A hydroponic leafy vegetable harvesting device for a plant factory

Abstract

The present invention provides a hydroponic leafy vegetable harvesting device for a plant factory, which relates to the technical field of agricultural equipment. The harvesting device includes a planting plate transmission system, a robotic arm vegetable picking system, a cup removing and root cutting system, and a harvested vegetable transportation system; the cup removing and root cutting system includes a rotating and lifting mechanism, a support box, a cup removing mechanism, a cup receiving mechanism, and a root cutting mechanism. The rotating and lifting mechanism can switch the working positions of the cup removing and root cutting mechanisms and adjust the height. The spiral column of the cup removing mechanism is driven by a cup removing drive assembly, and the spiral protrusions are used to separate the planting cup from the leafy vegetable. A cup dropping hole that can expand or contract is provided directly below the dropping hole on the cup receiving mechanism, and the planting cup can be temporarily stored when the cup dropping hole contracts. The device of the present invention can significantly improve the harvesting efficiency, recycle the planting cups, reduce the labor cost, and optimize the space layout of the plant factory.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of agricultural equipment, and more specifically, to a hydroponic leafy vegetable harvesting device for a plant factory. Background Art

[0002] Hydroponic leafy vegetables are those whose root bases are directly immersed in a nutrient solution. The nutrient solution provides growth factors such as water, nutrients, and oxygen required for the growth of leafy vegetables, enabling the leafy vegetables to grow normally. In existing hydroponic cultivation of plants, please refer to Figure 10 , usually planting holes are provided on a planting plate 2, and hydroponic leafy vegetables are fixed in the planting holes with the help of planting cups 6. The bottom of the planting cup 6 is of a hollow structure to facilitate the circulation of the nutrient solution. The root bases of the plants can penetrate the bottom of the planting cup 6 and be immersed in the nutrient solution, which makes the root bases of hydroponic leafy vegetables relatively developed. However, when harvesting hydroponic leafy vegetables after they have completed growth, there are many problems: on the one hand, most of the harvesting steps still rely on manual root cutting, which is not only time-consuming and laborious but also greatly increases the production cost; on the other hand, existing mechanical automatic harvesting devices have problems in effectively separating hydroponic leafy vegetables from the planting cups 6. When a robot grabs a hydroponic leafy vegetable, the root base usually detaches from the planting plate 2 together with the planting cup 6. If a mechanical device is used to forcefully separate them, it is very easy to damage the plants; if manual separation is adopted, it will increase the process steps and further increase the production cost of the enterprise.

[0003] In response to these problems, some technical solutions have been proposed and applied. For example, the patent with application number 202011345082.5 discloses a harvesting device for hydroponic plants and its usage method. The device includes a cultivation tray conveying unit, a harvesting cutting unit, and a harvesting conveying unit. The cultivation tray conveying unit is responsible for conveying the cultivation tray and positioning it; the harvesting cutting unit realizes the separation of hydroponic plants from the planting cups (also known as "planting cups") and the cutting of the root bases through the coordinated work of a harvesting robot, a cup-removing rotating table, and a root-cutting device; the harvesting conveying unit conveys the cut hydroponic plants to a collection station. The device integrates the separation of hydroponic plants from the planting cups into the mechanical root-cutting step through two root-cutting operations, which improves the harvesting efficiency to a certain extent and reduces the labor cost. However, there are still some areas for improvement in this patent: (1) Its harvesting cutting unit occupies a large space and cannot harvest multiple leafy vegetables simultaneously; (2) During harvesting, it is necessary to first perform the first root cutting to remove the roots below the planting cup to facilitate the separation of the planting cup and the hydroponic plant. After the planting cup and the hydroponic plant are separated, the second root cutting is performed to completely remove the roots of the plant, and the overall operation is relatively complex; (3) The design of the planting cup recycling link of this device is relatively simple and may not be able to efficiently recycle a large number of planting cups, affecting the overall production efficiency.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a hydroponic leafy vegetable harvesting device with a compact structure, a relatively simple harvesting process, and the ability to recycle planting cups. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention provides a hydroponic leafy vegetable harvesting device for a plant factory, which can significantly improve the harvesting efficiency, recycle the planting cups, reduce the labor cost, and optimize the space layout of the plant factory.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the specific solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0007] A hydroponic leafy vegetable harvesting device for a plant factory, comprising:

[0008] A planting board transmission system for transmitting a planting board carrying leafy vegetables and planting cups, wherein a circular flange is provided at the top of the planting cup;

[0009] A robotic arm vegetable picking system for grasping leafy vegetables and planting cups and moving them to a designated position;

