Citrus combined type picking end effector

Abstract

The invention discloses a citrus combined type picking end effector which comprises a main body base, a clamping mechanism, a shearing mechanism and a driving mechanism, the shearing mechanism drives a double-rocker mechanism to enable cutters to be meshed quickly and generate large impact force to shear off fruit stems, in the clamping mechanism, inflatable fingers and a film pressure sensor are adopted, and the clamping mechanism is connected with the driving mechanism. The clamping force of the mechanism on the fruits is linearly increased to a certain value, the fruits are prevented from being bruised, the fruits are enveloped by the inflatable fingers, the clamping reliability is improved, the shearing position is adjusted through a gear and rack mechanism in the clamping process of the shearing mechanism, and the problem that the lengths of fruit stems of the fruits with different sizes are different due to the fact that the shearing position is fixed can be effectively solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an execution end of a citrus picking mechanical arm, and more specifically to a composite picking end effector. Background Art

[0002] In the current citrus picking technology, the clamping mechanism of the end effector often faces a dilemma: when the clamping force is too large, it is easy to cause bruises on the fruit, affecting the quality and appearance of the fruit; when the clamping force is too small, it may lead to unstable clamping and the fruit is easy to fall off, which significantly reduces the success rate of picking. In addition, the traditional fixed motion trajectory shearing mechanism lacks flexibility in design and is difficult to adapt to fruits of different sizes. As a result, in actual operation, the residual length of the fruit stalks after fruits of different sizes are sheared is often different. This inconsistency brings hidden dangers in the subsequent transportation and storage process, because the overly long fruit stalks may puncture adjacent fruits when stacked or moved, causing secondary damage, which not only affects the integrity of the fruit, but also greatly reduces the commercial value and economic benefits of the fruit. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present invention aims to at least solve the above-mentioned technical problems. To this end, the present invention proposes a citrus composite picking end effector, which effectively reduces the risk of being pinched. In addition, the actuator can control the residual length of the fruit stalks of citrus fruits of different diameters after shearing, thereby improving the reliability and economic benefits of picking.

[0004] A citrus composite picking end effector comprises a main body base, a clamping mechanism, a shearing mechanism, and a driving mechanism, wherein: the main body base comprises a back plate, an upper frame, and a lower frame to form a main body support structure, the back plate and the upper and lower frames are connected together by a longitudinal L-shaped connecting block, so that the positional relationship between the back plate and the upper and lower frames is in a horizontally placed π shape, a guide column is arranged on the back plate, and the guide column is located between the upper and lower frames, and corresponding bearing holes are arranged on the surfaces of the upper and lower frames; the guide column is slidably connected to the back plate hole groove of the bracket in the shearing mechanism; The clamping mechanism includes two sets of finger structures, each set of finger structures includes a reduction motor, a reducer coupling, a finger base, and an inflatable finger, wherein the reduction motor is fixedly installed under the lower frame, the output shaft of the reduction motor passes through the lower frame and is connected to the reducer coupling on the lower frame, and the reducer coupling is further connected to the driving shaft, a finger base is arranged above the reducer coupling, a large synchronous wheel is arranged on the finger base, the driving shaft also passes through the large synchronous wheel and is matched and connected with the bearing hole on the upper frame through the bearing, and a belt is installed on the large synchronous wheel; the finger base is rod-shaped, one end of which is sleeved on the driving shaft, and a joint is arranged on the back of the other end of the finger base, the joint is connected to an air pipe for inflation and deflation (the air pipe can inflate and deflate the inflatable finger), and the joint is connected to the air pipe for inflation and deflation. The nut is fixed to the end of the finger base, and the inflatable finger is installed on the inner side of the end of the finger base. The inflatable finger can form a concave covering when inflated (if it touches the fruit). A thin film pressure sensor is installed at the center of the inflatable finger, which can sense the pressure when the inflatable finger squeezes the fruit. The finger base is a pair and can be opened and clamped, so that the two inflatable fingers can fully cover and bless the fruit; the belt is also connected to a small synchronous wheel with a transmission, and the small synchronous wheel is connected to a stepped shaft. The end of the stepped shaft is connected to a bearing, and the bearing is fixed with a bearing hole on the upper frame. The other end of the stepped shaft is sleeved with a gear, and the other end of the stepped shaft passing through the gear is fixed in the bearing hole on the lower frame through a bearing; A rack in the shearing mechanism is also arranged between the gears in the two sets of finger structures, and the rack is meshed between the two gears so that the rack can reciprocate when the gears rotate; The shearing mechanism includes a bracket and a four-bar linkage. The bracket is U-shaped, and the bottom of the U-shape is a back plate with a hole. A guide column is slidably connected to the outer side of the hole. A rack is installed on the inner side of the back plate with the hole. Symmetrical U-shaped left and right double forks are arranged in the direction of the bracket away from the back plate with the hole. The left and right double forks are arranged opposite to each other, and waist holes are also arranged on the U-shaped structure of the double forks, so that two pairs of symmetrical waist holes are formed as a whole and a four-bar linkage is installed. A short connecting rod and a U-shaped connecting rod supporting a tool are arranged in the four-bar linkage. A waist hole is arranged on each of the two bent section support rods of the U-shaped connecting rod. A transmission connecting rod for transmitting power is installed in the waist hole. The short connecting rod, the transmission connecting rod, and the U-shaped connecting rod are The bent section support rod of the U-shaped connecting rod and the fork arm with a waist-round hole of the bracket constitute a four-bar linkage, wherein one end of the short connecting rod is fixed in the waist-round hole of the fork arm, and the other end is fixed at the end position of the transmission connecting rod, the end head of the bent section support rod of the U-shaped connecting rod is fixed in the waist-round hole of the fork arm, one end of the transmission connecting rod is fixed in the waist-round hole of the bent section support rod of the U-shaped connecting rod, and the other end is connected to the swing rod in the driving mechanism through a transverse connecting block, and the fixed end head located in the waist-round hole can be adjusted in position, the purpose is to adjust the opening degree of the U-shaped connecting rod of the two cutters in the shearing mechanism, and the opening angle of the shearing can be adjusted according to the operation requirements by adjusting these three symmetrical fixed points; The driving mechanism 4 includes a driving member fixed on the bracket, which can make the rocker arm swing. The rocker arm is connected to the end of the transmission link through a transverse L-shaped connecting block. The connection point between the transverse L-shaped connecting block and the rocker arm is fixed in position. The connection point between the transverse L-shaped connecting block and the end of the transmission link is hinged. The driving member is fixed on the outer side of the double fork arm of the bracket, and moves integrally with the bracket.

