Intelligent trolley for automatically collecting and transporting indoor strawberries

Abstract

The invention discloses an intelligent trolley for automatically collecting and transporting indoor strawberries. The intelligent trolley comprises a chassis, a plurality of Mecanum wheels arranged at the bottom of the chassis, and a mechanical arm, a storage box and an advancing camera shooting mechanism which are arranged on the upper part of the chassis, the mechanical arm is used for driving the mechanical claw to collect and convey strawberries; the storage box is used for storing the collected strawberries; the advancing camera shooting mechanism is arranged at the head of the intelligent trolley and is used for shooting the front, left and right of the advancing direction of the intelligent trolley; the intelligent trolley is used for carrying out obstacle avoidance walking according to the shot picture; after the scheme is adopted, not only are the problems of high labor cost and low efficiency in the strawberry harvesting process solved, but also the problems that in the strawberry picking process, peel and pulp are damaged, and an intelligent agricultural robot is obstructed to run in a complex environment are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of strawberry collection, and in particular to an intelligent vehicle for automatically collecting and transporting strawberries indoors. Background Art

[0002] With the acceleration of urbanization, indoor agriculture has gradually become an important way to meet urban residents' demand for fresh produce. Indoor potted strawberries, in particular, have attracted widespread attention due to their delicious taste and strong market demand. Indoor potted strawberry cultivation offers significant advantages over other strawberry cultivation methods: Indoor potted strawberries can more easily control the growing environment, such as light, temperature, and humidity, to provide the most suitable growing conditions for the strawberries. Indoor potted strawberries are relatively simple to manage, with operations such as watering, fertilizing, and pruning all performed indoors, reducing the hassle of outdoor work. By observing the growth of potted strawberries, potential problems such as pests and diseases and nutritional deficiencies can be promptly identified and addressed. Since the development trend of strawberry cultivation is indoor potted cultivation, this research focuses on indoor potted strawberry cultivation.

[0003] However, the harvesting and transportation of indoor potted strawberries often faces challenges such as limited operating areas, high labor costs, low efficiency, and uneven harvest quality. Furthermore, strawberries have a thin, soft peel and juicy flesh. Once damaged during the harvesting process, the peel cracks, exposing the flesh and directly affecting the appearance and quality of the fruit. Damaged strawberries are more susceptible to microbial attack, leading to rot and deterioration, significantly reducing their commercial value. Furthermore, the strawberry harvesting cycle is short. If not picked promptly, they will become overripe and inedible, resulting in economic losses for farmers. Furthermore, strawberry production is labor-intensive, requiring long hours and high labor intensity. Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve the intelligent harvesting and transportation of indoor potted strawberries to increase the efficiency of strawberry harvesting, free up labor, and reduce costs.

[0004] Against this backdrop, smart agricultural technology has emerged. The development of automation and robotics has brought new solutions to agricultural production. However, existing strawberry picking or transport robots have the following main problems:

[0005] 1. Many modern automated strawberry picking devices can only perform the functions of collecting and gathering. Subsequent workers need to monitor in real time whether the strawberry collection device is full. If it is full, the picked strawberries need to be manually transported to the designated location. This is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and does not fully realize the automated process.

[0006] 2. Currently, some transport vehicles only have a front camera for pathfinding and navigation. When an obstacle appears in front, the vehicle needs to turn left or right to determine whether there are obstacles or passages in the left or right directions.

[0007] 3. Most existing smart cars only use ordinary tires for driving. When driving on complex terrain such as indoor potted plants, the smart cars cannot achieve translation or rotation at any angle.

[0008] 4. The existing strawberry picking mechanical claw structure is too rigid, which can easily damage the peel and flesh during the picking process, affecting the quality of strawberry production and causing unnecessary economic losses. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an intelligent trolley for automatic collection and transportation of indoor strawberries, so as to solve the problems of high labor cost and low efficiency in the strawberry harvesting process.

[0010] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides an intelligent cart for automatically collecting and transporting strawberries indoors, comprising a chassis, a plurality of Mecanum wheels arranged at the bottom of the chassis, and a mechanical arm, a storage box and a traveling camera mechanism arranged at the upper part of the chassis; the mechanical arm is provided with a mechanical claw, and the mechanical arm is used to drive the mechanical claw to collect and transport strawberries; the storage box is used to store the collected strawberries; the traveling camera mechanism is arranged at the front of the intelligent cart, and the traveling camera mechanism includes a traveling camera bracket and a traveling camera; the traveling camera bracket is arranged on the chassis; a plurality of the traveling cameras are arranged on the traveling camera bracket, and the plurality of the traveling cameras are respectively used to shoot the front, left, and right of the traveling direction of the intelligent cart; the intelligent cart is used to avoid obstacles and walk according to the images shot by the plurality of traveling cameras.

[0011] In one embodiment, the chassis is made of metal or engineering plastic.

[0012] In one embodiment, a plurality of mounting holes are provided on the chassis, and the plurality of mounting holes are all optional mounting positions for the robotic arm, the storage box, and the traveling camera mechanism.

[0013] In one embodiment, the robotic arm is a six-axis robotic arm.