[0010] A cup-removing and root-cutting system for performing cup-removing and root-cutting operations on leafy vegetables; the cup-removing and root-cutting system includes a rotary lifting mechanism, a support box connected to the rotary lifting mechanism, and a cup-removing mechanism, a cup-receiving mechanism, and a root-cutting mechanism provided on the support box. The rotary lifting mechanism drives the support box to rotate to switch the working positions of the cup-removing mechanism and the root-cutting mechanism, and drives the support box to lift and lower to adjust the height of the cup-removing mechanism or the root-cutting mechanism; the cup-removing mechanism includes a plurality of spiral columns and a cup-removing drive assembly. The spiral columns receive the planting cups through the spiral protrusions provided on their surfaces and drive the planting cups to move downward under the action of the cup-removing drive assembly to separate from the leafy vegetables. The separated planting cups fall onto the cup-receiving mechanism through the dropping holes on the support box; a cup-dropping hole that can expand or contract is provided directly below the dropping hole on the cup-receiving mechanism. When the cup-dropping hole contracts, it can temporarily store the planting cups, and when it expands, it can release the planting cups; the root-cutting mechanism is used to cut the vegetable roots;

[0011] A harvested vegetable transportation system for transporting the root-cut harvested vegetables to a designated area;

[0012] A control system, and the planting board transmission system, the robotic arm vegetable picking system, the cup-removing and root-cutting system, and the harvested vegetable transportation system are all electrically connected to the control system.

[0013] Further, the number of spiral columns in the cup-removing mechanism is four, which are distributed in a square shape. The pitch of the spiral protrusions on their surfaces matches the height of the flange at the top of the planting cup. The cup-removing drive assembly includes a cup-removing motor and a first belt drive structure for connecting the spiral columns and the cup-removing motor. The cup-removing motor can drive the four spiral columns to rotate synchronously through the first belt drive structure.

[0014] Further, the cup receiving mechanism includes a cup receiving motor fixed on the support box, a transmission gear connected to the cup receiving motor, a fixed disk rotatably connected to the support box and meshing with the transmission gear, and a gear disk disposed above the fixed disk and fixedly connected to the support box through a plurality of fixed columns. Both the fixed disk and the gear disk are annular structures. A plurality of mutually contacting cup supporting teeth are provided between the fixed disk and the gear disk. Protrusions and cylindrical shafts are respectively provided on the surface and the bottom surface of the large head end of the cup supporting teeth. The protrusions are embedded in the limiting grooves formed on the fixed disk, and the cylindrical shafts are embedded in the movable through grooves formed on the gear disk. When the cup receiving motor drives the gear disk to rotate in different directions, the cup dropping holes formed by the plurality of cup supporting teeth can be enlarged or contracted.

[0015] Further, the planting plate transmission system includes a bottom box, a planting plate conveyor belt, a planting plate conveyor motor, a root hair brush, and a brush motor; the planting plate conveyor belt is disposed on the bottom box and can drive the planting plate placed thereon to move left and right under the action of the planting plate conveyor motor; the root hair brush is located at the entrance of the planting plate conveyor belt and can remove the root hairs under the planting cup in the leafy vegetables under the drive of the brush motor.

[0016] Further, an infrared sensor for monitoring the position of the planting plate is provided on the side wall of the bottom box, and the infrared sensor is connected to the control system.

[0017] Further, a first mounting beam is spanned on the bottom box. The robotic arm vegetable picking system includes a vertical linear module disposed on the first mounting beam, a push rod capable of moving up and down under the action of the vertical linear module, a depth camera disposed on the housing of the push rod, and a grasping mechanism disposed at the end of the push rod. The grasping mechanism includes a vegetable grasping claw, a vegetable grasping cylinder, a cup grasping claw, and a cup grasping cylinder. The vegetable grasping claw is driven by the vegetable grasping cylinder to clamp the leafy vegetables, and the cup grasping claw is driven by the cup grasping cylinder to clamp the planting cup.

[0018] Further, a second mounting beam is spanned on the bottom box. The cup removing and root cutting system further includes a longitudinal linear module fixed on the second mounting beam. Under the action of the longitudinal linear module, the rotating and lifting mechanism can drive the cup removing mechanism and the root cutting mechanism to move forward and backward to the position of adjacent leafy vegetables, so as to realize the continuous cup removing and root cutting of at least two leafy vegetables.

[0019] Further, the rotation and lifting mechanism includes a support plate, a lifting cylinder, a guide rod, a steering motor, and a rotating sleeve rod; the support plate is connected to the longitudinal linear module through a support connection block; one end of the lifting cylinder is fixedly installed on the support plate, and the other end is connected to the guide rod; the guide rod is rotatably connected to the rotating sleeve rod; the steering motor is fixedly installed on the support plate, and the steering motor and the rotating sleeve rod are driven by a second pulley transmission structure, and the steering motor can drive the rotating sleeve rod to rotate 90° through the second pulley transmission structure, so as to adjust the working positions of the cup removing mechanism and the root cutting mechanism.

[0020] Further, a third installation beam is spanned between the first installation beam and the second installation beam on the bottom box, and the finished vegetable transportation system includes a running conveyor belt and a running motor arranged on the third installation beam. The running conveyor belt is located above the cup removing and root cutting system and can transport the cut finished vegetables received to a designated area under the action of the running motor.

[0021] Further, a root cutting collection box connected to the support box is arranged below the root cutting mechanism for collecting cut vegetable roots.