[0005] Preferably, the driving member is a cylinder.

[0006] Preferably, there are four guide pillars.

[0007] A citrus composite picking end effector according to an embodiment of the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: Mechanized harvesting technology not only significantly reduces labor costs, but also effectively reduces the mechanical damage rate of citrus fruits by optimizing the automated harvesting process. This technology can accurately control the residual length of the fruit stalks of citrus fruits of different diameters after cutting, ensuring that the fruit stalks are neither too long nor too short, thereby avoiding the problem of fruit damage caused by too long fruit stalks during transportation, improving the overall quality of citrus fruits, and significantly improving the commodity value and market competitiveness of the fruits, bringing more considerable economic benefits to the citrus industry.

[0008] Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description which follows, or may be learned by practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and easily understood from the description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, in which: Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a specific embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of a main base of a specific embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a clamping mechanism according to a specific embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the transmission structure of the clamping mechanism of a specific embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a specific embodiment of the present invention when the shearing mechanism has not yet been extended; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a shearing mechanism of a specific embodiment of the present invention extending and performing a shearing action; 1-main body base, 2-clamping mechanism, 3-shearing mechanism, 4-driving mechanism, 5-longitudinal L-shaped connecting block, 6-upper frame, 7-guide column, 8-back plate, 9-lower frame; 10-bearing, 11-large synchronous wheel, 12-belt, 14-driving shaft, 15-reducing coupling, 16-reduction motor, 17-inflatable finger, 18-finger base, 19-joint; 20-nut, 21-thin film pressure sensor, 22-step shaft, 23-bearing, 24-small synchronous wheel, 25-rack, 26-gear, 27-connecting rod, 28-lateral L-shaped connecting block, 29-tool holder; 30- bracket, 31- driving member, 32- tool, 33- short connecting rod. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Figure 1-6 A citrus composite picking end effector comprises a main body base 1, a clamping mechanism 2, a shearing mechanism 3, and a driving mechanism 4, wherein: The main body base 1 includes a back plate 8, an upper frame 6, and a lower frame 9 to form a main body support structure. The back plate 8 and the upper and lower frames 6 / 9 are connected together by a longitudinal L-shaped connecting block 5, so that the positional relationship between the back plate 8 and the upper and lower frames 6 / 9 is in a horizontally placed π shape. A guide column 7 is arranged on the back plate 8, and the guide column 7 is located between the upper and lower frames 6 / 9. Corresponding bearing holes are arranged on the surfaces of the upper and lower frames 6 / 9; The guide post 7 is slidably connected to the back plate hole groove of the bracket 30 in the shear mechanism 3 The clamping mechanism 2 includes two sets of finger structures, each set of finger structures includes a reduction motor 16, a reducer coupling 15, a finger base 18, and an inflatable finger 17, wherein the reduction motor 16 is fixedly installed below the lower frame 9, the output shaft of the reduction motor 16 passes through the lower frame 9 and is connected to the reducer coupling 15 on the lower frame 9, and the reducer coupling 15 is further connected to the driving shaft 14, and a finger base 18 is arranged above the reducer coupling 15, and a large synchronous wheel 11 is arranged on the finger base 18, and the driving shaft 14 also passes through the large synchronous wheel 11 and is matched and connected with the bearing hole on the upper frame 6 through the bearing 10, and a belt 12 is installed on the large synchronous wheel 14; the finger base 