An end effector for hydroponic lettuce anomaly leaf removal

Abstract

The application discloses an end effector for removing abnormal leaves of water-cultivated lettuce. The end effector realizes the identification and positioning of the water-cultivated lettuce and abnormal leaves through a camera and a light barrier switch. The adaptive grabbing and overturning removal of the abnormal leaves are realized through the 180-degree reciprocating rotation control of a driving mechanism. The flexible grabbing of the abnormal leaves is realized through a pneumatic hand claw. The application is suitable for the water-cultivated lettuce in a free state and an inverted posture, can efficiently and accurately remove the abnormal leaves of the water-cultivated lettuce, and has the characteristics of strong adaptability and simple operation.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of agricultural automation and robotics, and particularly relates to an end effector for removing abnormal leaves of water-grown lettuce. BACKGROUND

[0002] Water-grown lettuce has become an important direction of urban agriculture and factory planting due to its short growth cycle, high space utilization, and no soil-borne diseases. However, during the growth of water-grown lettuce, some leaves may appear abnormal (such as yellowing, wilting, and spotting) due to factors such as disease, nutrient imbalance, or environmental changes. After the roots and sponge blocks are removed during harvesting, the abnormal leaves need to be removed to ensure the quality of the lettuce. Traditional manual removal is inefficient, labor-intensive, and costly, making it difficult to meet the needs of large-scale production.

[0003] In recent years, agricultural automation and robotics technology has been widely applied in the seeding, transplanting, management, and harvesting of water-grown lettuce, but its application in removing abnormal leaves of water-grown lettuce is still in its infancy. Existing end effectors are usually designed for the entire lettuce plant, and their structure and function cannot meet the needs of single-leaf-level precise removal.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to develop an end effector specifically for removing abnormal leaves of water-grown lettuce. SUMMARY

[0005] To address the problems and needs in the background art, the present application aims to provide an end effector for removing abnormal leaves of water-grown lettuce. The present application combines multi-sensor fusion and bionic gripping structure to achieve rapid identification and removal of abnormal leaves through low-invasive operation, while reducing interference to healthy leaves, meeting the technical requirements of efficient and precise management in water-grown lettuce factory production. The end effector proposed in the present application not only improves the production quality of water-grown lettuce, but also realizes efficient, accurate, and automated leaf management, reduces manual intervention, and further promotes the intelligent and fine development of agricultural production, which has important practical significance and broad market demand.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purposes, the present application provides the following technical solutions:

[0007] An end effector for removing abnormal leaves of water-grown lettuce

[0008] The end effector comprises a rack, a perception system, an execution mechanism, and a driving mechanism. The perception system is installed in the rack and the execution mechanism for perceiving water-grown lettuce. The driving mechanism is fixedly installed in the rack. The execution mechanism is connected to the driving mechanism. The driving mechanism drives the execution mechanism to remove abnormal leaves of water-grown lettuce.

[0009] The rack comprises a mechanical arm mounting plate, profiles; a plurality of profiles are connected and form a main body frame, and the mechanical arm mounting plate is fixedly installed on the main body frame.

[0010] The perception system comprises a beam photointerrupter and a camera, the beam photointerrupter is installed at the bottom of the rack, and the camera is installed on the actuator; wherein the beam photointerrupter is used to detect the relative position between the end effector and the top of the target lettuce, and the camera is used to detect the leaf state of the target lettuce.

