Picking end effector and picking device

Abstract

The invention discloses a picking end effector and a picking device, and belongs to the technical field of fruit picking device.The picking end effector comprises a fruit storage device, a shearing tool and a driving component, a cavity is formed in the fruit storage device, an opening is formed in one end face of the fruit storage device, and the opening communicates with the cavity; at least three blades distributed in the circumferential direction are arranged on the end face, with the opening, of the fruit storage device, cutting edges are arranged on the sides, facing the center of the opening, of the blades, the sides, away from the cutting edges, of the blades are in transmission connection with a driving component used for driving the blades to move to control opening and closing of the opening, the distance between the oppositely-arranged cutting edges in the closed state is L closed, and L closed is smaller than or equal to 0. In the open state, the distance between the oppositely-arranged blades is L open, the diameter of the opening is phi, and L open is larger than or equal to phi; when the fruit picking device is used, fruits enter the cavity firstly, then the driving component is controlled to cut off fruit stems, and the technical effects that the end effector does not make direct contact with the fruits in the picking process to avoid damage to the fruits, and the fruit stems are reserved to prolong the transportation and storage period are achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of fruit picking devices, and in particular to a picking end effector and a picking device. Background Art

[0002] my country is the world's largest apple producer, and the production of other fruits also accounts for a huge share of the world. In recent years, my country's orchard area and fruit production have both shown an upward trend. From 2016 to 2021, my country's orchard area increased by 19.2% year-on-year, and fruit production increased by 25.2% year-on-year. The rapid growth of fruit planting area and production has also further promoted the demand for large-scale fruit picking. However, my country's picking methods cannot meet the demand for picking large quantities of fruit. At present, most areas in my country still use manual picking, which has the problems of low picking efficiency and high cost. The inventor is aware that a small number of areas use machines for picking, such as clamping end effectors, exposed blades, etc. The main ways of picking fruits using fruit picking end effectors include clamping physical cutting, bionic finger picking, suction twisting, clamping laser cutting, etc. Among them, when picking fruits by clamping physical cutting, clamping laser cutting and using exposed blades, the clamping device needs to directly contact the fruit and apply clamping force to the fruit, which can easily squeeze and damage the outer surface of the fruit; when picking fruits by bionic finger picking and suction twisting, the fruit stems need to be twisted off by rotation, which makes the fruit difficult to preserve.

[0003] Therefore, how to design a picking end effector and a picking device to reduce the fruit damage rate and increase the fruit storage period is a technical problem that technical personnel in this field urgently need to solve. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a picking end effector and a picking device to address the defects and shortcomings in the prior art, so as to reduce the fruit damage rate, increase the transportation and storage cycle of the fruit, and enhance the economic benefits and market competitiveness of the fruit.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0006] The present invention provides a picking end effector, comprising a fruit storage container for containing fruits, a shearing tool for cutting off fruit stems, and a driving component, wherein a cavity is arranged inside the fruit storage container, and an opening for fruit to enter and exit is arranged on one end surface of the fruit storage container, and the opening is communicated with the cavity; at least three blades distributed along the circumference are arranged on the end surface of the fruit storage container with the opening, and a blade is arranged on a side of the blade facing the center of the opening, and a side of the blade away from the blade is transmission-connected with the driving component for driving the blade to move so as to control the opening and closing of the opening, and the distance between the blades arranged relatively to each other in the closed state is L闭 , L 闭 ≤0, the distance between the blades arranged opposite to each other in the open state is L 开 , the diameter of the opening is φ, L 开 ≥φ.

[0007] Preferably, the shearing tool also includes a rotating cover plate drivingly connected to the driving component, each of the blades is provided with a first protrusion and a second protrusion, the rotating cover plate is provided with a first slide groove slidingly connected to the first protrusion to drive the movement of the blade, the end surface of the fruit storage container is provided with a second slide groove slidingly connected to the second protrusion to limit the movement path of the blade, and the projection of the first slide groove on the end surface of the fruit storage container intersects with the second slide groove.

[0008] Preferably, a side surface of the rotating cover plate is provided with an avoidance groove, the wall avoidance groove is located on the movement path of the blade, and each blade corresponds to one avoidance groove.

[0009] Preferably, all the blades are evenly distributed along the circumference of the end surface of the fruit storage container.

[0010] Preferably, the inner wall of the cavity is provided with a protective layer to prevent the fruit from being bruised.

[0011] Preferably, the driving component comprises a motor, a small gear transmission-connected to the motor, and a large gear meshing with the small gear, and the large gear is fixedly connected to the rotating cover plate.

