Intelligent tea leaf bud picking end effector, robot arm and method
By designing an intelligent end effector for picking tea buds, efficient and automatic screening and sorting of tea buds has been achieved, solving the problems of inaccurate identification and mixed broken leaves in existing equipment, and improving the accuracy and efficiency of tea picking.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510100619.8
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-01-22
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-23
- Estimated Expiration
- 2045-01-22
AI Technical Summary
Existing tea picking equipment suffers from problems such as inaccurate identification, mixing of broken leaves, and low production efficiency. In particular, it is difficult to distinguish tea leaves from unwanted leaves when the light is insufficient or excessive, resulting in a decline in tea quality and low picking efficiency.
A smart end effector for picking tea buds was designed, including a support, grippers, a cutter, a conveying pipeline, a screening box, and a collection device. It uses photoelectric sensors and a fan to automatically screen and sort tea buds. The tea buds are separated from unqualified harvested items by gripping with the grippers, cutting with the cutter, conveying with the pipeline, and collecting with the collection device.
It improves the accuracy and efficiency of tea picking, reduces the mixing of broken leaves, enhances tea quality and production efficiency, and simplifies subsequent processing procedures.
Smart Images

Figure CN119631719B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention belongs to the field of agricultural machinery, and more specifically, relates to an intelligent end effector, robotic arm and method for picking tender tea buds. Background Technology
[0002] China is the birthplace of tea and the origin of tea culture. The discovery and use of tea in China dates back over 4,700 years and has flourished continuously, spreading throughout the world. With the development of the times and the mechanization of agriculture, tea-picking techniques have also transitioned from manual to mechanized methods. Therefore, many scholars in China have conducted research on automated tea-picking.
[0003] Automatic harvesting is a current research hotspot in the field of automation and intelligence in agricultural production. For mechanical tea harvesting, high precision is required, which can enable direct and automatic storage in storage boxes during harvesting to improve harvesting efficiency.
[0004] Currently, tea-picking equipment primarily involves calibrating and then identifying tea leaves (camera recognition, hand-eye calibration on a robotic arm; calibration yields a matrix, which is then used for matrix operations to obtain coordinates based on the robotic arm's base). This process is limited by the accuracy of the calibration algorithm and the non-significant characteristics of tea leaves; both excessive and insufficient lighting can affect the identification results. Current identification methods cannot achieve 100% accuracy, and in some cases, they cannot completely distinguish between tea leaves and unwanted leaves. This leads to the easy identification and picking of unwanted common leaves, which are then automatically collected into storage bins. Consequently, a storage bin may contain a significant amount of unwanted common leaves mixed with the desired tea leaves, making subsequent sorting cumbersome. Furthermore, current intelligent tea-picking equipment uses a cutting method to sever the tea stem. Due to environmental factors and precision limitations, it is easy to cut other leaves during picking, resulting in unwanted leaf fragments being sucked into the storage bins. These fragments, mixed with desired tea parts such as buds, negatively impact tea quality if not removed, and cleaning them is also quite tedious. Whether the tea leaves are mixed with ordinary leaves or broken leaves, they need to be cleaned before the tea leaves can be processed, which wastes time and reduces the efficiency of tea production. Summary of the Invention
[0005] In view of the above-mentioned defects or improvement needs of the existing technology, the present invention provides an intelligent end effector, robotic arm and method for picking tea buds. It can automatically collect tea leaves by using wind pressure after cutting the handle, and can screen and separate qualified and unqualified tea leaves for collection, thereby improving production efficiency.
[0006] To achieve the above objectives, according to one aspect of the present invention, an intelligent end effector for picking tender tea buds is provided, comprising a support, a first gripper, a cutter, a conveying pipeline, a screening box, and a collecting device, wherein:
[0007] The first gripper is mounted on the support for gripping and loosening the harvested material, and the cutter is mounted on the support for cutting off the stem of the harvested material after the first gripper has gripped it.
[0008] The support is provided with a conveying pipeline for conveying the harvested materials, and the screening box is provided with a feeding hole, which is connected to the conveying pipeline.
