Control method for electric pruning shears

Abstract

The control method for the electric pruning shears comprises the steps that an intelligent shearing mode is selected, and shearing operation is started; reading preset configuration; the maximum shearing diameter, the relative resistance and the current electric quantity of the electric pruning shears are determined; judging whether the shearing limit of the electric pruning shears is exceeded or not based on the maximum shearing diameter and the relative resistance, and if the shearing limit is exceeded, stopping the shearing operation and returning to the step of reading the preset configuration; modifying a preset configuration based on the maximum shear diameter, the relative resistance, and the current electrical quantity; under the condition that the cutting operation fails, recording the cutting data and stopping the cutting operation, and then returning to the step of reading the preset configuration; and recording the cut data and selectively updating the preset configuration based on the cut data under the condition that the cut operation is successful, and then returning to the step of reading the preset configuration.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of electric tools, and specifically relates to a control method for electric pruning shears. The present application also relates to an electric pruning shears. Background Art

[0002] Electric pruning shears are devices that can easily and efficiently cut plant branches. They are widely used in agriculture, forestry and horticulture. Electric pruning shears usually have an electric motor that drives the blades through a gear transmission. To achieve the best performance of electric pruning shears, the control of the motor is crucial.

[0003] The cutting limit of an electric pruning shear is usually referred to as the maximum diameter value, but this value may vary depending on the hardness and density of the target material. For example, pine is softer and less dense than oak, so with the same motor power, an electric pruning shear can cut a larger diameter of pine than oak. Some users may ignore the cutting limit of electric pruning shears and try to cut anything that can be inserted into the opening, but this may damage the equipment or cause an accident.

[0004] Although working conditions and shearing materials vary, electric pruning shears currently do not have any changeable motor control configurations and may not achieve optimal performance in all working conditions.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need for an electric pruning shear and a control method for the electric pruning shear to accurately and reliably sense the characteristics of a target material, thereby achieving optimal pruning performance and safety. Summary of the invention

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application proposes an electric pruning shear and a control method for the electric pruning shear, which can accurately and reliably sense the characteristics of the target material. In addition, the method according to the present application can also optimize the operation process of the electric pruning shear to reduce blade wear and extend the service life of the controller.

[0007] The present application proposes a control method for an electric pruning shear, characterized in that the method comprises the following steps:

[0008] S101: Selecting the smart cutting mode and starting the cutting operation;

[0009] S102: Reading preset configuration;

[0010] S103: Determine the maximum shearing diameter and relative resistance of the sheared object and the current power of the electric pruning shears;

[0011] S104: judging whether the cut object exceeds the cutting limit of the electric pruning shears based on the maximum cutting diameter and the relative resistance, and stopping the cutting operation and returning to step S102 if the cut object exceeds the cutting limit;

[0012] S105: modifying the preset configuration based on the maximum shear diameter, the relative resistance, and the current power;

[0013] S106: If the cutting operation fails, record the cutting data and stop the cutting operation, and then return to step S102;

[0014] S107: When the cutting operation is successful, the cutting data is recorded and the preset configuration is selectively updated based on the cutting data, and then the process returns to step S102.

[0015] The control method according to the present application can improve the cutting quality and efficiency of the electric pruning shears, prevent damage or accidents caused by cutting inappropriate objects, reduce the occurrence of active blade jamming, thereby extending the service life of the electric pruning shears and reducing the related safety risks of users. The control method according to the present application allows the electric pruning shears to update the preset configuration according to the cutting history record to adapt to subsequent cutting under various working conditions.

[0016] The control method according to the present application uses an offline database and / or a cloud database to collect data measured and recorded in each shearing operation, and can use machine learning models such as deep learning to predict the working conditions of the next shearing operation and analyze user behavior and active blade wear, thereby extending the service life of the electric pruning shears and reducing the user's related safety risks, and recommending the replacement / replacement of the active blade when appropriate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of an electric pruning shear according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a graph of the current intensity of the motor of an electric pruning shear when performing a branch cutting operation.

[0019] Figure 3 is a flow chart of a control method for electric pruning shears according to one embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The exemplary embodiments of the present application will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the exemplary embodiments of the present application are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present application can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided in order to enable a more thorough understanding of the present application and to fully convey the scope of the present application to those skilled in the art.

