Bendable strip-shaped fruit picking manipulator

Abstract

The invention discloses a bendable strip-shaped fruit picking manipulator, and relates to the technical field of fruit picking. An elastic supporting piece is fixedly connected between the middle of a first mounting plate and the middle of a second mounting plate, a bending control assembly used for adjusting the direction of the second mounting plate is further arranged between the first mounting plate and the second mounting plate, and the bending control assembly is sleeved with a telescopic protection assembly. An L-shaped mounting plate is fixedly connected to the left side face of the second mounting plate, and a self-adaptive clamping jaw used for clamping the strip-shaped fruits is rotationally connected to the horizontal part of the L-shaped mounting plate, so that the effect of automatically and rapidly picking the strip-shaped fruits in use is achieved, fruits of different specifications can be stably clamped, and the picking efficiency is improved. In addition, the manipulator can be bent and adjusted in multiple directions, so that the manipulator can more easily extend into vines for picking, the vines are prevented from shielding the manipulator, and the picking efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of fruit picking, and in particular to a bendable strip-shaped fruit picking manipulator. Background Art

[0002] Agriculture has become a large industry in China, and harvesting is a heavy physical labor. Currently, many institutions have conducted research on harvesting robots, including tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, etc. However, the current harvesting robots still have the problem of poor applicability.

[0003] Cucumbers are typical strip-shaped fruits. Greenhouse cultivation generally uses ropes to hang the vines. Cucumbers hang down as they grow and are as close to the picking channel as possible. However, due to the level of agronomy, there is still a problem of partial obstruction, and the growth is also different. The existing picking robot has a fixed specification of the manipulator, which is difficult to adapt to strip fruits of various sizes, and the manipulator arm is not convenient to bend, making it difficult to pick cucumbers between the vines.

[0004] For this reason, a bendable strip-shaped fruit picking manipulator is proposed. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the problems mentioned in the above background technology, and provide a bendable strip-shaped fruit picking robot.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention specifically adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A bendable strip-shaped fruit picking robot, wherein an elastic support is fixedly connected between the middle parts of the first mounting plate and the second mounting plate, a bending control component for adjusting the direction of the second mounting plate is also provided between the first mounting plate and the second mounting plate, a telescopic protection component is provided on the outer sleeve of the bending control component, an L-shaped mounting plate is fixedly connected to the left side of the second mounting plate, an adaptive clamping claw for clamping strip-shaped fruits is rotatably connected to the horizontal part of the L-shaped mounting plate, a clamping control component for controlling the rotation of the adaptive clamping claw is also provided on the horizontal part of the L-shaped mounting plate, a shearing mechanism for cutting off fruit vines is installed on the vertical part of the L-shaped mounting plate, and a lifting and lowering fine-tuning mechanism for adjusting the height of the shearing mechanism is also provided on the vertical part of the L-shaped mounting plate.

[0008] Furthermore, the bending control assembly includes a first telescopic electric cylinder, and the first telescopic electric cylinder is fixedly mounted on the left side of the first mounting plate, the telescopic end of the first telescopic electric cylinder is fixedly connected to a traction rope, the end of the traction rope is fixedly connected to an axle seat, and the axle seat is fixedly connected to the second mounting plate.

[0009] Furthermore, the adaptive clamp includes two outer clamps, the right end of the outer clamp is fixedly connected with a rotating shaft, and the rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the horizontal part of the L-shaped mounting plate, the inner wall of the outer clamp is fixedly connected with a supporting spring, the free end of the supporting spring is fixedly connected with the inner clamp, and the inner wall of the outer clamp is also fixedly installed with a pressure sensor.

[0010] Furthermore, the clamping control assembly includes a second telescopic electric cylinder, and the second telescopic electric cylinder is fixedly installed on the horizontal part of the L-shaped mounting plate, the telescopic end of the second telescopic electric cylinder is fixedly connected with a joint, the end of the outer clamp is penetrated by a mounting groove, and the inner wall of the mounting groove is slidably connected to the joint.

