Automatic tomato threshing end effector and threshing method

Abstract

The invention provides an automatic tomato threshing end effector and a threshing method. The automatic tomato threshing end effector is installed on a wrist of a tomato threshing mechanical arm. The depth camera obtains tomato petiole information and transmits the tomato petiole information to the control system. The control system calculates the position of a threshing object, and controls the mechanical arm to move to a designated position and execute threshing operation; the automatic tomato threshing end effector comprises a cutting device and a driving device. The cutting device comprises a tool bit and a protective shell; the driving device comprises an air cylinder, an air cylinder support, a transmission connector, a limiting stopper and a mechanical arm connecting flange. The clamping arms are arranged on the outer sides of the cutters so that the accuracy of threshing operation can be improved; according to the tomato threshing device, the protective shells with the protruding particles are additionally arranged on the outer sides of the blades, so that the friction force between the blades and tomato stems is increased, the threshing stability is enhanced, damage to plants is avoided, and the safety of the threshing process is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of agricultural intelligent equipment and relates to an automatic tomato leaf threshing end effector and a leaf threshing method. Background Art

[0002] Tomato is an important vegetable crop, with a global annual total output of 170 million tons, ranking first among vegetable crops. my country's tomato industry has developed rapidly, and the domestic tomato planting area and output have increased year by year. In 2020, the planting area was 1.109 million hectares, and the output was as high as 64.832 million tons. At present, modern tomato cultivation is gradually developing towards modern greenhouse elevated substrate cultivation, with a larger cultivation scale.

[0003] During greenhouse tomato cultivation, as tomatoes continue to grow, old leaves, yellow leaves, and diseased leaves at the bottom of the plant should be removed in time. Removing these leaves can improve ventilation and light transmission conditions, reduce the occurrence of diseases, and prevent these leaves from wasting nutrients absorbed by the root system. In the natural environment, the branches and leaves of plants often block each other and overlap each other, which makes it difficult for the end effector of the leaf-throwing robot to grasp stably. In addition, the objects of picking are usually close to the delicate and fragile fruits with fragile skin. When the end effector clamps the leaves, it must maintain stable grasping and avoid clamping damage to the nearby stems, leaves, and fruits. In addition, it must ensure that the remaining branches and stems after the stems and leaves are removed are short enough so that the entire plant will not be damaged by pests and diseases due to the incision. It is a complex engineering problem to achieve precise and gentle mechanical operation to prevent damage to the nearby fruits and the entire plant. This also requires improving the dexterity and stability of the design and enhancing the adaptability of the end effector to different environmental differences. Summary of the invention

[0004] In response to the above technical problems, the present invention aims to provide a leaf-threshing robot end effector and leaf-threshing method for greenhouse-cultivated tomatoes, so as to efficiently and safely remove diseased and old leaves during the growth of tomatoes, thereby improving pruning efficiency and avoiding damage to tomatoes.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0006] An automated tomato leaf threshing end effector is installed on a robotic arm through a robotic arm connection flange 3. A depth camera obtains information about tomato petioles and transmits it to a control system. The control system calculates the position of the leaf threshing object, controls the robotic arm to move to a specified position, and performs the leaf threshing operation;

[0007] The present invention provides an automatic tomato leaf-threshing end effector, comprising a cutter head 1, a cylinder bracket 2, a mechanical arm connecting flange 3, a guide 4, a transmission joint 5 and a cylinder 6. The cutter head 1 comprises a cutter fixed arm 101, a fixed arm protective shell 102, a clamping fixed arm 103, a clamping movable arm 104, a cutter movable arm 105, a movable arm protective shell 106, protruding particles 107, an opening and closing push rod 108, and a hinge 109.

