Spherical pineapple picking tail end manipulator and picking method

Abstract

The invention discloses a spherical pineapple picking tail end manipulator and a picking method, and particularly relates to the field of automatic pineapple picking, the spherical pineapple picking tail end manipulator comprises a control box, a brush motor, a wrapping guide rail, a spherical wrapping mechanism, a magnetic encoder, a flange plate and a control system. The output shaft of the control box rotates to drive the central wrapper to turn over anticlockwise, so that the outer wrapper connected with the central wrapper is driven to turn over correspondingly, and the outer wrapper is turned over clockwise while the inner wrapper is turned over anticlockwise; when the inner side wrapping device and the outer side wrapping device expand at the same angle in opposite directions, the inner side wrapping device and the outer side wrapping device expand in an arc-shaped path due to guiding of the wrapping guide rail, and the inner side wrapping device and the outer side wrapping device expand in a spherical wrapping structure to form a space similar to a sphere; meanwhile, the spherical wrapping structure is unfolded along the surface of the pineapple in an arc-shaped path, leaves around the pineapple can be effectively avoided, the spherical wrapping structure does not make contact with rhizomes of the pineapple, and the pineapple is wrapped and positioned through the spherical space; therefore, the effect of preventing stems, corms and fruits from being damaged when the pineapples are picked is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of automatic pineapple picking, in particular to a spherical pineapple picking terminal manipulator and a picking method. Background Art

[0002] Pineapple is a tropical fruit crop, with more than 70 varieties cultivated worldwide. Pineapple is native to South America and Central America. Today, pineapple has become one of the most important tropical fruit crops in my country, with a planting area of ​​about one million mu and a production of about 1.65 million tons. It is an important pillar industry in Guangdong, Hainan and other places. Pineapple has high nutritional value. According to measurements, the vitamin C content of pineapple is 5 times that of apple, and it is rich in enzymes, which can help the human body digest protein. Pineapple's by-products are also very economically valuable, such as pineapple fiber can be made into fabrics, and the peel and roots and leaves can be used as medicine.

[0003] A complete pineapple plant includes pineapple stems, leaves, corms, fruits, etc. The fruits grow at the top of the pineapple stems and are wrapped by leaves, corms, etc. Among them, pineapple fruits are the most common economic benefit-generating parts of pineapples in the public's cognition. However, for growers, pineapple leaves, corms, etc. can be used to plant new pineapple plants, which have the same economic benefits as pineapple fruits.

[0004] A Chinese patent discloses a retractable portable pineapple picking manipulator with publication number CN217722072U, and the application date is 2022.06.08. The patented technology works through the second steering gear, and the second steering gear drives the second gear to rotate clockwise outward, and the rotation of the second gear drives the third gear meshing with it to rotate counterclockwise, the second gear rotates clockwise outward, and the third gear rotates counterclockwise outward. The rotation of the second gear and the third gear drives the second swing rod to open. At this time, the clamping blocks at one end of the two second swing rods are placed at the position where the pineapple is to be picked. The second steering gear works, and the second steering gear drives the second gear to rotate counterclockwise inward, and the rotation of the second gear drives the third gear meshing with it to rotate clockwise, the second gear rotates clockwise inward, and the third gear rotates clockwise inward. The rotation of the second gear and the third gear drives the second swing rod to clamp the pineapple;

[0005] A Chinese patent disclosed a pineapple picking robot with publication number CN208572771U, with an application date of 2018.06.26. The patented technology uses a method of first grabbing and then twisting to pick pineapples, completing the mechanized harvesting process of pineapples. The pineapple picking mechanisms are driven by motors, achieving a breakthrough in picking methods and high picking efficiency.

[0006] A Chinese patent disclosed a pineapple picking end-effector with publication number CN221748981U, and the application date is 2024.01.29. This patented technology drives the holding hand to clamp the pineapple through a telescopic mechanism, and then drives the telescopic mechanism to rotate through a rotating mechanism, and the telescopic mechanism drives the holding hand to rotate to achieve the twisting of the pineapple; in the process of twisting the pineapple, when the connection between the pineapple and the pineapple stem cannot be twisted off, the supplementary cutting mechanism can supplement the cutting of the pineapple stem to cut off the connection between the pineapple and the pineapple stem.

[0007] A Chinese patent disclosed a pineapple picking manipulator with the publication number CN205694358U, and the application date was 2016.05.10. This patented technology solves the problems of manual pineapple picking, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive, inefficient, and easy for fruit farmers to get hurt. In addition, the pineapple picking manipulator has a simple structure and is easy to operate, which can better promote the development of the pineapple industry.

