Automatic vegetable sorting device and method

Abstract

The invention relates to an automatic vegetable sorting device and method.The device comprises a processor, a vegetable conveying module, a basket conveying and vegetable receiving module and a tail plate module, the processor receives external control data and adjusts working parameters of the automatic vegetable sorting device, and the processor is connected with the vegetable conveying module, the basket conveying and vegetable receiving module and the tail plate module; the vegetable conveying module is used for conveying vegetables into the basket conveying and vegetable receiving module, the basket conveying and vegetable receiving module comprises a vegetable temporary storage unit, a sliding table basket conveying unit and a basket falling unit, the vegetable temporary storage unit is used for storing the vegetables, the basket falling unit is used for falling vegetable collecting baskets, and the sliding table basket conveying unit is used for pushing the vegetable collecting baskets to vegetable collecting positions; and after the vegetables are collected, the vegetable collecting basket is pushed to the tail plate module, and the tail plate module is lifted or put down according to a control instruction of the processor. Compared with the prior art, vegetable conveying, arranging and basketing are integrated, and systematic operation is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of vegetable sorting, and in particular to an automatic vegetable sorting device and method. Background Art

[0002] As the demand for smart agricultural technology in the Chinese agricultural market has continued to grow in recent years, it has become increasingly important to realize the automated and intelligent harvesting and sorting of vegetables. At present, there is no device that can be mounted on a harvesting robot at home and abroad to immediately sort and basket the freshly harvested vegetables in real time. Traditional sorting devices are generally limited to factory environments, lack adaptability to farm operations, and cannot cope with complex factors in the farm environment. For example, patent application CN112811069A discloses an automatic vegetable collection and sorting device on a fresh-keeping vegetable processing line. Although the invention is effective for assembly line operations, its design is not suitable for the complex environment of the farm. It still requires manual operation to transport the freshly harvested vegetables to the assembly line, and it is impossible to automatically basket the sorted vegetables, which cannot achieve integrated operations, reducing efficiency and increasing costs. At the same time, most of the existing devices usually require manual intervention, which affects the operating efficiency and automation level. In addition, most of the existing technologies are local solutions, lacking the integration of the overall operation process, especially after the vegetables are harvested, sorting and basketing often require different devices to work separately, making it difficult to achieve systematic operation. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the defects of the above-mentioned prior art and to provide an automatic vegetable sorting device and method, which integrates vegetable conveying, sorting and basketing to realize systematic operation.

[0004] The purpose of the present invention can be achieved by the following technical solutions:

[0005] A vegetable automatic sorting device comprises: a processor, a vegetable conveying module, a basket sending and vegetable receiving module and a tail plate module, the processor receives external control data and adjusts the working parameters of the vegetable automatic sorting device, the processor is respectively connected to the vegetable conveying module, the basket sending and vegetable receiving module and the tail plate module, the vegetable conveying module is used to convey vegetables to the basket sending and vegetable receiving module, the basket sending and vegetable receiving module comprises: a vegetable buffer unit, a sliding basket sending unit and a basket dropping unit, the vegetable buffer unit is used to store the vegetables, the basket dropping unit is used to drop a vegetable collection basket, the sliding basket sending unit is used to push the vegetable collection basket to a vegetable collection position, and push the vegetable collection basket to the tail plate module after completing the vegetable collection, and the tail plate module is lifted or lowered according to the control instruction of the processor.

[0006] Furthermore, the slide basket feeding unit includes a slide, a slide motor and a slide push rod that are connected to each other. A proximity switch is provided on the slide. When the vegetables fall, the slide push rod drives the vegetable collection basket on the slide to move back and forth between the front and rear groups of proximity switches at the vegetable collection position.

[0007] Furthermore, after the vegetable collection basket slides to the ground along the tail board, the slide is operated to a proximity switch position at the basket drop location by the slide push rod, and waits for a new vegetable collection basket to drop.

[0008] Furthermore, the working parameters include the waiting time for the basket to fall and the number of reciprocating movements of the slide push rod.