[0009] The screening box is equipped with a photoelectric sensor A at the feed port to detect whether the harvested material entering the screening box is qualified. Qualified harvested material is tea buds, and unqualified harvested material is unwanted leaves or a mixture of tea buds and broken leaves cut off by the cutting machine.
[0010] There are two collection devices: a first collection device for collecting qualified harvested items and a second collection device for collecting unqualified harvested items.
[0011] Each collection device includes a collection box, a gate, and a fan. The fan is connected to the collection box. The gate includes a gate and a gate drive mechanism for opening and closing the gate. The inner cavity of the collection box is separated from the inner cavity of the screening box by the gate. The gate is installed on the collection box or the screening box so that after the gate of the gate is opened, the fan draws air to allow the harvested material to enter the collection box from the screening box.
[0012] The gate of the first collecting device is provided with ventilation holes so that when the exhaust fan of the first collecting device is ventilating, the harvested materials whose stems have been cut off by the cutting machine can enter the conveying pipeline and the screening box in sequence.
[0013] Preferably, the cutting machine includes a second jaw and a blade cutter, and the blade cutter is mounted on the second jaw to cut off the stem of the harvested material when the second jaw is closed.
[0014] Preferably, the support is provided with a photoelectric sensor B at the position corresponding to the harvested item, for detecting the position and / or posture of the harvested item.
[0015] Preferably, the part of the first gripper that contacts the harvested material is made of silicone or rubber. A pressure sensor is installed on the first gripper to detect the gripping force when the first gripper holds the harvested material, so as to prevent the harvested material from being damaged.
[0016] Preferably, the collection device further includes a load-bearing net, which is horizontally installed inside the collection box. A pad is placed on the load-bearing net, and a replaceable box with an open top for holding the harvested items is supported on the pad. There is a gap between the load-bearing net and the replaceable box, and a gap is provided between the outer wall of the replaceable box and the inner wall of the collection box.
[0017] Preferably, the collection box has an openable and closable side door so that after a set amount of harvested material has been collected in the replacement box, it can be removed from the collection box and the replacement box can be replaced.
[0018] Preferably, the conveying pipeline includes a conveying cavity and a hose, the support is provided with the conveying cavity at a position corresponding to the harvested material held by the first gripper, the first end of the hose is mounted on the support and the inner cavity of the hose communicates with the conveying cavity, and the second end of the hose is connected to the feed port.
[0019] According to another aspect of the present invention, a smart robotic arm for picking tea buds is also provided, including a robotic arm body capable of multi-axis movement, and the aforementioned smart end effector for picking tea buds, wherein the smart end effector for picking tea buds is mounted on the robotic arm body.
[0020] Preferably, the robotic arm is equipped with a binocular depth camera and an image processor connected to the binocular depth camera. The image processor identifies the three-dimensional position information of the harvested object based on the YOLO object detection algorithm.
[0021] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for intelligently harvesting tea buds is also provided, which uses the aforementioned intelligent tea bud harvesting robotic arm to harvest tea buds, specifically including the following steps:
[0022] 1) Identification and positioning: After the intelligent tea bud picking robotic arm identifies the picking material, the cutting machine of the intelligent tea bud picking end effector moves to the position corresponding to the handle of the picking material;
[0023] 2) Clamping and cutting: The photoelectric sensor B on the support detects the position of the harvested material, the first gripper closes to clamp the harvested material, and then the cutter cuts off the stem of the harvested material;
[0024] 3) Detection and Collection: The exhaust fan of the first collection device is turned on to draw in the harvested material with the stem cut off through the conveying pipe. The photoelectric sensor A detects whether the harvested material entering the screening box is qualified. If it is qualified, the first gate opens and the qualified harvested material enters the collection box of the first collection device under the action of the exhaust fan. If it is unqualified, the exhaust fan of the first collection device is turned off, the second gate opens, the exhaust fan of the second collection device is turned on, and the unqualified harvested material enters the collection box of the second collection device.
[0025] 4) Turn off the exhaust fan;
[0026] 5) Repeat steps 1) to 4) until the set number of tea buds have been picked.