[0008] However, since the distance between the pineapple stem, bulb, leaf and fruit is very close, the picking mechanism used in the above four patents still cannot avoid the obstruction of the bulb, leaf and other obstacles on the stem around the pineapple fruit when picking the pineapple, and thus cannot separate and pick the fruit without damaging the stem, bulb and fruit. Therefore, the inventor provides a spherical pineapple picking end manipulator and a picking method to solve the problems raised in the above background technology. Summary of the invention

[0009] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a spherical pineapple picking terminal manipulator and a picking method, so as to prevent the stalks, bulbs and fruits from being damaged during pineapple picking.

[0010] The purpose of the present invention can be achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0011] One of the schemes: a spherical pineapple picking terminal manipulator, including a control box, a brushed motor, a wrapping guide rail, a spherical wrapping mechanism, a magnetic encoder, a flange and a control system; the control box includes a control box left side plate, a control box front plate, a control box bottom plate, a control box output shaft, a control box right side plate, a control box bevel gear transmission, a control box coupling, a control box top plate, and a control box rear plate, wherein the control box left side plate, the control box front plate, the control box right side plate, and the control box rear plate, the control box top plate, the control box right side plate, the control box bottom plate, and the control box left side plate are respectively fixedly connected with bolts and nuts through angle code groups; the control box top plate, the control box front plate, the control box bottom plate, and the control box rear plate.

[0012] As a further solution of the present invention: the control box is fixedly connected with bolts and nuts through angle codes to form a closed box, the forward output shaft of the control box bevel gear transmission is connected to the control box output shaft through a control box coupling, the left side of the control box output shaft is connected to the brushed motor through the control box coupling, and the right side of the control box output shaft is connected to the magnetic encoder through the control box coupling.

[0013] As a further solution of the present invention: the flange is installed on the rear plate of the control box, and the spherical wrapping mechanism is fixedly connected to the end mounting platform of the picking control robot arm installed with the visual system and the host computer through the flange; the control system is installed on the top plate of the control box, and the wrapping guide rail is fixedly connected to the front plate of the control box.

[0014] As a further scheme of the present invention: the spherical wrapping structure includes an inner wrapper, an outer wrapper, an edge inner flange bearing, a center wrapper, a center inner flange bearing, a center thrust ball bearing, an edge outer flange bearing, a center outer flange bearing, an edge thrust ball bearing, a slider, and a main control flange; wherein the inner wrapper and the outer wrapper are both spherical shell-shaped connecting rods, and stepped holes are respectively arranged at the upper and lower ends thereof for interference fit connection with the center inner flange bearing, the edge inner flange bearing, the center outer flange bearing and the edge thrust ball bearing; a center thrust ball bearing is sandwiched and installed between the center inner flange bearing and the center outer flange bearing; a circular groove and a plurality of circular holes are opened on the inner surface of the center wrapper, and the circular groove is used for fixed connection with the main control flange.

[0015] As a further solution of the present invention: a slider that cooperates with the wrapping guide rail and is slidably connected to the spherical wrapping structure is installed behind the spherical wrapping structure, wherein the slider is adapted to the internal U-shaped groove of the wrapping guide rail; the wrapping guide rail is fixedly connected to the front plate of the control box; at the same time, the corresponding side slider is rotatably connected to the outer wrapper.

[0016] As a further solution of the present invention: the inner wrapper and the outer wrapper are connected at their ends through flange bearings and thrust ball bearings; the edge outer flange bearing is interference mounted on the step hole of the outer wrapper.

[0017] As a further solution of the present invention: the brushed motor and the magnetic encoder are electrically connected to a control system, and the rotation of the brushed motor is controlled by a PID algorithm to achieve precise angle adjustment and fixed-point control of the spherical wrapping structure.

[0018] Another solution: a method for picking spherical pineapples, the pineapple picking process includes the following steps:

[0019] 1. The spherical wrapping structure is completely shrunk, the inner wrapper is fitted, and a covering spherical surface of about 10000 is formed. The pineapple fruit is identified and located by the visual system, and the pineapple fruit is moved to the preparatory feeding position in front of the fruit, and the motion command of the control system is waited for;

[0020] 2. The robotic arm extends forward to make the spherical package structure contact the surface of the pineapple. The visual system identifies the obstructions between the surface of the pineapple and the predetermined breaking direction. If an obstruction is detected, the robotic arm rotates around the fruit to avoid the leaves and bulbs around the pineapple.

