Bionic flexible seedling taking end effector

Abstract

The invention provides a bionic flexible seedling taking end effector which comprises a supporting mechanism, a depth camera, a tentacle driving mechanism, a flexible tentacle, a pressure supply mechanism, a pull rope mechanism and a controller, and the depth camera, the tentacle driving mechanism, the pull rope mechanism and the pressure supply mechanism are all electrically connected with the controller. The depth camera sends collected images to the controller, the controller judges the positions of seedlings according to the images and analyzes and calculates the distribution and radian of leaves, and when the seedling taking tail end executor moves to a target position, the controller controls the tentacle driving mechanism to drive the flexible tentacles to rotate to the positions above the corresponding leaves, and the flexible tentacles are driven to move to the target position. The rope pulling mechanism is controlled to act to lift the flexible tentacle, and the pressure supply mechanism acts to enable the flexible tentacle to adsorb and grab seedlings. According to the seedling taking end effector, biological characteristics of octopus are used for reference, the flexible tentacle is matched with negative pressure to adsorb and extract cabbage seedlings, then transplanting operation is achieved, damage to the seedlings is avoided, and the survival rate is increased.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of transplanting machinery, in particular to a bionic flexible seedling taking end effector. Background Art

[0002] Cabbage is one of the main vegetable varieties in my country. With the increase in planting area year by year, it has become one of the main sources of economic income for vegetable farmers. At present, cabbage seedlings are usually cultivated in plug trays. Cabbage seedlings are relatively short and compact plants. Their leaves are evenly distributed on short stems. Each leaf grows from the central stem or growth point and is relatively flat, which makes them tend to be similar in height during initial growth without obvious up and down differences. When the seedlings grow to 3-4 true leaves, they are transplanted. When transplanting, an automatic seedling transplanter is generally used to directly clamp the root and stem of the cabbage seedlings and remove the seedlings from the plug tray. However, existing machine transplanting can easily damage the stems of the seedlings, resulting in a low survival rate.

[0003] With the development of cabbage seedling technology and the increase in labor costs, the research on transplanters has become a hot topic, and the seedling removal end effector is the top priority of transplanter research. The end effector is the equipment that directly contacts the target crop. Therefore, the development of an end effector with high operating efficiency and little damage to seedlings is of great significance to improving the survival rate and efficiency of seedling transplantation. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides a bionic flexible seedling extraction end effector, which draws on the biological characteristics of the octopus, and uses flexible and flexible tentacles in conjunction with negative pressure to adsorb and extract cabbage seedlings, thereby realizing transplanting operations, avoiding damage to the seedlings, and improving the survival rate.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the specific scheme adopted by the present invention is: A bionic flexible seedling taking end effector, comprising: The support mechanism comprises a connecting column, an upper supporting plate, a lower supporting plate and a hollow tube, wherein the upper supporting plate is arranged at the bottom of the connecting column, the upper supporting plate and the lower supporting plate are connected by fasteners and are spaced apart from each other, the hollow tube is connected to the center of the bottom surface of the lower supporting plate, and a ring track is arranged on the outer surface of the hollow tube in the circumferential direction; a depth camera, located at the bottom of the hollow tube, to capture images of the seedlings; The tentacle drive mechanism is arranged on the support mechanism, and includes N tentacle drive assemblies uniformly distributed along the circumference of the upper support plate. The N tentacle drive assemblies have the same structure. Each tentacle drive assembly includes a drive motor and an L-shaped support frame. The drive motor is arranged on the upper support plate. The L-shaped support frame includes two parallel support plates, wherein the free end of the upper support plate located at the top is connected to the drive motor, and the free end of the lower support plate located at the bottom is matched with the annular track. Under the action of the drive motor, the L-shaped support frame can at least rotate along the 1 / N area of ​​the annular track; N flexible tentacles are connected to corresponding tentacle drive assemblies and arranged below them, each flexible tentacle comprises a flexible shell, the flexible shell wraps a proximal section, a middle section and a distal section which are hinged in sequence, wherein the proximal section is connected to the lower support plate, the middle section and the distal section have the same structure, and the middle section and the distal section are both provided with a suction cup extending through the flexible shell to the bottom of the flexible shell; in an initial state, the flexible tentacle is in a lowered state; The pressure supply mechanism is connected to the flexible tentacles, and can enable the flexible tentacles to generate negative pressure adsorption force on the leaves of the seedlings to adsorb the seedlings; A pull rope mechanism, comprising N pull rope assemblies with the same structure, by pulling the ropes in the pull rope assemblies, the corresponding flexible tentacles can be lifted to facilitate the adsorption of the blades; The controller is electrically connected to the depth camera, the tentacle driving mechanism, the pull rope mechanism and the pressure supply mechanism. The depth camera sends the collected image to the controller. The controller determines the position of the seedlings based on the image and analyzes and calculates the distribution and curvature of the leaves in the seedlings. The transplanter moves the seedling end effector to the target position. The controller controls the tentacle driving mechanism to drive the flexible tentacles to rotate above the corresponding leaves, while controlling the pull rope mechanism to lift the flexible tentacles, and then the pressure supply mechanism is activated so that the flexible tentacles absorb and grab the seedlings.

