Disc cutting collection type flexible green asparagus picking end effector and harvesting method

Abstract

The invention relates to a disc cutting and collecting type flexible green asparagus picking end effector which comprises a rack, a cutting mechanism, a guiding mechanism and a collecting mechanism. The rack is used for supporting and fixing other mechanisms of the end effector and is connected with an external moving device (such as a mechanical arm); the cutting mechanism comprises a cutter head, a transmission gear set, a transmission belt, a belt pulley and a motor; the guide mechanism is used for guiding cutting and guiding the cut asparagus to the collecting device, and comprises a guide finger plate, a guide roller, a flexible shifting finger, a transmission belt, a belt roller, a transmission gear and a motor; the collecting mechanism is used for collecting and temporarily storing the picked asparagus and comprises a side baffle and a bottom baffle. The invention further provides a harvesting method of the disc cutting collection type flexible end effector suitable for selectively picking the green asparagus, the guide mechanism with the flexible component and the disc cutting mechanism are used for replacing a traditional clamping and shearing mechanism, and the execution action needed by the end effector for picking and recycling is simplified; the damage to the asparagus during picking is reduced; the end effector is provided with a collecting device, it can be guaranteed that a certain number of asparagus is continuously picked for collection and temporary storage, the time consumed by a traditional end effector for completing various actions in the picking process is effectively shortened, and the picking efficiency is high.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of picking devices, and in particular to a disc cutting and collecting type flexible green asparagus picking end effector and a harvesting method, which can realize the harvesting of green asparagus. The end effector is provided with storage space and flexible components, can complete cutting, collecting and transporting operations with low damage, and the control action is simple and effective. Background Art

[0002] Green asparagus is a plant rich in nutrients and medicinal value. my country has the largest planting area of ​​green asparagus in the world. Green asparagus is an economic crop with a long harvesting period and can be harvested multiple times after planting. Therefore, green asparagus will mature at different times, and it is necessary to judge the growth degree before harvesting. If non-selective picking is used, the asparagus will often be cut too short and the newly grown asparagus will be damaged, resulting in a loss of economic benefits. The current green asparagus selective picking equipment is still in the research and development stage. Therefore, the selective harvesting of green asparagus in the world is still mainly manual harvesting, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive and requires a lot of labor costs.

[0003] After searching the prior art, it was found that the current selective picking end effectors for green asparagus can be generally classified into two categories: one is the clamping and shearing type end effector of the traditional agricultural robot, and the other is the pneumatic cutter or shovel type end effector; the former can be installed at the end of the robotic arm, has good flexibility, high picking accuracy and little damage to the asparagus, but the shortcomings of this end effector are: ① the picking action steps need to be performed step by step, resulting in a slow execution process; ② one picked target object is transported at a time, and the picking efficiency is low; the latter harvesting end effector generally uses a bamboo shoot clamping device to clamp the asparagus and then controls the cylinder action to make the shovel cut off the asparagus root. This method has a higher picking speed, but the shortcomings are: ① it is not suitable for flexible robotic arm picking; ② the bamboo shoot cutting shovel has high positioning and control accuracy requirements and a low fault tolerance rate.

[0004] Therefore, in view of the shortcomings of the existing technology for harvesting green asparagus, there is an urgent need for a green asparagus harvesting end effector with high picking efficiency and simple control requirements to solve the problem of efficient and selective harvesting of green asparagus picking robots operating between rows. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of the shortcomings and defects of existing asparagus picking equipment, the present invention provides a disc cutting and collecting flexible green asparagus picking end effector and a harvesting method, which can realize rapid cutting and recovery and continuous picking of multiple targets for centralized transportation, and has the characteristics of synchronous cutting and recovery actions, simple control and efficient harvesting.

[0006] The invention discloses a disc cutting and collecting type flexible green asparagus picking end effector, which comprises a frame, a cutting mechanism, a guiding mechanism and a collecting mechanism.

[0007] The frame is an L-shaped frame structure, which is used to support the cutting mechanism, the guiding mechanism and the collecting mechanism, and is connected to an external moving device to drive the entire end effector to perform a harvesting action; the cutting mechanism is supported on the frame and is used to separate the green asparagus from the root; the guiding mechanism is supported on the frame and is used to allow the asparagus to smoothly enter the cutting mechanism and enter the collecting mechanism after being cut; the collecting device is fixed on the frame and is used to temporarily store and transport the collected asparagus.