[0012] Preferably, the large gear is located on the top surface of the rotating cover plate, and an opening is provided on the large gear to ensure that the inertia of the motor and the load are matched.

[0013] Preferably, a motor placement plate for placing the motor is provided on the fruit storage container.

[0014] The present invention also provides a picking device, comprising the picking end effector and a telescopic arm, wherein the picking end effector is mounted on the telescopic arm.

[0015] Preferably, the openings are provided at the upper and lower end surfaces of the fruit storage device which are arranged opposite to each other, and the motion states of the driving components located at the two openings are opposite;

[0016] The blade at the lower opening is wrapped with a silicone layer, and a steel plate interlayer is arranged inside the silicone layer.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has achieved the following technical effects:

[0018] When picking fruits, the picking end effector of the present invention first allows the fruits to enter the fruit storage container, and then the driving component moves to drive the blade to rotate and close to cut the fruit stem. In this process, the picker does not directly contact the fruit, does not apply squeezing force to the fruit, and does not cause damage to the outer surface of the fruit; secondly, compared with the method of rotating to twist off the fruit stem, the shearing method can retain the fruit stem of the required length, avoiding the situation where the fruit is damaged when the fruit stem is twisted off, and the retained fruit stem can reduce the loss of water in the fruit, which is more conducive to maintaining the freshness of the fruit and prolonging the storage time, thereby improving the economic benefits and market competitiveness of the fruit; furthermore, compared with the manual picking method, the picking end effector of the present invention can greatly improve the picking efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the axial structure of a picking end effector disclosed in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the assembly axis side structure of the rotating cover plate and the blades in the picking end effector disclosed in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the top view of the assembly structure of the rotating cover plate and the blades in the picking end effector disclosed in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the axial structure of the fruit storage device and the blades in the picking end effector disclosed in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of a top view of the structure of a fruit storage device and blades in a picking end effector disclosed in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of a top view of the structure of a fruit storage device in a picking end effector disclosed in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the axial structure of a fruit storage device in a picking end effector disclosed in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 8It is a schematic diagram of the calculation basis of motor torque in a specific implementation manner of the present invention.

[0028] Among them, 1. large gear; 2. small gear; 3. motor; 4. motor placement plate; 5. fruit storage container; 6. avoidance groove; 7. blade; 8. rotating cover plate; 9. second protrusion; 10. first slide groove; 11. first protrusion; 12. second slide groove; 13. opening; 14. cavity. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0030] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0031] like Figures 1 to 7 As shown, the present invention provides a picking end effector, including a fruit storage container 5 for containing fruits, a shearing tool for cutting fruit stems and a driving component. The interior of the fruit storage container 5 is provided with a cavity 14, and one end surface of the fruit storage container 5 is provided with an opening 13 for fruits to enter and exit, and the opening 13 is connected to the cavity 14; at least three blades 7 are provided at the end surface of the fruit storage container 5 with the opening 13, and the blades 7 are distributed along the circumference of the end surface of the fruit storage container 5. The blades 7 are provided with a blade edge on the side facing the center of the opening 13, and the end of the blade 7 away from the blade edge is transmission-connected with the driving component, and the driving component drives the blade 7 to move to control the opening 13 to be opened or closed, and the distance between the blades arranged opposite to each other in the closed state of the opening 13 is L. 闭 , L 闭 ≤0, to cut off the fruit stem, the distance between the blades arranged opposite to each other in the open state of the opening 13 is L 开 , the diameter of the opening 13 is φ, L 开 ≥φ, to take and put the fruit. The relatively arranged blades refer to the two or more blades with the largest relative distance. When the distance between the relatively arranged blades is ≤0, the opening 13 is closed and the fruit cannot enter the cavity 14. When the distance between the relatively arranged blades is ≥φ, the opening 13 is opened and the fruit can enter the cavity 14. When in use, the driving component rotates forward / reverse, and all the blades 7 move outward to expose the opening 13 for the fruit to enter and exit. The fruit enters the cavity 14 through the opening 13, and then the driving component rotates in the opposite direction to move all the blades 7 inward to close the opening 13. During the closing process, the distance between the blades gradually decreases until the fruit stem is cut off.