[0021] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of an electric pruning shear according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 As shown, it is assumed in the following that the cross-section of the object to be cut is circular and its maximum cutting diameter is D. The electric pruning shears include a casing, a fixed blade 1, a movable blade 2 and a mode selection switch. The fixed blade 1 and the movable blade 2 extend from the casing. The fixed blade 1 is fixedly mounted on the casing by bolts, and the movable blade 2 is pivotally connected to the fixed blade 1 by bolts and can pivot around the bolts to achieve closing and opening of the blade. The shear trigger and the locking trigger are mounted on the lower side of the casing and are configured to lock each other, that is, the shear trigger can only be pressed if the locking trigger is pressed first. The mode selection switch is mounted on the casing to control the operating mode of the electric pruning shears.

[0022] In an electric pruning shear, the housing is usually composed of two half housings. The electric pruning shear also includes a battery, a motor, a transmission device and a control device installed in the housing. The battery is operably connected to the motor to supply power to it. The transmission device includes a transmission, a driving gear and a driven gear. The driving gear is connected to the motor to rotate with it. The driven gear is fan-shaped and meshes with the driving gear. One end of the movable blade 2 is fixedly connected to the driven gear to pivot around a bolt under the drive of the motor. The control device is connected to the motor and the shear trigger to control the start, stop and rotation direction of the motor.

[0023] The mode selection switch may be in the form of a push block and have at least three positions. When the mode selection switch is in the first position, the battery is disconnected from the motor. When the mode selection switch is in the second position, the battery is connected to the motor, and the electric pruning shears enter the normal cutting mode. When the mode selection switch is in the third position, the battery is connected to the motor, and the electric pruning shears enter the smart cutting mode.

[0024] Figure 2 It is a current diagram of the motor of the electric pruning shears when performing a shearing operation, wherein the electric pruning shears are in the intelligent shearing mode. It should be understood that the "current" herein refers to the working current of the motor, and its current intensity can be measured by the corresponding module in the control device.

[0025] The control device is configured to control the motor to stop or reverse when the current exceeds a current overload threshold value to protect the motor from being damaged.

[0026] Alternatively, the control device is configured to control the motor to stop or reverse when the current approaches the current overload threshold value and exceeds the overload duration threshold value to protect the motor from being damaged. The purpose of such a configuration is that, when the motor runs at a high intensity for a long time and still fails to complete the shearing, it can usually be considered that the electric pruning shears have been stuck or cannot continue to shear, so the shearing operation should be stopped to protect the motor from being damaged.

[0027] Alternatively, the control device is configured to control the motor to stop or reverse when the speed of the current rise exceeds the current growth rate threshold to protect the motor from damage. The purpose of this configuration is that a sudden increase in the current growth rate means a sudden increase in the hardness of the sheared object, which usually means that the electric pruning shears have encountered a foreign object with a hardness much higher than that of a conventional sheared object (such as an iron wire that is not suitable for shearing), and the shearing operation should be stopped. In addition, when the above situation occurs, the current growth rate threshold will be exceeded earlier than the current overload threshold and the overload duration threshold. Therefore, the use of the current growth rate threshold can more reliably protect the motor from damage.

[0028] like Figure 2 As shown, the electric pruning shears are in the smart shearing mode. At time T0, the shearing trigger is pressed, causing the active blade 2 to pivot. At time T1, the active blade 2 contacts the object to be sheared, causing the current intensity to rise and a first peak to appear. Since the speed of the motor is constant before the active blade 2 contacts the object to be sheared, the control device can calculate the maximum shearing diameter D of the object to be sheared based on the duration of the motor operation (i.e., the duration of the shearing trigger being pressed, here from time T0 to time T1). At time T2, the active blade 2 continues to move to penetrate the object to be sheared, at which time the current intensity rises again, and then maintains at a certain level until the active blade 2 completely cuts off the object to be sheared. The control device can calculate the relative resistance of the object to be sheared based on the slope of the current intensity during the rising period. At time T3, the active blade 2 completely cuts off the object to be sheared, causing the current intensity to drop sharply. The control device can control the motor to stop based on the sharp drop in current intensity. At time T4, the control device controls the motor to reverse so that the movable blade 2 pivots in the opposite direction. At this time, if the movable blade 2 has not yet separated from the object to be cut, the movable blade 2 still has to resist the relative resistance of the object to be cut, so the current intensity is still maintained at a certain level. At time T5, the movable blade 2 separates from the object to be cut, and the current intensity drops to zero. At this time, the control device controls the motor to open the blade to a degree slightly larger than the maximum cutting diameter D that can be accommodated. The above control is based on the following assumption, that is, when using electric pruning shears, users usually cut objects of similar sizes in the same batch. In other words, when using electric pruning shears, users usually cut wood of the same tree species, and the relative resistance of each branch is basically the same.

