A tomato picker for use in a confined space

Abstract

The present application belongs to the technical field of agricultural machinery, and particularly relates to a tomato picker used in narrow space, which comprises a moving part for driving the picker to move, a picking end part arranged at the movable end of the moving part, the picking end part comprising a turnover mechanism connected with the movable end of the moving part, the movable end of the turnover mechanism being connected with a holding-shearing mechanism for picking tomato fruits, the holding-shearing mechanism being arranged in a structure of being narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, the holding-shearing mechanism being provided with a temporary storage cylinder, and the turnover mechanism being used for making the holding-shearing mechanism turn over so that the tomato fruits picked by the holding-shearing mechanism are dropped into the temporary storage cylinder for temporary storage. When picking tomatoes, the structure of being narrow at the top and wide at the bottom of the holding-shearing mechanism can prevent the holding-shearing mechanism from damaging unripe tomatoes, meanwhile, multiple tomatoes can be temporarily stored in the temporary storage cylinder, so that the picking efficiency is higher and the picking effect is better.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of agricultural machinery technology, and in particular relates to a tomato harvester for use in confined spaces. Background Technology

[0002] Agriculture is a vital pillar of my country's economy. Ensuring timely harvesting of agricultural products and reducing harvesting costs are crucial ways to increase agricultural income. Agricultural development needs to shift from traditional agriculture to intelligent and smart agriculture.

[0003] Tomatoes are rich in nutrients and have a unique flavor. They can be eaten raw, cooked, or processed into tomato sauce, juice, or canned whole. The edible part of a tomato is the juicy berry. In recent years, benefiting from the continuous expansion of tomato planting areas in China, tomato production has shown a steady upward trend. However, the cost of manual harvesting has also increased accordingly. Therefore, tomato harvesting robots have been developed.

[0004] Tomato plants have dense foliage and the fruits are close together, making the harvesting space quite narrow. Existing tomato harvesting robots often damage unripe tomatoes and branches during harvesting. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a tomato harvester that can be used in narrow spaces. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a tomato harvester for use in confined spaces to solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following solution:

[0007] A tomato harvester for use in confined spaces includes: a moving part for driving the harvester to move; a harvesting end device is provided at the movable end of the moving part; the harvesting end device includes a flipping mechanism connected to the movable end of the moving part; the movable end of the flipping mechanism is connected to a clamping-shearing mechanism for harvesting tomato fruits; the clamping-shearing mechanism is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom; a temporary storage cylinder is provided on the clamping-shearing mechanism; the flipping mechanism is used to flip the clamping-shearing mechanism so that the tomato fruits harvested by the clamping-shearing mechanism fall into the temporary storage cylinder for temporary storage.

[0008] Preferably, the clamping-shearing mechanism includes a drive unit, which is fixedly connected to the movable end of the flipping mechanism. The two movable ends of the drive unit are respectively fixedly mounted with clamping valves via movable components. The clamping valves are narrower at the top and wider at the bottom, and the openings of the two clamping valves are arranged correspondingly. An elastic mesh is provided at the openings of the two clamping valves that are far apart from each other. A shearing blade is fixedly connected to the end of each clamping valve that is far away from the drive unit, and the blades of the two shearing blades are arranged facing each other.

[0009] Preferably, the temporary storage cylinder includes a storage cylinder disposed on one side of the two clamping valves, the top opening of the storage cylinder is disposed corresponding to the two clamping valves, a plurality of inlet blocking mechanisms are disposed at equal intervals around the top opening of the storage cylinder, and a circular cover plate is hinged to the bottom opening of the storage cylinder through a cover plate seat, the circular cover plate is drivenly connected to a release mechanism, and the release mechanism is disposed on the outer side wall of the storage cylinder.

[0010] Preferably, the release mechanism includes a secondary push rod, the power end of which is hinged to the outer wall of the storage cylinder, and the telescopic end of which is hinged to a connecting rod. The connecting rod is fixed to the circular cover plate on the side away from the storage cylinder, and the connecting rod is arranged on the same side as the cover plate seat. The end of the connecting rod that is hinged to the secondary push rod extends out of the circular cover plate.