[0011] Furthermore, the shearing mechanism includes a mounting shell, a servo motor is fixedly mounted on the inner wall of the mounting shell, a double-headed screw is fixedly connected to the output end of the servo motor, two connecting rods are threadedly connected to the surface of the double-headed screw, a shearing blade is fixedly connected to the end of the connecting rod, a sliding groove is penetrated through the left side surface of the mounting shell, and the inner wall of the sliding groove is slidably connected to the surface of the connecting rod.

[0012] Furthermore, the lifting and fine-tuning mechanism includes an actuator motor, and the actuator motor is fixedly mounted on the vertical part of the L-shaped mounting plate, the output end of the actuator motor is fixedly connected with a screw rod, and the screw rod is threadedly connected to the mounting shell, the vertical part of the L-shaped mounting plate is fixedly connected with a guide column, and the surface of the guide column is slidably connected to the mounting shell.

[0013] Furthermore, the telescopic protection assembly includes a fixed tube, and one end of the fixed tube is fixedly connected to the first mounting plate, the other end of the fixed tube is fixedly connected to an elastic telescopic sleeve, and the end of the elastic telescopic sleeve is fixedly connected to the second mounting plate, and the bending control assembly is located inside the telescopic protection assembly.

[0014] Furthermore, the number of the bending control components and the telescopic protection components is at least six, and the bending control components and the telescopic protection components are distributed in a ring array, the number of the elastic support members is at least one, and the elastic support member is a spring steel rod.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0016] 1. The present invention operates through a clamping control component, which can pull the rotating shaft and the outer clamping jaw to rotate, so that the inner clamping jaw comes into contact with the surface of the strip fruit, and the inner clamping jaw is used to clamp and fix the fruit. When the inner clamping jaw is subjected to force, the fruit will also push the inner clamping jaw to move toward the outer clamping jaw until the inner clamping jaw touches the surface of the pressure sensor. The pressure sensor will detect the pressure change. When it is detected that the pressure reaches a preset threshold, the second telescopic electric cylinder stops running, so that the force of clamping the fruit remains stable. Therefore, it can adapt to different specifications of fruits for clamping and picking, and can also play a good clamping role on smaller fruits. It can also avoid clamping damage to the surface of larger fruits, and is more flexible to use.

[0017] 2. The present invention operates through the first telescopic electric cylinder to drive its telescopic end to shorten, so that it can pull the traction rope to move to the right, and then pull the axle seat to move. The axle seat will drive the second mounting plate to deflect to this position, thereby causing the L-shaped mounting plate, the adaptive clamping claw and the shearing mechanism to deflect, and at the same time drive the elastic support to deflect in this direction, thereby realizing the bending of the manipulator, making it easier for the manipulator to avoid plant vines and prevent the vines from blocking the picking work, thereby facilitating the picking of fruits between the vines.

[0018] 3. The present invention automatically adjusts to a suitable position through a shearing mechanism, automatically positions and shears the stem of the fruit, eliminating the need for manual shearing, and further improving the efficiency of fruit picking.

[0019] 4. The present invention can effectively protect the bending control component through the telescopic protection component, avoiding interference of objects such as fruits and vines with the operation of the bending control component during the picking process, thereby ensuring the smooth operation of the manipulator. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 It is a top cross-sectional view of the structure of the adaptive clamping jaw of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 is a top view of the adaptive gripper structure of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the clamping control assembly of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the shearing mechanism of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 is a top cross-sectional view of the mounting shell structure of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 is a front cross-sectional view of the bending control assembly structure of the present invention;