[0008] The cutter head 1 is fixed on the cylinder bracket 2 through the threaded hole at the bottom of the clamping fixed arm 103;

[0009] The clamping fixed arm 103 and the cutter movable arm 105 in the cutter head 1 are connected by a hinge 109, the cutter fixed arm 101 and the fixed arm protection shell 102 are fixedly connected to the clamping fixed arm by screws, and the clamping movable arm 104 and the movable arm protection shell 106 are fixedly connected to the cutter movable arm 105 by screws;

[0010] The cutter movable arm 105 is provided with a fixed protruding opening and closing push rod 108, and the clamping fixed arm 103 is provided with an arc-shaped through groove, the center of the arc coincides with the central axis of the hinge 109; the opening and closing push rod 108 passes through the through groove of the clamping fixed arm 103 and then matches with the straight groove on the transmission joint 5;

[0011] The guide 4 is fixedly mounted on the side of the cylinder bracket 2; the front end of the transmission joint 5 passes through the guide 4 and is sleeved on the opening and closing push rod 108 through the through slot, and the rear end of the transmission joint 5 is connected to the cylinder 6;

[0012] The cylinder 6 is fixed to the inner side of the cylinder bracket 2; the cylinder bracket 2 is fixed to the robot arm connecting flange 3 by screws.

[0013] The cylinder 6 drives the transmission joint 5 connected to the piston rod to move forward and backward, and the transmission joint 5 drives the cutter arm 105 to rotate around the hinge 109 through the opening and closing push rod 108, thereby realizing the closing and opening of the cutter arm 105 relative to the cutter fixed arm 101; when the cylinder 6 retracts, the cutter arm 105 is closed relative to the cutter fixed arm 101, that is, the cutter head is closed; when the cylinder 6 extends, the cutter arm 105 is opened relative to the cutter fixed arm 101, that is, the cutter head is opened.

[0014] The shearing fixed arm 101 is fixedly connected to the clamping fixed arm 103 by two screws, and the clamping movable arm 104 is fixedly connected to the shearing movable arm 105 by two screws; the opposing surfaces of the clamping fixed arm 103 and the clamping movable arm 104 are provided with a serration structure, and when the cutter fixed arm 101 and the cutter movable arm 105 are in a closed shearing state, a gap of 4 to 8 mm is retained between the serrations on the opposing surfaces of the clamping fixed arm 103 and the clamping movable arm 104, so as to ensure that when the clamping movable arm 104 rotates synchronously with the cutter movable arm 105 around the hinge 109 during the shearing process, the clamping fixed arm 103 and the clamping movable arm 104 first clamp the side of the tomato petiole close to the leaf blade, and then shearing is performed, and the excessive squeezing of the petiole during the clamping process to reduce the success rate of cutting is avoided.

[0015] The fixed arm protection shell 102 is connected to the outer ridge of the clamping fixed arm 103 by screws, and the movable arm protection shell 106 is connected to the outer ridge of the clamping movable arm 104 by screws; the outer layers of the fixed arm protection shell 102 and the movable arm protection shell 106 are provided with raised particles 107 to increase the contact area with the tomato main stem, thereby reducing the shaking of the tomato plant 7 relative to the leaf beating end actuator during the shearing process, enhancing the accuracy and stability of leaf beating, and protecting the stems and leaves other than the sheared petioles from being squeezed and damaged.

[0016] The guide 4 is fixedly connected to the cylinder bracket 2 and guides the transmission joint 5 so that the transmission joint 5 can only move in a direction perpendicular to the opening and closing push rod 108 .

[0017] An automated tomato leaf threshing method using an automated tomato leaf threshing end effector comprises the following steps:

[0018] S1, the depth camera collects tomato leaf image data in real time, transmits the data to the control system, the control system performs data analysis, calculates the cutting position for leaf beating, and moves the robotic arm to the bottom of the leaf of the tomato plant 7 where the leaf beating operation is required;

[0019] S2, while the mechanical arm moves, positive air is ventilated to the cylinder 6 to extend the piston rod, and the transmission joint 5 connected to the front end of the piston rod drives the cutter arm 105 and the clamping arm 104 and the arm protection shell 106 connected thereto to rotate outward around the hinge 109 at the same time through the opening and closing push rod 108, so that the cutter head 1 is opened, and as the mechanical arm moves, the petiole that needs to be threshed falls into the opening range of the cutter head 1;