[0011] Preferably, the inlet blocking mechanism includes an arc-shaped baffle plate, which is hinged to the top opening of the storage cylinder via a baffle plate fixing seat. One end of the arc-shaped baffle plate extends into the top opening of the storage cylinder, and the other end of the arc-shaped baffle plate is hinged to a telescopic rod. The other end of the telescopic rod is hinged to a spring base, which is fixed to the outer wall of the storage cylinder. A spring is sleeved on the outer side of the telescopic rod, and both ends of the spring are fixed to the arc-shaped baffle plate and the spring base, respectively.

[0012] Preferably, the flipping mechanism includes a flipping base fixedly connected to the movable end of the moving part. Two bearing seats are fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the flipping base. A flipping shaft is rotatably connected between the two bearing seats. A drive assembly is driven by the flipping shaft. One end of the flipping shaft passes through one of the bearing seats and is coaxially fixedly connected to a mounting flange. A flipping component upright plate is fixedly connected to the mounting flange. A clamp-shear base is fixedly connected to the flipping component upright plate. The drive unit and the storage cylinder are both fixedly connected to the clamp-shear base.

[0013] Preferably, the drive assembly includes a fixed end, a primary push rod hinged to the fixed end, a movable end hinged to the movable end of the primary push rod, and the movable end fixed to the middle of the flip shaft.

[0014] Preferably, the moving part includes a tracked chassis, a lifting column is fixedly connected to the top of the tracked chassis, the lifting column is vertically arranged, a robotic arm is fixedly connected to the lifting end of the lifting column, the flipping base is fixedly connected to the movable end of the robotic arm, a tomato storage basket is placed on the top surface of the tracked chassis, and the tomato storage basket is arranged vertically corresponding to the storage cylinder.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages and technical effects:

[0016] In use, the present invention first moves the harvester to the underside of the plant to be harvested via the moving part, and the clamping-shearing mechanism moves to the underside of the tomato to be harvested. The clamping-shearing mechanism then picks the tomato to be harvested. Because the clamping-shearing mechanism is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, it only picks the tomatoes to be harvested and does not pick tomatoes that do not need to be picked. After harvesting, the flipping mechanism drives the clamping-shearing mechanism and the temporary storage cylinder to flip. The temporary storage cylinder is located below the clamping-shearing mechanism. The clamping-shearing mechanism opens, and the tomato falls into the temporary storage cylinder for temporary storage.

[0017] The harvester of the present invention has a structure that is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, which prevents the clamping-shearing mechanism from damaging unripe tomatoes when harvesting them. At the same time, multiple tomatoes can be temporarily stored in the temporary storage cylinder, resulting in higher harvesting efficiency and better harvesting effect. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This is an overall schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the harvesting end device during harvesting in this invention;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the harvesting end device being released in this invention;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a left view of the flipping mechanism in this invention;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the flipping mechanism in this invention;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the clamping-shear mechanism in this invention;

[0025] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the temporary storage cylinder in this invention;

[0026] The components include: 1. Harvesting end device; 2. Tilting mechanism; 3. Clamping-shearing mechanism; 4. Temporary storage cylinder; 5. Tilting base; 6. First pin; 7. Fixed end; 8. Movable end; 9. Bearing seat; 10. Deep groove ball bearing; 11. Elastic retaining ring; 12. Tilting shaft; 13. Tilting component upright plate; 14. Clamping-shearing base; 15. First-stage push rod; 17. Mounting flange; 18. Left shearing blade; 19. Right shearing blade; 20. Left clamping valve; 21. Right clamping valve; 22. Elastic rope; 23. Movable component; 24. Drive unit; 26. Circular cover plate; 27. Second-stage push rod; 28. Spring base; 29. ​​Spring; 30. Baffle fixing seat; 31. Arc-shaped baffle; 32. Storage cylinder; 33. Entrance blocking mechanism; 34. Cover plate seat; 35. Robotic arm; 36. Lifting column; 37. Tracked chassis; 38. Tomato storage basket. Detailed Implementation

[0027] 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.

[0028] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0029] Reference Figures 1 to 7 This invention discloses a tomato harvester for use in narrow spaces, comprising: a moving part for driving the harvester to move, a harvesting end device 1 provided at the movable end of the moving part, the harvesting end device 1 including a flipping mechanism 2 connected to the movable end of the moving part, the movable end of the flipping mechanism 2 being connected to a scissor-grabbing mechanism 3 for harvesting tomato fruits, the scissor-grabbing mechanism 3 being narrower at the top and wider at the bottom, a temporary storage cylinder 4 provided on the scissor-grabbing mechanism 3, the flipping mechanism 2 being used to flip the scissor-grabbing mechanism 3 so that the tomato fruits harvested by the scissor-grabbing mechanism 3 fall into the temporary storage cylinder 4 for temporary storage.