[0027] In summary, compared with the prior art, the above-described technical solutions conceived by this invention can achieve the following beneficial effects:
[0028] 1) The intelligent tea bud picking end effector of the present invention has a first gripper that can clamp the picked material, a cutter that can cut off the stem of the picked material, and then the suction generated by the exhaust fan can suck the picked material into the screening box. The photoelectric sensor A can detect the picked material to determine whether the picked material is qualified. Thus, qualified and unqualified picked materials can be automatically screened in the screening box in front of the collection device. Qualified picked materials enter the first collection device, and unqualified picked materials enter the second collection device. Subsequently, the tea buds in the first collection device can be directly processed directly, such as spreading, fixing, rolling, and drying, which improves production efficiency and tea quality.
[0029] The intelligent end effector for picking tea buds of the present invention can improve the quality of picking while ensuring rapid picking of the tea buds, and can also automatically collect the tea buds.
[0030] 2) The intelligent tea bud picking end effector of the present invention has a pressure sensor installed on the first gripper to detect pressure, which can reduce damage to the picked material.
[0031] 3) The present invention provides a smart robotic arm for picking tea buds. The robotic arm body can drive the intelligent end effector for picking tea buds to move and adjust its position, thereby better adapting to the picking of tea buds.
[0032] 4) The present invention provides an intelligent robotic arm for picking tea buds. Through a binocular depth camera and YOLO target detection algorithm, it can identify the target to be picked in advance, and then the robotic arm moves over to pick the tea buds.
[0033] 5) The intelligent tea bud picking method of the present invention can quickly pick tea buds, with high efficiency and wide applicability. Attached Figure Description
[0034] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the intelligent tea bud picking end effector in this invention;
[0035] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure in this invention where the first gripper and the cutting machine are mounted on the support;
[0036] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the screening box installed on the collection device in this invention;
[0037] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the first gripper in this invention;
[0038] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the cutting machine in this invention. Detailed Implementation
[0039] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of this invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.
[0040] Reference Figures 1-5 The intelligent end effector for picking tender tea buds includes a support 10, a first gripper 11, a cutter 12, a conveying pipeline, a screening box 34, and a collection device 31, wherein:
[0041] The support 10 is preferably a shell structure, which is cylindrical in shape and made of light-shielding material, serving as the main support structure.
[0042] The first gripper 11 is mounted on the support 10 for gripping and loosening the harvested material.
[0043] The cutter 12 is mounted on the support 10 to cut the stem of the harvested material after the first gripper 11 clamps it. The required harvested material is tea buds 100, which can be pre-identified by identifying the shape of the leaves and then positioned so that the cutter 12 moves to the position corresponding to the stem of the harvested material. Since the position of the first gripper 11 on the support 10 is fixed, the first gripper 11 also moves to the position corresponding to the harvested material. The cutter 12 can be a conventional cutter, as long as it can cut the stem. The cutter 12 of the present invention preferably includes a second gripper 120 and a blade cutter 121, and the blade cutter 121 is mounted on the second gripper 120 to cut the stem of the harvested material when the second gripper 120 is closed. The blade cutter 121 includes a blade fixing device 122 and a blade 123 mounted on the blade fixing device 122. Because of differences in size and shape among the harvested leaves, the cutter 12 may cut unwanted leaves during the cutting process, resulting in broken leaves, which are then collected together with the desired harvested leaves (tea buds). Tea buds 100 refer to the tenderest part at the top of the tea tree, usually the bud tip, or one bud and one leaf. In this invention, it is preferred to harvest one bud and one leaf.
[0044] The support 10 is provided with a conveying pipeline for conveying the harvested material, and the screening box 34 is provided with a feeding hole, which is connected to the conveying pipeline. The internal channel of the conveying pipeline is circular, with a diameter larger than the harvested material, and is connected by an arc at the corner. Its material is stainless steel.
[0045] The screening box 34 is equipped with a photoelectric sensor A344 at the feed port to detect whether the harvested material entering the screening box 34 is qualified. Qualified harvested material is tea buds 100, while unqualified harvested material is unwanted leaves (although some tea leaves can be used to make tea, the brewing effect is not as good as that of tea buds 100, so they are not needed), or a mixture of tea buds 100 and broken leaves cut by the cutter 12. Multiple photoelectric sensors A344 are arranged circumferentially to form a photoelectric sensor assembly 34. The photoelectric sensor A344 can be a detection device based on a laser photoelectric sensor array or a diffuse reflection photoelectric switch sensor.
