Flexible picking end effector and picking system using same

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of fruit picking, and provides a flexible picking end effector and a picking system using the same. Comprising a torsion device which is connected with a shell, the shell is connected with a supporting piece, and the supporting piece is connected with a flexible profiling film; a first cavity is formed among the torsion device, the shell and the supporting piece, and a second cavity is formed between the supporting piece and the flexible profiling film. A negative pressure generating device is arranged in the first cavity and is connected with the valve body in the second cavity; the valve body is communicated with the second cavity and the hard bionic suction cup located in the main profiling film body of the flexible profiling film. The device has the beneficial effects that only one negative pressure generating device is adopted, and through the structural design of the ventilation screw and the valve body, the quartz particles are made to adapt to the compacting process of the fruit appearance shape, and negative pressure generation between the suction cup and the fruit does not exist in sequence; the negative pressure between the fruits and the suction cup is completely formed at the same time, the picking efficiency is improved, and it is guaranteed that the fruits are not damaged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of fruit picking, and in particular to a flexible picking end effector and a picking system using the same. Background Art

[0002] my country's fruit production ranks first in the world, and the annual output is still rising steadily. However, due to different terrains and tree shapes, picking is difficult. There are two ways to pick fruits: manual picking and machine picking. Manual picking mainly relies on tools such as tree climbing ladders, stepladders, and safety belts. Its picking efficiency is low and the labor intensity is high. Every year, there are frequent incidents of injuries caused by picking fruits. Machine picking is mainly based on vibration picking. Although it reduces labor to a certain extent, it has poor universality for fruits. It is only suitable for harvesting nuts with hard skin. For brittle fruits such as apples, the falling process may rub against branches, causing certain damage, affecting later transportation and storage. Mechanical claw picking is mostly used to pick fruits with nearly round shapes. When encountering deformed fruits, the force on the claws may be uneven, damaging the skin.

[0003] In view of this, the present invention is proposed. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a flexible picking end effector and a picking system using the same, so as to solve the technical problems existing in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a flexible picking end effector, comprising: a twisting device, the twisting device is connected to a shell, the shell is connected to a support member, and the support member is connected to a flexible contour film; wherein a first cavity is formed between the twisting device and the shell and the support member, and a second cavity is formed between the support member and the flexible contour film;

[0006] A negative pressure generating device is arranged in the first cavity, and the negative pressure generating device is connected to a valve body in the second cavity; the valve body is connected to the second cavity and a hard bionic suction cup located in the main contour membrane of the flexible contour membrane.

[0007] In an optional embodiment, a filter screen with fine pores is provided at the bottom of the valve body, the filter screen is fitted with a contoured membrane shell of the flexible contoured membrane, and a third cavity is formed between the contoured membrane shell and the filter screen.

[0008] In an optional embodiment, non-metallic mineral particles are disposed in the third cavity; the non-metallic mineral particles are quartz particles.

[0009] In an optional embodiment, the negative pressure generating device is connected to the non-nut end of the air intake screw via a second hose, and the nut end of the air intake screw is connected to the non-nut end of the vent screw via a first hose.

[0010] In an optional embodiment, the non-nut end of the air inlet screw passes through the outer shell and the support member; the non-nut end of the vent screw passes through the valve body.

[0011] In an optional embodiment, the nut end of the air intake screw is fixedly connected to one end of a shock absorbing spring, the other end of the shock absorbing spring is fixedly connected to the valve body, and the shock absorbing spring is sleeved on the second hose and the non-nut end of the vent screw.

[0012] In an optional embodiment, the negative pressure generating device is a micro vacuum pump, the micro vacuum pump is connected to a drive control device, and the drive control device is fixedly arranged inside the shell.

[0013] In an optional embodiment, the nut end of the vent screw fixes the hard bionic suction cup, the valve body, and the filter screen, and the filter screen is clamped between the hard bionic suction cup and the valve body.