[0014] In one embodiment, the robotic arm is provided with a collecting bracket where the robotic claw is provided, and the collecting bracket is provided with a collecting camera, and the collecting camera is used to capture environmental information when collecting strawberries; the smart car is used to control the robotic arm to collect strawberries according to the shooting information of the collecting camera.

[0015] In one embodiment, the clamping portion of the mechanical claw is covered with soft glue.

[0016] In one embodiment, the shooting directions of the multiple traveling cameras are all facing obliquely downward.

[0017] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0018] 1. Compared with traditional smart cars that only have front cameras, the present invention can collect front, left, and right road information without turning with the assistance of three moving cameras, making the smart car more stable and efficient in driving in complex agricultural environments.

[0019] 2. The Mecanum wheel is a special omnidirectional wheel. Using it on the smart car enables it to move in all directions on a plane (including forward, backward, sideways, rotation, etc.), making the smart car more stable and efficient in complex agricultural environments.

[0020] 3. The robotic arm's servo-controlled angle control makes strawberry picking more precise and efficient. The soft-gel-coated robotic claws minimize damage to the skin and flesh during the picking process, improving strawberry quality.

[0021] 4. The acquisition camera can dynamically collect information as the robotic arm moves, allowing it to accurately locate strawberries even in complex environments (such as those with numerous leaves and severe obstruction). The intelligent robot's ability to accurately identify strawberries is greatly improved, thereby improving strawberry picking efficiency.

[0022] 5. The strawberry collection and distribution device makes the smart cart more than just a strawberry picking machine. Once harvested, the smart cart can also transport the berries to a designated location for distribution. This device not only collects the berries but also directly unloads them, significantly simplifying the process and eliminating the extra step of transferring the berries mid-transport. This improves operational efficiency and reduces manual intervention, making it particularly useful in large-scale harvesting scenarios. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the implementation. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some implementation methods of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0024] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] The reference numerals are as follows:

[0026] 10. Chassis; 11. Mounting holes;

[0027] 20. Mecanum wheel;

[0028] 30. Robotic arm; 31. Robotic claw; 32. Collection bracket; 33. Collection camera; 34. Soft rubber;

[0029] 40. Storage box;

[0030] 50. Moving camera mechanism; 51. Moving camera bracket; 52. Moving camera. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0032] The present invention provides an intelligent vehicle for automatic collection and transportation of indoor strawberries, which can be used for example Figure 1 As shown, it includes a chassis 10, a plurality of Mecanum wheels 20 provided at the bottom of the chassis 10, and a robotic arm 30, a storage box 40 and a traveling camera mechanism 50 provided on the upper part of the chassis 10; the robotic arm 30 is provided with a mechanical claw 31, and the robotic arm 30 is used to drive the mechanical claw 31 to collect and transport strawberries; the storage box 40 is used to store the collected strawberries; the traveling camera mechanism 50 is provided at the front of the smart car, and the traveling camera mechanism 50 includes a traveling camera bracket 51 and a traveling camera 52; the traveling camera bracket 51 is provided on the chassis 10; the plurality of traveling cameras 52 are provided on the traveling camera bracket 51, and the plurality of traveling cameras 52 are respectively used to shoot the front, left, and right of the traveling direction of the smart car; the smart car is used to avoid obstacles and walk according to the images captured by the plurality of traveling cameras 52.

[0033] During application, the motor is used to drive the Mecanum wheel 20 to rotate, which can realize the movement of the smart car. Since the Mecanum wheel 20 is a special omnidirectional wheel, using it on the smart car enables it to achieve all-round movement on a plane (including forward, backward, sideways, rotation, etc.), making the smart car more stable and efficient in complex agricultural environments.

[0034] Specifically, each Mecanum wheel 20 is cylindrical in shape, with multiple small rollers mounted around the wheel at angles to the wheel's axis. These rollers are typically made of highly wear-resistant materials and are capable of relative motion in both vertical and horizontal directions. Each Mecanum wheel 20 is connected to the chassis 10 via a dedicated bracket and an electric motor.

[0035] Mecanum wheels 20 are mounted at the four corners of chassis 10 and bolted to the axles of chassis 10. Each wheel is independently controlled by a drive motor. The four Mecanum wheels 20 work in concert through an electronic control system, enabling omnidirectional movement on chassis 10.

[0036] For example, when the smart cart moves forward or backward, all of its Mecanum wheels 20 rotate in the same direction. When the cart moves sideways, two diagonal wheels rotate in the same direction, while the other two diagonal wheels rotate in opposite directions, achieving lateral motion. If rotation is required, the Mecanum wheels 20 rotate at different speeds, generating rotational torque. This flexible mobility allows the smart cart to easily navigate narrow and complex agricultural environments.

[0037] When collecting strawberries, the mechanical arm 30 can be used to drive the mechanical claw 31 to grab the strawberries, and then the collected strawberries can be sent to the storage box 40 for storage; wherein, the storage box 40 of this embodiment is a rectangular structure, made of lightweight and durable plastic, with a partition structure inside to prevent the strawberries from being compressed during storage; and the storage box 40 can be designed with an automatic unloading function, which can rotate the connecting rod through the servo steering gear at a designated location to dump the storage box 40 to unload the strawberries to the designated location.