[0006] Furthermore, the middle section and the distal section each include a hard rubber rod and a suction cup fixing seat hinged to the hard rubber rod, and the suction cup is fixed on the suction cup fixing seat.

[0007] Furthermore, at least one rope limiting hole is provided on the top of each suction cup fixing seat, and a rope fixing buckle is provided on the end of the suction cup fixing seat on the distal section.

[0008] Furthermore, each pull rope assembly includes a pull rope motor fixed on the lower support plate, and the rotating shaft of the pull rope motor is fixed with a wire drum for winding the rope, and one end of the rope passes through the flexible shell, at least two rope limiting holes and is connected to the rope fixing buckle in sequence.

[0009] Furthermore, the pressure supply mechanism includes N air pumps and a plurality of straws connected to each air pump, and one end of each straw away from the air pump extends into a corresponding flexible tentacle.

[0010] Furthermore, each straw extends through the area between the upper and lower support plates through the hollow tube into the flexible shell.

[0011] Furthermore, N is 3 or 4.

[0012] Beneficial effects: (1) The flexible tentacles in the seedling removal end effector of the present invention simulate the grasping and adsorption methods of an octopus to achieve accurate, flexible and efficient object grasping and manipulation, and utilize their adsorption effect to remove seedlings, thereby achieving low-loss seedling removal, especially for fragile seedlings, avoiding the compressive damage that may be caused by traditional clamping methods, and reducing the transplanting damage rate. In addition, compared with traditional mechanical grasping systems, the working principle of the suction cup is relatively simple, and grasping can be achieved through the cooperation of a straw and an air pump, which consumes less energy. This helps to reduce the operating cost of the equipment and improve the overall energy efficiency.

[0013] (2) The hard rubber rod inside the flexible tentacle of the present invention is harder than soft rubber and softer than hard materials and hard metals. Its inherent elasticity and hardness enable the flexible tentacle to fit the surface of an object more effectively and provide uniform contact force. It is particularly suitable for operations that require a more stable grasping force. For different seedlings, the flexible tentacle can be bent to achieve a more precise grasping method.

[0014] (3) The present invention drives the wire drum to tighten the rope through a pull-rope motor to achieve the bending of the flexible tentacle. Compared with the traditional robotic arm structure, the present invention has a simpler design. Through the cooperation of the rope and the motor, multi-degree-of-freedom tentacle movement can be achieved without the need for complex mechanical gears, bearings and other components. This not only simplifies the structure of the equipment, but also reduces the wear of mechanical components, reduces maintenance costs, and reduces complex control processes. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the seedling removal end effector and the fixing plate in the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the seedling removal end effector in the present invention.

[0017] Figure 3 It is a bottom view of the seedling removal end effector in the present invention.

[0018] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the tentacle drive assembly, the pull rope assembly and the flexible tentacle in the present invention.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a diagram of the internal structure of the flexible tentacle of the present invention.