[0014] In an optional embodiment, the valve body has at least two valve holes, more than two of the valve holes are connected to the second cavity, the vent hole in the center of the vent screw is connected to the hard bionic suction cup, and the vent hole in the center of the vent screw is connected to more than two of the valve holes;

[0015] The axes of the two or more valve holes are perpendicular to the axis of the vent screw.

[0016] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a picking system using the flexible picking end effector as described above.

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

[0018] (1) The present invention is provided with a valve body and a vent screw. In the case of only one negative pressure generating device, negative pressure is generated in the hard bionic suction cup and the third cavity at the same time. While the quartz particles adapt to the shape of the fruit, the suction cup absorbs the fruit under negative pressure, and the hard bionic suction cup does not contact the fruit, thereby ensuring that the fruit is not damaged. Compared with the prior art, only one negative pressure generating device is used. Through the unique structural design of the vent screw and the valve body, the quartz particles adapt to the shape of the fruit in a compacting process, and the negative pressure between the suction cup and the fruit is generated in no particular order. When the gradually compacted quartz particles fully adapt to the shape of the fruit, the negative pressure between the fruit and the suction cup is fully formed at the same time, thereby improving the picking efficiency and ensuring that the fruit is not damaged.

[0019] (2) The present invention can reduce the impact on the fruit by arranging a shock-absorbing spring. At the moment when the fruit and the main film of the contour membrane are completely attached, the suction force between the fruit and the hard bionic suction cup will increase significantly instantly, causing an impact on the fruit (the instantaneous friction between the peel and the main film of the contour membrane increases). The present invention can effectively reduce the impact of the instantaneously increased suction force on the fruit by arranging a shock-absorbing spring between the two screws, thereby ensuring that the fruit peel is not damaged and avoiding local stress concentration.

[0020] (3) The present invention fixes the hard filter screen between the flexible contoured membrane and the valve body through the ventilation screw, and the ventilation screw passes through the center of the filter screen, the flexible contoured membrane, and the valve body to fix the above components, and props up the contoured membrane main membrane of the flexible contoured membrane to form a third cavity, which can ensure that the space of the third cavity can accommodate enough quartz particles, so that the folds of the contoured membrane main membrane and the quartz particles can better contact with the fruit.

[0021] Wrinkles BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, 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 some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0023] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the external structure of the flexible picking end effector provided in one embodiment of the present invention Figure 1 .

[0024] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the external structure of the flexible picking end effector provided in one embodiment of the present invention Figure 2 .

[0025] Figure 3 for Figure 2 AA section view.

[0026] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the partial structure of a flexible picking end effector provided in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Among them, the accompanying drawings are marked as follows:

[0028] 1-torsion device; 2-housing; 3-support member; 4-flexible contour membrane; 5-hard bionic suction cup; 6-valve body, 61-first valve hole, 62-second valve hole; 7-filter screen; 8-contact membrane housing; 9-drive control device; 10-vent screw; 11-first hose; 12-intake screw; 13-shock-absorbing spring; 14-second hose; 15-micro vacuum pump; 16-first cavity, 17-second cavity; 18-contact membrane main membrane, 19-third cavity, 20-vent hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects to be solved by the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0030] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed on" or "disposed on" another component, it may be directly or indirectly located on the other component. When a component is referred to as being "connected to" another component, it may be directly or indirectly connected to the other component. The directions or positions indicated by the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "back", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc. are based on the directions or positions shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of description and cannot be understood as limitations on the present technical solution. The terms "first" and "second" are only used for the convenience of description and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features. "Multiple" means two or more, and "several" means any number including one, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0031] Please see attached Figure 1-4 The purpose of this embodiment is to provide a flexible picking end effector, including: a torsion device 1, the torsion device 1 is connected to a shell 2, the shell 2 is connected to a support member 3, and the support member 3 is connected to a flexible contour film 4; wherein a first cavity 16 is formed between the torsion device 1 and the shell 2 and the support member 3, and a second cavity 17 is formed between the support member 3 and the flexible contour film 4; a negative pressure generating device is provided in the first cavity 16, and the negative pressure generating device is connected to a valve body 6 in the second cavity 17; the valve body 6 connects the second cavity 17 and a hard bionic suction cup 5 located in a contour film main membrane 18 of the flexible contour film 4.