[0029] Optionally, the mode selection switch is configured to send a reset signal to the control device when returning from the third position to the second position, so that the control device clears data associated with a successful cutting operation and retains data associated with a failed cutting operation so that a technician can determine the cause of the failed cutting operation during repair and maintenance.

[0030] Figure 3 1 is a flow chart of a control method for electric pruning shears according to an embodiment of the present application. The control method comprises the following steps:

[0031] S101: Selecting the smart cutting mode and starting the cutting operation;

[0032] S102: Reading preset configuration;

[0033] S103: Determine the maximum shearing diameter and relative resistance of the sheared object and the current power of the electric pruning shears;

[0034] S104: judging whether the cut object exceeds the cutting limit of the electric pruning shears based on the maximum cutting diameter and the relative resistance, and stopping the cutting operation and returning to step S102 if the cut object exceeds the cutting limit;

[0035] S105: modifying the preset configuration based on the maximum shear diameter, the relative resistance, and the current power;

[0036] S106: If the cutting operation fails, record the cutting data and stop the cutting operation, and then return to step S102;

[0037] S107: When the cutting operation is successful, the cutting data is recorded and the preset configuration is selectively updated based on the cutting data, and then the process returns to step S102.

[0038] The preset configuration includes a current overload threshold, an overload duration threshold, and a current increase rate threshold. When the mode selection switch is moved to the third position, that is, when the electric pruning shears enter the intelligent cutting mode, the current overload threshold, the overload duration threshold, and the current increase rate threshold in the preset configuration are reset to their respective initial values. The initial value is read from the control device of the electric pruning shears. Specifically, the initial value is read from a lookup table preset in the control device.

[0039] The maximum cutting diameter is determined based on the operating time from when the motor of the electric pruning shears is first started after being connected to the battery until the movable blade of the electric pruning shears contacts the object to be cut.

[0040] The shear limit is determined based on a lookup table associated with the maximum shear diameter and the relative resistance. For example, for harder materials (such as branches of orange trees, branches of apple trees, branches of jujube trees, etc.), the current increase rate and the maximum current value during the shearing process are usually higher (because the relative resistance of such materials is larger), and the duration of the shearing process is shorter (because the maximum shear diameter of such materials is smaller). Therefore, in the lookup table, the shear limit corresponding to such materials is usually set to have a more tolerant current overload threshold and current increase rate threshold, and a more stringent overload duration threshold.

[0041] In another case, for softer materials (such as branches of peach trees, etc.), the current growth rate during the shearing process is usually lower (because the relative resistance of such materials is smaller), while the duration of the shearing process is longer, and the current maximum value is also higher (because the maximum shearing diameter of such materials is larger). Therefore, in the lookup table, the shearing limit corresponding to such materials is usually set to have a more tolerant current overload threshold and overload duration threshold, and a more stringent current growth rate threshold.

[0042] In another case, for vine-like materials, the current growth rate and the current maximum value during the shearing process are usually lower (because the relative resistance of such materials is smaller), and the duration of the shearing process is shorter (because the maximum shearing diameter of such materials is smaller). Therefore, in the lookup table, the shearing limit corresponding to such materials is usually set to have stricter current overload threshold, current growth rate threshold and overload duration threshold.

[0043] Stopping the shearing operation includes reversing the motor to open the blade so as to remove the sheared object in time. Additionally or alternatively, stopping the shearing operation may also include issuing an audio notification or a visual notification to indicate that the diameter of the sheared object is too large, and issuing an audio notification or a visual notification to suggest that the user replace the sheared object or replace the electric pruning shears of a different model.

[0044] Modifying the preset configuration includes modifying the current overload threshold, the overload duration threshold, and the current growth rate threshold, so that the current overload threshold corresponds to the maximum value of the current in the entire shearing process, the overload duration threshold corresponds to the duration when the current is close to the maximum value in the entire shearing process, and the current growth rate threshold corresponds to the relative resistance. In this way, when the electric pruning shears are used to shear harder (relatively larger resistance) and smaller diameter objects, the preset configuration is modified to be more sensitive to the diameter of the sheared object and less sensitive to the hardness of the sheared object, so as to improve work efficiency. When the electric pruning shears are used to shear softer (relatively smaller resistance) and larger diameter objects, the preset configuration is modified to be more sensitive to the hardness of the sheared object and less sensitive to the diameter of the sheared object, so that when foreign matter (such as iron wire) is mixed in the sheared object, the overload protection is triggered in time to stop the shearing operation, so as to protect the motor and movable blade of the electric pruning shears from damage.