[0022] Beneficial effects:

[0023] (1) Under the action of the control system, through the close cooperation among various systems, the present invention realizes the full-automatic process from the conveying of the planting plate, the cleaning of the fine roots, the grasping of leafy vegetables, the cup removing, the root cutting to the transportation of the finished vegetables. In the planting plate transmission system, the planting plate transmission and the fine root brush work together to clean the fine roots while conveying the planting plate, reducing the resistance for the subsequent cup removing operation and improving the overall harvesting efficiency. The robotic arm vegetable picking system can accurately and quickly grasp leafy vegetables and planting cups. Through a clever structural design, the cup removing and root cutting system realizes the efficient switching between cup removing and root cutting, reduces the harvesting time of single leafy vegetables, and greatly improves the finished vegetable harvesting efficiency of the plant factory compared with the traditional manual harvesting, meeting the requirements of large-scale production.

[0024] (2) The cup removing and root cutting system of the present invention cooperatively controls the cup removing and root cutting processes through the rotation and lifting mechanism, realizes the full-automatic process of leafy vegetables from cup removing to root cutting, and reduces manual intervention. The working positions of the cup removing mechanism and the root cutting mechanism are switched by rotating the support box, and the height is adjusted by lifting, which not only improves the operation coherence but also can adapt to the processing requirements of different specifications of leafy vegetables. Moreover, the cup removing mechanism, the root cutting mechanism, and the cup receiving mechanism are integrated into the support box, and the function switching is realized through rotation and lifting, reducing the floor area of the equipment. Overall, the high-efficiency, precision, and low-loss of leafy vegetable harvesting are realized.

[0025] (3) Through the precise clamping actions of the two sets of grippers (the vegetable-gripping gripper and the cup-gripping gripper) in the robotic arm vegetable-picking system of the present invention, as well as the precise control of the cup-removing and root-cutting processes by the cup-removing and root-cutting system, damage to leafy vegetables during the harvesting process is effectively avoided, the freshness preservation period of the harvested vegetables is extended, the product quality is improved, and the competitiveness of the product in the market is enhanced.

[0026] (4) In the device of the present invention, the layout of each system is compact and reasonable. Through the modular layout of the first to third mounting beams arranged in the left-right direction, each system can be arranged in layers vertically, making full use of the space resources of the plant factory. The planting plate transmission system, the robotic arm vegetable-picking system, the cup-removing and root-cutting system, and the harvested vegetable transportation system cooperate with each other to form a coherent production process, reducing the material handling distance and waiting time, optimizing the production process of the plant factory, and improving the space utilization rate and production efficiency. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0027] Figure 1 One of the structural schematic diagrams of the harvesting device.

[0028] Figure 2 Another structural schematic diagram of the harvesting device.

[0029] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the robotic arm vegetable-picking system.

[0030] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the cup-removing and root-cutting system.

[0031] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the rotary lifting mechanism.

[0032] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the positions of the cup-removing mechanism, the support box, and the cup-receiving mechanism.

[0033] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the fixed disk.

[0034] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the gear disk.

[0035] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the cup-supporting teeth.

[0036] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the planting plate, the planting cup, and the leafy vegetables.

[0037] Illustration Marks:

[0038] 1. Planting plate transmission system, 11. Bottom box, 111. First mounting beam, 112. Second mounting beam, 113. Third mounting beam, 12. Brush motor, 13. Planting plate conveyor motor, 14. Planting plate conveyor belt, 15. Root brush;

[0039] 2. Planting board

[0040] 3. Cup-removing and root-cutting system, 31. Longitudinal linear module, 32. Rotary lifting mechanism, 321. Support plate, 322. Lifting cylinder, 323. Connecting block, 324. Guide rod, 325. Rotary sleeve rod, 326. Steering motor, 327. Support connecting block, 33. Cup-removing mechanism, 331. Spiral column, 332. First cup-removing belt pulley, 333. Cup-removing synchronous belt, 334. Second cup-removing belt pulley, 335. Cup-removing motor, 336. Runner, 34. Support box, 341. Falling hole, 35. Root-cutting mechanism, 36. Root-breaking collection box, 37. Cup-receiving mechanism, 371. Cup-receiving motor, 372. Transmission gear, 373. Fixed disk, 3731. Limiting groove, 374. Gear disk, 3741. Movable through groove, 375. Cup-supporting teeth, 3751. Protrusion, 3752. Cylindrical shaft

[0041] 4. Vegetable transportation system, 41. Operating conveyor belt, 42. Operating motor

[0042] 5. Mechanical arm vegetable-picking system, 51. Vertical linear module, 52. Electric push rod, 53. Vegetable-grabbing cylinder, 54. Vegetable-grabbing claw, 55. Cup-grabbing claw, 56. Cup-grabbing cylinder

[0043] 6. Planting cup Detailed implementation manners

[0044] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with specific embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0045] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by terms such as "upper" and "lower" is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the protection scope of the present invention.

[0046] It should be noted that for the sake of easy understanding, the transportation direction of the planting plate conveyor belt 14 is defined as the front-back direction (i.e., the transverse direction), the extending direction of the vertical linear module 51 is defined as the up-down direction (i.e., the vertical direction), and the extending direction of the longitudinal linear module 31 is defined as the front-back direction (i.e., the longitudinal direction). Relative terms such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprise", "include" or any other variant thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. Without further limitation, an element defined by the statement "comprising an..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article or device comprising the element.

