Intelligent Flexible Pepper Picking Trolley

Abstract

The present invention discloses an intelligent flexible pepper picking trolley, which comprises a vehicle frame, a traveling mechanism, a traveling obstacle avoidance module, a vision camera recognition module, a picking mechanism, a conveying and sorting mechanism, a collecting mechanism, a control module, and a power supply module; the picking mechanism includes a multi-axis robotic arm and an end picking execution mechanism, the conveying and sorting mechanism includes a curved surface roller arranged obliquely and a conveyor belt connected to the lower end of the curved surface roller, the curved surface roller includes a curved surface guide rail and a plurality of rollers rotatably connected between the curved surface guide rails, there is a gap between adjacent rollers, two conveyor belts are arranged in parallel and are relatively twisted, horizontally arranged on one side of the curved surface roller and vertically arranged on the side far from the curved surface roller, and the distance between the two conveyor belts gradually increases starting from one side of the curved surface roller; at least two groups of collecting mechanisms are arranged, and are all located below the conveyor belt. The present invention can achieve efficient and intelligent pepper picking, and complete automatic sorting and collection work, improving the picking efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to agricultural harvesting equipment, and specifically to an intelligent flexible pepper picking cart. Background Art

[0002] In the field of agricultural production, pepper picking has always been a labor-intensive task. The traditional manual picking method is not only inefficient, but also its cost increases year by year as the labor cost continues to rise. In addition, capsaicin in peppers is the substance that causes spiciness and may cause irritation to the eyes, nose, and mouth, and it is easy to cause discomfort, irritation, and pain to the pickers during the pepper picking process.

[0003] Among the existing agricultural picking robots or automated equipment, although some can achieve partial picking functions, there are still many problems. For example, during the picking process, a significant problem is that it is difficult to avoid picking branches and leaves during the picking operation, and these branches and leaves will be mixed into the collection box, which will not only affect the purity of the peppers, but also cause trouble for subsequent processing and reduce the overall quality of the peppers. In addition, the existing picking equipment cannot achieve sorting of pepper sizes during the picking process and can only collect the picked peppers uniformly. For situations that require classification according to pepper sizes, additional manual sorting processes are needed, which greatly increases the labor cost and time cost and reduces the overall production efficiency.

[0004] In order to meet the requirements of modern agriculture for high efficiency, precision, and low cost, the development of an intelligent flexible pepper picking cart has become an important research and application direction. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art, the present invention provides an intelligent flexible pepper picking cart, which realizes efficient, intelligent pepper picking, sorting, and collection work, improves the picking efficiency, reduces the labor intensity, and lowers the picking cost.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: An intelligent flexible pepper picking cart includes a vehicle frame and a traveling mechanism, and further includes a traveling obstacle avoidance module, a vision camera recognition module, a picking mechanism, a conveying and sorting mechanism, a collection mechanism, a control module, and a power supply module installed on the vehicle frame;

[0007] The traveling obstacle avoidance module and the vision camera recognition module are respectively installed at the front end of the vehicle frame. The traveling obstacle avoidance module is used to provide navigation and obstacle avoidance capabilities for the cart, and the vision camera recognition module is used to identify mature peppers and obtain the three-dimensional space coordinates of the peppers;

[0008] The picking mechanism includes a multi-axis robotic arm and an end picking execution mechanism installed at the front end of the multi-axis robotic arm;

[0009] The conveying and sorting mechanism is used to receive the peppers picked by the picking mechanism, and includes an inclined curved surface roller and a conveyor belt connected to the lower end of the curved surface roller. The curved surface roller includes two parallel curved surface guide rails, and a plurality of rollers are rotatably connected between the curved surface guide rails. The rollers can roll freely and there is a gap between adjacent rollers. Two conveyor belts are arranged in parallel, and the two conveyor belts are twisted relative to each other. The conveyor belt drive wheel on one side of the curved surface roller is horizontally arranged, and the conveyor belt drive wheel on the side far from the curved surface roller is vertically arranged, and the distance between the two conveyor belts gradually increases starting from the side of the curved surface roller; the conveying and sorting mechanism also includes a fan, and the fan is installed on the vehicle frame below the curved surface roller for blowing the branches and leaves falling from the roller gap away from the collection mechanism;

[0010] At least two groups of the collection mechanisms are provided, and they are all located below the conveyor belt for receiving the peppers falling from the conveyor belt;

[0011] The control module is used to coordinate the work of each module;

[0012] The power module provides power for the operation of the entire trolley.