[0009] Furthermore, the vegetable cache unit includes a cache slot, and a baffle is provided on the cache slot. When the vegetable collection basket is pushed to the vegetable collection position below the cache slot by the slide basket feeding unit, the baffle opens and the vegetables in the cache slot fall into the vegetable collection basket.

[0010] Furthermore, the basket dropping unit includes a vegetable collecting basket frame, a lifting motor and a basket dropping push rod, the lifting motor is connected to the basket dropping push rod, the vegetable collecting basket frame is provided with a proximity switch, and the basket dropping push rod is controlled to rise and fall by the lifting motor and the proximity switch. The specific steps are: the lifting motor is started, the basket dropping push rod rises until the upper proximity switch detects a signal, then the lifting motor reverses, the lifting push rod descends until the lower proximity switch detects a signal, and the lifting motor stops.

[0011] Furthermore, the control mode of the automatic vegetable sorting device is remotely adjusted by a remote controller, and the control mode includes an automatic mode and a manual mode.

[0012] Furthermore, when the automatic vegetable sorting device is in manual mode, the processor receives instructions from the remote control and sends control instructions to each module. When the automatic vegetable sorting device is in automatic mode, the processor receives data sent by the host computer and sends control instructions to each module after processing the data.

[0013] Furthermore, the tail plate module includes a tail plate and an electric push rod that are connected to each other. When the automatic vegetable sorting device turns, the basket sending and vegetable receiving module suspends work, and the tail plate is lifted by the electric push rod. After the turn is completed, the tail plate is lowered, and the basket sending and vegetable receiving module restarts to continue the sorting operation.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for automatically arranging vegetables, comprising the following steps:

[0015] Initialize the automatic vegetable sorting device;

[0016] The processor receives external control data, adjusts the working parameters of the automatic vegetable sorting device, and sends control instructions to each module;

[0017] The vegetable conveying module conveys the vegetables to the buffer tank for temporary storage via a conveyor belt;

[0018] When receiving the operation instruction sent by the host computer, the basket delivery and vegetable receiving module drops a single vegetable receiving basket onto the slide table through the lifting push rod;

[0019] The slide basket delivery unit pushes the vegetable collection basket to the vegetable collection position below the buffer slot through the slide push rod, the baffle of the buffer slot opens to allow the vegetables to fall, and the slide push rod drives the vegetable collection basket on the slide to reciprocate, so that the vegetables fall evenly into the vegetable collection basket;

[0020] After the vegetables are collected, the baffle is closed, and the slide push rod pushes the vegetable collection basket filled with vegetables to the tail board module, and the vegetable collection basket slides along the tail board to the ground.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0022] 1. The present invention integrates vegetable transmission, sorting and basket loading. Through the coordinated work of the vegetable transmission module and the basket delivery and vegetable receiving module, the automatic sorting and rapid basket loading of vegetables are realized. Through the calculation and control of the upper computer, the automatic operation of the sorting device is achieved, and the automatic start and stop of the sorting device can be achieved according to the real-time status. This integrated design makes the entire operation process more compact and efficient, greatly improves the operation efficiency, and reduces the collaboration and operation procedures between machines.

[0023] 2. The present invention can adapt to the complex environment on the farmland through the design of the buffer slot and the tail plate, so that the freshly harvested vegetables can be quickly sorted and basketed directly. The present invention can be operated in the farmland, which significantly improves the efficiency of vegetable harvesting to sorting and basketing. The present invention can complete the contactless sorting and basketing of vegetables without human intervention, which significantly reduces labor costs, and at the same time reduces equipment failures or operation errors caused by human operating errors, thereby improving the safety and accuracy of operations.