[0030] In use, the picking device is first moved to the underside of the plant to be picked by the moving part, and the scissor-hugging mechanism 3 is moved to the underside of the tomatoes to be picked. The tomatoes to be picked are picked by the scissor-hugging mechanism 3. Because the scissor-hugging mechanism 3 is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, it will only pick the tomatoes to be picked and will not pick the tomatoes that do not need to be picked. After picking is completed, the flipping mechanism 2 drives the scissor-hugging mechanism 3 and the temporary storage cylinder 4 to flip. The temporary storage cylinder 4 is located under the scissor-hugging mechanism 3. The scissor-hugging mechanism 3 opens and the tomatoes fall into the temporary storage cylinder 4 for temporary storage.

[0031] The scheme is further optimized. The clamping-shearing mechanism 3 includes a drive unit 24. The drive unit 24 is fixedly connected to the movable end of the flipping mechanism 2. The two movable ends of the drive unit 24 are respectively fixedly installed with clamping valves through movable components 23. The clamping valves are narrower at the top and wider at the bottom. The openings of the two clamping valves are set correspondingly. Elastic mesh is set at the openings of the two clamping valves that are far apart from each other. Shearing blades are fixedly connected to the ends of the two clamping valves that are far away from the drive unit 24. The blades of the two shearing blades are set facing each other.

[0032] The upper part of the clamping valve is semi-circular and the lower part is rectangular. A semi-circular notch is opened on the side of the two clamping valves that are far apart from each other, thus forming a clamping-shearing mechanism 3 with a narrow upper part and a wide lower part. The shearing blade is fixedly installed on the semi-circular part of the clamping valve. Multiple through holes are opened circumferentially on the side wall of the side of the clamping valve that is far apart from each other. The elastic rope 22 is crisscrossed in the multiple through holes to form an elastic net.

[0033] The unique structure of the clamping valve, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, allows for the picking of any single tomato from a cluster within a confined space, without damaging other unripe tomatoes.

[0034] The clamping valves include a right clamping valve 21 and a left clamping valve 20. A right shearing blade 19 is fixedly attached to the right clamping valve 21, and a left shearing blade 18 is fixedly attached to the left clamping valve 20. The right clamping valve 21 and the left clamping valve 20 are respectively fixed to the two movable ends of the drive unit 24. During operation, the drive unit 24 first drives the right clamping valve 21 and the left clamping valve 20 to open, and then moves the right clamping valve 21 and the left clamping valve 20 to the location of the tomato to be picked. The tomato to be picked falls between the right clamping valve 21 and the left clamping valve 20. At this time, the drive unit 24 drives the right clamping valve 21 and the left clamping valve 20 to close. The left shearing blade 18 and the right shearing blade 19 cut off the stem, and the tomato falls between the right clamping valve 21 and the left clamping valve 20. While the elastic net tightly wraps the tomato, it does not damage the surface of the tomato due to its own elasticity.

[0035] Further optimization of the scheme: the temporary storage cylinder 4 includes a storage cylinder 32 disposed on one side of the two clamping valves. The top opening of the storage cylinder 32 is correspondingly disposed to the two clamping valves. Multiple inlet blocking mechanisms 33 are circumferentially and equally spaced at the top opening of the storage cylinder 32. A circular cover plate 26 is hinged to the bottom opening of the storage cylinder 32 through a cover plate seat 34. The circular cover plate 26 is drivenly connected to a release mechanism, which is disposed on the outer wall of the storage cylinder 32.

[0036] The cover plate seat 34 is fixed to the outer wall of the storage cylinder 32 and close to the bottom opening of the storage cylinder 32.

[0037] The flipping mechanism 2 drives the drive unit 24 and the storage cylinder 32 to flip. At this time, the storage cylinder 32 is located below the right clamping valve 21 and the left clamping valve 20. The drive unit 24 drives the right clamping valve 21 and the left clamping valve 20 to open. The picked tomatoes fall into the storage cylinder 32. The inlet blocking mechanism 33 on the storage cylinder 32 can prevent the tomatoes from rolling out through the top opening of the storage cylinder 32. The release mechanism is used to release the tomatoes in the storage cylinder 32.