[0008] The cutting mechanism comprises a circular cutter disc, a transmission gear, a transmission belt, a pulley and a motor; the circular cutter disc is located at the front end of a frame, and in order to avoid interference in the asparagus cutting operation and to control the front end size of the end effector, the motor is located at the rear end of the frame, and the motor outputs power to the circular cutter disc through belt transmission and gear transmission to make it rotate at high speed to achieve cutting of the asparagus.

[0009] The guide mechanism comprises a guide finger plate, a guide roller, a flexible finger, a transmission belt and a pulley, a transmission gear, a reversing gear set, and a motor. The guide finger plate can guide asparagus of different diameters into the cutting mechanism, reducing the requirement for positioning accuracy; during the guiding process, the reversing gear set divides the power of the motor into two powers with different rotation directions, and then drives the pulley and the transmission belt to cause the guide rollers on both sides of the front end of the frame to rotate, so as to guide the cut asparagus to the collection device; the guide roller has a flexible finger, which greatly reduces the degree of squeezing of the asparagus during the guiding process, and better protects the asparagus.

[0010] The collecting mechanism comprises side baffles and a bottom baffle. The side baffles, the bottom baffle and the frame form a storage space for temporarily storing the picked asparagus. The bottom baffle has an opening and closing function, which is convenient for the next step of transporting the asparagus.

[0011] The harvesting method of the disc cutting and collecting type flexible green asparagus picking end effector provided by the present invention comprises the following steps: During the picking process, the circular knife disc and the guide roller keep rotating, the picking end effector is moved so that the front end of the guide finger plate and the circular knife disc are aligned with the cutting position of the asparagus, and the end effector is moved forward horizontally so that the asparagus passes through the guide finger plate to the cutting position for cutting; After the asparagus is cut, it enters the collection mechanism through the flexible fingers on the guide roller. Due to the storage space, the end effector does not need to place the picked asparagus after completing the cutting and picking of the current asparagus, but can immediately move to the next target position for picking. When the collecting device is full of asparagus, the end effector is moved to a specified position, the bottom baffle of the collecting device is opened, and the collected asparagus can fall out through the opening. After all the asparagus falls out, the bottom baffle is closed again, and a batch of harvesting work is completed.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. The present invention uses the rotary motion of a circular knife disc to cut and pick green asparagus, which can continuously and stably perform the cutting action, eliminating the frequent start-stop control and return action steps, and has fast cutting speed and low requirements on the accuracy of the control system; 2. The present invention does not require a clamping device, but uses a guiding mechanism with a flexible material, which has a very short contact time with the green asparagus during operation, and can complete the work of guiding and recovering the green asparagus, further reducing the damage to the green asparagus during picking; 3. The present invention has a collecting mechanism at the end near the picking point, which constitutes a temporary storage space for storing the picked green asparagus for batch transportation, thereby improving the picking efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 This is a left view of a disc cutting and collecting flexible green asparagus picking end effector.

[0014] Figure 2 An axonometric view of a disc-cutting and collecting flexible green asparagus harvesting end effector.

[0015] Figure 3 A top view of the key guiding structure of a disc-cutting and collecting flexible green asparagus picking end effector.

[0016] Figure 4 A top view of the cutting mechanism of a disc-cutting and collecting flexible green asparagus picking end effector.

[0017] In the figure: 1, mounting bracket 2, cutting motor 3, guide motor 4, motor support frame 5, cutting drive belt 6, main bracket 7, bottom baffle 8, cutting bracket 9, cutter disc drive gear 10, guide roller bracket 11, side baffle 12, guide drive bracket 13, guide drive gear 14, cutting drive pulley 15, I-shaped support frame 16, guide drive pulley 17, guide gear set 18, guide driven gear 19, guide roller 20, flexible finger 21, guide drive belt 22, guide finger plate 23, circular cutter disc 24, cutting drive gear. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The following embodiments of the technical solution of the present invention are described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, and are therefore only used as examples, and cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present invention.

[0019] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the technical terms or scientific terms used in this application should have the common meanings understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs.