[0046] There are two collection devices 31, namely a first collection device for collecting qualified harvested items and a second collection device for collecting unqualified harvested items (not shown in the figure).
[0047] Each collection device 31 includes a collection box 32, a gate, and an exhaust fan 33. The exhaust fan 33 is connected to the collection box 32. The gate includes a gate and a gate drive mechanism for opening and closing the gate. The inner cavity of the collection box 32 is separated from the inner cavity of the screening box 34 by the gate. The gate is installed on the collection box 32 or the screening box 34 so that when the gate is opened, the exhaust fan 33 draws air to allow the harvested material to enter the collection box 32 from the screening box 34. Therefore, the collection box 32 or the screening box 34 has holes for installing the gate, allowing the gate to open and close. The collection box 32 is generally rectangular and made of polyethylene material, which can better collect the harvested material. The exhaust fan 33 has an exhaust body 331, which can be connected to the collection box 34 through an exhaust pipe to extract the gas in the collection box 32, reducing the air pressure in the collection box 32 and the conveying pipeline, generating suction. See also Figure 3 The first collection device has a first gate drive mechanism 342 and a first gate 341, and the second collection device has a second gate 343 installed on the screening box 34.
[0048] The gate of the first collecting device is provided with ventilation holes so that when the exhaust fan 33 of the first collecting device is ventilating, the harvested material whose stems have been cut off by the cutting machine 12 can sequentially enter the conveying pipeline and the screening box. The gate of the second collecting device may not be provided with ventilation holes.
[0049] Since the majority of the harvested tea leaves are qualified and the number of unqualified harvested tea leaves is not large, the exhaust fan 33 of the first collection device needs to be turned on frequently, while the exhaust fan 33 of the second collection device is not turned on frequently. The suction force for the tea buds 100 to enter the conveying pipeline is mainly provided by the exhaust fan 33 of the first collection device.
[0050] Furthermore, the support 10 is equipped with a photoelectric sensor B131 at the position corresponding to the harvested item to detect the position and / or orientation of the harvested item. After the cutter 12 moves to the position corresponding to the handle of the harvested item, the photoelectric sensor B131 detects the harvested item again to prevent environmental changes, such as sudden strong winds, from causing the harvested item to move, resulting in the first gripper 11 being unable to hold it and the cutter 12 being unable to cut the handle of the harvested item. Preferably, there are four photoelectric sensors B131, arranged in an orthogonal array, and small sheet-like photoelectric sensors are selected. The four small photoelectric sensors B131 are connected to the support 10 through a photoelectric sensor mounting base 13 made of carbon steel. The four small photoelectric sensors B131 are flush with the end of the conveying pipe and are detected before the first gripper 11 clamps the harvested item, to better detect the position and / or orientation of the harvested item. After the photoelectric sensor B131 confirms that the first gripper 11 has clamped the harvested item, subsequent work, such as sorting the harvested item and starting the exhaust fan, is then carried out to avoid wasting resources. The photoelectric sensor B131 can be a detection device based on a laser photoelectric sensor array or a diffuse reflection photoelectric switch sensor.
[0051] Furthermore, the part of the first gripper 11 that contacts the harvested material is made of silicone or rubber, preferably silicone. A pressure sensor 112 is installed on the first gripper 11 to detect the gripping force when the first gripper 11 holds the harvested material, preventing the harvested material from being damaged. The silicone or rubber material can effectively protect the harvested material. The silicone material is formed into a cuboid silicone block, which ensures that the magnitude of the gripping force can be adjusted by the pressure sensor 112 to protect the harvested material during gripping.
[0052] The pressure sensor 112 of this invention can precisely control the force to prevent damage to the harvested material, while the silicone material can be used to better protect the harvested material. The cutting machine 12 uses a pair of blades 123, with a 45° cutting angle at the top. The blades 123 of the cutting machine 12 are made of carbon steel, and the front end of the blade 123 is sharpened, with the front edge being a cuboid of carbon steel material, which can quickly cut off the stem of the harvested material during operation.