18 is rod-shaped, one end of which is sleeved on the driving shaft 14, and a joint 19 is arranged on the back of the other end of the finger base 18, and the joint 19 is connected to an air pipe for inflation and deflation (not shown in the figure, the air pipe can inflate and deflate the inflatable finger 17 Deflation), the joint 19 is fixed to the end of the finger base 18 by a nut 20, and the inflatable finger 17 is installed on the inner side of the end of the finger base 18. The inflatable finger 17 can form a concave covering when inflated (if it touches the fruit), and a thin film pressure sensor 21 is installed at the center of the inflatable finger 17, which can sense the pressure when the inflatable finger 17 squeezes the fruit. The finger base 18 is a pair and can be opened and clamped, so that the two inflatable fingers 17 can fully cover and bless the fruit; the belt 12 is also connected to a small synchronous wheel 24 with a transmission, and the small synchronous wheel 24 is connected to a stepped shaft 22. The end of the stepped shaft 22 is connected to a bearing 23, and the bearing 23 is fixed with a bearing hole on the upper frame 6. The other end of the stepped shaft 22 is sleeved with a gear 26, and the other end of the stepped shaft 26 passing through the gear 26 is fixed in the bearing hole on the lower frame 9 through a bearing; A rack 25 in the shearing mechanism 3 is also arranged between the gears 26 in the two sets of finger structures. The rack 25 is meshed between the two gears 26, so that the rack 23 can reciprocate when the gears 26 rotate. The shearing mechanism 3 includes a bracket 30 and a four-bar linkage. The bracket 30 is U-shaped, and the bottom of the U-shape is a back plate with a hole. A guide column 7 is slidably connected to the outer side of the hole. A rack 25 is installed on the inner side of the back plate with the hole. Symmetrical U-shaped left and right double forks are arranged in the direction of the bracket 30 away from the back plate with the hole. The left and right double forks are arranged opposite to each other, and waist holes are also arranged on the U-shaped structure of the double forks, so that two pairs of symmetrical waist holes are formed as a whole and a four-bar linkage is installed. A short link 33 and a U-shaped link supporting a tool 32 are arranged in the four-bar linkage, and waist holes are respectively arranged on the two bent section support rods of the U-shaped link. A transmission link for transmitting power is installed in the waist holes. The short link 33 and the transmission link The rod, the bent section support rod of the U-shaped connecting rod, and the fork arm with a waist-round hole of the bracket 30 constitute a four-bar linkage, wherein one end of the short connecting rod 33 is fixed in the waist-round hole of the fork arm, and the other end is fixed at the end position of the transmission connecting rod, the bent section support rod end of the U-shaped connecting rod is fixed in the waist-round hole of the fork arm, one end of the transmission connecting rod is fixed in the waist-round hole of the bent section support rod of the U-shaped connecting rod, and the other end is connected to the swing rod in the driving mechanism 4 through a transverse L-shaped connecting block 28, and the fixed end located in the waist-round hole can be adjusted in position, the purpose is to adjust the opening degree of the U-shaped connecting rod of the two cutters 32 in the shearing mechanism 3, and the opening angle of the shearing can be adjusted according to the operation requirements by adjusting these three symmetrical fixed points; The driving mechanism 4 includes a driving member 31 (preferably a cylinder) fixed on the bracket 30, which can make the rocker arm swing. The rocker arm is connected to the end of the transmission connecting rod through a transverse L-shaped connecting block 28. The connection point between the transverse L-shaped connecting block 28 and the rocker arm is fixed in position. The connection point between the transverse L-shaped connecting block 28 and the end of the transmission connecting rod is hinged. The driving member is fixed on the outer side of the double fork arm of the bracket 30, and moves integrally with the bracket.