[0011] The driving mechanism comprises a limiting shaft, a cylinder mounting plate, a limiting cylinder, a rotary cylinder, a second stop block, a first bearing, a second bearing, a rotary mounting seat and a double-sided driving shaft; the cylinder mounting plate is fixedly connected with the side of the rack, the rotary cylinder is fixedly installed in the cylinder mounting plate, the limiting cylinder is fixedly installed in the cylinder mounting plate above the rotary cylinder, the limiting cylinder and the rotary cylinder are arranged in an up-down manner and the output shafts of the two are directed towards the inside of the rack, the output shaft of the limiting cylinder is coaxially fixedly connected with the limiting shaft, the end face of the limiting shaft is provided with an arc-shaped protruding block for cooperating with the actuator to realize the starting limiting of the actuator; the bearing mounting seat is fixedly installed at the end face of the cylinder mounting plate close to the inside of the rack, the double-sided driving shaft is installed in the bearing mounting seat through the second bearing and the cylindrical end of the double-sided driving shaft is coaxially fixedly connected with the output shaft of the rotary cylinder; the rotary mounting seat is installed outside the bearing mounting seat through the first bearing, and the actuator is fixedly connected with the rotary mounting seat; the end face of the double-sided driving shaft away from the rotary cylinder is provided with an arc-shaped protruding block, the inner hole of the end of the rotary mounting seat away from the rotary cylinder is a special-shaped hole, the special-shaped hole is formed by splicing a semicircular hole and a semi-elliptical hole and the radius of the semicircular hole is greater than the minor axis of the semi-elliptical hole, two step faces are formed between the semicircular hole and the semi-elliptical hole and are respectively marked as a second working surface and a third working surface, the arc-shaped protruding block is arranged in the semicircular hole, the central angle of the arc-shaped protruding block is less than 180 degrees, and the two side faces of the arc-shaped protruding block are respectively marked as a sixth working surface and a seventh working surface; the bottom of the cylinder mounting plate is further provided with the second stop block on the side away from the limiting cylinder for cooperating with the rotary mounting seat to realize the rotary limiting of the actuator.

[0012] The actuator comprises a pneumatic hand claw, a hand claw mounting plate and a first stop block; the hand claw mounting plate is fixedly connected with the driving mechanism, the lower surface of the hand claw mounting plate is provided with the perception system, the side of the hand claw mounting plate close to the rack is fixedly provided with the first stop block, the first stop block cooperates with the driving mechanism to realize the starting limiting of the actuator; the pneumatic hand claw is further installed in the hand claw mounting plate.

[0013] A plurality of mounting holes are formed in the hand claw mounting plate for adjusting the installation position of the pneumatic hand claw.

[0014] II. A method for removing abnormal leaves of hydroponic lettuce by using the end effector

[0015] Step 1: install the end effector at the end of the mechanical arm, use the camera of the perception system to collect images and process images, adjust the position of the end effector according to the image detection result, until the end effector moves to the top of the target lettuce;

[0016] Step 2: use the camera of the perception system to collect images again and process images, if there is an abnormal leaf in the target lettuce, execute step 3; otherwise, move the end effector to the next lettuce and execute step 1;

[0017] Step 3: drive the mechanical arm to move the end effector vertically downward and approach the target lettuce until the photoelectric switch has a signal; control the limit cylinder of the driving mechanism to release the limit of the actuator, and the actuator rotates downward, the actuator contacts and holds the abnormal leaf, the driving mechanism controls the actuator to rotate upward in the opposite direction, so that the abnormal leaf is separated from the body of the target lettuce and moves to the waste box; the driving mechanism continues to control the actuator to remove the abnormal leaf until all the abnormal leaves are removed.

[0018] Three, a device

[0019] The device comprises the end effector.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present application are that:

[0021] 1. Adaptive grasping: the actuator realizes adaptive adjustment within 90 degrees range relying on gravity, which can adapt to different sizes of lettuce, not only reduces the control difficulty, but also significantly improves the versatility and adaptability of the end effector.

[0022] 2. Flexible grasping: the pneumatic gripper is adopted to accurately clamp the petiole of the abnormal leaf through flexible grasping mode, which effectively avoids the mechanical damage to the plant caused by traditional rigid grasping mode, and protects the growth integrity of the lettuce.