[0021] 3. According to the recognition instruction of the visual system, the control system controls the brush motor to drive the spherical wrapping structure to unfold, and wrap the pineapple fruit into the spherical space;

[0022] 4. The joint at the end of the robotic arm rotates quickly, driving the spherical wrapping structure to break off the fruit in a direction that avoids the bulb;

[0023] 5. After the fruit is separated, the robotic arm rotates the wrapping structure to a position 90 degrees from the initial position, moves to the designated position, and the motor returns to its initial state and puts down the fruit, completing the picking process.

[0024] A spherical pineapple picking terminal manipulator and a picking method. During the picking process, a visual system is used to identify the position and azimuth of the pineapple fruit and surrounding obstacle information. The control system adjusts the movement trajectory of the manipulator according to the identification result to avoid interference of pineapple stems and leaves and the like during picking.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0026] The spherical pineapple picking terminal manipulator and picking method, when the output shaft of the control box rotates to drive the central wrapper to flip counterclockwise, since the outer wrapper on the rear side of the central wrapper is rotationally connected to the central wrapper, it will not be directly driven by the output shaft of the control box and will not affect the unfolding of the overall structure. When the central wrapper flips, it will drive the outer wrapper connected to it to flip in the opposite direction, and the flipping of the outer wrapper will drive the inner wrapper and the central wrapper to flip in the same direction, thereby achieving the enlargement of the cross section of the central wrapper and the gradual expansion of the angle between the inner wrapper and the upper and lower sides of the adjacent outer wrapper. When the inner wrapper and the outer wrapper expand in opposite directions at the same angle, the inner wrapper and the outer wrapper that cross each other will expand in an arc path due to the guidance of the wrapping guide rail until the entire spherical wrapping structure is turned into a spherical space similar to 150 degrees, thereby achieving the effect of unfolding the spherical wrapping structure; at the same time, the spherical wrapping structure unfolds in an arc path along the surface of the pineapple, which can effectively avoid the leaves around the pineapple and does not contact the roots of the pineapple, and the pineapple is wrapped and positioned through this spherical space; thereby achieving the effect of preventing the stems, bulbs and fruits from being damaged when picking the pineapple.

[0027] In addition, the spherical pineapple picking terminal manipulator and picking method start to rotate rapidly through the terminal rotating joint of the mechanical arm, driving the spherical pineapple picking terminal manipulator to break the pineapple fruit from the pineapple stem in a direction avoiding the pineapple bulb, and after the pineapple fruit is separated from the stem, the mechanical arm rotates the spherical pineapple picking terminal manipulator to a position at a 90-degree angle to the initial state, and then transfers the pineapple fruit to a designated position, and the upper computer instructs the control system to instruct the output end of the brush motor to rotate and restore to the initial state of the first state, and put the fruit down. Thus, the effect of picking pineapple fruit is achieved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a spherical pineapple picking end manipulator and a picking method;

[0029] Figure 2 It is a front view schematic diagram of a spherical pineapple picking end manipulator and a spherical wrapping structure in a picking method;

[0030] Figure 3 It is a side view schematic diagram of a spherical pineapple picking end manipulator and a spherical wrapping mechanism in a picking method;

[0031] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a control structure in a spherical pineapple picking end manipulator and a picking method;

[0032] Figure 5 It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a spherical pineapple picking end manipulator and a picking method for a spherical wrapping structure edge rotating fixed structure;

[0033] Figure 6 It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a spherical pineapple picking end manipulator and a picking method for a spherical wrapping structure with a central rotating fixed structure;

[0034] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the position of the spherical pineapple picking end manipulator and the pineapple fruit in the feeding stage in a spherical pineapple picking end manipulator and a picking method;

[0035] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the position of a spherical pineapple picking end manipulator and a pineapple fruit in a wrapping stage in a spherical pineapple picking end manipulator and a picking method;

[0036] Fig. 9 Schematic diagram of the splitting of a control box and a spherical packaging structure in a spherical pineapple picking end manipulator and a picking method.

[0037] In the figure: 1. control box; 101. left side plate of control box; 102. front plate of control box; 103. bottom plate of control box; 104. output shaft of control box; 105. right side plate of control box; 106. bevel gear transmission of control box; 107. coupling of control box; 108. top plate of control box; 109. back plate of control box; 2. brushed motor; 3. wrapping guide rail; 4. spherical wrapping structure; 401. inner wrapper; 402. outer wrapper; 403. inner flange bearing of edge; 404. center wrapper; 405. inner flange bearing of center; 406. center thrust ball bearing; 407. outer flange bearing of edge; 408. outer flange bearing of center; 409. edge thrust ball bearing; 410. slider; 411. main control flange; 5. magnetic encoder; 6. flange; 7. control system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] like Figure 1 As shown, a spherical pineapple picking end manipulator and a picking method, such as Figure 1-Figure 6 As shown, a spherical pineapple picking terminal robot includes a control box 1, a brush motor 2, a wrapping guide rail 3, a spherical wrapping mechanism 4, a magnetic encoder 5, a flange 6, and a control system 7.