[0020] In the figure: 1. fixing plate, 2. supporting mechanism, 21. connecting column, 22. upper supporting plate, 23. lower supporting plate, 24. hollow tube, 241. circular track, 25. fastener, 3. straw, 4. tentacle driving assembly, 41. driving motor, 42. L-shaped supporting frame, 421. upper supporting plate, 422. lower supporting plate, 5. pull rope assembly, 51. pull rope motor, 52. wire drum, 53. rope, 6. flexible tentacle, 61. flexible shell, 62. suction cup, 63. near section, 64. hard rubber rod, 65. suction cup fixing seat, 651. rope limiting hole, 7. depth camera. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with specific embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0022] In the description of the present invention, it is necessary to understand that the terms "upper" and "lower" etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships 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 cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0023] It should be noted that the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the sentence "comprises a ..." does not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element.

[0024] The present invention provides a bionic flexible seedling taking end effector, please refer to Figure 1 It mainly includes a supporting mechanism 22, a depth camera 7, a tentacle driving mechanism, a flexible tentacle 6, a pressure supply mechanism, a pull rope mechanism and a controller. The various mechanisms cooperate with each other to adsorb and grasp the cabbage seedlings without damaging the seedlings. The specific structure of each mechanism is described in detail below.

[0025] <Support mechanism 2> The support mechanism 2 includes a connecting column 21, an upper supporting plate 22, a lower supporting plate 23 and a hollow tube 24. The upper supporting plate 22 is arranged at the bottom of the connecting column. The upper supporting plate 22 and the lower supporting plate 23 are connected by fasteners 25 and are spaced apart from each other. The hollow tube 24 is connected to the center of the bottom surface of the lower supporting plate 23. A ring track 241 is circumferentially provided on the outer surface of the hollow tube 24. The axis of the hollow tube 24 and the connecting column 21 are consistent.

[0026] It should be noted that a fixing plate 1 is connected to the top of the connecting column 21 , and the fixing plate 1 can be used to connect the bionic flexible seedling taking end effector and the transplanter.

[0027] <Depth Camera 7> The depth camera 7 is disposed at the bottom of the hollow tube 24 and is used to capture images of the position and posture of the seedlings.

[0028] <Tentacle drive mechanism> The tentacle drive mechanism is arranged on the support mechanism 2, including N (3 or 4, consistent with the number of leaves of the cabbage seedlings) tentacle drive components 4 uniformly distributed along the circumference of the upper support plate 22. All tentacle drive components 4 have the same structure. Each tentacle drive component 4 includes a drive motor 41 and an L-shaped support frame 42. The drive motor 41 is arranged on the upper support plate 22. The L-shaped support frame 42 includes two parallel support plates, wherein the free end of the upper support plate 421 located at the top is connected to the drive motor 41, and the free end of the lower support plate 422 located at the bottom is matched with the annular track 241. Under the action of the drive motor 41, the L-shaped support frame 42 can at least rotate along the 1 / N area of ​​the annular track 241, so that it can be ensured that all tentacle drive components 4 can drive all flexible tentacles 6 to rotate in a range that can cover the entire circumference of the annular track 241, so as to facilitate the matching of leaves in different positions.

[0029] <Flexible Tentacle 6> The number of flexible tentacles 6 is consistent with the number of tentacle drive assemblies 4. Each flexible tentacle 6 is connected to the corresponding tentacle drive assembly 4 and is arranged below it. Each flexible tentacle 6 includes a flexible shell 61, and the flexible shell 61 contains a proximal section 63, a middle section and a distal section that are hinged in sequence, wherein the proximal section 63 is connected to the lower support plate 422, and the structure of the middle section and the distal section is the same. The middle section and the distal section are both provided with a suction cup 62 that passes through the flexible shell 61 and extends to the bottom of the flexible shell 61; in the initial state, the flexible tentacle 6 is in a lowered state.

[0030] The middle section and the distal section both include a hard rubber rod 64 and a suction cup fixing seat 65 hinged to the hard rubber rod 64 , and the suction cup 62 is fixed on the suction cup fixing seat 65 .