[0011] Working principle of the present invention: When the citrus compound picking end effector is used, after the upper computer identifies and locates the citrus, the manipulator reaches the picking position, the reduction motor 16 is started, and a pair of finger mechanisms begin to close. At the same time, as the finger mechanisms close, the large synchronous wheel 11 transmits power to the small synchronous wheel 24, and the gear 26 coaxial with the small synchronous wheel 24 drives the rack 25 on the shearing mechanism 3 to move along the guide column 7, so that the shearing mechanism 3 moves to a suitable position. When the inflatable finger 17 contacts the fruit (the pressure sensor is energized), the reduction motor 16 is turned off, and the finger mechanism stops clamping. At this time, the inflatable finger 17 begins to inflate through the joint 19. When the pressure of the fruit on the inflatable finger 17 reaches a certain threshold (the pressure sensor monitors the pressure data in real time), the inflation stops, and the driving member 31 (cylinder) starts to start, transmits power through the four-bar mechanism, and the tool 32 cuts off the fruit stalk. After the fruit stalk is cut off, the cylinder closes, the robot runs to the fruit placement area, the picking end effector resets, and the fruit is put down.

[0012] The shearing mechanism in the present invention innovatively drives the double rocker mechanism to achieve rapid engagement of the cutter, generating a strong impact force to efficiently cut the fruit stalk. The clamping mechanism cleverly combines the inflatable fingers and the thin film pressure sensor to ensure that the clamping force is linearly and gently increased to an appropriate range, effectively preventing bruising of the fruit. At the same time, the inflatable fingers tightly envelop the fruit, greatly improving the stability and reliability of the clamping. In addition, during the clamping process, the shearing mechanism dynamically adjusts the shearing position through a precise gear rack mechanism, successfully solving the problem of different residual lengths of fruit stalks of fruits of different sizes due to the fixed shearing position.

[0013] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes can be made within the knowledge scope of ordinary technicians in the relevant technical field without departing from the purpose of the present invention.

Claims

1. A citrus composite picking end effector, comprising a main body base (1), a clamping mechanism (2), a shearing mechanism (3), and a driving mechanism (4), characterized in that: The main body base (1) comprises a back plate (8), on which a guide column (7) is arranged, and the guide column (7) is slidably connected to a back plate hole groove of a bracket (30) in the shear mechanism (3); The clamping mechanism (2) comprises two sets of finger structures, each set of finger structures comprises a finger base (18) and an inflatable finger (17), the inflatable finger (17) being mounted on the inner side surface of the end of the finger base (18), and the inflatable finger (17) being capable of forming a concave covering when inflated; The shearing mechanism (3) comprises a bracket (30) and a four-bar linkage, wherein the bracket (30) is U-shaped, the bottom of the U-shape being a back plate with a hole, the outer side of the hole being slidably connected to a guide post (7), symmetrical U-shaped left and right double fork arms are arranged in a direction away from the back plate with the hole of the bracket (30), and waist-shaped holes are also arranged on the U-shaped structure of the double fork arms, so that two pairs of symmetrical waist-shaped holes are formed as a whole and the four-bar linkage is installed, wherein the four-bar linkage is provided with a short connecting rod (33) and a U-shaped connecting rod supporting the tool (32); The driving mechanism (4) comprises a driving member (31) fixed on the bracket (30), the driving member being capable of causing the two four-bar mechanisms to perform a shearing action, and the driving member (31) being fixed on the bracket (30) and moving integrally with the bracket.

2. The citrus composite picking end effector according to claim 1 is characterized by: The main body base (1) further comprises an upper frame (6) and a lower frame (9), and the back plate (8) and the upper and lower frames (6 / 9) are connected together by a longitudinal L-shaped connecting block (5), so that the positional relationship between the back plate (8) and the upper and lower frames (6 / 9) is in a horizontally placed π shape, a guide column (7) is arranged on the back plate (8), and the guide column (7) is located between the upper and lower frames (6 / 9), and corresponding bearing holes are arranged on the surfaces of the upper and lower frames (6 / 9);.