[0038] In addition, the storage box 40 can be fixed to the rear of the chassis 10 by bolts to be close to the picking range of the robotic arm 30, and an opening is provided at the top of the storage box 40 to facilitate the robotic arm 30 to put the picked strawberries in.

[0039] Preferably, in this embodiment, the chassis 10 is made of metal or engineering plastic.

[0040] After adopting this setting method, it can be ensured that the chassis 10 has sufficient mechanical strength, providing better protection for the structural strength of the smart car.

[0041] Specifically, the chassis 10 of this embodiment has an overall rectangular flat plate structure and is made of a solid metal material or high-strength engineering plastic. In addition, four fixing brackets for mounting the Mecanum wheels 20 may be provided at the bottom of the chassis 10. The fixing brackets are connected by bolts to ensure that the chassis 10 has sufficient seismic resistance on a stable basis.

[0042] like Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, a plurality of mounting holes 11 are provided on the chassis 10 , and the plurality of mounting holes 11 are all optional mounting positions for the robotic arm 30 , the storage box 40 , and the traveling camera mechanism 50 .

[0043] After adopting this setting method, the robotic arm 30, the storage box 40, and the moving camera mechanism 50 can choose a suitable installation position and then be conveniently fixed using screws and other structures, thereby further improving the application flexibility of the smart car.

[0044] like Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, the robot arm 30 is configured as a six-axis robot arm.

[0045] Specifically, the six-axis robotic arm of this embodiment is installed in the center of the chassis 10 through a fixed bracket, and the robotic claw 31 is located at the end of the robotic arm 30. The working range of the six-axis robotic arm covers the storage box 40 and the side picking area; since the six-axis robotic arm is composed of multiple joints, each joint is driven by a servo servo, so the servo can drive the six-axis robotic arm to make corresponding actions after receiving the control signal, ensuring its flexible movement in space.

[0046] like Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, a robotic arm 30 is provided with a collection bracket 32 ​​where a mechanical claw 31 is provided, and a collection camera 33 is provided on the collection bracket 32. The collection camera 33 is used to capture environmental information when collecting strawberries; the smart car is used to control the robotic arm 30 to collect strawberries according to the shooting information of the collection camera 33.

[0047] After adopting this setting method, the acquisition camera 33 will be integrated with the robotic arm 30, and can move with the robotic arm 30 to monitor the strawberries and the picking process under the robotic claw 31 in real time; specifically, when the acquisition camera 33 recognizes the position of the strawberries, the robotic arm 30 will adjust its posture according to the feedback from the acquisition camera 33, manipulate the robotic claw 31 to approach the strawberries, and achieve precise gripping through the angle control of the servo.

[0048] like Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, the clamping portion of the mechanical claw 31 is covered with soft glue 34 .

[0049] Specifically, the gripping portion of the mechanical claw 31 is designed as a planar structure and is covered with soft glue 34 (such as EVA material), so that it can gently grip the strawberry to reduce damage to the strawberry.

[0050] like Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, the shooting directions of the multiple traveling cameras 52 are all facing obliquely downward.

[0051] After adopting this setting method, it can ensure that the traveling camera 52 can better capture the ground conditions, so as to ensure that the smart car can better avoid obstacles.

[0052] The above is a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the present invention. These improvements and modifications are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A smart car for automatic collection and transportation of indoor strawberries, characterized in that: It includes a chassis, a plurality of Mecanum wheels arranged at the bottom of the chassis, and a mechanical arm, a storage box and a moving camera mechanism arranged at the top of the chassis; The mechanical arm is provided with a mechanical claw, and the mechanical arm is used to drive the mechanical claw to collect and transport strawberries; The storage box is used to store the collected strawberries; The traveling camera mechanism is arranged at the front of the smart car, and the traveling camera mechanism comprises a traveling camera bracket and a traveling camera; The traveling camera bracket is arranged on the chassis; a plurality of traveling cameras are arranged on the traveling camera bracket, and the plurality of traveling cameras are respectively used to shoot the front, left, and right of the traveling direction of the smart car; The smart car is used to avoid obstacles and walk according to the images taken by the multiple traveling cameras.

2. The smart car according to claim 1, characterized in that: The chassis is made of metal or engineering plastics.

3. The smart car according to claim 1, characterized in that: The chassis is provided with a plurality of mounting holes, and the plurality of mounting holes are all selectable mounting positions for the mechanical arm, the storage box, and the traveling camera mechanism.

4. The smart car according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robotic arm is a six-axis robotic arm.

5. The smart car according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mechanical arm is provided with a collection support at the location where the mechanical claw is provided, and the collection support is provided with a collection camera, and the collection camera is used to capture environmental information when collecting strawberries; The smart car is used to control the mechanical arm to collect strawberries according to the shooting information of the collection camera.

6. The smart car according to claim 1, characterized in that: The clamping part of the mechanical claw is covered with soft glue.

7. The smart car according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shooting directions of the multiple traveling cameras are all obliquely downward.

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