting drive assembly 43. A lifting pulley 11 is installed on the outside of the receiving hopper 1, and the lifting pulley 11 is slidably installed within the lifting slide rail 41. One end of the transmission belt 42 is connected to the receiving hopper 1, and the lifting drive assembly 43 drives the transmission belt 42 to move, thereby lifting and lowering the receiving hopper 1. In use, the controller controls the lifting drive assembly 43 to drive the transmission belt 42, which in turn drives the gripping device to lift and lower. The transmission belt 42 can be a synchronous belt, drive chain, or other drive structure. The lifting drive assembly 43 uses a DC motor, which should have a self-locking function to prevent rotation when stopped. A reduction gearbox can be installed at the output end of the DC motor for deceleration; a hand-cranked structure can also be used.

[0049] The traveling device includes a left track assembly 51 and a right track assembly 52. ​​A gantry frame 6 is mounted on both the left and right track assemblies 51 and 52, and a lifting device is installed on the gantry frame 6. The track-driven structure allows for use in mountainous and hilly terrain. The specific structural diagram of the track-driven structure is not detailed and does not affect the implementation of this embodiment.

[0050] like Figures 2 to 7 As shown, the rotary gripping mechanism 2 includes an outer mounting cover 20, telescopic slide rails 28 on both sides of the outer mounting cover 20, and a telescopic drive structure 29 at the rear of the outer mounting cover 20. A telescopic pulley 12 is provided inside the receiving hopper 1, and the telescopic pulley 12 is slidably mounted within the telescopic slide rails 28. A rack 13 is provided inside the receiving hopper 1. The telescopic drive structure 29 includes a gear meshing with the rack 13 and a gear drive assembly. The gear drive assembly drives the gear to rotate, thereby realizing the forward and backward extension of the rotary gripping mechanism 2.

[0051] The first rotating structure 21 includes an inner rotating chain 211, on which a mounting rod 23 is mounted. The second rotating structure 22 includes an outer rotating chain 221, on which a swing arm 24 is mounted. Both the first and second rotating structures 21 and 22 are equipped with transmission sprockets, which are connected to a sprocket drive structure 25. The sprocket drive structure 25 drives the transmission sprockets to rotate, thereby driving the first and second rotating structures 21 and 22. The inner rotating chain 211 drives the mounting rod 23 to reciprocate, thus harvesting the pepper spikes. The second rotating structure 22 drives the swing arm 24 to move, changing the direction of the mounting rod 23, thereby harvesting the pepper spikes.

[0052] Example 2

[0053] like Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, the picking tooth 3 in this embodiment includes a hook-shaped connecting part 31, a spring part 32, a storage part 33 and a holding part 35. The hook-shaped connecting part 31 is connected to the mounting rod 23. One end of the storage part 33 is connected to the hook-shaped connecting part 31 through the spring part 32, and the other end of the storage part 33 is connected to the holding part 35.

[0054] A V-shaped constriction section 34 is provided between the holding section 35 and the receiving section 33. This design facilitates the collection of the fruit bunches and helps separate the leaves from the fruit bunches.

[0055] The holding part 35 is located below the receiving part 33, and the V-shaped constriction part 34 is inclined. This design facilitates the collection and harvesting of the fruit bunches.

[0056] Example 3

[0057] like Figures 10 to 12As shown, unlike Embodiment 1, the first rotary structure 21 in this embodiment includes an inner turntable 212, and a mounting rod 23 is mounted on the inner turntable 212. The second rotary structure 22 includes an outer turntable 222, and a swing arm 24 is mounted on the outer turntable 222. A rotating shaft 26 is mounted on the inner turntable 212, and the outer turntable 222 is eccentrically mounted on the rotating shaft 26. The rotating shaft 26 is connected to a rotation drive structure 27.

[0058] The picking teeth 3 on adjacent mounting rods 23 are arranged in a crisscross pattern. This crisscross pattern facilitates continuous harvesting of the fruit clusters.

[0059] In use, this invention first uses a walking device to move to a suitable picking position, then uses a lifting device to adjust the picking device to a suitable picking height, and finally uses the picking device to pick the fruit. The picking process includes six picking actions, specifically:

[0060] The telescopic drive structure 29 drives the rotating gripping mechanism 2 to extend. The picking teeth 3 are inserted into the pepper tree canopy; as... Figure 13 As shown, when the harvesting device is working, the harvesting tooth 3 moves clockwise according to the movement trajectory of the chain, and the harvesting tooth 3 continuously inserts into the branches and leaves.

[0061] The comb, following the movement trajectory of the chain, causes the mounting rod 23, driven by the inner rotating chain 211, to rotate. This, in turn, via the outer rotating chain 221, ensures that the picking teeth 3 maintain a horizontal clockwise motion. Figure 16 As shown, some branches will be "held" by the V-shaped constriction 34; as Figure 14 As shown, the remaining branches that were not caught will fall through the gaps between the two picking teeth 3, thus being "combed". Figure 15 As shown, since the picking tweezers 3 are installed in an alternating manner, the branches that are "combed" will fall directly into the next picking tweezer.

[0062] The picking tooth 3 has a V-shaped constriction part 34 with a V-shaped groove, which is used to allow the pepper twig to slide into the holding part 35 of the tooth during the horizontal upward movement of the picking tooth 3, thus "holding" the twig in place. Figure 16 The width of the 35-inch trough is only allowed to hold the branch so that it does not fall off, and to allow the leaves on the branch to slide out smoothly without picking the leaves.