[0039] like Figure 1 , Figure 4 As shown, the control box 1 includes a control box left side plate 101, a control box front plate 102, a control box bottom plate 103, a control box output shaft 104, a control box right side plate 105, a control box bevel gear transmission 106, a control box coupling 107, a control box top plate 108, and a control box back plate 109, wherein the control box left side plate 101, the control box front plate 102, the control box right side plate 105, and the control box back plate 109, the control box top plate 108, the control box right side plate 105, the control box bottom plate 103, and the control box left side plate 101 are respectively fixedly connected with bolts and nuts through one set of angle codes; the control box top plate 108, the control box front plate 102, the control box bottom plate 103, and the control box back plate 109 are respectively connected and fixed with bolts and nuts through two sets of angle codes, and finally form a closed box-type space.

[0040] like Figure 4As shown, the control box bevel gear transmission 106 is fixed on the control box bottom plate 103 through 4 sets of aluminum columns and bolts and nuts, wherein the forward output shaft of the control box bevel gear transmission 106 is coaxial with the central hole of the control box front plate 102, and is connected to the control box output shaft 104 through the control box coupling 107; its left output shaft is coaxial with the motor spindle hole of the control box left plate 101, and is connected to the output shaft of the brush motor 2 through the control box coupling 107; the right output shaft is coaxial with the encoder spindle hole of the control box right plate 105, and is connected to the output shaft of the magnetic encoder 5 through the control box coupling 107; its bottom surface is parallel to the control box bottom plate 103. In addition, the bevel gear transmission ratio of the control box bevel gear transmission 106 is 1:1:1.

[0041] Preferably, the flange 6 is installed on the rear side of the control box rear plate 109 by bolts and nuts, wherein the spherical pineapple picking end manipulator is fixedly connected to the end mounting platform of the picking control manipulator arm installed with the visual system and the host computer through the flange 6. The control system 7 is installed on the control box top plate 108. The wrapping guide rail 3 is fixedly connected to the control box front plate 102 by bolts and nuts.

[0042] Specifically, the brushed motor 2 is fixedly mounted on the left side plate 101 of the control box by bolts and spring washers, and its output shaft is connected to the bevel gear transmission 106 of the control box through the control box coupling 107. The magnetic encoder 5 is fixedly mounted on the right side plate 105 of the control box by bolts and spring washers, and its output shaft is connected to the right output shaft of the bevel gear transmission 106 of the control box through the control box coupling 107. The brushed motor 2, the magnetic encoder 5 and the control system 7 are electrically connected, and a fixed angle control output is realized through a PID algorithm.

[0043] Reference figure, by Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Fig. 9 It can be seen that the spherical wrapping structure 4 includes an inner wrapper 401, an outer wrapper 402, an edge inner flange bearing 403, a center wrapper 404, a center inner flange bearing 405, a center thrust ball bearing 406, an edge outer flange bearing 407, a center outer flange bearing 408, an edge thrust ball bearing 409, a slider 410, and a main control flange 411. The inner wrapper 401 is a spherical shell connecting rod with a thickness of 5, and a stepped hole is respectively opened at the center and the upper and lower ends of the inner surface, which is respectively used for interference fit connection with the center inner flange bearing 405 and the edge inner flange bearing 403. The inner wrapper is respectively opened with a groove with an arc periphery on both sides.

[0044] Preferably, the outer wrapper 402 is a spherical shell connecting rod with a thickness of 5, and a stepped hole is opened in the center and upper and lower ends of the outer surface, which is used for interference fit connection with the center outer flange bearing 408 and the edge outer flange bearing 407 respectively.

[0045] Preferably, the central wrapper 404 is a spherical shell connecting rod with a thickness of 5, and the radius of the inner surface center is the same as that of the inner wrapper 401. A hole with a step is opened at the upper and lower ends of the inner surface, respectively, for interference fit connection with the central inner flange bearing 405 and the edge inner flange bearing 403. The central wrapper 404 has a circular groove at the center of the inner surface, and 5 circular holes are opened in the groove, 4 of which surround the central circular hole and are spaced at an angle of 90 degrees. It is fixedly connected to the main control flange 411, wherein the flange plane of the main control flange 411 is in direct contact with the groove of the central wrapper 404.

