Tomato grading device

Abstract

The invention relates to a tomato grading device. Comprising a base, a weighing mechanism, a sorting box and a controller. A weighing mechanism is arranged in the middle of the base, a driving mechanism is arranged on the weighing mechanism, a sorting disc is arranged on the driving mechanism, and a sorting channel is arranged on the sorting disc; sorting boxes corresponding to the discharging ends of the sorting channels one to one are arranged on the base; the RGB camera is used for photographing the tomatoes in the sorting disc and electrically connected with the signal input end of the controller, the signal input end of the controller is further electrically connected with the weighing mechanism, and the signal output end of the controller is electrically connected with the driving mechanism; according to the tomato grading device, tomato images are collected through the RGB camera to detect the maturity of tomatoes, the weight of the tomatoes is detected through the weighing mechanism, then according to the maturity and weight of the tomatoes, the driving mechanism drives the sorting disc to incline, the tomatoes are made to roll into the corresponding sorting boxes, grading of the tomatoes is achieved, grading is accurate, the overall structure of the device is compact, and the operation is convenient. The use is more convenient.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of grading devices, and in particular to a tomato grading device. Background Art

[0002] The market size of my country's fruit and vegetable industry is huge, and the prices of fruits and vegetables of different qualities vary greatly in the market. Grading management and graded sales of fruits and vegetables are important means to increase their added value. Among them, the initial grading of tomatoes is mainly based on size and quality. The existing tomato size grading machine transports tomatoes along guide rails with gradually increasing spacing, and tomatoes of different sizes fall down to different positions, thereby achieving tomato grading. However, it can only distinguish the size of tomatoes, and tomatoes are easy to get stuck during the falling process, which is inconvenient to use; at the same time, this type of tomato grading device has a large structure, occupies a large space, is not suitable for the narrow greenhouse working environment, and is difficult to install on the fruit and vegetable picking robot platform. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to solve or partially solve the problems existing in the related art, the present invention provides a tomato grading device, aiming to solve the technical problems that the existing tomato grading devices are bulky and inconvenient to use.

[0004] To this end, the present invention provides a tomato grading device, including a base, a weighing mechanism, a sorting plate, a sorting box, an RGB camera, and a controller;

[0005] A weighing mechanism is provided in the middle of the base, a driving mechanism is provided on the weighing mechanism, a sorting plate is provided on the driving mechanism, and sorting channels are provided on the sorting plate at intervals around the circumference thereof;

[0006] The base is provided with a sorting box arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the discharge end of the sorting channel;

[0007] The RGB camera is used to take pictures of the tomatoes in the sorting tray and is electrically connected to the signal input end of the controller, the signal input end of the controller is also electrically connected to the weighing mechanism, and the signal output end of the controller is electrically connected to the driving mechanism;

[0008] When tomatoes fall onto the sorting tray, the load of the weighing mechanism changes, thereby obtaining the weight of the tomatoes, and the weighing mechanism transmits the weight of the tomatoes to the controller; the RGB camera takes pictures of the tomatoes on the sorting tray and transmits relevant information to the controller, and the controller controls the drive mechanism to move according to the input signal, so as to drive the sorting tray to tilt toward one of the sorting boxes, so that the tomatoes on the sorting tray roll along the sorting channel into the corresponding sorting box.

[0009] In some solutions, the driving mechanism includes a posture sensor and a driving assembly disposed on the sorting plate;

[0010] The posture sensor is installed on the sorting plate and connected to the signal input terminal of the controller;

[0011] The driving assembly includes a steering gear, a first connecting rod, a second connecting rod, and a universal joint; the output shaft of the steering gear is fixedly connected to one end of the first connecting rod, the other end of the first connecting rod is hinged to one end of the second connecting rod, the other end of the second connecting rod is fixedly connected to one end of the universal joint, and the other end of the universal joint is fixedly connected to the bottom of the sorting tray;

[0012] The driving assemblies are provided in four numbers and are distributed in a rectangular shape, and the first connecting rods of two opposite driving assemblies are located on the same plane.

[0013] In some embodiments, the universal joint may be replaced by a ball joint.

[0014] In some embodiments, the posture sensor is installed in the middle of the sorting tray.