[0023] 3. Bionic operation: the anthropomorphic control strategy of "pinch-turn" compound action is proposed, which can realize the removal of abnormal leaves of hydroponic lettuce in free state and inverted posture, simulates manual operation, and improves the reliability and efficiency of operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 is the overall structure schematic diagram of the end effector for removing abnormal leaves of hydroponic lettuce of the present application;

[0025] Figure 2 is a structure schematic diagram of the actuator;

[0026] Figure 3 is a structure schematic diagram of the driving mechanism;

[0027] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the action process of the end effector;

[0028] In the figure: 1, rack, 101, mechanical arm mounting plate, 102, 2020 aluminum profile, 103, 2040 aluminum profile, 2, perception system, 201, transmitter mounting block, 202, transmitter, 203, camera, 204, receiver, 205, receiver mounting block, 3, actuator, 301, pneumatic gripper, 302, gripper mounting plate 302, 303, rotating mounting seat, 30301, first working surface, 30302, second working surface, 30303, third working surface, 304, first stop block, 305, axial limiting steel wire, 4, driving mechanism, 401, limiting shaft, 40101, fourth working surface, 402, cylinder mounting plate, 403, limiting cylinder, 404, rotating cylinder, 405, second stop block, 40501, fifth working surface, 406, sleeve, 407, first bearing, 408, shaft elastic retainer, 409, second bearing, 410, double-sided driving shaft, 41001, sixth working surface, 41002, seventh working surface, 5, lettuce, 501, abnormal leaf. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The application will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings and examples.

[0030] As Figure 1 shown, the end effector proposed by the application includes a rack 1, a perception system 2, an actuator 3 and a driving mechanism 4; the perception system 2 is installed in the rack 1 and the actuator 3, and is used for perceiving hydroponic lettuce; the driving mechanism 4 is fixedly installed in the rack 1, and the driving mechanism 4 is connected with the actuator 3; the driving mechanism 4 drives the actuator 3 to realize the removal of abnormal leaves of hydroponic lettuce.

[0031] The rack 1 includes a mechanical arm mounting plate 101, 2020 aluminum profiles 102 and 2040 aluminum profiles 103; a plurality of 2020 aluminum profiles 102 and 2040 aluminum profiles 103 are connected and form a main body frame, and the mechanical arm mounting plate 101 is fixedly installed on the main body frame and used for being connected with the end of a mechanical arm. When the camera 203 is horizontally placed, the centers of the two-way photoelectric switch transmitter 202 and the receiver 204 are on the same vertical line with the center of the camera lens, and the axis of the rotating cylinder 404 rotating shaft is collinear.

[0032] The perception system 2 includes a through-beam photoelectric switch and a camera 203, the through-beam photoelectric switch is installed on the bottom 2040 aluminum profile 103 of the rack 1, and the camera 203 is installed on the lower surface of the gripper mounting plate 302 of the actuator 3; wherein the through-beam photoelectric switch is used to detect the relative position between the end effector and the top of the target lettuce, and the camera 203 is used to detect the leaf state of the target lettuce. The through-beam photoelectric switch includes a transmitter mounting block 201, a transmitter 202, a receiver 204 and a receiver mounting block 205; the transmitter 202 is fixedly installed on one side of the bottom 2040 aluminum profile 103 through the transmitter mounting block 201, and the receiver 204 is fixedly installed on the other side of the bottom 2040 aluminum profile 103 through the receiver mounting block 205. In the direction of the profile, the pneumatic gripper 301 of the actuator 3 is arranged between the transmitter 202 and the receiver 204, and in the initial state, the pneumatic gripper 301 gradually approaches the target lettuce during the falling process.