[0046] Specifically, Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, the spherical wrapping structure includes 7 sets of inner wrappers 401, 6 sets of outer wrappers 402 and 1 set of central wrapper 404. The inner wrappers 401 and the outer wrappers 402 are connected to the center at the upper and lower ends respectively. Figure 5 As shown, at the upper end or the lower end of the spherical wrapping structure, the edge inner flange bearing 403 is interference mounted on the step hole of the inner wrapper 401, and the edge outer flange bearing 407 is interference mounted on the step hole of the outer wrapper 402, and the edge thrust ball bearing 409 is sandwiched and installed between the edge inner flange bearing 403 and the edge outer flange bearing 407, and the three are rotationally connected using bolts and nuts.

[0047] Further, such as Figure 6 As shown, in the middle part of the spherical wrapping structure 44, the center inner flange bearing 405 is interference mounted on the step hole of the inner wrapper 401, and the center outer flange bearing 408 is interference mounted on the step hole of the outer wrapper 402. The center thrust ball bearing 406 is sandwiched between the center inner flange bearing 405 and the center outer flange bearing 408, and the three are rotationally connected using a bolt and nut pair.

[0048] Similarly, in the center of the spherical wrapping structure 4, the central wrapper 404 and the outer wrapper 402 are rotatably connected at the upper and lower ends and the center respectively: the edge inner flange bearing 403 is interference mounted on the step hole of the central wrapper 404, and the edge outer flange bearing 407 is interference mounted on the step hole of the outer wrapper 402, and the edge thrust ball bearing 409 is sandwiched between the edge inner flange bearing 403 and the edge outer flange bearing 407, and the three are rotationally connected using bolts and nuts.

[0049] Preferably, Figure 1 As shown, in the middle part of the spherical wrapping structure 4, the main control flange 411 is installed in the circular groove of the central wrapper 404 by bolts, the central outer flange bearing 408 is interference mounted on the step hole of the outer wrapper 402, the central thrust ball bearing 406 is sandwiched and installed between the central inner flange bearing 405 and the central outer flange bearing 408, and the control box output shaft 104 connects the three and is fixedly connected to the main control flange 411.

[0050] Further, such as Figure 3 As shown, the wrapping guide rail 3 and a pair of sliders 410 slidably connected to the wrapping guide rail 3 are installed behind the spherical wrapping structure 4, wherein the pair of sliders 410 are adapted to the internal U-shaped grooves of the wrapping guide rail 3, so as to achieve the limit of the spherical wrapping structure 4 at the rolling angle, and the wrapping guide rail 3 is fixedly connected to the front plate 102 of the control box; and the corresponding side sliders 410 are rotatably connected to the rear end of the central connection between the outer wrapper 402 and the inner wrapper 401 adjacent to the left and right sides of the central wrapper 404. Therefore, when the spherical wrapping structure 4 is unfolded, the inner wrapper 401 and the outer wrapper 402 will drive the sliders 410 to slide along the inside of the wrapping guide rail 3, so as to achieve the effect of guiding the spherical wrapping structure 4 when it is unfolded and retracted.

[0051] like Figure 2As shown, when the control box output shaft 104 rotates to drive the central wrapper 404 to flip counterclockwise, since the outer wrapper 402 at the rear side of the central wrapper 404 is rotationally connected to the central wrapper 404, it will not be directly driven by the control box output shaft 104 and will not affect the unfolding of the overall structure. When the central wrapper 404 flips, it will drive the outer wrapper 402 connected to it to flip in the opposite direction, and the flipping of the outer wrapper 402 will drive the inner wrapper 401 to flip in the same direction as the central wrapper 404, thereby achieving the enlargement of the cross-section of the central wrapper 404 and the gradual expansion of the angle between the inner wrapper 401 and the upper and lower sides of the adjacent outer wrapper 402. While the inner wrapper 401 and the outer wrapper 402 expand in opposite directions at the same angle, the inner wrapper 401 and the outer wrapper 402 that cross each other will expand in an arc path due to the guidance of the wrapping guide rail 3 until the entire spherical wrapping structure 4 is transformed into a 150-degree spherical space, thereby achieving the effect of unfolding the spherical wrapping structure; similarly, when the output shaft 104 of the control box rotates in the opposite direction, it will drive the central wrapper 404 to rotate clockwise, so that the angle between a group of cross-connected inner wrappers 401 and a group of outer wrappers 402 gradually decreases, and the inner wrapper 401 and the outer wrapper 402 shrink along the path of the wrapping guide rail 3 until the spherical wrapping structure 4 shrinks to its initial state. When in use, first place the unfolded spherical wrapping structure close to one side surface of the pineapple, and then unfold the spherical wrapping structure 4 in the above-mentioned manner, so that the spherical wrapping structure 4 unfolds along the surface of the pineapple in an arc path, effectively avoiding the leaves around the pineapple, and because there are gaps on the upper and lower sides when the spherical wrapping structure 4 is unfolded, it does not contact the roots of the pineapple, and the effect of wrapping and positioning the pineapple is achieved through this spherical space; and after the pineapple is picked, the spherical wrapping structure 4 can be contracted to make the pineapple inside lose its support and fall vertically, and in this way the pineapple can be placed after picking.