[0015] In some embodiments, a bracket is fixedly mounted on the base, and the RGB camera is fixedly mounted on the bracket and is located directly above the middle of the sorting tray.

[0016] In some embodiments, the bracket is also provided with an LED fill light for irradiating the sorting tray.

[0017] In some embodiments, the weighing mechanism includes a guide cylinder, a slider, and a weighing sensor;

[0018] A sliding block which can move up and down is slidably installed in the guide cylinder, and a weighing sensor located below the sliding block is arranged in the guide cylinder; the weighing sensor is electrically connected to the controller.

[0019] In some embodiments, the sorting tray includes two sorting channels that are staggered with each other, and a feed hopper is provided at the end of one of the sorting channels.

[0020] In some embodiments, the bottom of the sorting channel is paved with a buffer sponge.

[0021] The present invention detects the maturity of tomatoes by collecting tomato images through an RGB camera, detects the weight of tomatoes through a weighing mechanism, and then drives the sorting plate to tilt according to the maturity and weight of the tomatoes, so that the tomatoes are rolled into the corresponding sorting box, thereby realizing tomato grading with accurate grading, and the overall structure of the device is compact and more convenient to use.

[0022] It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent through a more detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals generally represent like components throughout the exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a tomato grading device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the assembly of a driving mechanism of a tomato grading device shown in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a driving assembly of a tomato grading device shown in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a weighing mechanism of a tomato grading device shown in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the assembly of a fill light of a tomato grading device shown in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 6 is a control block diagram of a tomato grading device shown in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Reference numerals:

[0031] 1. Base; 2. Weighing mechanism; 21. Guide cylinder; 22. Slider; 23. Weighing sensor; 3. Sorting plate; 31. Sorting channel; 4. Sorting box; 5. RGB camera; 6. Controller; 7. Driving mechanism; 71. Posture sensor; 72. Driving assembly; 721. Servo; 722. First connecting rod; 723. Second connecting rod; 724. Universal joint; 8. Fill light; 9. Bracket. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although embodiments of the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present invention can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to make the present invention more thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

[0033] It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. may be used to describe various information in the present invention, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish the same type of information from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first information may also be referred to as the second information, and similarly, the second information may also be referred to as the first information. Thus, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0034] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside" and "outside" etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0035] Unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0036] Embodiment 1:

[0037] See also Figure 1 and Figure 6 The present invention provides a tomato grading device, including a base 1, a weighing mechanism 2, a sorting plate 3, a sorting box 4, an RGB camera 5, and a controller 6.

[0038] The base 1 is placed on the ground to provide stable support for the entire device. A weighing mechanism 2 is provided in the middle of the base 1. The weighing mechanism 2 can directly use a weighing sensor 23. The weighing mechanism 2 is provided with a driving mechanism 7. The driving mechanism 7 is provided with a sorting plate 3. The sorting plate 3 is provided with sorting channels 31 distributed at intervals around the circumference thereof. The base 1 is provided with a sorting box 4 corresponding to the discharge end of the sorting channel 31.

[0039] The RGB camera 5 is used to take pictures of the tomatoes in the sorting tray 3, and is electrically connected to the signal input end of the controller 6, the signal input end of the controller 6 is also electrically connected to the weighing mechanism 2, and the signal output end of the controller 6 is electrically connected to the driving mechanism 7;

[0040] Working process of the present invention:

[0041] The tomatoes are placed on the sorting plate 3 by external mechanical equipment or manually, causing the load of the weighing mechanism 2 to change, that is, the detection data of the weighing sensor 23 to change, the data measured by the weighing sensor 23 when no tomatoes are placed is recorded as G1, and the data measured by the weighing sensor 23 after the tomatoes are placed is recorded as G2, and the weight of the tomatoes is G=G2-G1, and the weighing mechanism 2 transmits the weight of the tomatoes to the controller 6;

[0042] At the same time, the RGB camera 5 takes pictures of the tomatoes on the sorting tray 3, and then uses its own analysis software to analyze the tomatoes (ripe tomatoes are red, and unripe tomatoes are green), and transmits the obtained information about the maturity of the tomatoes to the controller 6. The controller 6 controls the drive mechanism 7 to operate according to the input tomato weight information and tomato maturity information, drives the sorting tray 3 to tilt toward one of the sorting boxes 4, and the tomatoes roll along the sorting channel 31 into the corresponding sorting box 4; by rolling tomatoes of different maturity and / or weight into different sorting boxes 4, the tomato grading can be achieved, which is convenient to use.