[0045] Modifying the preset configuration also includes further adjusting the modified current overload threshold, overload duration threshold, and current growth rate threshold according to the current power. Specifically, there are two adjustment methods based on the type of battery of the electric pruning shears. The first adjustment method is to further reduce the current overload threshold, overload duration threshold, and current growth rate threshold when the current power is less than the threshold percentage of the maximum power (that is, apply a safety factor less than 1 to the current overload threshold, overload duration threshold, and current growth rate threshold) to maintain the stability of the battery of the electric pruning shears. The second adjustment method is the opposite. When the current power is less than the threshold percentage of the maximum power, the current overload threshold, overload duration threshold, and current growth rate threshold are further increased (that is, a safety factor greater than 1 is applied to the current overload threshold, overload duration threshold, and current growth rate threshold) to maintain the stability of the performance of the electric pruning shears.

[0046] The shearing data includes the maximum shearing diameter, relative resistance, shearing limit, preset configuration, shearing operation result, number of successes and number of failures of previous shearing operations. Preferably, only when the number of successes exceeds the configuration update threshold, the original values ​​in the preset configuration are overwritten with the modified current overload threshold, overload duration threshold and current growth rate threshold to improve processing efficiency.

[0047] In summary, the control method according to the present application is intended to improve the cutting quality and efficiency of the electric pruning shears, prevent damage or accidents caused by cutting inappropriate objects, reduce the occurrence of active blade jamming, thereby extending the service life of the electric pruning shears and reducing the related safety risks of users. The control method according to the present application allows the electric pruning shears to update the preset configuration according to the cutting history record to adapt to subsequent cutting under various working conditions.

[0048] According to another embodiment of the present application, the control method for the electric pruning shears can interact with an offline database and / or a cloud database, and the detected and recorded data can be processed with the help of the database to obtain the best preset configuration. The detected and recorded data can also update the database. Specifically, the step S105 of modifying the preset configuration can also include identifying the working condition of the current shearing operation from the database based on the maximum shearing diameter, relative resistance and current power, and then modifying the preset configuration based on the current working condition; the step S107 of updating the preset configuration based on the shearing data can also include updating the database based on the shearing data, and then predicting the working condition of the next shearing operation based on the information in the database and selectively updating the preset configuration.

[0049] The database includes an offline database and / or a cloud database. The offline database can be stored in a memory inside the electric pruning shears, or in a memory outside the electric pruning shears. The cloud database includes a remote database connected to the control device of the electric pruning shears via a local area network or the Internet.

[0050] Identification of the operating conditions of the current shearing operation includes searching a database for operating conditions corresponding to the maximum shearing diameter, relative resistance, and current electrical charge.

[0051] The modification of the preset configuration includes modifying the preset configuration based on the current overload threshold, the overload duration threshold, and the current growth rate threshold corresponding to the current working condition in the database.

[0052] The updating of the database includes writing the maximum shear diameter, relative resistance, battery power, shear limit and preset configuration into the database in a corresponding relationship with each other.

[0053] In summary, the control method according to the present application uses an offline database and / or a cloud database to collect data measured and recorded in each shearing operation, and can use machine learning models such as deep learning to predict the working conditions of the next shearing operation and analyze user behavior and active blade wear, thereby extending the service life of the electric pruning shears and reducing the user's related safety risks, and recommending the replacement / replacement of the active blade when appropriate.

[0054] The control method according to the present application can be implemented by hardware or software. If the communication function with a remote database is to be realized, an Internet of Things (IoT) connection module needs to be added to the control device of the electric pruning shears for users to upload / download data and preset configurations. In order to cooperate with the control method and control system according to the present application, additional sensors can be embedded in the electric pruning shears, and / or the electric pruning shears can be connected to additional sensors and / or devices with additional sensors. The control method and control system according to the present application can expand the functionality and accuracy based on the data of additional sensors.

[0055] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for illustrative and descriptive purposes. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the described variants. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The embodiments are selected and described in order to best illustrate the principles and practical applications, so that those skilled in the art can understand the embodiments in their various embodiments and various modifications suitable for their intended use. Within the framework of the embodiments, the above-mentioned components and features can be combined between different embodiments.

Claims

1. A control method for electric pruning shears, characterized in that: The method comprises the following steps: S101: Selecting the smart cutting mode and starting the cutting operation; S102: Reading preset configuration; S103: Determine the maximum shearing diameter and relative resistance of the sheared object and the current power of the electric pruning shears; S104: judging whether the cut object exceeds the cutting limit of the electric pruning shears based on the maximum cutting diameter and the relative resistance, and stopping the cutting operation and returning to step S102 if the cut object exceeds the cutting limit; S105: modifying the preset configuration based on the maximum shear diameter, the relative resistance, and the current power; S106: If the cutting operation fails, record the cutting data and stop the cutting operation, and then return to step S102; S107: When the cutting operation is successful, the cutting data is recorded and the preset configuration is selectively updated based on the cutting data, and then the process returns to step S102.