3. The citrus composite picking end effector according to claim 2 is characterized in that: Each set of finger structures comprises a reduction motor (16), a reducer coupling (15), a finger base (18), and an inflatable finger (17), wherein the reduction motor (16) is fixedly installed below the lower frame (9), the output shaft of the reduction motor (16) passes through the lower frame (9) and is connected to the reducer coupling (15) on the lower frame (9), the reducer coupling (15) is further connected to the driving shaft (14), a finger base (18) is arranged above the reducer coupling (15), a large synchronous wheel (11) is arranged on the finger base (1) 8, the driving shaft (14) also passes through the large synchronous wheel (11) and is matched and connected to the bearing hole on the upper frame (6) through the bearing (10), and a belt (12) is installed on the large synchronous wheel (14).

4. The citrus composite picking end effector according to claim 3 is characterized by: The finger base (18) is rod-shaped, one end of which is sleeved on the driving shaft (14). A joint (19) is provided on the back of the other end of the finger base (18). The joint (19) is connected to an air pipe for inflation and deflation. The joint (19) is fixed to the end of the finger base (18) by a nut (20). The inflatable finger (17) is installed on the inner side of the end of the finger base (18). The inflatable finger (17) can form a concave covering when inflated. A thin film pressure sensor (21) is installed at the center of the inflatable finger (17).

5. The citrus composite picking end effector according to claim 4 is characterized in that: The belt (12) is also connected to a small synchronous wheel (24) in a belt transmission, and the small synchronous wheel (24) is connected to a stepped shaft (22). The end of the stepped shaft (22) is connected to a bearing (23), and the bearing (23) is fixed in cooperation with a bearing hole on the upper frame (6). The other end of the stepped shaft (22) is sleeved with a gear (26), and the other end of the stepped shaft (26) passing through the gear (26) is fixed in a bearing hole on the lower frame (9) through a bearing.

6. The citrus composite picking end effector according to claim 5 is characterized by: A rack (25) in the shearing mechanism (3) is also arranged between the gears (26) in the two sets of finger structures. The rack (25) is meshed between the two gears (26), so that the rack (23) can reciprocate when the gears (26) rotate.

7. The citrus composite picking end effector according to claim 6 is characterized by: The bracket (30) is U-shaped, and the bottom of the U-shape is a back plate with a hole, the outer side of the hole is slidably connected to the inner side of the guide column (7), and the inner side of the back plate with the hole is installed with a rack (25).

8. The citrus composite picking end effector according to claim 7 is characterized in that: Symmetrical U-shaped left and right double forks are arranged in the direction of the bracket (30) away from its back plate with holes. The left and right double forks are arranged opposite to each other, and the U-shaped structure of the double forks is also provided with a waist-shaped hole, so that two pairs of symmetrical waist-shaped holes are formed as a whole, and a four-bar linkage is installed. The four-bar linkage is provided with a short link (33) and a U-shaped link supporting a tool (32). The two bent section support rods of the U-shaped link are each provided with a waist-shaped hole, and a transmission link for transmitting power is installed in the waist-shaped hole. The short link (33), the transmission link, the bent section support rod of the U-shaped link, and the fork arm with the waist-shaped hole of the bracket (30) constitute the four-bar linkage.

9. The citrus composite picking end effector according to claim 8, characterized in that: One end of the short connecting rod (33) is fixed in the waist-circular hole of the fork arm, and the other end is fixed in the off-center end position of the transmission connecting rod. The end of the bending section support rod of the U-shaped connecting rod is fixed in the waist-circular hole of the fork arm. One end of the transmission connecting rod is fixed in the waist-circular hole of the bending section support rod of the U-shaped connecting rod, and the other end is connected to the swing rod in the driving mechanism (4) through a transverse L-shaped connecting block (28). The fixed end located in the waist-circular hole can be adjusted in position, so as to adjust the opening degree of the U-shaped connecting rod of the two cutters (32) in the shearing mechanism (3). By adjusting these three symmetrical fixed points, the opening angle of the shearing can be adjusted according to the working requirements.

10. The citrus composite picking end effector according to claim 9, characterized in that: The driving mechanism (4) comprises a driving member (31) fixed on the bracket (30), the driving member being capable of causing the swing arm to swing, the swing arm being connected to the end of the transmission link via a transverse L-shaped connecting block (28), the connection point between the transverse L-shaped connecting block (28) and the swing arm being fixed in position, the connection point between the transverse L-shaped connecting block (28) and the end of the transmission link being hinged, the driving member being fixed on the outer side of the double fork arm of the bracket (30), and moving integrally with the bracket.

Images