[0063] Lu, like Figure 17 As shown, following the movement trajectory of the chain, when the picking tooth 3 moves backward, the holding part 35 holds the branch, and the picking tooth moves backward, "plucking" the pepper branch.

[0064] Card, picking the 3-toothed pepper twigs during the process of plucking pepper branches, such as Figure 17As shown, if there are fruit clusters on the branch, they will be caught by the semi-circular groove in the final catching part 35. The size of the semi-circular groove is designed according to the size of the mature pepper fruit clusters, and its size allows the mature fruit clusters to be caught. Figure 18 As shown, smaller, immature fruit clusters will not get stuck and will slide through the slot.

[0065] Pull, like Figure 19 As shown, the mature pepper spikes that are caught by the picking tines 3 are pulled into the picking device as the picking tines 3 continue to move backward. During this process, the pepper spikes are broken off and fall into the receiving hopper 1 below the picking device, and finally slide into the storage box.

[0066] The automatic whole-plant pepper harvester of the present invention can be automatically controlled by PLC. It can harvest a whole pepper plant according to the route set in the program, which can reduce the burden of manual pepper harvesting to a certain extent and replace manual harvesting work more efficiently.

[0067] The automatic whole-plant pepper harvester of this invention is designed according to the large-scale and standardized pepper planting model in China. It is suitable for traversing narrow pepper forests, and the harvesting height can meet the needs of most pepper plants. The tracked chassis is adapted to complex road environments, and the wide body has strong anti-tipping ability.

[0068] The automatic whole-plant pepper harvester of this invention harvests peppers by continuously brushing the pepper branches with rows of picking teeth. Through the reasonable design of the structure of the picking teeth, the damage to the branches and leaves during the harvesting process is minimized, and only mature pepper spikes are caught during the harvesting process, while immature peppers will slip off.

[0069] The above descriptions are merely embodiments of the present invention, and common knowledge regarding specific structures and characteristics of the solutions is not described in detail here. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the above exemplary embodiments, and that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered exemplary and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Therefore, it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims be included within the present invention. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An automatic harvesting machine for whole pepper plants, comprising a harvesting device, characterized in that, The harvesting device includes a receiving hopper (1) and a rotating gripping mechanism (2) slidably disposed on the receiving hopper (1). The rotating gripping mechanism (2) includes a first rotating structure (21) and a second rotating structure (22). The first rotating structure (21) is provided with an installation rod (23). The installation rod (23) is provided with a harvesting spring tooth (3). The end of the installation rod (23) is provided with a swing arm (24). The swing arm (24) is connected to the second rotating structure (22). The harvesting spring tooth (3) includes a hook-shaped connecting part (31), a spring part (32), a storage part (33), and a holding part (35). The hook-shaped connecting part (31) is connected to the installation rod (23). One end of the storage part (33) is connected to the hook-shaped connecting part (31) through the spring part (32). The other end of the storage part (33) is connected to the holding part (35). A V-shaped constriction section (34) is provided between the scooping part (35) and the storage part (33). The holding part (35) is located below the storage part (33), and the V-shaped constriction part (34) is inclined.

2. The automatic harvesting machine for whole pepper plants according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first rotary structure (21) includes an inner rotary chain (211), and the mounting rod (23) is mounted on the inner rotary chain (211). The second rotary structure (22) includes an outer rotary chain (221), and the swing arm (24) is mounted on the outer rotary chain (221). The first rotary structure (21) and the second rotary structure (22) are provided with a transmission sprocket, and the transmission sprocket is connected to a sprocket drive structure (25).

3. The automatic harvesting machine for whole pepper plants according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first rotary structure (21) includes an inner turntable (212), and the mounting rod (23) is mounted on the inner turntable (212). The second rotary structure (22) includes an outer turntable (222), and the swing arm (24) is mounted on the outer turntable (222). A rotating shaft (26) is mounted on the inner turntable (212), and the outer turntable (222) is eccentrically mounted on the rotating shaft (26). The rotating shaft (26) is connected to a rotation drive structure (27).

4. The automatic harvesting machine for whole pepper plants according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The picking teeth (3) on adjacent mounting rods (23) are distributed in a cross pattern.

5. The automatic harvesting machine for whole pepper plants according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, It also includes a lifting device, which includes a lifting slide rail (41), a transmission belt (42) and a lifting drive assembly (43). A lifting pulley (11) is provided on the outside of the receiving hopper (1). The lifting pulley (11) is slidably installed in the lifting slide rail (41). One end of the transmission belt (42) is connected to the receiving hopper (1). The transmission belt (42) is driven to move by the lifting drive assembly (43) to realize the lifting of the receiving hopper (1).

6. The automatic harvesting machine for whole pepper plants according to claim 5, characterized in that, It also includes a walking device, which includes a left track assembly (51) and a right track assembly (52), on which a gantry (6) is provided, and the lifting device is installed on the gantry (6).

7. The automatic harvesting machine for whole pepper plants according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating gripping mechanism (2) includes an outer mounting cover (20), telescopic slide rails (28) are provided on both sides of the outer mounting cover (20), a telescopic drive structure (29) is provided at the rear of the outer mounting cover (20), a telescopic pulley (12) is provided on the inner side of the receiving hopper (1), the telescopic pulley (12) is slidably installed in the telescopic slide rail (28), a rack (13) is provided in the receiving hopper (1), and the telescopic drive structure (29) includes a gear and a gear drive assembly that mesh with the rack (13).

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