[0047] The present invention provides a water-cultivated leafy vegetable harvesting device for a plant factory, which includes a control system, a planting plate transmission system 1, a robotic arm vegetable picking system 5, a cup-removing and root-cutting system 3, and a harvested vegetable transportation system 4. Through the mutual cooperation of each system, this device realizes the full-process automated operation of leafy vegetables from the transmission, grasping, cup-removing to root-cutting on the planting plate 2, greatly reducing manual intervention, improving production efficiency, and reducing labor costs. Taking the planting plate 2 with M holes in each column as an example, where M is a positive integer, the specific structures of the systems cooperating with it will be elaborated in detail below.

[0048] [Planting plate transmission system 1]

[0049] Please refer to Figure 1-2, the planting plate transmission system 1 mainly consists of a bottom box 11, a planting plate conveyor belt 14, a planting plate conveyor motor 13, a root brush 15, a brush motor 12, and an infrared sensor (not shown in the figure). Among them, both the planting plate conveyor motor 13 and the brush motor 12 are connected to the control system. The bottom box 11 serves as a basic support structure, providing a stable installation platform for other components. Two planting plate conveyor belts 14 are symmetrically installed on both sides of the open end of the bottom box 11 and are driven by the planting plate conveyor motor 13 through a transmission shaft to rotate in the same direction, ensuring the smooth transportation of the planting plate 2 carrying leafy vegetables and the planting cup 6. The root brush 15 is installed inside the bottom box 11 at the entrance of the planting plate conveyor belt 14, and its top position is designed below the bottom of the planting cup 6. Driven by the brush motor 12, it can effectively brush off the roots bulging from the bottom of the planting cup 6, avoiding the obstruction of subsequent cup removal operations caused by root entanglement, and at the same time avoiding touching the planting cup 6, reducing the risk of damage to leafy vegetables and the planting cup 6. The infrared sensor monitors the position information of the planting plate 2 in real time and transmits it to the control system. When the control system determines through data analysis that the planting plate 2 reaches the vegetable picking range of the robotic arm vegetable picking system 5, it controls the planting plate conveyor motor 13 to stop operating, so that the planting plate 2 stays stably at the designated position, creating conditions for the robotic arm vegetable picking system 5 to accurately pick leafy vegetables and the planting cup 6.

[0050] Among them, as Figure 1-2 shown, three mounting beams are spanned on the bottom box 11. Among them, the first mounting beam 111 on the left is used to install the robotic arm vegetable picking system 5, the second mounting beam 112 on the right is used to install the cup removal and root cutting system 3, and the third mounting beam 113 between the first mounting beam 111 and the second mounting beam 112 is used to install the finished vegetable transportation system 4.

[0051] [Robotic Arm Vegetable Picking System 5]

[0052] Please refer to Figure 2-Figure 3, M robotic arm vegetable picking systems 5 are installed on the first installation beam 111 of the bottom box 11 in the front-rear direction. Each robotic arm vegetable picking system 5 is aligned with a leafy vegetable. Each robotic arm vegetable picking system 5 includes a vertical linear module 51, an electric push rod 52, a depth camera, and a grasping mechanism. The vertical linear module 51 is installed on the first installation beam 111 through a module fixing block, responsible for providing the grasping mechanism with the ability to move in the vertical direction, enabling the grasping mechanism to rise or fall according to actual needs. The electric push rod 52 can move up and down along the vertical linear module 51, and a grasping mechanism is provided at the end of the electric push rod 52. The grasping mechanism includes a vegetable grasping jaw 54 for grasping leafy vegetables, a vegetable grasping cylinder 53 for driving the vegetable grasping jaw 54 to act, a cup grasping jaw 55 located below the vegetable grasping jaw 54 for grasping the planting cup 6, and a cup grasping cylinder 56 for driving the cup grasping jaw 55 to act. During operation, the vegetable grasping cylinder 53 and the cup grasping cylinder 56 act respectively, so that the vegetable grasping jaw 54 and the cup grasping jaw 55 accurately grip the leafy vegetable and the planting cup 6, and then the electric push rod 52 and the vertical linear module 51 work together to move the leafy vegetable and the planting cup 6 to a designated position, preparing for subsequent cup removal and root cutting operations.

[0053] Among them, the vertical linear module 51, the electric push rod 52, the depth camera, and the vegetable grasping cylinder 53 and the cup grasping cylinder 56 in the grasping mechanism are all electrically connected to the control system. It should be noted that the specific structure of the grasping mechanism belongs to the prior art, and the specific structure of the mechanical module in the patent with the publication number CN116358971A can be referred to, for example.

[0054] The depth camera can capture the image of the leafy vegetable in real time and transmit the captured image to the control system. The control system automatically analyzes the image content by applying deep learning algorithms. Based on the pixel coordinates in the image and the calibration parameters of the camera (such as focal length, pixel size, etc.), it is converted into position information in the actual space, and then the position information of the leafy vegetable can be determined. The control system controls the position and / or height that the cup removal mechanism 33 or the root cutting mechanism 35 needs to reach according to the determined information, and controls the actions of each component based on the analysis result, and then moves the cup removal mechanism 33 or the root cutting mechanism 35 to the target position and / or height.