[0027] : 1. first mounting plate; 2. second mounting plate; 3. elastic support member; 4. bending control assembly; 401. first telescopic electric cylinder; 402. traction rope; 403. shaft seat; 5. telescopic protection assembly; 501. fixing cylinder; 502. elastic telescopic sleeve; 6. L-shaped mounting plate; 7. adaptive clamping jaw; 701. outer clamping jaw; 702. supporting spring; 703. inner clamping jaw; 704. pressure sensor; 705. rotating shaft; 8. clamping control assembly; 801. second telescopic electric cylinder; 802. joint; 803. mounting groove; 9. shearing mechanism; 901. mounting shell; 902. shearing blade; 903. servo motor; 904. double-headed screw; 905. connecting rod; 906. slide groove; 907. guide column; 10. actuator motor; 11. screw rod. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Generally, the components of the embodiments of the present invention described and shown in the drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0029] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the invention claimed for protection, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present invention. 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] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters represent similar items in the following drawings, so once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further defined and explained in the subsequent drawings. In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used to distinguish the description and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0031] The electrical components mentioned in this article are all connected to an external main controller and 220V mains electricity, and the main controller can be a conventional known device for controlling a computer or the like.

[0032] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "inside", "outside", "upper", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, or are the orientations or positional relationships in which the inventive product is usually placed when used. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0033] like Figures 1 to 7 As shown, a bendable strip-shaped fruit picking manipulator is provided, wherein an elastic support member 3 is fixedly connected between the middle parts of the first mounting plate 1 and the second mounting plate 2, a bending control component 4 for adjusting the direction of the second mounting plate 2 is also provided between the first mounting plate 1 and the second mounting plate 2, a telescopic protection component 5 is sleeved on the outer part of the bending control component 4, an L-shaped mounting plate 6 is fixedly connected to the left side of the second mounting plate 2, an adaptive clamping claw 7 for clamping the strip-shaped fruit is rotatably connected to the horizontal part of the L-shaped mounting plate 6, a clamping control component 8 for controlling the rotation of the adaptive clamping claw 7 is also provided on the horizontal part of the L-shaped mounting plate 6, a shearing mechanism 9 for cutting off fruit vines is installed on the vertical part of the L-shaped mounting plate 6, and a lifting fine-tuning mechanism for adjusting the height of the shearing mechanism 9 is also provided on the vertical part of the L-shaped mounting plate 6. More specifically, the first mounting plate 1 is fixedly mounted at the end of the robotic arm, and the robotic arm controls the adaptive clamp 7 to approach the position of the fruit to be picked. The bending control component 4 can be used to control the second mounting plate 2 to rotate in a certain direction, so that the entire robotic arm bends in a certain direction, so that the adaptive clamp 7 and the shearing mechanism 9 can approach the fruit from the gaps in the vines and allow the fruit to enter the adaptive clamp 7. The adaptive clamp 7 is controlled by the clamping control component 8 to operate, and the adaptive clamp 7 can be used to clamp and fix the fruit. The clamping force can be kept stable during the clamping process. After the clamping is firm, the shearing mechanism 9 is controlled to move up and down and adjusted to a suitable position through the lifting and fine-tuning mechanism, and the melon stem is cut off by the shearing mechanism 9 to complete the picking.

[0034] The bending control assembly 4 includes a first telescopic electric cylinder 401, and the first telescopic electric cylinder 401 is fixedly installed on the left side of the first mounting plate 1, and the telescopic end of the first telescopic electric cylinder 401 is fixedly connected to a traction rope 402, and the end of the traction rope 402 is fixedly connected to an axle seat 403, and the axle seat 403 is fixedly connected to the second mounting plate 2. It should be noted that the operation of the first telescopic electric cylinder 401 drives its telescopic end to shorten, so that the traction rope 402 can be pulled to move to the right, and then the axle seat 403 can be pulled to move, and the axle seat 403 will drive the second mounting plate 2 to deflect to this position, thereby causing the L-shaped mounting plate 6, the adaptive clamping claw 7 and the shearing mechanism 9 to deflect, and at the same time, the elastic support member 3 can be driven to deflect in this direction, thereby realizing the bending of the manipulator, which is convenient for grasping the fruits between the vines and shearing the vines.