[0020] S3, after the mechanical arm moves to the shearing position for beating leaves, the cylinder 6 is ventilated in the reverse direction to retract the piston rod, and the transmission joint 5 connected to the front end of the piston rod drives the cutter arm 105 and the clamping arm 104 and the arm protection shell 106 connected thereto to rotate inward around the hinge 109 at the same time through the opening and closing push rod 108. During the rotation process, the clamping arm 104 and the clamping fixed arm 103 first clamp the petiole, and when further rotated, the cutter arm 105 and the cutter fixed arm 101 cut the petiole;

[0021] S4, after the petiole cutting action is completed, the cylinder 6 maintains reverse ventilation, the cutter head 1 is in a closed state, the clamping movable arm 104 and the clamping fixed arm 103 clamp the sheared leaves, and the control system controls the mechanical arm to move to the residual leaf recovery position;

[0022] S5, the cylinder 6 is ventilated in the positive direction, the cutter head 1 is in the open state, the sheared leaves are released, and the residual leaves are recovered;

[0023] S6. The control system controls the robot arm to move back to the initial position to complete a leaf threshing operation process.

[0024] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0025] 1. The fixed arm protection shell and the movable arm protection shell of the present invention are provided with regularly arranged raised particles, which can increase the contact area with the main stem of the tomato, and through friction, the tomato plant is not easy to shake during cutting, thereby enhancing the accuracy and stability of leaf beating, and reducing the squeezing and damage to the tissue structure of other parts of the tomato plant.

[0026] 2. In the traditional leaf removing operation, the blade is exposed and in direct contact with the main stem, which can easily damage the main stem of tomatoes during the cutting process. The blade head of the present invention can prevent the cutting blade from directly contacting the main stem through the protective shell, thereby protecting the main stem.

[0027] 3. The cutter head structure of the present invention is relatively simple, the control system is easy to operate, and it is easy to apply in actual production processes. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying any creative work.

[0029] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an automatic tomato leaf removing end effector provided by the present invention;

[0030] Figure 2A schematic diagram of a cutter head structure provided by the present invention;

[0031] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of a cutter head provided by the present invention;

[0032] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a cutter installation structure provided by the present invention;

[0033] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a transmission joint provided by the present invention;

[0034] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the working state of an automatic tomato leaf removing end effector provided by the present invention.

[0035] The accompanying drawings are denoted as follows:

[0036] 1. Cutter head; 101. Cutter fixed arm; 102. Fixed arm protective shell; 103. Clamping fixed arm; 104. Clamping movable arm; 105. Cutter movable arm; 106. Movable arm protective shell; 107. Raised particles; 108. Opening and closing push rod; 109. Hinge; 2. Cylinder bracket; 3. Robot arm connecting flange; 4. Limiter; 5. Transmission joint; 6. Cylinder; 7. Tomato plant. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The specific implementation of the present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and examples. The following examples are used to illustrate the present invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0038] like Figure 1 As shown, an automatic tomato leaf threshing end effector of the present invention is installed on the robot arm through the robot arm connection flange 3, and the depth camera obtains the tomato petiole information and transmits it to the control system. The control system calculates the position of the leaf threshing object, controls the robot arm to move to the specified position and performs the leaf threshing operation.

[0039] like Figure 1 As shown, the automated tomato leaf removing end effector comprises a cutter head 1, a cylinder bracket 2, a robot arm connecting flange 3, a guide 4, a transmission joint 5 and a cylinder 6;

[0040] like Figure 2 As shown, the cutter head 1 includes a cutter fixed arm 101, a fixed arm protective shell 102, a clamping fixed arm 103, a clamping movable arm 104, a cutter movable arm 105, a movable arm protective shell 106, protruding particles 107, an opening and closing push rod 108, and a hinge 109;

[0041] like Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, the cutter head 1 is fixed to the cylinder bracket 2 through the threaded hole at the bottom of the clamping fixed arm;