[0013] Further, the lower end of the curved surface guide rail is rotatably connected to the vehicle frame, and an inclined rod for supporting the curved surface guide rail is rotatably connected to the middle of the curved surface guide rail. A clamping rail is arranged on the frame below the curved surface guide rail, and clamping grooves are arranged at intervals on the clamping rail. The lower end of the inclined rod is clamped in the clamping groove.

[0014] Further, the collection mechanism includes a collection box, the collection box is placed in a placement groove on the vehicle frame, and an umbrella-shaped sorting baffle is arranged above the connection between adjacent collection boxes.

[0015] Further, the collection box includes rigid baffles arranged at both ends and a soft box body connected between the rigid baffles. An elastic support member is also arranged between the rigid baffles, so that the rigid baffles can be compressed under force and expand in the natural state. At least two collection boxes are placed in the placement groove, and the inner collection box is in a compressed state. A telescopic buckle for limiting the rigid baffle of the inner collection box is arranged on the side of the placement groove, and a stop bar for limiting the outer collection box is arranged on the outer edge of the placement groove, so that when the outer collection box is taken out, the inner collection box is automatically expanded under the action of the elastic support member by releasing the telescopic buckle.

[0016] Further, the collection mechanism also includes an automatic pushing device for pushing out the collection box. The automatic pushing device includes a pushing belt, the pushing belt is driven to rotate reciprocally by a pushing gear, and a push rod is connected to the side of the pushing belt. When the push rod is at the lower side, the pushing belt drives the push rod to move, and then the push rod abuts against the rigid baffle of the collection box to push the collection box out of the placement groove.

[0017] Furthermore, a control box is installed on the vehicle frame, and the control module and the power module are installed inside the control box.

[0018] Furthermore, the traveling mechanism includes four traveling components installed at the bottom of the vehicle frame. Each traveling component includes a short shaft. Connecting pipes are slidably sleeved at both ends of the short shaft, and limiting nuts for limiting the connecting pipes are provided. A shock-absorbing spring is arranged on the short shaft between the two connecting pipes. Connecting rods are respectively hinged to the upper and lower sides of the connecting pipe. The upper connecting rod is hinged to a connecting seat fixed on the vehicle frame, and the lower connecting rods are commonly hinged to a mounting seat. A traveling wheel and a driving motor for driving the traveling wheel to rotate are installed on the mounting seat.

[0019] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0020] (1) The visual camera recognition module in the present invention can accurately recognize mature peppers and obtain their three-dimensional spatial coordinates, which enables the picking mechanism to accurately locate the positions of the peppers, improves the accuracy of picking, avoids mis-picking immature peppers, and ensures the quality of the picked peppers. At the same time, the cooperation of the multi-axis robotic arm and the end picking execution mechanism, through precise motion control, can flexibly pick peppers at different positions and growth states, greatly improving the picking efficiency and reducing the problem of low efficiency caused by human factors during manual picking;

[0021] (2) The design of the curved rollers and the conveyor belt in the conveying and sorting mechanism is ingenious. When the peppers picked by the picking mechanism are placed on the curved rollers and transferred to the conveyor belt as the rollers rotate, during this transfer process, small branches and leaves will fall through the gaps between the rollers, and a fan will blow away these fallen branches and leaves, preventing the branches and leaves from mixing into the collection mechanism, ensuring the purity of the collected peppers, reducing the workload of subsequent manual sorting of branches and leaves, and the two conveyor belts that are relatively twisted and the distance between them gradually increases can perform preliminary sorting according to the size of the peppers, realizing the automatic sorting function after picking, improving the working efficiency of the entire picking process, and facilitating subsequent processing;

[0022] (3) The combination of the rigid baffle and the flexible box body of the collection box, as well as the setting of the elastic support members, makes the collection box have a certain flexibility and compressibility, and can make more effective use of the space of the vehicle frame. When the outer collection box is taken out, the inner collection box will automatically expand, facilitating continuous collection of peppers, improving the space utilization rate of the collection mechanism and the continuity of collection; the automatic ejection device can automatically eject the collection box from the placement groove, facilitating replacement after the collection box is filled with peppers, reducing the time and labor intensity of manual operation, and improving the automation level and working efficiency of the entire picking system;