[0043] In this embodiment, the driving mechanism 7 can be matched with multiple electric telescopic rods to realize the tilt control of the sorting plate 3. Three electric telescopic rods are used, which are distributed in a triangle. Then the top of each electric telescopic rod is connected to the bottom of the sorting plate 3 through a ball joint. When one of the electric telescopic rods is extended, the sorting plate 3 can be tilted to the side opposite to it. The structure of the grading device is more compact, which is conducive to reducing the overall size of the grading device, so that it can be operated in a narrow greenhouse, and can also be installed on a fruit and vegetable picking robot platform for use. Moreover, the grading device of the present invention can also judge the maturity of tomatoes, and the grading is more accurate.

[0044] Embodiment 2:

[0045] Based on Example 1, Figure 1-Figure 6 As shown, in this embodiment, the driving mechanism 7 includes a posture sensor 71 and a driving component 72 arranged on the sorting tray 3; the posture sensor 71 is installed on the sorting tray 3, and is used to detect the tilt state of the sorting tray 3 in real time, and is connected to the signal input end of the controller 6.

[0046] The driving assembly 72 includes a servo 721, a first connecting rod 722, a second connecting rod 723, and a universal joint 724; the output shaft of the servo 721 is fixedly connected to one end of the first connecting rod 722, the other end of the first connecting rod 722 is hinged to one end of the second connecting rod 723, the other end of the second connecting rod 723 is fixedly connected to one end of the universal joint 724, and the other end of the universal joint 724 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the sorting plate 3; four driving assemblies 72 are provided and distributed in a rectangular shape, and the first connecting rods 722 of two opposite driving assemblies 72 are located on the same plane.

[0047] To describe in detail the working process of the driving assembly 72 in this embodiment, the four driving assemblies 72 are divided into a front driving assembly 72, a rear driving assembly 72, a left driving assembly 72, and a right driving assembly 72 from the perspective of directly looking at the attached drawing. The front driving assembly 72 and the rear driving assembly 72 limit the left and right directions of the sorting tray 3, so that the sorting tray 3 cannot translate left and right; the left driving assembly 72 and the right driving assembly 72 limit the front and rear directions of the sorting tray 3, so that the sorting tray 3 cannot translate front and back.

[0048] In this way, when it is necessary to drive the sorting tray 3 to tilt to the right, the servo 721 of the left drive assembly 72 rotates counterclockwise, and the servo 721 of the right drive assembly 72 rotates clockwise, thereby raising the left side of the sorting tray 3 and lowering the right side, thereby realizing the rightward tilting drive of the sorting tray 3; the tilting drive of the sorting tray 3 in other directions is similar.

[0049] In this embodiment, the universal joint 724 can be replaced by a ball joint.

[0050] In this embodiment, the posture sensor 71 is installed in the middle of the sorting tray 3. When the sorting tray 3 is tilted, the posture sensor 71 can accurately detect its tilt state.

[0051] In this embodiment, a bracket 9 is fixedly mounted on the base 1, and the RGB camera 5 is fixedly mounted on the bracket 9 and is located just above the middle of the sorting tray 3, effectively ensuring that the RGB camera 5 can accurately take pictures of the tomatoes on the sorting tray 3.

[0052] In this embodiment, the bracket 9 is also provided with an LED fill light 8 for irradiating the sorting tray 3 to ensure the clarity of the photos taken by the RGB camera 5.

[0053] In this embodiment, the weighing mechanism 2 includes a guide cylinder 21, a slider 22, and a weighing sensor 23; a slider 22 that can move up and down is slidably installed in the guide cylinder 21, a driving mechanism 7 is installed on the slider 22, and a weighing sensor 23 is provided in the guide cylinder 21 below the slider 22; the weighing sensor 23 is electrically connected to the controller 6.