[0042] like Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the clamping fixed arm 103 and the cutter movable arm 105 in the cutter head 1 are connected by a hinge 109, the cutter fixed arm 101 and the fixed arm protection shell 102 are fixedly connected to the clamping fixed arm by screws, and the clamping movable arm 104 and the movable arm protection shell 106 are fixedly connected to the cutter movable arm 105 by screws;

[0043] The cutter movable arm 105 is provided with a fixed protruding opening and closing push rod 108, and the clamping fixed arm 103 is provided with an arc-shaped through groove, the center of the arc coincides with the central axis of the hinge 109; the opening and closing push rod 108 passes through the through groove of the clamping fixed arm 103 and then matches with the straight groove on the transmission joint 5;

[0044] The guide 4 is fixedly mounted on the side of the cylinder bracket 2; the front end of the transmission joint 5 passes through the guide 4 and is sleeved on the opening and closing push rod 108 through the through slot, and the rear end of the transmission joint 5 is connected to the cylinder 6;

[0045] The cylinder 6 is fixed to the inner side of the cylinder bracket 2; the cylinder bracket 2 is fixed to the robot arm connecting flange 3 by screws.

[0046] The cylinder 6 drives the transmission joint 5 connected to the piston rod to move forward and backward, and the transmission joint 5 drives the cutter arm 105 to rotate around the hinge 109 through the opening and closing push rod 108, thereby realizing the closing and opening of the cutter arm 105 relative to the cutter fixed arm 101; when the cylinder 6 retracts, the cutter arm 105 is closed relative to the cutter fixed arm 101, that is, the cutter head is closed; when the cylinder 6 extends, the cutter arm 105 is opened relative to the cutter fixed arm 101, that is, the cutter head is opened.

[0047] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, the shearing fixed arm 101 is fixedly connected to the clamping fixed arm 103 by two screws, and the clamping movable arm 104 is fixedly connected to the shearing movable arm 105 by two screws; the opposite surfaces of the clamping fixed arm 103 and the clamping movable arm 104 are provided with a serration structure, and when the cutter fixed arm 101 and the cutter movable arm 105 are in a closed shearing state, a gap of 4 to 8 mm is retained between the serrations on the opposite surfaces of the clamping fixed arm 103 and the clamping movable arm 104, so as to ensure that when the clamping movable arm 104 rotates synchronously with the cutter movable arm 105 around the hinge 109 during the shearing process, the clamping fixed arm 103 and the clamping movable arm 104 first clamp the side of the tomato petiole close to the leaf blade, and then shearing is performed, and the excessive squeezing of the petiole during the clamping process to reduce the success rate of cutting is avoided.

[0048] like Figure 2 , Figure 3As shown, the fixed arm protection shell 102 is connected to the outer ridge of the clamping fixed arm 103 by screws, and the movable arm protection shell 106 is connected to the outer ridge of the clamping movable arm 104 by screws; the outer layers of the fixed arm protection shell 102 and the movable arm protection shell 106 are provided with raised particles 107 to increase the contact area with the tomato main stem, thereby reducing the shaking of the tomato plant 7 relative to the leaf beating end actuator during the shearing process, enhancing the accuracy and stability of leaf beating, and protecting the stems and leaves other than the sheared petioles from being squeezed and damaged.

[0049] like Figure 1 and Figure 5 As shown, the guide 4 is fixedly connected to the cylinder bracket 2 and guides the transmission joint 5 so that the transmission joint 5 can only move in a direction perpendicular to the opening and closing push rod 108.

[0050] like Figure 6 As shown, the workflow of the present invention is as follows:

[0051] Before the leaf threshing operation begins, the tomato leaf threshing end effector of the present invention is installed on the robotic arm through the robotic arm connecting flange 3. The depth camera collects tomato leaf image data in real time and transmits the data to the control system. The control system performs data analysis, calculates the shearing position for leaf threshing, and moves the robotic arm to the bottom of the leaves of the tomato plant 7 where leaf threshing operation is required.