[0032] Specifically, a filter screen 7 with fine pores is provided at the bottom of the valve body 6, and the filter screen 7 is fitted with the contoured membrane shell 8 of the flexible contoured membrane 4, and a third cavity 19 is formed between the contoured membrane shell 8 and the filter screen 7. Non-metallic mineral particles are provided in the third cavity 19; the non-metallic mineral particles are quartz particles. The negative pressure generating device is connected to the non-nut end of the air intake screw 12 through the second hose 14, and the nut end of the air intake screw 12 is connected to the non-nut end of the vent screw 10 through the first hose 11. The non-nut end of the air intake screw 12 passes through the housing 2 and the support 3; the non-nut end of the vent screw 10 passes through the valve body 6. The nut end of the air intake screw 12 is fixedly connected to one end of the shock absorbing spring 13, and the other end of the shock absorbing spring 13 is fixedly connected to the valve body 6, and the shock absorbing spring 13 is sleeved on the second hose 14 and the non-nut end of the vent screw 10. The negative pressure generating device is a micro vacuum pump 15, and the micro vacuum pump 15 is connected to the drive control device 9, and the drive control device 9 is fixedly arranged inside the housing 2.

[0033] By arranging the shock-absorbing spring 13, the impact on the fruit can be reduced. At the moment when the fruit is completely attached to the main membrane 18 of the contour membrane, the suction force between the fruit and the hard bionic suction cup 5 will increase instantly, causing an impact on the fruit and increasing the instantaneous friction between the peel and the main membrane 18 of the contour membrane. By arranging the shock-absorbing spring 13 between the two screws, the present invention can effectively reduce the impact of the instantaneously increased suction on the fruit, ensure that the peel of the fruit is not damaged, and avoid local stress concentration. It is worth mentioning that in the process of grabbing fruits with the device, when the fruit is small in size, the fruit enters the main membrane 18 of the contour membrane roughly vertically, and when the fruit does not contact the hard bionic suction cup 5, the setting of the shock-absorbing spring 13 can avoid the excessive instantaneous contact force between the fruit peel and the folds at a deeper position in the main membrane 18 of the contour membrane; when the fruit is large in size, the fruit enters the main membrane 18 of the contour membrane roughly tilted, and when the fruit does not contact the hard bionic suction cup 5, the setting of the shock-absorbing spring 13 can avoid the excessive instantaneous contact force between the fruit peel and the folds on one side of the main membrane 18 of the contour membrane, thereby avoiding stress concentration and damage to the fruit; in addition, during the movement of the end effector after the fruit is grabbed, the vibration impact caused by other reasons can also be partially absorbed by the shock-absorbing spring, thereby reducing the probability of fruit damage.

[0034] In addition, the nut end of the vent screw 10 fixes the hard bionic suction cup 5, the valve body 6, and the filter screen 7, and the filter screen 7 is sandwiched between the hard bionic suction cup 5 and the valve body 6. The hard filter screen 7 is fixed between the flexible contour membrane 4 and the valve body 6 by the vent screw 10, and the vent screw 10 passes through the center of the filter screen 7, the flexible contour membrane 4, and the valve body 6 to fix the above components, and props up the contour membrane main film 18 of the flexible contour membrane 4 (especially when the contour membrane shell 8 is also flexible) to form the third cavity 17, which can ensure the space of the third cavity 17 to accommodate enough quartz particles, so that the folds of the contour membrane main film 17 and the quartz particles can better contact with the fruit.