[0052] Referring to the figure, the control system 7 includes a PLC data conversion module, an STM32F407 single-chip computer, and a power supply module, wherein the PLC data conversion module is used to receive the instructions transmitted by the host computer of the picking control robot arm equipped with a visual system and a host computer, and convert it into a format recognizable by STM32, and perform related feedback at the same time; the STM32F407 single-chip computer is electrically connected to the brush motor 2 and the magnetic encoder 5, and after receiving the instructions from the robot arm host computer, the brush motor 2 is controlled to rotate, and the data returned by the magnetic encoder 5 is received at the same time; the power supply module is used to receive the power supply of the robot arm, and convert the voltage into the available voltage of the brush motor 2 and the magnetic encoder 5. The control system 7 controls the brush motor 2 and the magnetic encoder 5 through the PID algorithm, and drives the spherical wrapping structure 4 to rotate to the angle specified by the robot arm host computer.

[0053] like Figure 7 As shown, in the initial state, the spherical pineapple end picking robot can shrink the spherical wrapping structure 4 until the inner wrapper 401 is completely fitted to reduce the interference with the pineapple fruit and stems and leaves; Figure 8 As shown, in the fully expanded state, the spherical pineapple end picking robot can fully expand the spherical wrapping structure 4 to wrap a spherical space with a diameter of about 120 mm.

[0054] A picking method for a spherical pineapple picking end manipulator includes three picking stages. The first stage includes determining the feeding position and posture deployment of the pineapple picking end manipulator, the second stage includes the action execution of the pineapple picking end manipulator surrounding and wrapping the pineapple fruit, and the third stage is used to separate the pineapple fruit from the pineapple stem.

[0055] The first phase includes the following steps:

[0056] 1) In the initial state, the spherical wrapping structure 4 is completely shrunk, so that the inner wrapping machine 401 is completely fitted, thereby forming a spherical surface with a coverage angle of about 150 degrees.

[0057] 2) The mechanical arm equipped with the spherical pineapple picking terminal manipulator moves to the preparatory feeding position in front of the pineapple fruit and waits according to the pineapple fruit position identified and selected by the visual system installed thereon. The control system 7 receives the movement command transmitted by the installation.

[0058] 3) The mechanical arm equipped with the spherical pineapple picking terminal manipulator drives the spherical pineapple picking terminal manipulator to extend forward according to the instruction of its host computer, so that the spherical wrapping structure 4 contacts the surface of the pineapple. Then the visual system installed in the mechanical arm identifies whether there is an object blocking the surface of the pineapple fruit and the predetermined breaking direction. If an object is detected, the mechanical arm drives the spherical pineapple picking terminal manipulator to rotate around the pineapple fruit, thereby avoiding the leaves and bulbs near the pineapple fruit.

[0059] The second phase includes the following steps:

[0060] (1) The upper computer of the robotic arm on which the spherical pineapple picking terminal robot is installed transmits instructions to the control system 7 in PLC format, so that the control system 7 controls the brush motor 2 to move clockwise, and drives the control box output shaft 104 and the magnetic encoder 5 to rotate through the control box bevel gear transmission 106, thereby allowing the spherical wrapping structure 4 to unfold and wrap into a spherical space.

[0061] (2) The magnetic encoder 5 records the rotation angle of the brush motor 2. When the recorded angle reaches the predetermined angle A, the control system 7 controls the brush motor 2 to stop rotating, and performs fine adjustment through the PID algorithm according to the relationship between the actual angle B and the predetermined angle A. At this time, the spherical wrapping structure unfolds and wraps into a spherical space, wrapping the pineapple fruit in the middle, but not yet in contact with the pineapple fruit.

[0062] (3) The end rotating joint of the robot arm starts to rotate slowly, and when the visual system installed on the robot arm recognizes that one side of the spherical pineapple picking end manipulator is in contact with the pineapple fruit, the end rotating joint of the robot arm stops rotating. At this time, the upper end and the lower end of the spherical pineapple picking end manipulator are in contact with the two ends of the pineapple fruit respectively.

[0063] The third phase includes the following steps:

[0064] (1) The terminal rotating joint of the robotic arm starts to rotate rapidly, driving the spherical pineapple picking terminal robotic arm to break the pineapple fruit off the pineapple stem in a direction avoiding the pineapple bulb.