[0020] like Figure 1 , 2 As shown, the frame is an L-shaped frame structure composed of a main support (6) and other auxiliary supports fixedly connected, wherein the main support (6) is used to support the cutting mechanism, the guide mechanism and the collecting mechanism; the mounting frame (1) is used to connect the main support (6) and the external mounting position, the rear end of the mounting frame (1) is connected to the main support (6) by bolts, and the front end is connected to the guide roller support (10), and the mounting frame (1) is connected to the external moving device to drive the entire end effector to perform the harvesting action; the motor support frame (4) is fixed to the rear end of the main support (6) and is used to install the cutting motor (2) and the guide roller support (10). The invention relates to a motor (3); a cutting bracket (8) mounted at the front end of a main bracket; a guide transmission bracket (12) mounted at the rear end of a guide roller bracket (10) and fixedly connected to the main bracket (6); the cutting mechanism is mounted on the main bracket (6) and is used to separate the green asparagus from the root; the guiding mechanism is integrally mounted above the cutting mechanism and is fixedly connected to the main bracket (6) and is used to allow the asparagus to smoothly enter the cutting mechanism and enter the collecting mechanism after being cut; the collecting mechanism is fixed on the main bracket (6) and is used to temporarily store and transport the collected asparagus.

[0021] like Figure 1 , 2 As shown in , 4, the cutting mechanism comprises a cutting support (8), a circular cutter disc (23), a cutter disc driving gear (9), a cutting transmission gear (24), a cutting transmission belt (5), a cutting transmission pulley (14), and a cutting motor (2); the cutting motor (2) is fixed to one side of the motor support frame (4), the cutting transmission pulley (14) at the rear end is mounted on the main support (6) through a shaft and a bearing, and is connected to the output shaft of the cutting motor (2) through a coupling; the cutting transmission pulley (14) at the front end is mounted on the cutting support (8) through a shaft and a bearing, and is connected to the cutting motor (2) through a coupling. The cutting drive belt (5) together forms a belt drive, which transmits the power output by the cutting motor (2) to the front end of the end effector; the cutting drive gear (24) is assembled on the cutting bracket (8) through a shaft and a bearing, and transmits the power of the cutting drive pulley (14) at the front end to the cutter disc drive gear (9); the circular cutter disc (19) and the cutter disc drive gear (9) are fixedly connected and assembled on the cutting bracket (8) through a rotating shaft and a bearing. When the cutting mechanism is working, the rotation of the cutter disc drive gear (6) drives the rotation of the circular cutter disc (19) to cut the asparagus.

[0022] like Figure 1 , 2As shown in , 3 and 4, the guide mechanism comprises a guide motor (3), a guide roller bracket (10), a guide transmission bracket (12), a guide drive gear (13), a guide transmission pulley (16), a guide gear set (17), a guide driven gear (18), a guide roller (19), a flexible finger (20), a guide transmission belt (21), and a guide finger plate (22). The guide finger plate (22) is assembled on the front end of the cutting bracket (8) to guide asparagus of different thicknesses into the cutting mechanism, thereby reducing the positioning accuracy requirement for the asparagus; the guiding process is achieved by outputting power from the guide motor (3) fixed to the motor support frame (4); the guide drive gear (13) is assembled on the main bracket (6) through a shaft and a bearing, and is connected to the output shaft of the guide motor (3) through a coupling; the guide driven gear (18) is assembled between the main bracket (6) and the guide transmission bracket (12) through a shaft and a bearing, and transmits power to the guide gear set (17); the guide gear set (17) is connected to the main bracket (6) and the guide transmission bracket (12) through a shaft and a bearing. The shaft and the bearing are assembled between the guide transmission bracket (12) and the rear end of the guide roller bracket (10), and the power is transmitted to the opposite rear end guide transmission pulleys (16) respectively, so that they rotate in opposite directions; the power is transmitted to the front end guide transmission pulley (16) through the guide transmission belt (21); the front end guide transmission pulley (16) is installed at the front end of the guide roller bracket (10), and is connected to the guide roller (19) through the shaft, so that the guide roller can rotate in opposite directions; the flexible finger (20) array is connected around the guide roller (19), so as to better protect the asparagus and greatly reduce the degree of squeezing of the asparagus during the guiding process.

[0023] like Figure 2 , 3 As shown, the collecting mechanism comprises a side baffle (11), a bottom baffle (7), and a storage space formed by a main support (6), a cutting support (8) and a guide roller support (10). The bottom end of the side baffle (11) is fixedly connected to the main support (6), and the other end is connected to the mounting frame (1). The bottom baffle (7) has a rotating shaft, which is assembled at a corresponding position of the main support (6) and can rotate around the shaft to realize opening and closing of the bamboo shoot dropping mouth.