[0035] It should be pointed out that the valve body 6 has at least two valve holes, more than two valve holes are connected to the second cavity 16, the vent hole 20 in the center of the vent screw 10 is connected to the hard bionic suction cup 5, and the vent hole 20 in the center of the vent screw 10 is connected to more than two valve holes; the axes of the more than two valve holes are perpendicular to the axis of the vent screw 10, and the outlet ends of the two valve holes can also be inclined toward the third cavity 17. In this embodiment, a first valve hole 61 and a second valve hole 62 are provided that are connected to the vent hole 20 of the vent screw 10. In order to speed up the compaction speed of the quartz particles, at least two valve holes are provided, and they are evenly and symmetrically arranged so that the quartz particles at various locations are evenly adsorbed.

[0036] Compared with the prior art (CN 113079956 A, which first imitates the shape and then evacuates, and requires two negative pressure generating devices), the end effector in this embodiment only uses one negative pressure generating device. Through the unique structural design of the vent screw 10 and the valve body 6, the quartz particles are adapted to the compaction process of the fruit shape, and the negative pressure between the suction cup and the fruit is generated in no particular order. When the gradually compacted quartz particles fully adapt to the shape of the fruit, the negative pressure between the fruit and the suction cup is fully formed at the same time, which improves the picking efficiency and ensures that the fruit is not damaged.

[0037] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A flexible picking end effector, comprising: A torsion device (1), wherein the torsion device (1) is connected to a housing (2), the housing (2) is connected to a support member (3), and the support member (3) is connected to a flexible contour film (4); wherein a first cavity (16) is formed between the torsion device (1) and the housing (2) and the support member (3), and a second cavity (17) is formed between the support member (3) and the flexible contour film (4); It is characterized in that a negative pressure generating device is arranged in the first cavity (16), and the negative pressure generating device is connected to the valve body (6) in the second cavity (17); the valve body (6) is connected to the second cavity (17) and the hard bionic suction cup (5) located in the contour membrane main membrane (18) of the flexible contour membrane (4).

2. The flexible picking end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that: A filter screen (7) with fine pores is arranged at the bottom of the valve body (6); the filter screen (7) is fitted with a contoured membrane shell (8) of the flexible contoured membrane (4); and a third cavity (19) is formed between the contoured membrane shell (8) and the filter screen (7).

3. The flexible picking end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that: Non-metallic mineral particles are arranged in the third cavity (19); the non-metallic mineral particles are quartz particles.

4. The flexible picking end effector according to claim 3, characterized in that: The negative pressure generating device is connected to the non-nut end of the air intake screw (12) via a second hose (14), and the nut end of the air intake screw (12) is connected to the non-nut end of the vent screw (10) via a first hose (11).

5. The flexible picking end effector according to claim 4, characterized in that: The non-nut end of the air inlet screw (12) passes through the housing (2) and the support member (3); the non-nut end of the vent screw (10) passes through the valve body (6).

6. The flexible picking end effector according to claim 5, characterized in that: The nut end of the air inlet screw (12) is fixedly connected to one end of a shock absorbing spring (13), and the other end of the shock absorbing spring (13) is fixedly connected to the valve body (6). The shock absorbing spring (13) is sleeved on the second hose (14) and the non-nut end of the vent screw (10).

7. The flexible picking end effector according to claim 5, characterized in that: The negative pressure generating device is a micro vacuum pump (15), the micro vacuum pump (15) is connected to a drive control device (9), and the drive control device (9) is fixedly arranged inside the housing (2).

8. The flexible picking end effector according to claim 6, characterized in that: The nut end of the vent screw (10) fixes the hard bionic suction cup (5), the valve body (6), and the filter screen (7), and the filter screen (7) is sandwiched between the hard bionic suction cup (5) and the valve body (6).

9. The flexible picking end effector according to claim 5, characterized in that: The valve body (6) has at least two valve holes, the two or more valve holes are connected to the second cavity (16), the vent hole (20) at the center of the vent screw (10) is connected to the hard bionic suction cup (5), and the vent hole (20) at the center of the vent screw (10) is connected to the two or more valve holes; The axes of the two or more valve holes are perpendicular to the axis of the vent screw (10).

10. A picking system, characterized in that: include: Use the flexible picking end effector as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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