[0033] Because each lettuce grows incompletely, the profiles of different sides of the same lettuce are also different, so a driving mechanism that can adapt to the profile of the lettuce is needed. As shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the driving mechanism 4 comprises a limiting shaft 401, a cylinder mounting plate 402, a limiting cylinder 403, a rotating cylinder 404, a second stop block 405, a sleeve 406, a first bearing 407, an elastic shaft ring 408, an axial limiting steel wire 305, a second bearing 409, a rotating mounting seat 303 and a double-sided driving shaft 410. The cylinder mounting plate 402 is fixedly connected with the 2020 aluminum profile 102 on the side of the rack 1, the rotating cylinder 404 is fixedly installed in the cylinder mounting plate 402, the limiting cylinder 403 is fixedly installed in the cylinder mounting plate 402 on the side above the rotating cylinder 404, the limiting cylinder 403 and the rotating cylinder 404 are arranged in an upper and lower spaced manner and the output shafts of the two face the inside of the rack 1, the output shaft of the limiting cylinder 403 is coaxially fixedly connected with the limiting shaft 401, the end face of the limiting shaft 401 is provided with an arc-shaped protruding block, the fourth working surface 40101 of the arc-shaped protruding block is used for cooperating with the first stop block 304 of the actuator 3 to realize the starting limiting of the actuator 3; the limiting shaft 401 is driven by the limiting cylinder 403 and can realize 90-degree reciprocating rotation, and the action execution of the actuator 3 is controlled through the cooperation with the first stop block 304. The bearing mounting seat is fixedly installed at the end face of the cylinder mounting plate 402 close to the inside of the rack 1, the cylindrical end of the double-sided driving shaft 410 is installed in the bearing mounting seat through the second bearing 409 and the cylindrical end of the double-sided driving shaft 410 is coaxially fixedly connected with the output shaft of the rotating cylinder 404; wherein two first bearings 407 are provided, the sleeve 406 is further provided between the two first bearings 407, the annular groove is formed in the outer end face of the bearing mounting seat close to the actuator 3, and the elastic shaft ring 408 is embedded in the annular groove and used for limiting the first bearing 407 and the sleeve 406. The axial positioning of the rotating mounting seat 303 is realized by the radial installation of the six axial limiting steel wires 305 in the inside of the rotating mounting seat 303. The rotating mounting seat 303 is installed outside the bearing mounting seat through the first bearing 407, and the jaw mounting plate 302 of the actuator 3 is fixedly connected with the rotating mounting seat 303. The arc-shaped protruding block is arranged on the end face of the double-sided driving shaft 410 away from the rotating cylinder 404, the inner hole of the rotating mounting seat 303 away from the rotating cylinder 404 is a special-shaped hole, the special-shaped hole is formed by splicing a semicircular hole and a semi-elliptical hole and the radius of the semicircular hole is greater than the minor axis of the semi-elliptical hole, two step faces are formed between the semicircular hole and the semi-elliptical hole and are respectively marked as the second working surface 30302 and the third working surface 30303, that is, the second working surface 30302 and the third working surface 30303, and the two working surfaces are coplanar. The arc-shaped protruding block is arranged in the semicircular hole, the central angle of the arc-shaped protruding block is less than 180 degrees, the two side faces of the arc-shaped protruding block are respectively marked as the sixth working surface 41001 and the seventh working surface 41002, and the two planes of the sixth working surface 41001 and the seventh working surface 41002 form a 90° included angle.The bottom of the cylinder mounting plate 402 away from the side of the limiting cylinder 403 is also provided with a second stop block 405, and the fifth working surface 40501 of the second stop block 405 is used for cooperating with the first working surface 30301 of the rotary mounting seat 303, so that the rotary limiting of the actuator 3 is realized. The fifth working surface 40501 of the second stop block 405 is prevented from rotating by being in contact with the first working surface 30301 of the rotary mounting seat 303, and cooperates with the seventh working surface 41002 of the double-sided driving shaft 410 to limit the rotation of the actuator. The double-sided driving shaft 410 is driven by the rotary cylinder 404 and can realize 180-degree reciprocating rotation, and the action of the actuator 3 is realized by cooperating with the rotary mounting seat 303. Each time the rotation is relied on the self-weight, and when the pneumatic gripper 301 is in contact with the abnormal leaf of the lettuce, the actuator is automatically stopped rotating, the rotation is self-adaptive, and the operation is simple. The sixth working surface 41001 of the double-sided driving shaft 410 is in contact with the second working surface 30302 of the rotary mounting seat 303, so that the rotation of the actuator 3 is realized, and the initialization of the end effector and the preparation action of the leaf discarding are realized. The seventh working surface 41002 of the double-sided driving shaft 410 is in contact with the third working surface 30303 of the rotary mounting seat 303, so that the actuator 3 rotates in the opposite direction, and the overturning action of the abnormal leaf is realized.