[0023] (4) The unique design of the traveling mechanism, through shock-absorbing springs and adjustable connecting pipes, enables the traveling wheels to better adapt to the undulations of the ground, reduces the impact of vibrations on the entire trolley and the picking operation, and improves the adaptability and stability of the trolley on different terrains. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 is an installation schematic diagram of the conveying and sorting mechanism of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the conveying and sorting mechanism of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 4 is a mating schematic diagram of the conveyor belt of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the collection mechanism of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the working state of the automatic ejection device of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the traveling mechanism of the present invention.

[0031] In the figure: frame 100; traveling mechanism 200, connecting seat 201, connecting rod 202, shock-absorbing spring 203, limiting nut 204, connecting pipe 205, short shaft 206, mounting seat 207, drive motor 208, traveling wheel 209; traveling obstacle avoidance module 300; visual camera recognition module 400; picking mechanism 500, multi-axis robotic arm 501, end picking execution mechanism 502; conveying and sorting mechanism 600, curved guide rail 601, roller 602, conveyor belt 603, inclined rod 604, card rail 605, fan 606; control box 700; collection mechanism 800, collection box 801, umbrella-shaped sorting block 802, elastic support member 803, placement groove 804, retaining bar 805, telescopic buckle 806, push belt 807, push gear 808, push rod 809. Detailed Embodiments

[0032] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0033] As Figures 1-7As shown in the figure, the intelligent flexible pepper picking trolley provided in this embodiment includes a frame 100 and a traveling mechanism 200, and further includes a traveling obstacle avoidance module 300, a vision camera recognition module 400, a picking mechanism 500, a conveying and sorting mechanism 600, a collection mechanism 800, a control module, a power module, and a control box 700 mounted on the frame 100.

[0034] In this embodiment, the traveling mechanism 200 includes four traveling components installed at the bottom of the frame 100. Each traveling component includes a short shaft 206. At both ends of the short shaft 206, connecting pipes 205 are slidably sleeved respectively, and limiting nuts 204 for limiting the connecting pipes 205 are provided. A shock-absorbing spring 203 is arranged on the short shaft 206 between the two connecting pipes 205. Connecting rods 202 are respectively hinged on the upper and lower sides of the connecting pipe 205. The upper connecting rod 202 is hinged to a connecting seat 201 fixed on the frame 100, and the lower connecting rods 202 are commonly hinged to a mounting seat 207. A traveling wheel 209 and a driving motor 208 for driving the traveling wheel 209 to rotate are installed on the mounting seat 207. Through this design, not only the obstacle-crossing ability of the trolley is improved, but also the bumps are effectively reduced by the shock-absorbing spring, ensuring the smooth progress of the picking operation.

[0035] The traveling obstacle avoidance module 300 and the vision camera recognition module 400 are respectively installed at the front end of the frame 100. The traveling obstacle avoidance module 300 uses advanced sensor technology to provide navigation and obstacle avoidance capabilities for the trolley. The vision camera recognition module 400 identifies mature peppers through a high-precision vision camera and obtains their three-dimensional coordinates. The traveling obstacle avoidance module 300 and the vision camera recognition module 400 can adopt existing well-known technologies.

[0036] The picking mechanism 500 includes a multi-axis robotic arm 501 and an end picking execution mechanism 502 installed at the front end of the multi-axis robotic arm 501. The flexibility of the multi-axis robotic arm ensures that it can reach various complex picking positions, while the end picking execution mechanism is responsible for actually performing the picking action.

[0037] The conveying and sorting mechanism 600 is used to receive the peppers picked by the picking mechanism 500, and includes a curved roller arranged obliquely and a conveyor belt 603 docked at the lower end of the curved roller. The curved roller includes two parallel curved guide rails 601. Between the curved guide rails 601, a plurality of rollers 602 are rotatably connected. The rollers 602 can roll freely and there is a gap between adjacent rollers 602. Two conveyor belts 603 are arranged in parallel. The two conveyor belts 603 are twisted relative to each other. The conveyor belt driving wheel on one side of the curved roller is horizontally arranged, and the conveyor belt driving wheel on the side far from the curved roller is vertically arranged, and the distance between the two conveyor belts 603 gradually increases starting from the side of the curved roller.