[0038] The scheme is further optimized. The release mechanism includes a secondary push rod 27. The power end of the secondary push rod 27 is hinged to the outer wall of the storage cylinder 32. The telescopic end of the secondary push rod 27 is hinged to a connecting rod. The connecting rod is fixed to the side of the circular cover plate 26 away from the storage cylinder 32. The connecting rod is set on the same side as the cover plate seat 34. The end of the connecting rod that is hinged to the secondary push rod 27 extends out of the circular cover plate 26.

[0039] The secondary push rod 27 is hinged to the connecting rod via the first pin 6. When the secondary push rod 27 retracts, it drives the connecting rod, which in turn drives the circular cover plate 26 to rotate around the cover plate seat 34, thereby opening the circular cover plate 26 and releasing the tomatoes located in the storage cylinder 32.

[0040] In a further optimized design, the inlet blocking mechanism 33 includes an arc-shaped baffle 31. The arc-shaped baffle 31 is hinged to the top opening of the storage cylinder 32 via a baffle fixing seat 30. One end of the arc-shaped baffle 31 extends into the top opening of the storage cylinder 32, and the other end of the arc-shaped baffle 31 is hinged to a telescopic rod. The other end of the telescopic rod is hinged to a spring base 28. The spring base 28 is fixed to the outer wall of the storage cylinder 32. A spring 29 is sleeved on the outer side of the telescopic rod, and the two ends of the spring 29 are fixed to the arc-shaped baffle 31 and the spring base 28, respectively.

[0041] When the tomato enters through the top opening of the storage cylinder 32, the tomato uses its own weight to push aside the multiple arc-shaped baffles 31, and the tomato falls into the storage cylinder 32. Then, the arc-shaped baffles 31 are reset by the action of the spring 29, preventing the tomato from rolling out of the top opening of the storage cylinder 32.

[0042] Further optimization of the scheme: the flipping mechanism 2 includes a flipping base 5 fixedly connected to the movable end of the moving part. Two bearing seats 9 are fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the flipping base 5. A flipping shaft 12 is rotatably connected between the two bearing seats 9. A drive assembly is driven by the flipping shaft 12. One end of the flipping shaft 12 passes through one of the bearing seats 9 and is coaxially fixedly connected to a mounting flange 17. A flipping component upright plate 13 is fixedly connected to the mounting flange 17. A clamp-shear base 14 is fixedly connected to the flipping component upright plate 13. The drive unit 24 and the storage cylinder 32 are both fixedly connected to the clamp-shear base 14.

[0043] Two bearing housings 9 are fixedly installed at the bottom of the flip base 5 and are coaxially arranged. The deep groove ball bearing 10 is fixed in the bearing housing 9 by the elastic retaining ring 11, and together they support the flip shaft 12.

[0044] Further optimization of the scheme: the drive component includes a fixed end 7, a first-stage push rod 15 is hinged to the fixed end 7, a movable end 8 is hinged to the movable end of the first-stage push rod 15, and the movable end 8 is fixed to the middle of the flip shaft 12.

[0045] During operation, the first-stage push rod 15 extends and drives the rotating shaft 12 to rotate through the movable end 8. The rotating shaft 12 drives the clamp-shear base 14 to rotate through the rotating component upright plate 13, thus completing the rotating action.

[0046] The design is further optimized. The mobile part includes a tracked chassis 37. A lifting column 36 is fixedly connected to the top of the tracked chassis 37. The lifting column 36 is vertically set. A robotic arm 35 is fixedly connected to the lifting end of the lifting column 36. The flipping base 5 is fixedly connected to the movable end of the robotic arm 35. A tomato storage basket 38 is placed on the top surface of the tracked chassis 37. The tomato storage basket 38 and the storage cylinder 32 are arranged vertically and vertically respectively.

[0047] The tomato storage basket 38 is located on the top surface of the tracked chassis 37. When the storage cylinder 32 is full of tomatoes, the lifting column 36 retracts, the robotic arm 35 moves the flipping base 5, and then moves the temporary storage cylinder 4. The temporary storage cylinder 4 moves above the tomato storage basket 38, the secondary push rod 27 retracts and drives the connecting rod, and the connecting rod drives the circular cover plate 26 to rotate around the cover plate seat 34, thereby opening the circular cover plate 26 and releasing the tomatoes in the storage cylinder 32 into the tomato storage basket 38 for collection.

[0048] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this invention, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this invention.