[0034] The actuator 3 comprises the pneumatic gripper 301, the gripper mounting plate 302 and the first stop block 304; the gripper mounting plate 302 is fixedly connected with the rotary mounting seat 303 of the driving mechanism 4, the lower surface of the gripper mounting plate 302 is provided with the camera 203 of the sensing system 2, and the side of the gripper mounting plate 302 close to the rack (i.e. close to the cylinder mounting plate 402) is fixedly provided with the first stop block 304, the first stop block 304 cooperates with the protruding block of the limiting shaft 401 of the driving mechanism 4, so that the starting limiting of the actuator 3 is realized; and the pneumatic gripper 301 is also mounted in the gripper mounting plate 302.

[0035] A plurality of mounting holes are formed in the gripper mounting plate 302, which are used for adjusting the mounting position of the pneumatic gripper 301, so that the height of the pneumatic gripper 301 grabbing the lettuce is adjusted. The pneumatic gripper 301 realizes the opening and closing of the gripper through positive and negative pressure, so that the flexible grabbing of the leaf is realized.

[0036] The working process of the end effector of the present application is as follows:

[0037] As Figure 4As shown in (a) of the figure, in the initial state, the double-sided driving shaft 410 has rotated clockwise to the fifth working surface 41001 in the horizontal state, and the first stopper 304 of the actuator 3 is in contact with the fourth working surface 40101 of the limiting shaft 401 in the vertical state, so that the actuator 3 is hindered from rotating by gravity, and the working surface 41002 of the double-sided driving shaft 410 forms a 90° angle with the working surface 30303 of the rotating mounting seat. At the same time, the gripper mounting plate 302 is in a horizontal state, that is, the camera 203 is horizontally placed. The camera 203 in the horizontal state performs one-time and two-time identification and positioning, adjusts the position of the end effector, so that the camera 203 is located directly above the lettuce plant, and the pneumatic gripper is located above the petiole of the outermost abnormal leaf. Then, the end effector vertically moves downward as a whole, and is positioned three times through the optical switch, that is, reaches the working position, at which the top of the lettuce plant and the rotation center of the actuator 3 are located on the same horizontal plane. As shown in (b) of the figure, the limiting shaft 401 rotates counterclockwise by 90°, and the actuator 3 rotates by a certain angle under the action of gravity to approach the abnormal leaf of the lettuce, and performs a self-adaptive grasping preparation action. When the pneumatic gripper 301 contacts the petiole of the abnormal leaf, the pneumatic gripper 301 works and clamps the petiole under the action of negative pressure. As shown in (c) of the figure, the double-sided driving shaft 410 rotates counterclockwise by 180°, and during the rotation, the double-sided driving shaft rotates idly by a certain angle first, and then the seventh working surface 41002 of the double-sided driving shaft 410 contacts the third working surface 30303 of the rotating mounting seat 303, so that the actuator 3 is passively rotated to the state that the fifth working surface 40501 of the second stopper 405 contacts the first working surface 30301 of the rotating mounting seat 303, at which time the gripper mounting plate is in a vertical state. During the rotation, the abnormal leaf is separated from the stem of the lettuce and is removed around the stem. Then, the limiting shaft 410 rotates clockwise by 90°, to prepare for limiting the rotation of the actuator 3. As shown in (d) of the figure, the end effector first moves above the abnormal leaf collection area, and then the double-sided driving shaft 410 rotates clockwise by 180°, and during the rotation, the double-sided driving shaft rotates idly by 90° first, and then the sixth working surface 41001 of the double-sided driving shaft 410 contacts the second working surface 30302 of the rotating mounting seat 303, so that the actuator 3 is passively rotated by 90°. At this time, the fourth working surface 40101 of the limiting shaft 401 contacts the first stopper 304, so that the actuator 3 cannot rotate by gravity. Then, the pneumatic gripper is loosened, and the abnormal leaf falls off, to complete the discarding. Figure 4 Figure 4 Figure 4