2. The control method for electric pruning shears according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of modifying the preset configuration includes identifying the working condition of the current shearing operation from a database based on the maximum shearing diameter, the relative resistance and the current power, and then modifying the preset configuration based on the current working condition; The step of updating the preset configuration based on the shearing data includes updating a database based on the shearing data, and then predicting the working conditions of the next shearing operation based on the information in the database and selectively updating the preset configuration.

3. The control method for electric pruning shears according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The preset configuration includes current overload threshold, overload duration threshold and current growth rate threshold.

4. The control method for electric pruning shears according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The maximum cutting diameter is determined based on the operating time from when the motor of the electric pruning shears is first started after being connected to the battery of the electric pruning shears until the movable blade of the electric pruning shears contacts the object to be cut.

5. The control method for electric pruning shears according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The shear limit is determined based on a lookup table correlating maximum shear diameter and relative resistance.

6. The control method for electric pruning shears according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: Modifications to the preset configuration include: Modify the current overload threshold so that it corresponds to the maximum value of the current during the entire shearing process; Modify the overload duration threshold so that it corresponds to the duration when the current is close to the maximum value during the entire shearing process; Modify the current growth rate threshold to correspond to the relative resistance; According to the current power, the modified current overload threshold, overload duration threshold and current growth rate threshold are further adjusted.

7. The control method for electric pruning shears according to claim 6, characterized in that: Modifications to the current power include: When the current power level is less than the threshold percentage of the maximum power level, further reducing the current overload threshold, the overload duration threshold, and the current increase rate threshold to maintain the stability of the battery of the electric pruning shears; or When the current power is less than the threshold percentage of the maximum power, the current overload threshold, the overload duration threshold and the current increase rate threshold are further increased to maintain the stability of the performance of the electric pruning shears.

8. The control method for electric pruning shears according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The shearing data includes the maximum shearing diameter of this shearing, relative resistance, shearing limit, preset configuration, shearing operation results, and the number of successes and failures of previous shearing operations.

9. The control method for electric pruning shears according to claim 8, characterized in that: The updating of the preset configuration includes overwriting the original values ​​in the preset configuration with the modified current overload threshold, overload duration threshold and current growth rate threshold when the number of successes exceeds the configuration update threshold.

10. The control method for electric pruning shears according to claim 2, characterized in that: The database includes an offline database and / or a cloud database; The offline database is stored in a memory disposed inside the electric pruning shears, or in a memory disposed outside the electric pruning shears; The cloud database includes a remote database connected to the control device of the electric pruning shears via a local area network or the Internet.

11. The control method for electric pruning shears according to claim 2, characterized in that: Identification of the operating conditions of the current shearing operation includes searching a database for operating conditions corresponding to the maximum shearing diameter, relative resistance, and current electrical charge.

12. The control method for electric pruning shears according to claim 2, characterized in that: The modification of the preset configuration includes modifying the preset configuration based on the current overload threshold, the overload duration threshold, and the current growth rate threshold corresponding to the current working condition in the database.

13. The control method for electric pruning shears according to claim 2, characterized in that: The updating of the database includes writing the maximum shear diameter, the current power of the relative resistance, the shear limit and the preset configuration into the database in a corresponding relationship when the number of successes exceeds the configuration update threshold.

14. An electric pruning shear, comprising: chassis; The battery, motor and transmission are installed in the housing; A fixed blade (1) and a movable blade (2) extending from the housing, wherein the fixed blade (1) is fixedly mounted on the housing, and the movable blade (2) is pivotally connected to the fixed blade (1); A mode selection switch mounted on the housing, which is configured to control an operating mode of the electric pruning shears, wherein the mode selection switch has at least three positions, wherein when the mode selection switch is in a first position, the battery is disconnected from the motor, when the mode selection switch is in a second position, the battery is connected to the motor, and the electric pruning shears enter a normal shearing mode, and when the mode selection switch is in a third position, the battery is connected to the motor, and the electric pruning shears enter an intelligent shearing mode; a shear trigger mounted on the case; a control device mounted in the housing, connected to the motor and the shear trigger, and configured to control starting, stopping and direction of rotation of the motor; It is characterized in that The control device is configured to carry out a method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. The electric pruning shears according to claim 14, characterized in that: The control device includes an Internet of Things connection module.

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