[0049] The embodiments described above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Various modifications and improvements made by those skilled in the art to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the present invention should fall within the protection scope defined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tomato harvester for use in confined spaces, characterized in that, include: The moving part is used to drive the harvester to move. The movable end of the moving part is provided with a harvesting end device (1). The harvesting end device (1) includes a flipping mechanism (2) connected to the movable end of the moving part. The movable end of the flipping mechanism (2) is connected to a scissor-hugging mechanism (3) for harvesting tomato fruits. The scissor-hugging mechanism (3) is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. A temporary storage cylinder (4) is provided on the scissor-hugging mechanism (3). The flipping mechanism (2) is used to flip the scissor-hugging mechanism (3) so that the tomato fruits harvested by the scissor-hugging mechanism (3) fall into the temporary storage cylinder (4) for temporary storage. The clamping-shearing mechanism (3) includes a drive unit (24), which is fixedly connected to the movable end of the flipping mechanism (2). The two movable ends of the drive unit (24) are respectively fixedly installed with clamping valves by movable components (23). The clamping valves are narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. The openings of the two clamping valves are arranged correspondingly. Elastic mesh is provided at the openings of the two clamping valves that are far apart from each other. A shearing blade is fixedly connected to one end of the two clamping valves that is far away from the drive unit (24). The blades of the two shearing blades are arranged facing each other. The temporary storage cylinder (4) includes a storage cylinder (32) disposed on one side of the two clamping valves. The top opening of the storage cylinder (32) is corresponding to the two clamping valves. Multiple inlet blocking mechanisms (33) are evenly spaced around the top opening of the storage cylinder (32). A circular cover plate (26) is hinged to the bottom opening of the storage cylinder (32) through a cover plate seat (34). The circular cover plate (26) is drivenly connected to a release mechanism, which is disposed on the outer side wall of the storage cylinder (32). The flipping mechanism (2) includes a flipping base (5) fixedly connected to the movable end of the moving part. Two bearing seats (9) are fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the flipping base (5). A flipping shaft (12) is rotatably connected between the two bearing seats (9). A drive assembly is connected to the flipping shaft (12). One end of the flipping shaft (12) passes through one of the bearing seats (9) and is coaxially fixedly connected to a mounting flange (17). A flipping component upright plate (13) is fixedly connected to the mounting flange (17). A clamp-shear base (14) is fixedly connected to the flipping component upright plate (13). The drive unit (24) and the storage cylinder (32) are both fixedly connected to the clamp-shear base (14).

2. The tomato harvester for use in confined spaces according to claim 1, characterized in that: The release mechanism includes a secondary push rod (27), the power end of which is hinged to the outer wall of the storage cylinder (32), and the telescopic end of which is hinged to a connecting rod. The connecting rod is fixed to the side of the circular cover plate (26) away from the storage cylinder (32). The connecting rod is located on the same side as the cover plate seat (34), and the end of the connecting rod that is hinged to the secondary push rod (27) extends out of the circular cover plate (26).

3. A tomato harvester for use in confined spaces according to claim 1, characterized in that: The entrance blocking mechanism (33) includes an arc-shaped baffle (31), which is hinged to the top opening of the storage cylinder (32) via a baffle fixing seat (30). One end of the arc-shaped baffle (31) extends into the top opening of the storage cylinder (32), and the other end of the arc-shaped baffle (31) is hinged to a telescopic rod. The other end of the telescopic rod is hinged to a spring base (28), which is fixed to the outer wall of the storage cylinder (32). A spring (29) is sleeved on the outer side of the telescopic rod, and the two ends of the spring (29) are fixed to the arc-shaped baffle (31) and the spring base (28) respectively.

4. A tomato harvester for use in confined spaces according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drive assembly includes a fixed end (7), which is hinged to a first-stage push rod (15). The movable end of the first-stage push rod (15) is hinged to a movable end (8), which is fixed to the middle of the flip shaft (12).

5. A tomato harvester for use in confined spaces according to claim 1, characterized in that: The moving part includes a tracked chassis (37), a lifting column (36) is fixedly connected to the top of the tracked chassis (37), the lifting column (36) is vertically arranged, a robotic arm (35) is fixedly connected to the lifting end of the lifting column (36), the flipping base (5) is fixedly connected to the movable end of the robotic arm (35), and a tomato storage basket (38) is placed on the top surface of the tracked chassis (37), the tomato storage basket (38) and the storage cylinder (32) are arranged vertically and vertically respectively.

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