[0053] There is a certain height difference between the lower ends of the first gripper 11 and the second gripper 120 in spatial position. The blade cutter 121 and the part of the first gripper 11 used to hold the harvested material have a height difference of approximately 4 cm. (See also...) Figure 1 , Figure 2In terms of direction, the first gripper 11 is arranged horizontally, and the second gripper 120 is arranged front-to-back. Both the first gripper 11 and the second gripper 120 are preferably electric grippers and are parallel grippers. Their opening and closing are controlled by two servo motors, which can be controlled independently. The servo motors are common commercial servo motors, offering higher precision and faster response speeds, allowing for precise control of the gripping force during harvesting to prevent damage to the harvested material. The servo motors drive a gear mechanism to open and close the grippers. The gear transmission structure enables lateral gear transmission, allowing for better direct transmission of the servo motor's rotation to the gripper, saving power consumption during servo motor operation and improving energy utilization. The servo motors are supported by a disc-shaped motor support structure that tightly clamps the two servo motors and engages them in the side grooves of the support 10, positioned in the center of the overall structure, ensuring a reasonable weight distribution for the entire device. (Refer to...) Figure 4 The first gripper 11 has a first servo motor 15, and the second gripper 120 has a second servo motor 151. Both the first gripper 11 and the second gripper 120 are driven to move by a gear transmission structure 16, which has a gear 161. The first servo motor and the second servo motor 151 are supported by a first motor support structure 17 and a second motor support structure 171, respectively.
[0054] Furthermore, the collection device 31 also includes a load-bearing net 332, which is horizontally installed inside the collection box 32. A pad is placed on the load-bearing net 332, and a replaceable box 321 with an open top for holding the harvested materials is supported on the pad. There is a gap between the load-bearing net and the replaceable box, and a gap is also provided between the outer wall of the replaceable box 321 and the inner wall of the collection box 32. These gaps are for ventilation, allowing the airflow generated by the exhaust fan to pass through, thereby generating suction on the collected materials in the conveying pipeline. The collection box 32 has an openable and closable side door 35, so that after a set amount of harvested materials have been collected in the replaceable box 321, the replaceable box 321 can be removed from the collection box 32 and replaced. The load-bearing net 332 is preferably a square structure, made of iron wire or iron bars, which serves to bear weight while allowing airflow to pass through the collection device 31. The load-bearing net 332 divides the collection box 32 into a bellows 333 and a storage chamber. The storage chamber contains a replaceable box 321 for collecting harvested materials. The bellows 333 is connected to a blower and has air vents.
[0055] Furthermore, the conveying pipeline includes a cavity channel 14 and a hose 21. The hose 21 is preferably connected to the cavity channel via a connector 141. The support 10 is provided with the cavity channel 14 at a position corresponding to the harvested material held by the first gripper 11. The first end of the hose 21 is mounted on the support 10, and the inner cavity of the hose 21 is connected to the cavity channel 14. The second end of the hose 21 is connected to the feed hole. After the stem of the harvested material is cut off, the harvested material will be sucked into the cavity channel 14 under the action of the fan 33, and then enter the hose 21 and the screening box 34 in sequence.
[0056] The specific working process of the intelligent tea bud harvesting end effector of the present invention is as follows:
[0057] 1) Position the end effector above the harvested material. Photoelectric sensor B131 activates and detects the material. Pressure sensor 112 then activates to control the clamping force of the first gripper 11, causing it to close and hold the harvested material. If photoelectric sensor B131 does not detect the part of the material to be harvested, subsequent steps are skipped, thus conserving resources.
[0058] 2) After the first gripper 11 grips the harvested material, the servo motor of the second gripper 120 is turned on, and the second gripper 120 is started through the gear transmission structure. The second gripper 120 closes and cuts off the handle of the harvested material. Then the second gripper 120 is reset, and the exhaust fan 33 of the first collection device is started to generate suction.
[0059] 3) When the pressure sensor 112 on the first gripper 11 reaches the threshold, the first servo motor 15 starts and slowly opens the first gripper 11 to reset. As the exhaust fan 33 works, it creates negative pressure in the conveying pipeline, allowing the harvested material to enter the conveying pipeline. The first gripper 11 resets, and at this time the photoelectric sensor B131 cannot detect the harvested material. The servo motors of the first gripper 11 and the second gripper 120 both stop working.