[0052] As the robotic arm moves, positive air is ventilated to the cylinder 6 to extend the piston rod. The transmission joint 5 connected to the front end of the piston rod drives the cutter arm 105 and the clamping arm 104 and the arm protection shell 106 connected thereto to rotate outward around the hinge 109 at the same time through the opening and closing push rod 108, so that the cutter head 1 opens. As the robotic arm moves, the petiole that needs to be beaten falls into the opening range of the cutter head 1.

[0053] After the robot arm moves to the shearing position for beating the leaves, the cylinder 6 reverses the ventilation to retract the piston rod, and the transmission joint 5 connected to the front end of the piston rod drives the cutter arm 105 and the clamping arm 104 and the arm protection shell 106 connected thereto to rotate inward around the hinge 109 at the same time through the opening and closing push rod 108. During the rotation process, the clamping arm 104 and the clamping fixed arm 103 first clamp the petiole, and then further rotate the cutter arm 105 and the cutter fixed arm 101 to cut the petiole.

[0054] After the petiole cutting action is completed, the cylinder 6 maintains reverse ventilation, the cutter head 1 is in a closed state, the clamping movable arm 104 and the clamping fixed arm 103 clamp the sheared leaves, and the control system controls the mechanical arm to move to the residual leaf recovery position.

[0055] Afterwards, the cylinder 6 is ventilated in the forward direction, and the cutter head 1 is in an open state, releasing the sheared blades to achieve residual leaf recovery.

[0056] Finally, the control system controls the robot arm to move back to the initial position to complete a leaf threshing process. Repeating the above process can achieve continuous threshing of multiple leaves.

[0057] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and an explanation of the technical principles used, and is not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various modifications and variations. The scope of application involved in the present application is not limited to the technical solution formed by a specific combination of the above-mentioned technical features, but should also cover other technical solutions formed by any combination of the above-mentioned technical features or their equivalent features without departing from the above-mentioned application concept. For example, the above-mentioned features are replaced with the technical features with similar functions disclosed in this application (but not limited to) to form a technical solution.

Claims

1. An automatic tomato leaf removing end effector, characterized in that: The actuator comprises a cutter head (1), a cylinder bracket (2), a mechanical arm connecting flange (3), a guide (4), a transmission joint (5), and a cylinder (6); The cutter head (1) comprises a cutter fixed arm (101), a fixed arm protective shell (102), a clamping fixed arm (103), a clamping movable arm (104), a cutter movable arm (105), a movable arm protective shell (106), protruding particles (107), an opening and closing push rod (108), and a hinge (109); The cutter head (1) is fixed on the cylinder bracket (2) through a threaded hole at the bottom of the clamping fixed arm (103); The clamping fixed arm (103) and the cutter movable arm (105) in the cutter head (1) are connected via a hinge (109); the cutter fixed arm (101) and the fixed arm protection shell (102) are fixedly connected to the clamping fixed arm via screws; and the clamping movable arm (104) and the movable arm protection shell (106) are fixedly connected to the cutter movable arm (105) via screws; The cutter movable arm (105) is provided with a fixed protruding opening and closing push rod (108), and the clamping fixed arm (103) is provided with an arc-shaped through groove, the center of the arc coincides with the central axis of the hinge (109); the opening and closing push rod (108) passes through the through groove of the clamping fixed arm (103) and then matches with the straight groove on the transmission joint (5); The guide (4) is fixedly mounted on the side of the cylinder bracket (2); the front end of the transmission joint (5) passes through the guide (4) and is sleeved on the opening and closing push rod (108) through a through groove, and the rear end of the transmission joint (5) is connected to the cylinder (6); The cylinder (6) is fixed to the inner side of the cylinder bracket (2); the cylinder bracket (2) is fixed to the mechanical arm connecting flange (3) by means of screws.

2. The automatic tomato leaf removing end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cylinder (7) drives the transmission joint (6) connected to the piston rod to move forward and backward, and the transmission joint (5) drives the cutter movable arm (105) to rotate around the hinge (109) through the opening and closing push rod (108), thereby realizing the closing and opening of the cutter movable arm (105) relative to the cutter fixed arm (101); when the cylinder (7) retracts, the cutter movable arm (105) is closed relative to the cutter fixed arm (101), that is, the cutter head is closed; when the cylinder (7) extends, the cutter movable arm (105) is opened relative to the cutter fixed arm (101), that is, the cutter head is opened.