[0055] [Cup Removal and Root Cutting System 3]

[0056] This is the core part of the present invention. Please refer to Figure 2-Figure 9, the cup - removing and root - cutting system 3 is installed on the second installation beam 112 of the bottom box 11. The number of cup - removing and root - cutting systems 3 is related to the spacing between two adjacent planting holes on the planting plate 2. When the spacing is wide, M cup - removing and root - cutting systems 3 can be set, and each cup - removing and root - cutting system 3 harvests one leafy vegetable; when the spacing is narrow and too many cup - removing and root - cutting systems 3 cannot be set, it can be set that each cup - removing and root - cutting system 3 harvests at least two leafy vegetables. Taking each cup - removing and root - cutting system 3 harvesting at least two leafy vegetables as an example, the cup - removing and root - cutting system 3 includes a longitudinal linear module 31, a rotating and lifting mechanism 32, a support box 34, a cup - removing mechanism 33, a root - cutting mechanism 35, and a cup - receiving mechanism 37. The longitudinal linear module 31 is installed on the second installation beam 112 through a module fixing block, realizing the precise movement of the cup - removing and root - cutting system 3 in the front - to - back direction to meet the cup - removing and root - cutting requirements of leafy vegetables in different positions.

[0057] The rotating and lifting mechanism 32 includes a support plate 321, a lifting cylinder 322, a connecting block 323, a support connecting block 327, a guide rod 324, a steering motor 326, and a rotating sleeve rod 325. The support plate 321 is fixedly connected to the transverse moving slider of the longitudinal linear module 31 through the support connecting block 327, and thus can move back and forth under the action of the longitudinal linear module 31. One end of the lifting cylinder 322 is installed on the support plate 321, and the extending part is connected to the connecting block 323. The control system drives the guide rod 324 and the rotating sleeve rod 325 to move up and down by controlling the expansion and contraction of the lifting cylinder 322, thereby realizing the lifting of the cup - removing mechanism 33 and the root - cutting mechanism 35. One end of the guide rod 324 is connected to the connecting block 323, and the other end is rotatably connected to the rotating sleeve rod 325. The steering motor 326 is installed on the support plate 321, and the steering motor 326 and the rotating sleeve rod 325 are driven by a second pulley transmission structure. The steering motor 326 can drive the rotating sleeve rod 325 to rotate 90° through the second pulley transmission structure, realizing the switching of the working positions of the cup - removing mechanism 33 and the root - cutting mechanism 35, so that the device can efficiently complete the cup - removing and root - cutting operations.

[0058] The cup - removing mechanism 33 includes four screw - rotating columns 331 and a cup - removing drive assembly for driving the four screw - rotating columns 331 to rotate synchronously. The cup - removing drive assembly includes a cup - removing motor 335, a runner 336, and a first belt - pulley transmission structure composed of a first cup - removing belt - pulley 332, a cup - removing synchronous belt 333, and a second cup - removing belt - pulley 334. The cup - removing synchronous belt 333 is sleeved on the first cup - removing belt - pulley 332 and the second cup - removing belt - pulley 334. The runner 336 is rotatably connected to the support box 34 and is used to assist the transmission stability of the first belt - pulley transmission structure. The four screw - rotating columns 331 are distributed in a square shape, and the lower ends are respectively fixed on the four first cup - removing belt - pulleys 332. The four first cup - removing belt - pulleys 332 are rotatably connected to the support box 34. The extending part of the cup - removing motor 335 is connected to the second cup - removing belt - pulley 334. The cup - removing motor 335 drives the four screw - rotating columns 331 to rotate synchronously through the first belt - pulley transmission structure. The pitch of the spiral protrusions on the screw - rotating columns 331 matches the height of the top flange of the planting cup 6. When the four screw - rotating columns 331 hold the planting cup 6 with the spiral protrusions from four directions, driven by the cup - removing motor 335, the planting cup 6 drops downward under the drive of the spiral protrusions and falls through the dropping hole 341 on the support box 34 onto the cup - receiving mechanism 37.

[0059] The cup - receiving mechanism 37 includes a cup - receiving motor 371 fixed on the support box 34, a transmission gear 372 connected to the cup - receiving motor 371 through a coupling, a fixed disk 373 rotatably connected to the support box 34 and meshing with the transmission gear 372, and a gear disk 374 disposed above the fixed disk 373 and fixedly connected to the support box 34 through multiple fixing columns. Both the fixed disk 373 and the gear disk 374 are annular structures. There are multiple cup - supporting teeth 375 in contact with each other between the fixed disk 373 and the gear disk 374. The surface and bottom surface of the large - head end of the cup - supporting tooth 375 are respectively provided with a convex block 3751 and a cylindrical shaft 3752. The convex block 3751 is embedded in the limit groove 3731 opened on the fixed disk 373, and the cylindrical shaft 3752 is embedded in the movable through - groove 3741 opened on the gear disk 374. When the cup - receiving motor 371 drives the gear disk 374 to rotate, the cup - dropping hole formed by the multiple cup - supporting teeth 375 can expand or contract. When the cup - dropping hole contracts, the diameter of the cup - dropping hole is smaller than the minimum diameter of the planting cup 6, and the multiple cup - supporting teeth 375 cooperate to temporarily store the dropped planting cup 6, preventing the planting cup 6 from directly dropping and affecting subsequent operations. When it is necessary to collect the planting cup 6, the cup - dropping hole expands, and the diameter of the cup - dropping hole is larger than the maximum diameter of the planting cup 6, so that the planting cup 6 drops for centralized processing.