[0060] 4) After the harvested material passes through the conveying pipeline, it enters the screening box 34. The photoelectric sensor A344 is activated. If the material is unqualified, the first gate 341 will not open, the second gate 343 will open, and the exhaust fan 33 of the second collection device will work to suck the unqualified material from the screening box 34 into the collection box 32 of the second collection device. Conversely, if the material is qualified, the first gate 341 will open, the exhaust fan 33 of the first collection device will suck the material into the collection box 32 of the first collection device, and then the photoelectric sensor A344 will turn off.
[0061] 5) After the harvested material falls into the collection box 32, the exhaust fan 33 is turned off (it can be turned off after a set time after the gate is opened), and the air pressure in the conveying pipeline reaches equilibrium with the outside air pressure, ready for the next harvest. When the collection box 32 is full, the side door 35 of the collection box 32 can be opened, the full replaceable box 321 can be taken out, and the replaceable box 321 can be placed on the load-bearing net 332.
[0062] According to another aspect of the present invention, a smart robotic arm for picking tea buds is also provided, including a robotic arm body capable of multi-axis movement. The robotic arm body is the main body of a conventional robotic arm and has the function of multi-axis rotation. The smart robotic arm for picking tea buds also includes the aforementioned smart end effector for picking tea buds. The smart end effector for picking tea buds is installed on the robotic arm body. The robotic arm body can adjust its position with the smart end effector for picking tea buds to better adapt to the position of the tea buds 100 and the picking work.
[0063] Furthermore, the robotic arm is equipped with a binocular depth camera and an image processor connected to the binocular depth camera. The image processor identifies the three-dimensional position information of the harvested items based on the YOLO target detection algorithm. Through the binocular depth camera and the YOLO target detection algorithm, the harvested items can be identified in advance to avoid wasting resources.
[0064] The present invention employs a method for harvesting tea buds using an intelligent robotic arm, specifically comprising the following steps:
[0065] 1) Identification and positioning: After the intelligent tea bud picking robotic arm identifies the picking material, the cutting machine 12 of the intelligent tea bud picking end effector moves to the position corresponding to the handle of the picking material.
[0066] 2) Clamping and cutting: The photoelectric sensor B131 on the support 10 detects the position of the harvested material, the first gripper 11 closes to clamp the harvested material, and then the cutter 12 cuts off the handle of the harvested material. The present invention adopts step-by-step clamping and cutting for the harvested material.
[0067] 3) Detection and Collection: The exhaust fan 33 of the first collection device is turned on to draw air in, and the harvested material with the cut stem end is drawn into the conveying pipe by the suction force. The photoelectric sensor A344 detects whether the harvested material entering the screening box 34 is qualified. If it is qualified, the first gate 341 is opened, and the qualified harvested material enters the collection box 32 of the first collection device under the action of the exhaust fan 33. If it is unqualified, the exhaust fan 33 of the first collection device is turned off, the second gate is opened, the exhaust fan of the second collection device is turned on, and the unqualified harvested material enters the collection box of the second collection device.
[0068] 4) Turn off the exhaust fan.
[0069] 5) Repeat steps 1) to 4) until the set number of tea buds have been picked.
[0070] Those skilled in the art will readily understand that the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is 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 within the scope of protection of the present invention.