[0032] The shearing tool also includes a rotating cover plate 8 that is transmission-connected to the driving component, each blade 7 is provided with a first protrusion 11 and a second protrusion 9, a first slide groove 10 is provided on the rotating cover plate 8, the first slide groove 10 is slidably connected with the first protrusion 11 to drive the blade 7 to move, and a second slide groove 12 is provided on the end surface of the fruit storage 5, the second slide groove 12 is slidably connected with the second protrusion 9 to limit the movement path of the blade 7, and the projection of the first slide groove 10 on the end surface of the fruit storage 5 intersects with the second slide groove 12. When in use, the driving component is started, and the driving component drives the rotating cover plate 8 to rotate, and the rotating cover plate 8 drives the blade 7 to move through the matching structure of the first protrusion 11 and the first slide groove 10, and the blade 7 moves horizontally under the restriction of the second protrusion 9 and the second slide groove 12 to realize the opening and closing of the opening 13.

[0033] In order to avoid the blade 7 from colliding with the rotating cover 8 and generating abnormal noise during movement, an avoidance groove 6 is provided on the side of the rotating cover 8. The avoidance groove 6 is located on the movement path of the blade 7. Each blade 7 corresponds to an avoidance groove 6, and the opening 13 of the avoidance groove 6 is not smaller than the size of the part of the blade 7 that cooperates with the avoidance groove 6.

[0034] In order to further improve the shearing effect, the blades 7 are evenly distributed along the circumference of the end surface of the fruit storage container 5, so that each blade 7 can synchronously cut the fruit stem from different angles to achieve efficient cutting of the fruit stem. When permitted, the more blades 7 the better. In one embodiment, five blades 7 are provided at the opening 13 on the end surface of the fruit storage container 5.

[0035] To further prevent the outer surface of the fruit from being damaged by bumps, the inner wall of the cavity 14 of the fruit storage 5 is provided with a protective layer to prevent the fruit from being damaged, and the protective layer is made of a soft material, such as sponge, foam, bubble pad, silica gel, etc. The fruit storage 5 can be a rectangular parallelepiped, a cube, a prism, a cylinder, etc. In one embodiment, the fruit storage 5 is a cylindrical structure.

[0036] The driving component includes a motor 3, a pinion 2 and a large gear 1. The pinion 2 is connected to the output shaft of the motor 3 by transmission, and the large gear 1 is meshed with the pinion 2. The large gear 1 is fixedly connected to the rotating cover plate 8. When in use, the motor 3 is started, and the motor 3 drives the rotating cover plate 8 to rotate through the pinion 2 and the large gear 1. The large gear 1 can be located on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating cover plate 8 or on the top surface of the rotating cover plate 8. In one embodiment, the large gear 1 is located on the top surface of the rotating cover plate 8, and an opening is provided on the large gear 1 to ensure that the inertia of the motor and the load match. In order to facilitate the placement of the motor 3, a motor placement plate 4 for placing the motor 3 is provided on the fruit storage 5. The motor placement plate 4 can be set on the bottom surface or the side surface of the fruit storage 5. In one embodiment, the motor placement plate 4 is located on the side surface of the fruit storage 5.

[0037] According to the magnitude of the shearing force, a suitable motor 3 is selected. The power transmission path of this structure is: motor 3 to gear to rotating cover plate 8 to blade 7 to fruit stem. Therefore, the calculation method of the motor torque is to calculate according to the reverse power transmission path.

[0038] like Figure 8 As shown, assuming the shear force F = 6N, the normal force F at the shear end of blade 7 is 1n = 6N, the rotating cover plate 8 cooperates with the first protrusion 11 on the blade 7, and the force F1 applied by the rotating cover plate 8 to the blade 7 acts on the first protrusion 11 of the blade 7, and the direction is the tangential direction of the rotating cover plate 8. 1n The angle between them is denoted as α, and F1 and F 1n Satisfy F 1n =F1cosα, according to the design, when the mechanism is in the state of shearing the fruit stem, α = 15°, so it can be obtained that F1 = F 1n / cosα=6.21N. Taking into account the mechanical efficiency loss such as friction in the mechanism itself, F1=10N.

[0039] At this time, the distance d between the center point O1 of the first protrusion 11 and the center point O of the rotating cover plate 8 is 75 mm. Approximately, d is taken as the distance of the force F1, so the torque on the turntable is M=zF1d=5*10*75=3750Nmm, where z is the number of blades, z=5

[0040] The basic parameters of the standard cylindrical spur gear meshing gears between the rotating cover plate 8 and the motor 3 are shown in the following table:

[0041]

[0042] The torque of the large gear is M1 = M = 3750 mm, and the torque of the small gear is M2, which has the following relationship with the torque M1 of the large gear:

[0043] M1 / M2=Z1 / Z2

[0044] In the formula, Z1 is the number of teeth on the large gear, Z1=120; Z2 is the number of teeth on the small gear, Z2=30.