[0038] The application further provides a method for removing abnormal leaves of hydroponic lettuce by using an end effector, and the method comprises the following steps:

[0039] ​​​Step 1: install the end effector at the end of the mechanical arm, use the camera 203 of the perception system 2 to collect images and process images, adjust the position of the end effector according to the image detection result, until the end effector moves to the top of the target lettuce 5 to take the shape center of the cross section as the center of the lettuce; in image processing, first identify whether the lettuce is upside down, judge by whether there is a stem-shaped, approximately circular, cross section in the image, if not, it means that the lettuce is not upside down and no operation is performed; if there is, it means that the lettuce is upside down.

[0040] Step 2: use the camera 203 of the perception system 2 to collect images again and process images, if there is an abnormal leaf 501 in the target lettuce 5, step 3 is performed; otherwise, move the end effector to the next lettuce and perform step 1.

[0041] Step 3: drive the mechanical arm to move the end effector vertically downward and close to the target lettuce plant until the photoelectric switch has a signal, indicating that the end effector has reached the top of the lettuce plant at this time, the end effector stops moving downward and reaches the working position; control the limit cylinder 403 of the driving mechanism 4 to release the limit of the execution mechanism 3, the execution mechanism 3 rotates downward by a certain angle until the pneumatic hand claw 301 contacts the abnormal leaf, the pneumatic hand claw 301 then grasps the abnormal leaf, the driving mechanism 4 controls the execution mechanism 3 to rotate upward in the opposite direction, so that the abnormal leaf is separated from the body of the target lettuce and moved to the waste box; the driving mechanism 4 continues to control the execution mechanism 3 to remove the abnormal leaf until all the abnormal leaves are removed.

[0042] Finally, it should be noted that the above examples and explanations are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application and not to limit it. Those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions of the present application can be modified or replaced equivalently without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions disclosed by the present application, and all should be covered in the protection scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. An end effector for removing abnormal leaves of hydroponic lettuce, characterized in that: The invention comprises a frame (1), a sensing system (2), an actuator (3) and a driving mechanism (4); the sensing system (2) is installed in the frame (1) and the actuator (3) for sensing hydroponic lettuce; the driving mechanism (4) is fixedly installed in the frame (1); the actuator (3) is connected to the driving mechanism (4); the driving mechanism (4) drives the actuator (3) to remove abnormal leaves of the hydroponic lettuce; The driving mechanism (4) comprises a limiting shaft (401), a cylinder mounting plate (402), a limiting cylinder (403), a rotating cylinder (404), a second stopper (405), a first bearing (407), a second bearing (409), a rotating mounting seat (303) and a double-sided driving shaft (410); the cylinder mounting plate (402) is fixedly connected to the side of the frame (1), the rotating cylinder (404) is fixedly mounted in the cylinder mounting plate (402), and the limiting cylinder (403) is fixedly mounted in the cylinder mounting plate (402) above the rotating cylinder (404). ), the limit cylinder (403) and the rotating cylinder (404) are arranged at intervals in the upper and lower parts and the output shafts of the two are directed toward the inside of the frame (1), the output shaft of the limit cylinder (403) is coaxially fixedly connected to the limit shaft (401), and the end face of the limit shaft (401) is provided with an arc-shaped protrusion block for cooperating with the actuator (3) to realize the starting limit of the actuator (3); the cylinder mounting plate (402) is fixedly installed with a bearing mounting seat at the end face close to the inside of the frame (1), and the double-sided drive shaft (410) is installed in the bearing mounting seat through the second bearing (409) and the double-sided drive shaft (410) is fixedly installed in the bearing mounting seat. The cylindrical end of the moving shaft (410) is coaxially fixedly connected to the output shaft of the rotating cylinder (404); the rotating mounting seat (303) is mounted outside the bearing mounting seat through a first bearing (407), and the actuator (3) is fixedly connected to the rotating mounting seat (303); an arc-shaped protrusion is provided on one end surface of the double-sided driving shaft (410) away from the rotating cylinder (404), and the inner hole of the end of the rotating mounting seat (303) away from the rotating cylinder (404) is a special-shaped hole, which is formed by splicing a semicircular hole and a semi-elliptical hole, and the radius of the semicircular hole is greater than the short semi-axis of the semi-elliptical hole, and the semicircular hole and Two step surfaces are formed between the semi-elliptical holes and are respectively recorded as the second working surface (30302) and the third working surface (30303). The arc-shaped protrusion block is arranged in the semi-circular hole. The central angle of the arc-shaped protrusion block is less than 180 degrees. The two side surfaces of the arc-shaped protrusion block are respectively recorded as the sixth working surface (41001) and the seventh working surface (41002). A second stopper (405) is also installed on the side of the bottom of the cylinder mounting plate (402) away from the limiting cylinder (403) for cooperating with the rotating mounting seat (303) to achieve rotation limiting of the actuator (3).