[0024] 3. The present invention adopts an STM32 controller as the core processing unit, communicates with a host computer through a USB interface, and can also receive remote control commands through the SBUS protocol, thereby realizing dual control of the automatic vegetable sorting device. This scheme can realize free switching between automatic mode and manual mode, can respond to various emergencies of farm operations in real time, enhances the flexibility of the automatic vegetable sorting device, and reduces the possibility of damage to the device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the automatic vegetable sorting device proposed by the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the module connection of the automatic vegetable sorting device proposed by the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the process of the automatic vegetable sorting method proposed by the present invention;

[0028] Legend: 1. Conveying module; 2. Basket sending and vegetable receiving module; 3. Tail plate module; 201. Vegetable buffer unit 1; 202. Slide basket sending unit; 203. Basket dropping unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. This embodiment is implemented based on the technical solution of the present invention, and provides a detailed implementation method and specific operation process, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0030] Example 1

[0031] This embodiment provides an automatic vegetable sorting device, such as Figure 1 As shown, it includes: a processor, a vegetable conveying module 1, a basket delivery module 2 and a tail plate module 3. The processor receives external control data and adjusts the working parameters of the vegetable automatic sorting device. The working parameters include the waiting time for the basket to fall and the number of small reciprocating movements of the slide push rod. The processor is connected to the vegetable conveying module 1, the basket delivery module 2 and the tail plate module 3 respectively. The vegetable conveying module 1 is used to convey vegetables to the basket delivery module 2. The basket delivery module 2 includes: a vegetable buffer unit 201, a slide basket delivery unit 202 and a basket drop unit 203. The vegetable buffer unit 201 is used to store vegetables. The basket drop unit 203 is used to drop the vegetable collection basket. The slide basket delivery unit 202 is used to push the vegetable collection basket to the vegetable collection position, and push the vegetable collection basket to the tail plate module 3 after the vegetable collection is completed. The tail plate module 3 is lifted or lowered according to the control instruction of the processor.

[0032] The slide basket feeding unit 202 includes a slide, a slide motor and a slide push rod which are connected to each other. A proximity switch is arranged on the slide. When vegetables fall, the slide push rod drives the vegetable collection basket on the slide to make a small reciprocating movement between the two groups of proximity switches in front and behind the vegetable collection position.

[0033] When the vegetable collection basket slides to the ground along the tail board, the slide is operated to the proximity switch position where the basket falls through the slide push rod, and waits for a new vegetable collection basket to fall.

[0034] The vegetable cache unit 201 includes a cache slot, on which a baffle is provided. When the vegetable collection basket is pushed to the vegetable collection position below the cache slot by the slide basket delivery unit 202, the baffle opens and the vegetables in the cache slot fall into the vegetable collection basket.

[0035] The basket dropping unit 203 includes a vegetable collecting basket frame, a lifting motor and a basket dropping push rod. The lifting motor is connected to the basket dropping push rod. A proximity switch is provided on the vegetable collecting basket frame. The basket dropping push rod is controlled to rise and fall by the lifting motor and the proximity switch. The specific steps are: the lifting motor is started, the basket dropping push rod rises until the upper proximity switch detects a signal, then the lifting motor reverses, the lifting push rod descends until the lower proximity switch detects a signal, and the lifting motor stops.

[0036] The automatic vegetable sorting device can also adjust the control mode of the automatic vegetable sorting device through a remote controller, and the control mode includes an automatic mode and a manual mode.

[0037] When the automatic vegetable sorting device is in manual mode, the processor receives instructions from the remote control and sends control instructions to each module. When the automatic vegetable sorting device is in automatic mode, the processor receives data sent by the host computer and sends control instructions to each module after processing the data.

[0038] The tail plate module 3 includes a tail plate and an electric push rod connected to each other. When the automatic vegetable sorting device turns, the basket sending and vegetable receiving module 2 stops working, and the tail plate is lifted by the electric push rod. After the turn is completed, the tail plate is lowered, and the basket sending and vegetable receiving module 2 restarts to continue the sorting operation.

[0039] like Figure 2 As shown, the processor uses an STM32 controller as the core processing unit, communicates with the host computer through a USB interface, can also receive remote control commands through the SBUS protocol, and transmit the control commands to the vegetable conveying module 1, the basket receiving module 2 and the tail board module 3 respectively.