[0031] The top of each suction cup fixing seat 65 is provided with two rope limiting holes 651, and the end of the suction cup fixing seat 65 on the distal section is provided with a rope fixing buckle, so as to cooperate with the rope pulling mechanism to realize the bending and lifting of the flexible tentacle 6. It should be noted that the material of the flexible shell 61 is soft rubber to ensure that the flexible shell 61 does not affect the bending and lifting of the flexible tentacle 6.

[0032] Based on the innovative design of the flexible tentacle 6, it can be better adsorbed to the surface of the seedling leaves, and has obvious advantages in versatility and flexibility.

[0033] <Pressure supply mechanism> The pressure supply mechanism includes N air pumps (not shown in the figure) and a number of straws 3 connected to each air pump. One end of each straw 3 away from the air pump extends through the area between the upper and lower support plates 22 and 23 through the hollow tube 24 to the flexible shell 61, thereby allowing the flexible tentacles 6 to generate negative pressure adsorption force to adsorb the seedlings.

[0034] <Pull rope mechanism> The pull rope mechanism includes N pull rope assemblies 5 with the same structure. By pulling the rope 53 in the pull rope assembly 5, the corresponding flexible tentacles 6 can be lifted so that the curvature of the flexible tentacles 6 is close to or consistent with that of the blades, thereby facilitating the adsorption of the blades.

[0035] Specifically, each pull rope assembly 5 includes a pull rope motor 51 fixed on the lower support plate 422, and the rotating shaft of the pull rope motor 51 is fixed with a wire drum 52 for winding a rope 53. The wire drum 52 is arranged below the lower support plate 422, and one end of the rope 53 passes through the flexible shell 61, at least two rope limiting holes 651 in sequence and is connected to the rope fixing buckle (not shown in the figure).

[0036] The rope-pulling motor 51 controls the rotation of the wire drum 52 to tighten the rope 53, thereby causing the flexible tentacle 6 to bend upward. When the flexible tentacle 6 bends upward, the rope 53 first pulls the suction cup fixing seat 65 in the distal section to lift it up, and the suction cup fixing seat 65 in the distal section drives the hard rubber rod 64 in the distal section to bend upward. The hard rubber rod 64 bends upward and drives the suction cup fixing seat 65 in the middle section to lift it up, thereby driving the hard rubber rod 64 in the middle section to bend upward, thereby cooperating with the suction cup 62 to complete the work of grabbing the seedlings.

[0037] The depth camera 7, the drive motor 41, the pull rope motor 51 and the air pump are all electrically connected to the controller. The specific method of using the seedling removal end effector in the present invention is as follows: first, the depth camera 7 collects the position and posture images of the seedlings in real time, and transmits the collected images to the controller. The controller can recognize and calculate the position of the seedlings, the position distribution of the leaves and the curvature of the leaves according to the images, and then transmits its position signal to each tentacle drive assembly 4. The drive motor 41 in the tentacle drive assembly 4 drives the flexible tentacles 6 to rotate, so that the flexible tentacles 6 rotate to the top of the corresponding leaves, which is convenient for the subsequent grasping of the seedlings. At the same time, the pull rope motor 51 in the pull rope assembly 5 drives the wire drum 52 to rotate to tighten the rope 53 to adjust the bending degree of the flexible tentacles 6 so that the suction cups 62 can absorb the leaves; then the pressure supply mechanism is activated to generate negative pressure on the suction cups 62 to grasp the seedlings. After the transplanting operation is completed, the pull rope motor 51 is powered off, and the middle and distal sections inside the flexible tentacles 6 rebound to reset the flexible tentacles 6, and the transplanting operation is completed.

[0038] In the present invention, the adsorption force of the suction cup 62 is used to grasp the seedlings, which reduces direct contact with the seedlings, avoids the compressive damage that may be caused by the traditional clamping method, and improves the survival rate of the seedlings.