[0035] The adaptive clamp 7 includes two outer clamps 701, the right end of the outer clamp 701 is fixedly connected with a rotating shaft 705, and the rotating shaft 705 is rotatably connected to the horizontal part of the L-shaped mounting plate 6, the inner wall of the outer clamp 701 is fixedly connected with a supporting spring 702, the free end of the supporting spring 702 is fixedly connected with an inner clamp 703, and the inner wall of the outer clamp 701 is also fixedly installed with a pressure sensor 704. More specifically, the strip-shaped fruit is clamped between the two inner jaws 703, and the clamping control component 8 drives the rotating shaft 705 and the outer jaw 701 to rotate, thereby driving the support spring 702 and the inner jaw 703 to rotate, and the inner jaw 703 is used to touch the surface of the fruit to clamp the fruit. During the clamping process, the inner jaw 703 will move and touch the surface of the pressure sensor 704. The pressure sensor 704 can detect the clamping force, thereby feedback controlling the operation of the clamping control component 8. When the fruit is picked, the clamping control component 8 controls the outer jaw 701 to rotate in the opposite direction, so that the inner jaw 703 no longer clamps the fruit, and the fruit can be released. After the fruit is released, the inner jaw 703 will be reset under the elastic force of the support spring 702, and subsequent picking work can be carried out.

[0036] The clamping control assembly 8 includes a second telescopic electric cylinder 801, and the second telescopic electric cylinder 801 is fixedly installed on the horizontal part of the L-shaped mounting plate 6. The telescopic end of the second telescopic electric cylinder 801 is fixedly connected with a joint 802. The end of the outer clamping jaw 701 is penetrated by a mounting groove 803, and the inner wall of the mounting groove 803 is slidably connected with the joint 802. It should be noted that when the strip-shaped fruit enters between the two inner jaws 703, the second telescopic electric cylinder 801 is operated to drive its telescopic end to shorten, thereby pulling the joint 802 to move to the right, and the joint 802 will slide along the inner wall of the installation groove 803, thereby pulling the rotating shaft 705 and the outer jaw 701 to rotate, so that the inner jaw 703 comes into contact with the surface of the strip-shaped fruit, and the fruit is clamped and fixed by the inner jaw 703. When the inner jaw 703 is subjected to force, the fruit will also push the inner jaw 703 to move toward the outer jaw 701 until the inner jaw 703 touches the surface of the pressure sensor 704. The pressure sensor 704 will detect the pressure change. When it is detected that the pressure reaches the preset threshold, the second telescopic electric cylinder 801 stops running, so that the force of clamping the fruit remains stable.

[0037] The shearing mechanism 9 includes a mounting shell 901, a servo motor 903 is fixedly mounted on the inner wall of the mounting shell 901, a double-headed screw 904 is fixedly connected to the output end of the servo motor 903, two connecting rods 905 are threadedly connected to the surface of the double-headed screw 904, and a shearing blade 902 is fixedly connected to the end of the connecting rod 905. A slide groove 906 is provided through the left side of the mounting shell 901, and the inner wall of the slide groove 906 is slidably connected to the surface of the connecting rod 905. More specifically, when shearing vines, the vines are placed between the two shearing blades 902, and the servo motor 903 is operated to drive the double-headed screw 904 to rotate. Under the action of the thread on its surface, the two connecting rods 905 are driven to approach each other, and the moving trajectory of the connecting rod 905 is limited by the slide groove 906. The connecting rod 905 will drive the shearing blade 902 to move, and the two shearing blades 902 are used to squeeze the vines, thereby achieving shearing of the vines.