[0038] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, the conveying and sorting mechanism 600 further includes a fan 606. The fan 606 is installed on the vehicle frame 100 below the curved roller and is used to blow the branches and leaves falling from the gaps of the rollers 602 away from the side of the collection mechanism 800. The addition of the fan further improves the sorting efficiency, blows away sundries such as branches and leaves, and avoids mixing.

[0039] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, the lower end of the curved guide rail 601 is rotatably connected to the vehicle frame 100. A diagonal rod 604 for supporting the curved guide rail 601 is rotatably connected to the middle of the curved guide rail 601. A clamping rail 605 is arranged on the frame below the curved guide rail 601. Card slots are arranged at intervals on the clamping rail 605, and the lower end of the diagonal rod 604 is clamped in the card slots. The rotational connection between the curved guide rail and the vehicle frame and the cooperation design between the diagonal rod and the card slots enable the conveying and sorting mechanism to adjust the angle according to needs and adapt to different picking environments.

[0040] In this embodiment, at least two sets of collection mechanisms 800 are provided, both located below the conveyor belt 603 and used to receive the peppers falling from the conveyor belt 603. Specifically, the collection mechanism 800 includes a collection box 801. The collection box 801 is placed in a placement groove 804 on the vehicle frame 100. An umbrella-shaped sorting baffle 802 is arranged above the connection between adjacent collection boxes 801. The umbrella-shaped sorting baffle 802 can guide the peppers to slide along a specific path, ensuring that they can accurately fall into the collection box 801 below, which helps to classify the peppers more accurately, reduce the scattering and loss of peppers during the sliding process, and improve the collection efficiency.

[0041] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, in order to make more effective use of the space of the vehicle frame, the collection box 801 includes rigid baffles arranged at both ends and a flexible box body connected between the rigid baffles. An elastic support member 803 is also arranged between the rigid baffles, so that the rigid baffles can be compressed under force and expand in the natural state. At least two collection boxes 801 are placed in the placement groove 804. The inner collection box 801 is in a compressed state. A telescopic buckle 806 for limiting the rigid baffle of the inner collection box 801 is arranged on the side of the placement groove 804, and a stop bar 805 for limiting the outer collection box 801 is arranged at the outer edge of the placement groove 804, so that when the outer collection box 801 is taken out, the inner collection box 801 is automatically expanded under the action of the elastic support member 803 by releasing the telescopic buckle 806. Through this design, the space utilization rate of the collection mechanism and the coherence of collection are improved.

[0042] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, in order to reduce manual operation, the collection mechanism 800 further includes an automatic ejection device for ejecting the collection box 801. The automatic ejection device includes a push belt 807, which is driven to rotate reciprocally by a push gear 808. A push rod 809 is connected to the side of the push belt 807. When the push rod 809 is at the lower side, the push belt 807 drives the push rod 809 to move, and then the push rod 809 abuts against the hard baffle of the collection box 801 to eject the collection box 801 from the placement groove 804. By setting the automatic ejection device, the collection box can be automatically ejected from the placement groove, which is convenient for replacement after the collection box is filled with peppers, reduces the time and labor intensity of manual operation, and improves the automation level and working efficiency of the entire picking system.

[0043] In this embodiment, the control module is used to coordinate the work of each module, and the power module provides power for the operation of the entire trolley. The control module and the power module are installed in the control box 700.