Claims
1. An intelligent end effector for picking tender tea buds, characterized in that, Includes a support, a first gripper, a cutter, a conveying pipeline, a screening box, and a collection device, wherein: The first gripper is mounted on the support for gripping and loosening the harvested material, and the cutter is mounted on the support for cutting off the stem of the harvested material after the first gripper has gripped it. The support is provided with a conveying pipeline for conveying the harvested materials, and the screening box is provided with a feeding hole, which is connected to the conveying pipeline. The screening box is equipped with a photoelectric sensor A at the feed port to detect whether the harvested material entering the screening box is qualified. In this way, qualified and unqualified harvested materials are automatically screened in the screening box. Qualified harvested materials are tea buds, and unqualified harvested materials are unwanted leaves or a mixture of tea buds and broken leaves cut off by the cutting machine. There are two collection devices: a first collection device for collecting qualified harvested items and a second collection device for collecting unqualified harvested items. Each collection device includes a collection box, a gate, and an exhaust fan. The exhaust fan is connected to the collection box. The gate includes a gate and a gate drive mechanism for opening and closing the gate. The inner cavity of the collection box is separated from the inner cavity of the screening box by the gate. The gate is installed on the collection box or screening box so that when the gate is opened, the exhaust fan draws air to allow the harvested material to enter the collection box from the screening box. The collection device also includes a load-bearing net to allow airflow within the collection device. The load-bearing net is horizontally installed inside the collection box. A pad is placed on the load-bearing net, and a replaceable box with an open top for holding the harvested material is supported on the pad. The load-bearing net divides the collection box into a bellows and a storage chamber. The replaceable box is placed in the storage chamber. The bellows is connected to a blower and has air holes. There is a gap between the load-bearing net and the replaceable box. There is also a gap between the outer wall of the replaceable box and the inner wall of the collection box. These gaps are used for ventilation, allowing the airflow generated by the blower to pass through, thereby creating a suction force on the collected material in the conveying pipeline. The gate of the first collecting device is provided with ventilation holes so that when the exhaust fan of the first collecting device is ventilating, the harvested material whose stem has been cut off by the cutting machine can enter the conveying pipeline and the screening box in sequence. If photoelectric sensor A detects that the harvested material is qualified, the gate of the first collection device opens, and the qualified harvested material enters the collection box of the first collection device under the action of the exhaust fan of the first collection device; if photoelectric sensor A detects that the harvested material is unqualified, the exhaust fan of the first collection device closes, the gate of the second collection device opens, the exhaust fan of the second collection device turns on, and the unqualified harvested material enters the collection box of the second collection device.
2. The intelligent tea bud picking end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cutting machine includes a second jaw and a blade cutter, and the blade cutter is mounted on the second jaw to cut off the stem of the harvested material when the second jaw is closed.
3. The intelligent tea bud picking end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support is equipped with a photoelectric sensor B at the position corresponding to the harvested item, for detecting the position and / or posture of the harvested item.
4. The intelligent tea bud picking end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The part of the first gripper that contacts the harvested material is made of silicone or rubber. A pressure sensor is installed on the first gripper to detect the gripping force when the first gripper holds the harvested material, so as to prevent the harvested material from being damaged.
5. The intelligent tea bud picking end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The collection box has an openable and closable side door so that after a set amount of harvested material has been collected in the replacement box, it can be removed from the collection box and the replacement box can be replaced.
6. The intelligent tea bud picking end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The conveying pipeline includes a conveying cavity and a hose. The support is provided with the conveying cavity at a position corresponding to the harvested material held by the first gripper. The first end of the hose is mounted on the support and the inner cavity of the hose communicates with the conveying cavity. The second end of the hose is connected to the feed port.
7. A robotic arm for intelligently harvesting tender tea buds, comprising a robotic arm body capable of multi-axis motion, characterized in that: It also includes the intelligent tea bud picking end effector as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the intelligent tea bud picking end effector is mounted on the robotic arm body.
8. The intelligent tea bud picking robotic arm according to claim 7, characterized in that, The robotic arm is equipped with a binocular depth camera and an image processor connected to the binocular depth camera. The image processor identifies the three-dimensional position information of the harvested object based on the YOLO object detection algorithm.
9. A method for intelligently harvesting tender tea buds, characterized in that: The intelligent tea bud picking robotic arm described in claim 7 or 8 is used to pick tea buds, specifically including the following steps: 1) Identification and positioning: After the intelligent tea bud picking robotic arm identifies the picking material, the cutting machine of the intelligent tea bud picking end effector moves to the position corresponding to the handle of the picking material; 2) Clamping and cutting: The photoelectric sensor B on the support detects the position of the harvested material, the first gripper closes to clamp the harvested material, and then the cutter cuts off the stem of the harvested material; 3) Detection and collection: The exhaust fan of the first collection device is turned on to draw air, and the harvested material with the cut stem end is sucked into the conveying pipe by the suction force generated by the conveying pipe. The photoelectric sensor A detects whether the harvested material entering the screening box is qualified. 4) Turn off the exhaust fan; 5) Repeat steps 1) to 4) until the set number of tea buds have been picked.
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