[0024] A harvesting method of a disc cutting and collecting type flexible green asparagus picking end effector of the present invention comprises the following steps: During the picking process, the cutting motor (2) and the guide motor (3) are turned on to keep the circular blade disc (23) and the guide roller (19) rotating, and the moving mounting bracket (1) drives the entire picking end effector to align the front end of the guide finger plate (22) and the circular blade disc (23) with the cutting position of the asparagus, and the end effector is moved forward horizontally to allow the asparagus to pass through the guide finger plate (22) to reach the cutting position for cutting.

[0025] While cutting, the flexible fingers (20) on the guide roller (19) push the asparagus toward the collecting mechanism, and after the circular blade disc (23) cuts the asparagus, the asparagus is pushed into the storage space of the collecting mechanism; due to the storage space, after the end effector has completed the cutting and picking of the current asparagus, it does not need to place the picked asparagus, but can immediately move to the next target position for picking, thereby continuously harvesting a batch of asparagus.

[0026] When the collecting device is full of asparagus, the mobile mounting bracket (1) drives the end effector to a designated position, the bottom baffle (7) of the collecting device opens, and the collected asparagus can fall out through the opening. After all the asparagus has fallen out, the bottom baffle (7) is closed again, and a batch of harvesting work is completed.

Claims

1. A disc cutting and collecting flexible green asparagus picking end effector, characterized in that It consists of a frame, a cutting mechanism, a guiding mechanism and a collecting mechanism; The frame is an L-shaped frame structure, which is used to support the cutting mechanism, the guiding mechanism and the collecting mechanism, and is connected to an external moving device to drive the entire end effector to perform a harvesting action; the cutting mechanism is supported on the frame, and is used to separate the green asparagus from the root; the guiding mechanism is supported on the frame, and is used to allow the asparagus to smoothly enter the cutting mechanism and enter the collecting mechanism after being cut; the collecting device is fixed on the frame, and is used to temporarily store and transport the collected asparagus; The cutting mechanism comprises a circular cutter disc, a transmission gear, a transmission belt, a pulley, and a motor; the circular cutter disc is located at the front end of the frame, and in order to avoid interference in the asparagus cutting operation and to control the front end size of the end effector, the motor is located at the rear end of the frame, and the motor outputs power to the circular cutter disc through belt transmission and gear transmission to make it rotate at high speed to achieve cutting of the asparagus; The guiding mechanism includes a guiding finger plate, a guiding roller, a flexible finger, a transmission belt and a pulley, a transmission gear, a reversing gear set, and an electric motor. The guiding finger plate can guide asparagus of different diameters into the cutting mechanism, reducing the requirements for positioning accuracy. During the guiding process, the reversing gear set divides the power of the motor into two powers with different rotation directions, and then drives the pulley and the transmission belt to cause the guide rollers on both sides of the front end of the frame to rotate, thereby guiding the cut asparagus to the collection device; the guide rollers are provided with flexible fingers, which greatly reduce the degree of squeezing of the asparagus during the guiding process, thereby better protecting the asparagus; The collecting mechanism comprises side baffles and a bottom baffle. The side baffles, the bottom baffle and the frame form a storage space for temporarily storing the picked asparagus. The bottom baffle has an opening and closing function, which is convenient for the next step of transporting the asparagus.

2. The harvesting method of the disc cutting and collecting flexible green asparagus picking end effector according to claim 1 is characterized in that The steps include: (a) During the picking process, the circular knife disc and the guide roller keep rotating, the picking end effector is moved so that the front end of the guide finger plate and the circular knife disc are aligned with the cutting position of the asparagus, and the end effector is moved forward horizontally so that the asparagus passes through the guide finger plate to the cutting position for cutting; (b) After the asparagus is cut, it enters the collecting mechanism through the flexible fingers on the guide roller. Due to the storage space, the end effector does not need to place the asparagus after completing the cutting and picking of the current asparagus, but can immediately move to the next target position for picking; (c) When the collecting device is full of asparagus, the end effector is moved to a designated position, the bottom baffle of the collecting device is opened, and the collected asparagus can fall out through the opening. After all the asparagus falls out, the bottom baffle is closed again. A batch of harvesting work is completed.

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