[0060] Among them, the longitudinal linear module 31, the lifting cylinder 322 and the steering motor 326 in the rotary lifting mechanism 32, the cup - removing motor 335 in the cup - removing mechanism 33, the cup - receiving motor 371 in the cup - receiving mechanism 37, and the root - cutting mechanism 35 are all electrically connected to the control system.

[0061] The root cutting mechanism 35 is used to cut the roots of vegetables, and its specific structure is prior art. For example, a shearing and telescoping integrated scissor for a robot in the patent with the publication number CN220943372U can be adopted, or a vegetable cutting device in the patent CN118370082B can be used.

[0062] Preferably, a root cutting collection box 36 connected to the support box 34 is provided below the root cutting mechanism 35. After the root cutting mechanism 35 cuts the roots of vegetables, the roots fall into the root cutting collection box 36 by gravity, ensuring a clean working environment. The root cutting collection box 36 is detachably designed from the support box 34 for easy regular cleaning.

[0063] [Finished vegetable transportation system 4]

[0064] Please refer to Figure 2 , the finished vegetable transportation system 4 is installed on the third installation beam 113 of the bottom box 11 and consists of a running motor 42 and a running conveyor belt 41. The running conveyor belt 41 is installed on the third installation beam 113, and the running motor 42 is fixedly installed on one side of the running conveyor belt 41. The finished vegetable transportation system 4 is located between the robotic arm vegetable picking system 5 and the cup removing and root cutting system 3, with a height lower than the grasping mechanism but higher than the cup removing and root cutting system 3. Its function is to receive the finished vegetables after cup removing and root cutting, and convey the finished vegetables to the designated area, completing the entire harvesting process and realizing the efficient collection and subsequent processing of the finished vegetables.

[0065] In the actual plant factory environment, the hydroponic leafy vegetable harvesting device of the present invention works according to the following steps to achieve efficient and precise leafy vegetable harvesting:

[0066] (1) Conveyance of the planting board 2 and cleaning of the fine roots: When the plant factory is ready to carry out the harvesting operation of hydroponic leafy vegetables, the operator first turns on the control system. The control system controls the planting board conveyor motor 13 to drive the planting board conveyor belt 14 to run, driving the planting board 2 carrying the leafy vegetables and the planting cups 6 to be conveyed from one side of the device; at the same time, the control system controls the brush motor 12 to drive the fine root brush 15 to start rotating at a high speed, effectively brushing off the fine roots through rotation; the infrared sensor transmits the position information of the planting board 2 it monitors to the control system. When the control system determines through analyzing the received data that the planting board 2 reaches the picking range of the robotic arm vegetable picking system 5, it controls the planting board conveyor motor 13 to stop running, so that the planting board 2 stops stably at the designated position, waiting for the robotic arm vegetable picking system 5 to perform the next operation; this process realizes the automatic conveyance of the planting board 2 and the automatic cleaning of the fine roots, laying a good foundation for the subsequent harvesting steps;

[0067] (2)Vegetable picking: After the planting board 2 reaches the designated position, the control system controls the electric push rod 52 to extend forward, precisely pushing the grasping mechanism to one side of the leafy vegetable and the planting cup 6; then the vegetable grasping cylinder 53 drives the vegetable grasping claws 54 to act to clamp the leafy vegetable, and at the same time the cup grasping cylinder 56 drives the cup grasping claws 55 to act to clamp the planting cup 6; after the clamping of the leafy vegetable and the planting cup 6 is completed, the vertical linear module 51 starts to work, driving the grasping mechanism to move upward; when the grasping mechanism rises to the designated height and stops, then, the electric push rod 52 acts again, pushing the grasping mechanism directly above the cup removing and root cutting system 3, preparing for the cup removing and root cutting operations; through precise control of this series of actions, the stable grasping and transfer of the leafy vegetable and the planting cup 6 are ensured, providing guarantee for the subsequent cup removing and root cutting work;