[0044] The above content is only an example and illustration of the structure of the present invention. Those skilled in the art of this technology can make various modifications or supplements to the described specific embodiments or use similar methods for substitution, as long as they do not deviate from the structure of the present invention or exceed the scope defined by this claim book, they should all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An intelligent flexible pepper picking trolley, comprising a frame (100) and a walking mechanism (200), characterized in that: It also includes a walking obstacle avoidance module (300), a visual camera recognition module (400), a picking mechanism (500), a conveying and sorting mechanism (600), a collecting mechanism (800), a control module, and a power supply module, which are installed on the vehicle frame (100); The walking obstacle avoidance module (300) and the visual camera recognition module (400) are respectively installed at the front end of the vehicle frame (100); the walking obstacle avoidance module (300) is used to provide navigation and obstacle avoidance capabilities for the vehicle; and the visual camera recognition module (400) is used to identify mature peppers and obtain the three-dimensional spatial coordinates of the peppers; The picking mechanism (500) comprises a multi-axis mechanical arm (501) and an end picking actuator (502) installed at the front end of the multi-axis mechanical arm (501); The conveying and sorting mechanism (600) is used to receive the peppers picked by the picking mechanism (500), and comprises a curved roller arranged obliquely and a conveyor belt (603) connected to the lower end of the curved roller. The curved roller comprises two curved guide rails (601) arranged in parallel. A plurality of rollers (602) are rotatably connected between the curved guide rails (601). The rollers (602) can roll freely and gaps are left between adjacent rollers (602). The conveyor belt (603) comprises two rollers arranged in parallel. The two conveyor belts (603) are twisted relative to each other, the conveyor belt driving wheel on one side of the curved roller is arranged horizontally, the conveyor belt driving wheel on the side away from the curved roller is arranged vertically, and the spacing between the two conveyor belts (603) gradually increases from the side of the curved roller; the conveying and sorting mechanism (600) further comprises a fan (606), the fan (606) being mounted on the frame (100) below the curved roller and being used to blow away branches and leaves that fall from the gap between the rollers (602) to the side away from the collecting mechanism (800); The collecting mechanism (800) is provided with at least two groups, both of which are located below the conveyor belt (603) and are used to receive the peppers dropped from the conveyor belt (603), and includes a collecting box (801). The collecting box (801) is placed in a placement slot (804) on the vehicle frame (100), and an umbrella-shaped sorting block (802) is provided above the junction of adjacent collecting boxes (801); the collecting box (801) includes hard baffles provided at both ends, and a soft box body connected to the hard baffles, and an elastic support member (803) is also provided between the hard baffles so that the hard baffles can be moved under force. In a compressed state, the inner collection box (801) is opened in a natural state; at least two collection boxes (801) are placed in the placement groove (804); the inner collection box (801) is in a compressed state; a telescopic buckle (806) for limiting the hard baffle of the inner collection box (801) is provided on the side of the placement groove (804); and a stop bar (805) for limiting the outer collection box (801) is provided at the outer edge of the placement groove (804), so that when the outer collection box (801) is taken out, the telescopic buckle (806) is released so that the inner collection box (801) is automatically opened under the action of the elastic support member (803); The collecting mechanism (800) further comprises an automatic ejection device for ejecting the collecting box (801), the automatic ejection device comprising a push belt (807), the push belt (807) being driven to reciprocate via a push gear (808), a push rod (809) being connected to the side of the push belt (807), and when the push rod (809) is at the lower side, the push belt (807) drives the push rod (809) to move, and the collection box (801) is ejected out of the placement slot (804) by the push rod (809) abutting against a hard baffle of the collecting box (801); The control module is used to coordinate the work of each module; The power module provides power for the entire vehicle.

2. The intelligent flexible pepper picking vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower end of the curved guide rail (601) is rotatably connected to the vehicle frame (100), and the middle part of the curved guide rail (601) is rotatably connected to an inclined rod (604) for supporting the curved guide rail (601). A clamping rail (605) is provided on the frame below the curved guide rail (601), and clamping grooves are provided at intervals on the clamping rail (605), and the lower end of the inclined rod (604) is clamped in the clamping groove.

3. The intelligent flexible pepper picking vehicle according to claim 1 is characterized in that: A control box (700) is installed on the vehicle frame (100), and the control module and the power module are installed in the control box (700).

4. The intelligent flexible pepper picking vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The walking mechanism (200) comprises four walking components mounted on the bottom of the vehicle frame (100), the walking components comprising a short shaft (206), connecting tubes (205) are slidably sleeved on both ends of the short shaft (206) and are provided with limiting nuts (204) for limiting the position of the connecting tubes (205), a shock absorbing spring (203) is provided between two connecting tubes (205) on the short shaft (206), connecting rods (202) are hingedly connected at the upper and lower sides of the connecting tubes (205), the upper connecting rod (202) is hingedly connected to a connecting seat (201) fixed on the vehicle frame (100), and the lower connecting rod (202) is hingedly connected to a mounting seat (207), and a walking wheel (209) and a driving motor (208) for driving the walking wheel (209) to rotate are installed on the mounting seat (207).

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