[0065] (2) After the pineapple fruit is separated from the stem, the robot arm rotates the spherical pineapple picking end robot to a position at a 90-degree angle to the initial state. The pineapple fruit is then transferred to a specified position, and the host computer instructs the control system 7 to instruct the output end of the brush motor 2 to rotate and return to the initial state of the first state, and put the fruit down. That is, a picking process is completed.

[0066] In this embodiment, the pineapple picking terminal manipulator is applied to the automatic pineapple picking robot. The automatic pineapple picking robot is equipped with an unmanned crawler off-road chassis, a mechanical arm equipped with a visual module and a control host computer, and the visual module installed by the mechanical arm identifies the position of the pineapple fruit and the position of the pineapple picking terminal manipulator. The mechanical arm transfers the position of the pineapple picking terminal manipulator and cooperates with the pineapple picking terminal manipulator to perform actions. This solves the problem that the existing manipulator is blocked by pineapple corms, leaf buds, etc. when picking pineapples, and cannot smoothly enter and grab and pick pineapples without damaging the pineapple corms, leaf buds, etc., reduces the degree of damage to the fruit and pineapple stem buds, thereby achieving an increase in unit fruit planting income while reducing labor input.

[0067] The working principle of the present invention is as follows: when the output shaft 104 of the control box rotates to drive the central wrapper 404 to flip counterclockwise, since the outer wrapper 402 at the rear side of the central wrapper 404 is rotationally connected to the central wrapper 404, it will not be directly driven by the output shaft 104 of the control box and will not affect the unfolding of the overall structure. When the central wrapper 404 flips, it will drive the outer wrapper 402 connected to it to flip in the opposite direction, and the flipping of the outer wrapper 402 will drive the inner wrapper 401 to flip in the same direction as the central wrapper 404, thereby achieving the enlargement of the cross-section of the central wrapper 404 and the gradual expansion of the angle between the inner wrapper 401 and the upper and lower sides of the adjacent outer wrapper 402, While the side wrappers 401 and the outer wrappers 402 expand in opposite directions at the same angle, the inner wrappers 401 and the outer wrappers 402 that cross each other will expand in an arc path due to the guidance of the wrapping guide rail 3 until the entire spherical wrapping structure 4 is transformed into a 150-degree spherical space, thereby achieving the effect of unfolding the spherical wrapping structure; similarly, when the control box output shaft 104 rotates in the opposite direction, it will drive the center wrapper 404 to rotate clockwise, so that the angle between the cross-connected group of inner wrappers 401 and the group of outer wrappers 402 gradually decreases, and the inner wrappers 401 and the outer wrappers 402 shrink along the path of the wrapping guide rail 3 until the spherical wrapping structure 4 shrinks to its initial state. When in use, first place the unfolded spherical wrapping structure close to one side surface of the pineapple, and then unfold the spherical wrapping structure 4 in the above-mentioned manner, so that the spherical wrapping structure 4 unfolds along the surface of the pineapple in an arc path, effectively avoiding the leaves around the pineapple, and because there are gaps on the upper and lower sides when the spherical wrapping structure 4 is unfolded, it does not contact the roots of the pineapple, and the effect of wrapping and positioning the pineapple is achieved through this spherical space; and after the pineapple is picked, the spherical wrapping structure 4 can be contracted to make the pineapple inside lose its support and fall vertically, and in this way the pineapple can be placed after picking.

[0068] The above shows and describes the basic principles, main features and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and the above embodiments and descriptions are only for explaining the principles of the present invention. Without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, the present invention may have various changes and improvements, and these changes and improvements all fall within the scope of the present invention to be protected.

Claims

1. A spherical pineapple picking end manipulator, characterized in that: The invention comprises a control box (1), a brush motor (2), a wrapping guide rail (3), a spherical wrapping mechanism (4), a magnetic encoder (5), a flange (6) and a control system (7); the control box (1) comprises a control box left side plate (101), a control box front plate (102), a control box bottom plate (103), a control box output shaft (104), a control box right side plate (105), a control box bevel gear transmission (106), a control box coupling (107), a control box top plate (108), and a control box rear plate (109), wherein the control box left side plate (101), the control box front plate (102), the control box right side plate (105), the control box rear plate (109), the control box top plate (108), the control box right side plate (105), the control box bottom plate (103), and the control box left side plate (101) are respectively fixedly connected with bolts and nuts through (1) set of angle brackets; the control box top plate (108), the control box front plate (102), the control box bottom plate (103), and the control box rear plate (109).