[0068] (3)Cup removing and root cutting: The control system uses the information collected by the depth camera to judge the position information of the leafy vegetable, and then controls the lifting cylinder 322 to contract upward to drive the cup removing mechanism 33 to move upward; when the control system judges that the distance between the cup removing mechanism and the bottom of the planting cup 6 reaches 50 mm, the control system controls the cup grasping claws 55 to release the planting cup 6 and retracts the cup grasping cylinder 56. At the same time, the four spiral columns 331 can precisely hold the planting cup 6, and the control system controls the cup removing motor 335 to drive the four spiral columns 331 to rotate synchronously, driving the planting cup 6 to fall off smoothly downward, and dropping through the dropping hole 341 on the support box 34 onto the cup receiving mechanism 37 and being temporarily stored by the cup receiving mechanism 37; when the cup removing work is completed, the control system controls the lifting cylinder 322 to extend downward, moving the cup removing mechanism 33 downward below the vegetable root; then, the control system controls the steering motor 326 to drive the rotating sleeve rod 325 to rotate 90°, so that the root cutting mechanism 35 is in the working position, the control system controls the lifting cylinder 322 to contract upward to drive the root cutting mechanism 35 to move upward to the target position, and then controls the root cutting mechanism 35 to align with the connection between the leaves and the root of the leafy vegetable and cut the vegetable root; the root cutting collection box 36 below the root cutting mechanism 35 can directly catch the cut vegetable roots; after the first vegetable is cup removed and root cut, the control system controls the rotating and lifting mechanism 32 to act, restoring the positions of the cup removing mechanism 33 and the root cutting mechanism 35; the cup removing mechanism 33 and the root cutting mechanism 35 move along the longitudinal linear module 31 to the position of the adjacent leafy vegetable, preparing for the next round of cup removing and root cutting work (if necessary);

[0069] (4)Transport and handling of the finished dish: After the finished dish successfully completes the processes of cup removal and root cutting, the control system controls the retraction of the electric push rod 52, and makes the vertical linear module 51 drive the grasping mechanism to move upward until it reaches the oblique upper part of the operating conveyor belt 41. The control system controls the electric push rod 52 to act again so that the finished dish reaches directly above the operating conveyor belt 41. Then, the dish-grabbing cylinder 53 drives the dish-grabbing claws 54 to release the dish body, and the finished dish then smoothly falls onto the operating conveyor belt 41; the control system controls the operating motor 42 to drive the operating conveyor belt 41 to operate, and conveys the finished dish to the designated area, completing the work of harvesting the finished dish; during the entire harvesting process, each system closely cooperates and continuously cycles the above operations, realizing the fully automated process of hydroponic leafy vegetables from the planting plate 2 to the collection of the finished dish, greatly improving the harvesting efficiency and economic benefits of the plant factory.

[0070] The present invention can be widely applied to the harvesting scenarios of hydroponic leafy vegetables in various plant factories, and is particularly suitable for the automated harvesting of common leafy vegetable crops such as lettuce, spinach, and rape. In practical applications, according to the site layout and production scale of different plant factories, each part of the device can be reasonably adjusted and optimized to achieve the best production effect.

[0071] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and do not impose any form of limitation on the present invention. Any equivalent transformation or modification made according to the essence of the present invention should be covered within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A hydroponic leafy vegetable harvesting device for a plant factory, characterized in that, Comprising: A planting plate conveying system (1) for conveying a planting plate (2) carrying leafy vegetables and planting cups (6), wherein a ring of flange is provided at the top of the planting cup (6); A robotic arm vegetable picking system (5) for grasping leafy vegetables and planting cups (6) and moving them to a designated position; A cup-removing and root-cutting system (3) for performing cup-removing and root-cutting operations on leafy vegetables; the cup-removing and root-cutting system (3) includes a rotary lifting mechanism (32), a support box (34) connected to the rotary lifting mechanism (32), and a cup-removing mechanism (33), a cup-receiving mechanism (37) and a root-cutting mechanism (35) provided on the support box (34), the rotary lifting mechanism (32) drives the support box (34) to rotate to switch the working positions of the cup-removing mechanism (33) and the root-cutting mechanism (35), and drives the support box (34) to lift and lower to adjust the heights of the cup-removing mechanism (33) or the root-cutting mechanism (35); the cup-removing mechanism (33) includes a plurality of screw rotating columns (331) and a cup-removing driving assembly, the screw rotating columns (331) receive the planting cup (6) through the spiral protrusions provided on their surfaces and drive the planting cup (6) to move downward under the action of the cup-removing driving assembly to separate from the leafy vegetables, and the separated planting cup (6) falls onto the cup-receiving mechanism (37) through the dropping holes (341) on the support box (34); a cup-dropping hole capable of expanding or contracting is provided on the cup-receiving mechanism (37) directly below the dropping holes (341), and when the cup-dropping hole contracts, it can temporarily store the planting cup (6), and when it expands, it can release the planting cup (6); the root-cutting mechanism (35) is used for cutting off the vegetable roots; A finished vegetable conveying system (4) for conveying the root-cut finished vegetables to a designated area; A control system, and the planting plate conveying system (1), the robotic arm vegetable picking system (5), the cup-removing and root-cutting system (3), and the finished vegetable conveying system (4) are all electrically connected to the control system.

2. The hydroponic leafy vegetable harvesting device for a plant factory according to claim 1, wherein The number of screw rotating columns (331) in the cup-removing mechanism (33) is four, which are distributed in a square shape, and the pitch of the spiral protrusions on their surfaces matches the height of the flange at the top of the planting cup (6). The cup-removing driving assembly includes a cup-removing motor (335) and a first belt drive structure for connecting the screw rotating columns (331) and the cup-removing motor (335), and the cup-removing motor (335) can drive the four screw rotating columns (331) to rotate synchronously through the first belt drive structure.