[0054] Through the slider 22 and the guide cylinder 21, the driving mechanism 7 can only move up and down, so that the data detected by the weighing sensor 23 is more accurate.

[0055] In this embodiment, the sorting plate 3 includes two mutually staggered sorting channels 31, and a feed hopper is provided at the end of one of the sorting channels 31. The feed hopper is used to guide the tomatoes to be put in, so as to ensure the accuracy of the introduction of the tomatoes.

[0056] In this embodiment, a buffer sponge is laid at the bottom of the sorting channel 31 to reduce the impact between the tomatoes and the sorting plate 3 and avoid damage to the tomatoes when they roll on the sorting plate 3.

[0057] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, and the above description is exemplary, not exhaustive, and is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terms used herein are selected to best explain the principles of the embodiments, practical applications, or improvements to the technology in the market, or to enable other persons of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A tomato grading device, characterized in that: It includes a base (1), a weighing mechanism (2), a sorting plate (3), a sorting box (4), an RGB camera (5), and a controller (6); A weighing mechanism (2) is provided in the middle of the base (1); a driving mechanism (7) is provided on the weighing mechanism (2); a sorting plate (3) is provided on the driving mechanism (7); and sorting channels (31) are provided on the sorting plate (3) at intervals distributed around the circumference thereof; The base (1) is provided with a sorting box (4) arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the discharge end of the sorting channel (31); The RGB camera (5) is used to take pictures of the tomatoes in the sorting tray (3), and is electrically connected to the signal input end of the controller (6), the signal input end of the controller (6) is also electrically connected to the weighing mechanism (2), and the signal output end of the controller (6) is electrically connected to the driving mechanism (7); The tomatoes fall onto the sorting tray (3), causing the load of the weighing mechanism (2) to change, thereby obtaining the weight of the tomatoes, and the weighing mechanism (2) transmits the weight of the tomatoes to the controller (6); the RGB camera (5) takes photos of the tomatoes on the sorting tray (3) and transmits relevant information to the controller (6); the controller (6) controls the drive mechanism (7) to operate according to the input signal, driving the sorting tray (3) to tilt toward one of the sorting boxes (4), so that the tomatoes on the sorting tray (3) roll along the sorting channel (31) into the corresponding sorting box (4).

2. A tomato grading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving mechanism (7) comprises a posture sensor (71) and a driving component (72) arranged on the sorting plate (3); The posture sensor (71) is installed on the sorting plate (3) and connected to the signal input end of the controller (6); The driving assembly (72) comprises a steering gear (721), a first connecting rod (722), a second connecting rod (723), and a universal joint (724); the output shaft of the steering gear (721) is fixedly connected to one end of the first connecting rod (722), the other end of the first connecting rod (722) is hinged to one end of the second connecting rod (723), the other end of the second connecting rod (723) is fixedly connected to one end of the universal joint (724), and the other end of the universal joint (724) is fixedly connected to the bottom of the sorting plate (3); Four driving assemblies (72) are provided and distributed in a rectangular shape, and the first connecting rods (722) of two opposite driving assemblies (72) are located on the same plane.

3. A tomato grading device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The universal joint (724) can be replaced by a ball joint.

4. A tomato grading device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The posture sensor (71) is installed in the middle of the sorting tray (3).

5. A tomato grading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A bracket (9) is fixedly mounted on the base (1), and the RGB camera (5) is fixedly mounted on the bracket (9) and is located directly above the middle of the sorting tray (3).

6. A tomato grading device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The bracket (9) is also provided with an LED fill light (8) for irradiating the sorting tray (3).

7. A tomato grading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The weighing mechanism (2) comprises a guide cylinder (21), a slider (22), and a weighing sensor (23); A slider (22) that can move up and down is slidably installed in the guide cylinder (21), and a weighing sensor (23) located below the slider (22) is provided in the guide cylinder (21); the weighing sensor (23) is electrically connected to the controller (6).

8. The tomato grading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sorting plate (3) comprises two mutually staggered sorting channels (31), and a feed hopper is provided at the end of one of the sorting channels (31).

9. The tomato grading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the sorting channel (31) is paved with a buffer sponge.

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