[0045] It can be obtained that M2=937.5Nmm.

[0046] Motor torque M3=M2=937.5Nmm.

[0047] Finally, the 37GB520 reduction DC motor was selected, with a maximum torque of 2500Nmm.

[0048] The present invention also provides a picking device, including a picking end effector and a telescopic arm, and the picking end effector is installed on the telescopic arm. When in use, the length of the telescopic arm is adjusted according to the height of the fruit to be picked, so that the fruit can enter the cavity 14, and then the motor 3 is started to cut off the fruit stalk. A through hole connected to the cavity 14 can be set on the bottom surface of the fruit storage 5, and the bottom surface of the fruit storage 5 is connected to a conveying device for transporting fruits. The conveying device is made of a flexible material (such as cloth, soft plastic, etc.), so that the fruit after the fruit stalk is cut off directly falls into the storage and transportation device along the conveying device. Or the fruit with the fruit stalk cut off is directly poured into the storage and transportation device through the opening 13 to complete the picking of the fruit. In one embodiment, openings are provided at both ends of the fruit storage device 5 that are relatively arranged, and the movement states of the driving components located at the two openings are opposite, that is, one of the openings is an inlet, and the other opening opposite thereto is an outlet. When picking fruits, the blade at the inlet moves outward to open the inlet, the blade at the outlet is in a closed state, and the outlet is closed; a silicone layer (a steel plate interlayer is provided inside the silicone layer) is provided at the bottom of the mechanism (that is, on the blade at the outlet), and after the fruit is moved to a specified position by a robotic arm, the blade at the outlet moves outward to open the outlet, and the fruit is gently placed at the specified position. At this time, the blade at the inlet is in a closed state, and the inlet is closed.

[0049] It should be noted that it is obvious 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 features of the present invention. Therefore, no matter from which point of view, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary and non-restrictive, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the above description, and it is intended that all changes falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims are included in the present invention, and any figure mark in the claims should not be regarded as limiting the claims involved.

Claims

1. A picking end effector, characterized in that: The invention comprises a fruit storage container for containing fruits, a shearing tool for cutting off fruit stems and a driving component, wherein a cavity is arranged inside the fruit storage container, and an opening for fruit to enter and exit is arranged on one end surface of the fruit storage container, and the opening is communicated with the cavity; at least three blades distributed along the circumference are arranged at the end surface of the fruit storage container with the opening, and a blade is arranged on the side of the blade facing the center of the opening, and a side of the blade away from the blade is transmission-connected with the driving component for driving the blade to move so as to control the opening and closing of the opening, and the distance between the blades arranged opposite to each other in the closed state is L 闭 , L 闭 ≤0, the distance between the blades arranged opposite to each other in the open state is L 开 , the diameter of the opening is φ, L 开 ≥φ.

2. The picking end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shearing tool also includes a rotating cover plate drivingly connected to the driving component, each of the blades is provided with a first protrusion and a second protrusion, the rotating cover plate is provided with a first slide groove slidingly connected to the first protrusion to drive the blade to move, the end surface of the fruit storage container is provided with a second slide groove slidingly connected to the second protrusion to limit the movement path of the blade, and the projection of the first slide groove on the end surface of the fruit storage container intersects with the second slide groove.

3. The picking end effector according to claim 2, characterized in that: The side of the rotating cover plate is provided with an avoidance groove, the wall avoidance groove is located on the movement path of the blade, and each blade corresponds to one avoidance groove.

4. The picking end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that: All the blades are evenly distributed along the circumference of the end surface of the fruit storage container.

5. The picking end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner wall of the cavity is provided with a protective layer for preventing the fruit from being damaged.

6. The picking end effector according to claim 2, characterized in that: The driving component comprises a motor, a small gear transmission-connected to the motor, and a large gear meshing with the small gear, and the large gear is fixedly connected to the rotating cover plate.

7. The picking end effector according to claim 6, characterized in that: The large gear is located on the top surface of the rotating cover plate, and an opening is provided on the large gear to ensure that the inertia of the motor and the load are matched.

8. The picking end effector according to claim 7, characterized in that: The fruit storage device is provided with a motor placement plate for placing the motor.

9. A picking device, characterized in that: It comprises a picking end effector and a telescopic arm as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the picking end effector is mounted on the telescopic arm.

10. The picking device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The fruit storage device is provided with the openings at the upper and lower end surfaces that are arranged opposite to each other, and the motion states of the driving components located at the two openings are opposite; The blade at the lower opening is wrapped with a silicone layer, and a steel plate interlayer is arranged inside the silicone layer.

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