[0040] The automatic vegetable sorting method based on the automatic vegetable sorting device proposed in this embodiment is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, the following steps are included:

[0041] When the automatic vegetable sorting device is started, it will be initialized first, and the basket push rod, slide push rod, buffer plate and tail plate of the buffer slot will move to the initial position. When the proximity switch at each initial position detects a signal, the initialization is completed.

[0042] The processor receives data from the host computer and determines whether the working parameters need to be adjusted, including: the waiting time for the basket to fall and the number of small reciprocating movements of the slide push rod. If necessary, the working parameters are adjusted;

[0043] The processor receives the instruction of the remote controller and selects whether the automatic vegetable sorting device enters the manual mode or the automatic mode according to the position of the remote controller lever;

[0044] When the automatic vegetable sorting device is in manual mode, the processor only receives commands from the remote controller and sends control commands to each module. When button B is pressed, the vegetable conveying module 1 is started, when button C is pressed, the basket delivery and vegetable receiving module 2 is started, and when button G is pressed, the tail plate in the tail plate module 3 is lifted;

[0045] When the automatic vegetable sorting device is in automatic mode, the processor receives data from the host computer and sends control instructions to each module;

[0046] The vegetable conveying module 1 is started first, and the vegetables are conveyed from both sides to the buffer tank below for temporary storage through the conveyor belt;

[0047] When receiving the operation instruction sent by the host computer, the basket delivery and vegetable receiving module 2 drops a single vegetable receiving basket onto the slide table through the lifting push rod;

[0048] The slide basket delivery unit 202 pushes the vegetable collection basket to the vegetable collection position below the buffer slot through the slide push rod, and the pulse stepping motor controls the baffle of the buffer slot to open to let the vegetables fall, and the slide push rod drives the vegetable collection basket to make a small reciprocating movement, so that the vegetables fall evenly into the vegetable collection basket;

[0049] After the vegetables are collected, the pulse stepper motor controls the baffle of the buffer slot to close, and the slide push rod pushes the vegetable collection basket full of vegetables to the tail board module 3 until the proximity switch at the basket outlet detects a signal. As the automatic vegetable sorting device moves forward, the vegetable collection basket will slide along the tail board to the ground, completing a cycle. The slide will return to the proximity switch position at the basket drop location through the slide push rod and wait for a new basket to fall.

[0050] When the basket delivery and vegetable receiving module 2 is in the startup state, every time the vegetable receiving basket falls onto the slide, the slide motor pushes the vegetable receiving basket to the vegetable receiving position, the buffer slot baffle is closed, and the vegetable receiving basket is pushed to the tailgate, the processor will determine whether the vegetable automatic sorting device is about to turn based on the data sent by the host computer. If turning is not required, continue with the steps of the basket delivery and vegetable receiving module 2. If turning is required, the automatic sorting device will perform the turning process: the basket delivery and vegetable receiving module 2 will suspend work, and the tailgate module 3 will lift the tailgate through the electric push rod to avoid the tailgate getting stuck in the ground when turning. After the turn is completed, the tailgate is lowered, and the basket delivery and vegetable receiving module 2 will restart to continue the sorting operation.

[0051] The preferred specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail above. It should be understood that a person skilled in the art can make many modifications and changes based on the concept of the present invention without creative work. Therefore, any technical solution that can be obtained by a person skilled in the art through logical analysis, reasoning or limited experiments based on the concept of the present invention on the basis of the prior art should be within the scope of protection determined by the claims.