[0038] The lifting and fine-tuning mechanism includes an executive motor 10, and the executive motor 10 is fixedly mounted on the vertical portion of the L-shaped mounting plate 6. The output end of the executive motor 10 is fixedly connected with a screw rod 11, and the screw rod 11 is threadedly connected to the mounting shell 901. The vertical portion of the L-shaped mounting plate 6 is fixedly connected with a guide column 907, and the surface of the guide column 907 is slidably connected to the mounting shell 901. It should be noted that by running the executive motor 10, the screw rod 11 can be controlled to rotate, and under the action of the thread on its surface, the mounting shell 901 will be driven to slide along the surface of the guide column 907, thereby adjusting the height of the shearing blade 902 and realizing fine-tuning of the vine shearing position.

[0039] The telescopic protection component 5 includes a fixed cylinder 501, and one end of the fixed cylinder 501 is fixedly connected to the first mounting plate 1, and the other end of the fixed cylinder 501 is fixedly connected to an elastic telescopic sleeve 502, and the end of the elastic telescopic sleeve 502 is fixedly connected to the second mounting plate 2, and the bending control component 4 is located inside the telescopic protection component 5. More specifically, the fixed cylinder 501 and the elastic telescopic sleeve 502 cooperate to form a relatively closed space, which can effectively protect the bending control component 4 inside, and when the second mounting plate 2 rotates, the elastic telescopic sleeve 502 can be deformed to avoid affecting the rotation of the second mounting plate 2. In addition, in actual use, a protective structure can be set between the first mounting plate 1 and the second mounting plate 2 to accommodate the bending control component 4 and the telescopic protection component 5 inside, so as to avoid interference with external objects.

[0040] The number of the bending control components 4 and the telescopic protection components 5 is at least six, and the bending control components 4 and the telescopic protection components 5 are distributed in a ring array, the number of the elastic support members 3 is at least one, and the elastic support member 3 is a spring steel rod. It should be noted that in the initial state, supported by the elastic support member 3, the first mounting plate 1 and the second mounting plate 2 remain flush, and a certain group of bending control components 4 can be used to control the second mounting plate 2 to rotate in one direction, so that the orientation of the L-shaped mounting plate 6, the adaptive clamping claw 7 and the shearing mechanism 9 can be adjusted. Multiple groups of bending control components 4 are provided for users to choose, which is convenient for adjustment in any direction.

[0041] In summary: in the present invention, the first mounting plate 1 is fixedly mounted at the end of the robotic arm, and the adaptive clamping jaw 7 is controlled by the robotic arm to approach the position of the fruit to be picked. The bending control component 4 can be used to control the second mounting plate 2 to rotate in a certain direction, so that the robotic arm as a whole bends in a certain direction, so that the adaptive clamping jaw 7 and the shearing mechanism 9 can approach the fruit from the gaps in the vines, and the fruit can enter the adaptive clamping jaw 7. The adaptive clamping jaw 7 is controlled to operate by the clamping control component 8, and the adaptive clamping jaw 7 can be used to clamp and fix the fruit. The clamping force can be kept stable during the clamping process. After the clamping is firm, the shearing mechanism 9 is controlled to move up and down and adjusted to a suitable position by the lifting and fine-tuning mechanism, and the melon stem is cut off by the shearing mechanism 9 to complete the picking.

[0042] The above shows and describes the basic principles, main features and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The above embodiments and descriptions only describe the principles of the present invention. The present invention may be subject to various changes and improvements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. These changes and improvements fall within the scope of the present invention. The scope of protection claimed by the present invention is defined by the attached claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A bendable strip-shaped fruit picking manipulator, comprising a first mounting plate (1) and a second mounting plate (2), characterized in that: An elastic support member (3) is fixedly connected between the middle parts of the first mounting plate (1) and the second mounting plate (2); a bending control component (4) for adjusting the direction of the second mounting plate (2) is also provided between the first mounting plate (1) and the second mounting plate (2); a telescopic protection component (5) is sleeved on the outside of the bending control component (4); an L-shaped mounting plate (6) is fixedly connected to the left side of the second mounting plate (2); an adaptive clamping claw (7) for clamping strip-shaped fruits is rotatably connected to the horizontal part of the L-shaped mounting plate (6); a clamping control component (8) for controlling the rotation of the adaptive clamping claw (7) is also provided on the horizontal part of the L-shaped mounting plate (6); a shearing mechanism (9) for cutting off fruit vines is installed on the vertical part of the L-shaped mounting plate (6); and a lifting fine-tuning mechanism for adjusting the height of the shearing mechanism (9) is also provided on the vertical part of the L-shaped mounting plate (6).