2. The end effector for removing abnormal leaves of hydroponic lettuce according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The frame (1) comprises a robot arm mounting plate (101) and a profile; a plurality of profiles are connected to form a main frame, and the robot arm mounting plate (101) is fixedly mounted on the main frame.

3. The end effector for removing abnormal leaves of hydroponic lettuce according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The sensing system (2) comprises a through-beam photoelectric switch and a camera (203), wherein the through-beam photoelectric switch is mounted on the bottom of the frame (1), and the camera (203) is mounted on the actuator (3); wherein the through-beam photoelectric switch is used to detect the relative position between the end effector and the top of the target lettuce, and the camera (203) is used to detect the leaf state of the target lettuce.

4. The end effector for removing abnormal leaves of hydroponic lettuce according to claim 1, characterized in that: The actuator (3) comprises a pneumatic gripper (301), a gripper mounting plate (302) and a first stopper (304); the gripper mounting plate (302) is fixedly connected to the drive mechanism (4); a sensing system (2) is mounted on the lower surface of the gripper mounting plate (302); a first stopper (304) is fixed on a side of the gripper mounting plate (302) close to the frame; the first stopper (304) cooperates with the drive mechanism (4) to achieve a start-up limit of the actuator (3); and a pneumatic gripper (301) is also mounted in the gripper mounting plate (302).

5. The end effector for removing abnormal leaves of hydroponic lettuce according to claim 4, characterized in that: The gripper mounting plate (302) is provided with a plurality of mounting holes for adjusting the mounting position of the pneumatic gripper (301).

6. A method for removing abnormal leaves of hydroponic lettuce using the end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method comprises the following steps: Step 1: Install the end effector at the end of the robotic arm, use the camera (203) of the perception system (2) to collect and process images, and adjust the position of the end effector according to the image detection results until the end effector moves to the top of the target lettuce; Step 2: Use the camera (203) of the perception system (2) to collect images again and perform image processing. If there is an abnormal leaf in the target lettuce, execute step 3; otherwise, move the end effector to the next lettuce and execute step 1; Step 3: Drive the robotic arm to move the end effector vertically downward and close to the target lettuce until the opposing photoelectric switch has a signal; control the limit cylinder (403) of the driving mechanism (4) to release the limit on the actuator (3), the actuator (3) rotates downward, the actuator (3) contacts and grabs the abnormal leaf, the driving mechanism (4) controls the actuator (3) to rotate upward in the opposite direction, so that the abnormal leaf is separated from the body of the target lettuce and the abnormal leaf is moved to the waste box; the driving mechanism (4) continues to control the actuator (3) to remove the abnormal leaf until all the abnormal leaves are removed.

7. A device for hydroponically growing lettuce, characterized in that: The device comprises the end effector according to claim 1.

Images