3. The hydroponic leafy vegetable harvesting device for a plant factory according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cup receiving mechanism (37) includes a cup receiving motor (371) fixed on the support box (34), a transmission gear (372) connected to the cup receiving motor (371), a fixed disk (373) rotatably connected to the support box (34) and meshing with the transmission gear (372), and a gear disk (374) disposed above the fixed disk (373) and fixedly connected to the support box (34) through a plurality of fixed columns. Both the fixed disk (373) and the gear disk (374) are annular structures. A plurality of mutually contacting cup supporting teeth (375) are provided between the fixed disk (373) and the gear disk (374). The surface and bottom surface of the large head end of the cup supporting tooth (375) are respectively provided with a convex block (3751) and a cylindrical shaft (3752). The convex block (3751) is embedded in a limit groove (3731) opened on the fixed disk (373), and the cylindrical shaft (3752) is embedded in a movable through groove (3741) opened on the gear disk (374). When the cup receiving motor (371) drives the gear disk (374) to rotate in different directions, the cup dropping hole formed by the plurality of cup supporting teeth (375) can be enlarged or contracted.

4. A hydroponic leafy vegetable harvesting device for a plant factory according to claim 1, characterized in that, The planting plate transmission system (1) includes a bottom box (11), a planting plate conveyor belt (14), a planting plate conveyor motor (13), a root hair brush (15), and a brush motor (12); the planting plate conveyor belt (14) is disposed on the bottom box (11) and can drive the planting plate (2) placed thereon to move left and right under the action of the planting plate conveyor motor (13); the root hair brush (15) is located at the entrance of the planting plate conveyor belt (14) and can remove the root hairs below the planting cup (6) in the leafy vegetables under the drive of the brush motor (12).

5. The hydroponic leafy vegetable harvesting device for a plant factory according to claim 4, wherein, An infrared sensor for monitoring the position of the planting plate (2) is provided on the side wall of the bottom box (11), and the infrared sensor is connected to the control system.

6. The hydroponic leafy vegetable harvesting device for a plant factory according to claim 4, characterized in that, A first mounting beam (111) straddles the bottom box (11). The robotic arm vegetable picking system (5) includes a vertical linear module (51) disposed on the first mounting beam (111), a push rod (52) that can move up and down under the action of the vertical linear module (51), a depth camera disposed on the housing of the push rod (52), and a grasping mechanism disposed at the end of the push rod (52). The grasping mechanism includes a vegetable grasping claw (54), a vegetable grasping cylinder (53), a cup grasping claw (55), and a cup grasping cylinder (56). The vegetable grasping claw (54) is driven by the vegetable grasping cylinder (53) to clamp the leafy vegetables, and the cup grasping claw (55) is driven by the cup grasping cylinder (56) to clamp the planting cup (6).

7. The hydroponic leafy vegetable harvesting device for a plant factory according to claim 4, wherein, A second mounting beam (112) straddles the bottom box (11). The cup removing and root cutting system (3) further includes a longitudinal linear module (31) fixed on the second mounting beam (112). Under the action of the longitudinal linear module (31), the rotating and lifting mechanism (32) can drive the cup removing mechanism (33) and the root cutting mechanism (35) to move back and forth to the position of adjacent leafy vegetables, so as to realize the continuous cup removing and root cutting of at least two leafy vegetables.

8. The hydroponic leafy vegetable harvesting device for a plant factory according to claim 7, characterized in that, The rotation and lifting mechanism (32) includes a support plate (321), a lifting cylinder (322), a guide rod (324), a steering motor (326), and a rotating sleeve rod (325); the support plate (321) is connected to the longitudinal linear module (31) through a support connection block (327); one end of the lifting cylinder (322) is fixedly installed on the support plate (321), and the other end is connected to the guide rod (324); the guide rod (324) is rotatably connected to the rotating sleeve rod (325); the steering motor (326) is fixedly installed on the support plate (321), and the steering motor (326) and the rotating sleeve rod (325) are driven by a second pulley transmission structure. The steering motor (326) can drive the rotating sleeve rod (325) to rotate 90° through the second pulley transmission structure, thereby adjusting the working positions of the cup removal mechanism (33) and the root cutting mechanism (35).

9. The hydroponic leafy vegetable harvesting device for a plant factory according to claim 4, wherein A third installation beam (113) is spanned between the first installation beam (111) and the second installation beam (112) on the bottom box (11). The cooked dish transportation system (4) includes a running conveyor belt (41) and a running motor (42) provided on the third installation beam (113). The running conveyor belt (41) is located above the cup removal and root cutting system (3), and can transport the received cooked dishes after root cutting to a designated area under the action of the running motor (42).

10. A hydroponic leafy vegetable harvesting device for a plant factory according to claim 1, characterized in that, A root cutting collection box (36) connected to the support box (34) is provided below the root cutting mechanism (35) for collecting the cut vegetable roots.

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