[0039] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention in any form. Any equivalent changes or modifications made according to the essence of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A bionic flexible seedling taking end effector, characterized in that: include: The support mechanism (2) comprises a connecting column (21), an upper supporting plate (22), a lower supporting plate (23) and a hollow tube (24), wherein the upper supporting plate (22) is arranged at the bottom of the connecting column (21), the upper supporting plate (22) and the lower supporting plate (23) are connected by a fastener (25) and are spaced apart from each other in the upper and lower directions, the hollow tube (24) is connected to the center of the bottom surface of the lower supporting plate (23), and a ring track (241) is arranged on the outer surface of the hollow tube (24) in the circumferential direction; A depth camera (7) is disposed at the bottom of the hollow tube (24) and is used to capture images of the seedlings; A tentacle drive mechanism is arranged on the support mechanism (2), comprising N tentacle drive assemblies (4) uniformly distributed along the circumference of the upper support plate (22), the N tentacle drive assemblies (4) having the same structure, each tentacle drive assembly (4) comprising a drive motor (41) and an L-shaped support frame (42), the drive motor (41) being arranged on the upper support plate (22), the L-shaped support frame (42) comprising two parallel support plates, wherein the free end of the upper support plate (421) located at the top is connected to the drive motor (41), and the free end of the lower support plate (422) located at the bottom is matched with the annular track (241), and under the action of the drive motor (41), the L-shaped support frame (42) can at least rotate along a 1 / N area of ​​the annular track (241); N flexible tentacles (6) are connected to corresponding tentacle drive assemblies (4) and are arranged below them, each flexible tentacle (6) comprises a flexible shell (61), the flexible shell (61) enveloping a proximal section (63), a middle section and a distal section which are hinged in sequence, wherein the proximal section (63) is connected to the lower support plate (422), the middle section and the distal section have the same structure, and the middle section and the distal section are both provided with a suction cup (62) which passes through the flexible shell (61) and extends to the bottom of the flexible shell (61); in an initial state, the flexible tentacle (6) is in a lowered state; A pressure supply mechanism connected to the flexible tentacles (6) is capable of causing the flexible tentacles (6) to generate negative pressure adsorption force on the leaves of the seedlings, so as to adsorb the seedlings; A pull rope mechanism, comprising N pull rope assemblies (5) of the same structure, wherein the corresponding flexible tentacles (6) can be lifted by pulling the ropes (53) in the pull rope assemblies (5), thereby facilitating the adsorption of the blades; The controller is electrically connected to the depth camera (7), the tentacle drive mechanism, the pull rope mechanism and the pressure supply mechanism. The depth camera (7) sends the captured image to the controller. The controller determines the position of the seedling based on the image and analyzes and calculates the distribution and curvature of the leaves in the seedling. The transplanter moves the seedling end effector to the target position. The controller controls the tentacle drive mechanism to drive the flexible tentacles (6) to rotate above the corresponding leaves, and controls the pull rope mechanism to lift the flexible tentacles (6). Then, the pressure supply mechanism is activated so that the flexible tentacles (6) absorb and grasp the seedlings.

2. The bionic flexible seedling taking end effector according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The middle section and the distal section both comprise a hard rubber rod (64) and a suction cup fixing seat (65) hinged to the hard rubber rod (64), and the suction cup (62) is fixed on the suction cup fixing seat (65).

3. The bionic flexible seedling taking end effector according to claim 2 is characterized in that: At least one rope limiting hole (651) is provided on the top of each suction cup fixing seat (65), and a rope fixing buckle is provided at the end of the suction cup fixing seat (65) on the distal section.

4. The bionic flexible seedling taking end effector according to claim 3 is characterized in that: Each of the pull rope assemblies (5) comprises a pull rope motor (51) fixed on the lower support plate (422), a wire drum (52) for winding a rope (53) being fixed to the rotating shaft of the pull rope motor (51), and one end of the rope (53) passes through the flexible housing (61), at least two rope limiting holes (651) in sequence, and is connected to the rope fixing buckle.

5. The bionic flexible seedling taking end effector according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The pressure supply mechanism comprises N air pumps and a plurality of suction pipes (3) connected to each air pump, wherein one end of each suction pipe (3) away from the air pump extends into a corresponding flexible tentacle (6).

6. The bionic flexible seedling taking end effector according to claim 5 is characterized in that: Each straw (3) extends through the area between the upper and lower support plates (22, 23) through the hollow tube (24) and into the flexible shell (61).

7. The bionic flexible seedling taking end effector according to claim 5 is characterized in that: N is 3 or 4.

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