3. The automatic tomato leaf removing end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shearing fixed arm (101) is fixedly connected to the clamping fixed arm (103) by two screws, and the clamping movable arm (104) is fixedly connected to the shearing movable arm (105) by two screws; the surfaces opposite to each other of the clamping fixed arm (103) and the clamping movable arm (104) are provided with a sawtooth structure, and when the cutter fixed arm (101) and the cutter movable arm (105) are in a closed shearing state, a gap of 4 to 8 mm is retained between the sawtooths on the opposite surfaces of the clamping fixed arm (103) and the clamping movable arm (104), so as to ensure that when the clamping movable arm (104) rotates synchronously with the cutter movable arm (105) around the hinge (109) during the shearing process, the clamping fixed arm (103) and the clamping movable arm (104) first clamp the side of the tomato petiole close to the leaf blade, and then shearing is performed, and the reduction of the success rate of cutting due to excessive squeezing of the petiole during the clamping process is avoided.

4. The automatic tomato leaf removing end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fixed arm protection shell (102) is connected to the outer ridge of the clamping fixed arm (103) by screws, and the movable arm protection shell (106) is connected to the outer ridge of the clamping movable arm (104) by screws; the outer layers of the fixed arm protection shell (102) and the movable arm protection shell (106) are provided with raised particles (107) to increase the contact area with the main stem of the tomato, thereby reducing the shaking of the tomato plant (7) relative to the leaf-beating end actuator during the shearing process, enhancing the accuracy and stability of leaf-beating, and protecting the stems and leaves other than the sheared petioles from being squeezed and damaged.

5. The automatic tomato leaf removing end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide (4) is fixedly connected to the cylinder bracket (2) and plays a guiding role for the transmission joint (5), so that the transmission joint (5) can only move in a direction perpendicular to the opening and closing push rod (108).

6. An automated tomato leaf threshing method, applied to the automated tomato leaf threshing end effector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the automated tomato leaf threshing method comprising the following steps: S1, the depth camera collects tomato leaf image data in real time, transmits the data to the control system, the control system performs data analysis, calculates the cutting position for leaf beating, and moves the robotic arm to the bottom of the leaf of the tomato plant (7) where the leaf beating operation is required; S2, while the mechanical arm moves, positive air is ventilated to the cylinder (6) to extend the piston rod, and the transmission joint (5) connected to the front end of the piston rod drives the cutter arm (105) and the clamping arm (104) and the arm protection shell (106) connected thereto to rotate outward around the hinge (109) at the same time through the opening and closing push rod (108), so that the cutter head (1) is opened, and as the mechanical arm moves, the petiole that needs to be beaten falls into the opening range of the cutter head (1); S3, after the mechanical arm moves to the cutting position for beating the leaves, the cylinder (6) is ventilated in the reverse direction to retract the piston rod, and the transmission joint (5) connected to the front end of the piston rod drives the cutter movable arm (105) and the clamping movable arm (104) and the movable arm protection shell (106) connected thereto to rotate inward around the hinge (109) at the same time through the opening and closing push rod (108). During the rotation process, the clamping movable arm (104) and the clamping fixed arm (103) first clamp the petiole, and when the petiole is further rotated, the cutter movable arm (105) and the cutter fixed arm (101) cut the petiole; S4, after the petiole cutting action is completed, the cylinder (6) maintains reverse ventilation, the cutter head (1) is in a closed state, the clamping movable arm (104) and the clamping fixed arm (103) clamp the cut leaves, and the control system controls the mechanical arm to move to the residual leaf recovery position; S5, the cylinder (6) is ventilated in the positive direction, the cutter head (1) is in an open state, the sheared leaves are released, and the residual leaves are recovered; S6. The control system controls the robot arm to move back to the initial position to complete a leaf threshing operation process.

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