Claims

1. A vegetable automatic sorting device, characterized in that: The device comprises a processor, a vegetable conveying module (1), a basket-feeding and vegetable-receiving module (2) and a tail plate module (3); the processor receives external control data and adjusts the working parameters of the vegetable automatic sorting device; the processor is respectively connected to the vegetable conveying module (1), the basket-feeding and vegetable-receiving module (2) and the tail plate module (3); the vegetable conveying module (1) is used to convey vegetables to the basket-feeding and vegetable-receiving module (2); the basket-feeding and vegetable-receiving module (2) comprises a vegetable buffer unit (201), a sliding basket-feeding unit (202) and a basket-dropping unit (203); the vegetable buffer unit (201) is used to store the vegetables; the basket-dropping unit (203) is used to drop a vegetable collection basket; the sliding basket-feeding unit (202) is used to push the vegetable collection basket to a vegetable collection position and push the vegetable collection basket to the tail plate module (3) after the vegetable collection is completed; the tail plate module (3) is raised or lowered according to the control instruction of the processor.

2. The automatic vegetable sorting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slide basket delivery unit (202) comprises a slide, a slide motor and a slide push rod which are connected to each other. A proximity switch is arranged on the slide. When the vegetables fall, the slide push rod drives the vegetable collection basket on the slide to move back and forth between two groups of proximity switches at the front and rear positions of the vegetables.

3. The automatic vegetable sorting device according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the vegetable collection basket slides to the ground along the tail plate, the slide is operated to a proximity switch position at the basket drop position by the slide push rod, and waits for a new vegetable collection basket to drop.

4. The automatic vegetable sorting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The working parameters include the waiting time for the basket to fall and the number of reciprocating movements of the slide push rod.

5. The automatic vegetable sorting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vegetable cache unit (201) comprises a cache slot, on which a baffle is provided. When the vegetable collection basket is pushed to a vegetable collection position below the cache slot by the slide basket delivery unit (202), the baffle opens and the vegetables in the cache slot fall into the vegetable collection basket.

6. The automatic vegetable sorting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The basket dropping unit (203) comprises a vegetable collecting basket frame, a lifting motor and a basket dropping push rod, the lifting motor is connected to the basket dropping push rod, a proximity switch is arranged on the vegetable collecting basket frame, and the basket dropping push rod is controlled to rise and fall by the lifting motor and the proximity switch, and the specific steps are: the lifting motor is started, the basket dropping push rod rises until the upper proximity switch detects a signal, then the lifting motor is reversed, the lifting push rod falls until the lower proximity switch detects a signal, and the lifting motor stops.

7. The automatic vegetable sorting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control mode of the automatic vegetable sorting device is remotely adjusted by a remote controller, and the control mode includes an automatic mode and a manual mode.

8. The automatic vegetable sorting device according to claim 7, characterized in that: When the automatic vegetable sorting device is in manual mode, the processor receives instructions from the remote control and sends control instructions to each module. When the automatic vegetable sorting device is in automatic mode, the processor receives data sent by the host computer and sends control instructions to each module after processing the data.

9. The automatic vegetable sorting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tail plate module (3) comprises a tail plate and an electric push rod connected to each other. When the automatic vegetable sorting device turns, the basket sending and vegetable receiving module (2) stops working and the tail plate is lifted by the electric push rod. After the turn is completed, the tail plate is lowered and the basket sending and vegetable receiving module (2) restarts to continue the sorting operation.

10. A method for automatically arranging vegetables using the automatic vegetable arranging device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising the following steps: Initialize the automatic vegetable sorting device; The processor receives external control data, adjusts the working parameters of the automatic vegetable sorting device, and sends control instructions to each module; The vegetable conveying module (1) conveys the vegetables to the buffer tank for temporary storage via a conveyor belt; When receiving the operation instruction sent by the host computer, the basket delivery and vegetable receiving module (2) drops a single vegetable receiving basket onto the slide table through the lifting push rod; The slide basket delivery unit (202) pushes the vegetable collection basket to the vegetable collection position below the buffer slot through the slide push rod, the baffle of the buffer slot is opened to allow the vegetables to fall, and the slide push rod drives the vegetable collection basket on the slide to move back and forth, so that the vegetables fall evenly into the vegetable collection basket; After the vegetables are collected, the baffle is closed, and the slide push rod pushes the vegetable collection basket filled with vegetables to the tail board module (3), and the vegetable collection basket slides along the tail board to the ground.

Images