2. A flexible strip-shaped fruit picking manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bending control assembly (4) comprises a first telescopic electric cylinder (401), and the first telescopic electric cylinder (401) is fixedly mounted on the left side of the first mounting plate (1), the telescopic end of the first telescopic electric cylinder (401) is fixedly connected to a traction rope (402), the end of the traction rope (402) is fixedly connected to an axle seat (403), and the axle seat (403) is fixedly connected to the second mounting plate (2).

3. The bendable strip-shaped fruit picking manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adaptive clamp (7) comprises two outer clamps (701), the right end of the outer clamp (701) is fixedly plugged with a rotating shaft (705), and the rotating shaft (705) is rotatably connected to the horizontal part of the L-shaped mounting plate (6), the inner wall of the outer clamp (701) is fixedly connected with a supporting spring (702), the free end of the supporting spring (702) is fixedly connected with an inner clamp (703), and the inner wall of the outer clamp (701) is also fixedly installed with a pressure sensor (704).

4. The bendable strip-shaped fruit picking manipulator according to claim 3, characterized in that: The clamping control assembly (8) comprises a second telescopic electric cylinder (801), and the second telescopic electric cylinder (801) is fixedly mounted on the horizontal portion of the L-shaped mounting plate (6), the telescopic end of the second telescopic electric cylinder (801) is fixedly connected to a joint (802), the end of the outer clamping jaw (701) is penetrated by a mounting groove (803), and the inner wall of the mounting groove (803) is slidably connected to the joint (802).

5. The bendable strip-shaped fruit picking manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shearing mechanism (9) comprises a mounting shell (901), a servo motor (903) being fixedly mounted on the inner wall of the mounting shell (901), a double-headed screw (904) being fixedly connected to the output end of the servo motor (903), two connecting rods (905) being threadedly connected to the surface of the double-headed screw (904), a shearing blade (902) being fixedly connected to the end of the connecting rod (905), a sliding groove (906) being provided through the left side surface of the mounting shell (901), and the inner wall of the sliding groove (906) being slidably connected to the surface of the connecting rod (905).

6. The bendable strip-shaped fruit picking manipulator according to claim 4, characterized in that: The lifting and fine-tuning mechanism comprises an actuator motor (10), and the actuator motor (10) is fixedly mounted on the vertical portion of the L-shaped mounting plate (6); the output end of the actuator motor (10) is fixedly connected to a screw rod (11), and the screw rod (11) is threadedly connected to the mounting shell (901); the vertical portion of the L-shaped mounting plate (6) is fixedly connected to a guide column (907), and the surface of the guide column (907) is slidably connected to the mounting shell (901).

7. The bendable strip-shaped fruit picking manipulator according to claim 2, characterized in that: The telescopic protection component (5) comprises a fixed tube (501), one end of the fixed tube (501) is fixedly connected to the first mounting plate (1), the other end of the fixed tube (501) is fixedly connected to an elastic telescopic sleeve (502), and the end of the elastic telescopic sleeve (502) is fixedly connected to the second mounting plate (2), and the bending control component (4) is located inside the telescopic protection component (5).

8. The bendable strip-shaped fruit picking manipulator according to claim 7, characterized in that: The number of the bending control components (4) and the telescopic protection components (5) is at least six, and the bending control components (4) and the telescopic protection components (5) are distributed in a ring array. The number of the elastic support member (3) is at least one, and the elastic support member (3) is a spring steel rod.

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