2. A spherical pineapple picking end manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control box (1) is fixedly connected with bolts and nuts through angle brackets to form a closed box; the forward output shaft of the control box bevel gear transmission (106) is connected to the control box output shaft (104) through a control box coupling (107); the left side of the control box output shaft (104) is connected to the brushed motor (2) through the control box coupling (107); and the right side of the control box output shaft (104) is connected to the magnetic encoder (5) through the control box coupling (107).

3. A spherical pineapple picking end manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flange (6) is installed on the rear plate (109) of the control box, and the spherical wrapping mechanism (4) is fixedly connected to the end mounting platform of the picking control robot arm installed with a visual system and a host computer through the flange (6); the control system (7) is installed on the top plate (108) of the control box, and the wrapping guide rail (3) is fixedly connected to the front plate (102) of the control box.

4. A spherical pineapple picking end manipulator according to claim 3, characterized in that: The spherical wrapping structure 4 includes an inner wrapper (401), an outer wrapper (402), an edge inner flange bearing (403), a center wrapper (404), a center inner flange bearing (405), a center thrust ball bearing (406), an edge outer flange bearing (407), a center outer flange bearing (408), an edge thrust ball bearing (409), a slider (410), and a main control flange (411); wherein the inner wrapper (401) and the outer wrapper (402) are both spherical shell connecting rods, and the upper and lower Holes with steps are provided at both ends for interference fit connection with the center inner flange bearing (405), the edge inner flange bearing (403), the center outer flange bearing (408) and the edge thrust ball bearing (409); a center thrust ball bearing (406) is sandwiched and installed between the center inner flange bearing (405) and the center outer flange bearing (408); a circular groove and a plurality of circular holes are provided on the inner surface of the center wrapper (404), and the circular groove is used for fixed connection with the main control flange (411).

5. A spherical pineapple picking end manipulator according to claim 4, characterized in that: A slider (410) is installed behind the spherical wrapping structure (4) to cooperate with the wrapping guide rail (3) and to be slidably connected thereto, wherein the slider (410) is adapted to the inner U-shaped groove of the wrapping guide rail (3); the wrapping guide rail (3) is fixedly connected to the front plate (102) of the control box; and at the same time, the corresponding side slider (410) is rotatably connected to the outer wrapper (402).

6. A spherical pineapple picking end manipulator according to claim 4, characterized in that: The inner wrapper (401) and the outer wrapper (402) are connected at their ends via flange bearings and thrust ball bearings; the edge outer flange bearing (407) is interference-fitted on the step hole of the outer wrapper (402).

7. A spherical pineapple picking end manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The brushed motor (2) and the magnetic encoder (5) are electrically connected to a control system (7), and the rotation of the brushed motor (2) is controlled by a PID algorithm to achieve precise angle adjustment and fixed-point control of the spherical wrapping structure (4).

8. The spherical pineapple picking end manipulator according to claim 3, characterized in that: The spherical wrapping structure (4) is completely contracted in the initial state to form a spherical surface with a coverage angle of about 150 degrees. When the robot arm is in the picking state, the spherical wrapping structure (4) is unfolded to form a spherical space with a diameter of about 120 mm for wrapping pineapple fruits.

9. A method for picking spherical pineapples, applied to the spherical pineapple picking end manipulator according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The pineapple picking process includes the following steps: S1, the spherical wrapping structure 4 is completely shrunk, the inner wrapper (401) is fitted, and a spherical surface covering about 150 degrees is formed. The pineapple fruit is identified and located by a visual system, and the pineapple fruit is moved to a preparatory feeding position in front of the fruit, and a motion instruction of the control system (7) is waited for; S2, the robotic arm extends forward to make the spherical wrapping structure (4) contact the surface of the pineapple, and the visual system identifies the obstruction between the surface of the pineapple and the predetermined breaking direction. If the obstruction is detected, the robotic arm rotates around the fruit to avoid the leaves and bulbs around the pineapple; S3, according to the recognition instruction of the visual system (7), the control system (7) controls the brush motor (2) to drive the spherical wrapping structure (4) to unfold, and wrap the pineapple fruit into the spherical space; S4, the end joint of the robotic arm rotates rapidly, driving the spherical wrapping structure (4) to break off the fruit in a direction avoiding the bulb; S5. After the fruit is separated, the robotic arm rotates the wrapping structure to a 90-degree angle with the initial position, moves to the designated position, and the motor returns to the initial state and puts down the fruit, completing the picking process.

10. The picking method according to claim 9, characterized in that: During the picking process, the visual system is used to identify the position and azimuth of the pineapple fruit and information about surrounding obstacles, and the control system (7) adjusts the motion trajectory of the robot according to the identification results to avoid interference with picking by pineapple stems and leaves.

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