Pineapple picking tail end manipulator, picking equipment and picking method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a pineapple picking tail end manipulator, picking equipment and a picking method thereof. The manipulator comprises a fixed box, a connecting rod mechanism, a driving part, a first wrapping device and a second wrapping device. Wherein the fixed box is of a fixed structure and is used for being connected with an external mechanical arm. The connecting rod mechanism is used for driving the first wrapping device and the second wrapping device to get close to each other to clamp pineapple fruits. The driving part is used for driving the connecting rod mechanism to deform. The first driving rod is driven by the driving piece, the connecting rod mechanism can be driven to deform, and then the first wrapping device and the second wrapping device are driven to get close to each other to clamp pineapples to complete picking. According to the mechanical arm, only the third driving rod stretches into one side, compared with a traditional picking mechanical arm which adopts a double-claw stretching mode, the mechanical arm has less interference with leaves and corms of pineapple plants, and therefore damage to the plants in the picking process is reduced. The invention relates to the technical field of pineapple picking.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of pineapple picking, and particularly relates to a pineapple picking end manipulator, a picking device and a picking method thereof. Background Art

[0002] During the pineapple planting cycle, the picking work of pineapples is the most time-consuming and laborious part of the whole process. A pineapple plant includes parts such as a pineapple stalk, leaves, a bulb, and a fruit. The fruit grows at the very top of the pineapple stalk and is wrapped by leaves, bulbs, etc. Among them, the pineapple fruit is the part that generates economic benefits of the common pineapple in the public perception. However, for growers, the leaves, bulbs, etc. of pineapples can be used to plant new pineapple plants and have the same economic benefits as the pineapple fruit. Therefore, in order to safely pick the fruit without damaging the leaves and bulbs, manual picking is generally carried out at present.

[0003] However, manual picking has a high cost. The spines on the pineapple fruit body affect both the picking efficiency and pose a risk of injury, and the picking process is affected by the weather. Therefore, some automatic picking machines for pineapples have also appeared on the market currently.

[0004] However, the current research on the mechanized picking mechanism for pineapples still remains at the laboratory stage. Most of them adopt a jaw design that feeds in from both sides of the pineapple fruit to surround the pineapple fruit. Considering that the distances between the pineapple stalk, bulb, leaves and the fruit are extremely close, the current mechanized picking mechanism still cannot overcome the problem that the pineapple fruit is blocked by obstacles such as bulbs and leaves on the stalk, and the fruit cannot be separated and picked without damaging the stalk, bulb and fruit. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. For this purpose, this application provides a pineapple picking end manipulator, which can separate and pick the fruit from the stalk without damaging the stalk, bulb and fruit.

[0006] This application also provides a picking device and a picking method thereof including the above-mentioned pineapple picking end manipulator.

[0007] The pineapple picking end manipulator according to the first aspect embodiment of this application includes:

[0008] A fixed box, which is rotatably connected to the robotic arm;

[0009] Linkage mechanism, which includes a first connecting rod, a second connecting rod, a first driving rod, a second driving rod and a third driving rod. One end of the first connecting rod is fixedly connected to the fixed box, and the other end of the first connecting rod is pivotally connected to the second connecting rod; one end of the second driving rod is provided with two pivot points and is respectively pivotally connected to the first connecting rod and the first driving rod, and one end of the third driving rod is provided with two pivot points and is respectively pivotally connected to the second connecting rod and the second driving rod;

[0010] Driving member, which is connected to the first driving rod to drive it to move;

[0011] First wrapper, which is installed on the first connecting rod;

[0012] Second wrapper, which is installed on the third driving rod;

[0013] Wherein, the first driving rod can drive the linkage mechanism to deform, and drive the first wrapper and the second wrapper to approach or move away from each other.

[0014] The pineapple picking end manipulator according to the embodiment of the present application has at least the following beneficial effects: By driving the first driving rod through the driving member, the linkage mechanism can be driven to deform, and then drive the first wrapper and the second wrapper to approach each other to clamp the pineapple to complete the picking; This manipulator only extends into the pineapple through the third driving rod on one side. Compared with the traditional picking manipulator that uses two claws to extend in, the interference with the leaves and bulbs of the pineapple plant is less, thus reducing the damage to the plant during the picking process.

[0015] According to some embodiments of the present application, both the first wrapper and the second wrapper are arc-shaped, and the concave side of the first wrapper and the second wrapper is the clamping side, and the clamping side is in direct contact with the pineapple fruit.

[0016] According to some embodiments of the present application, a pressure sensor is provided on the clamping side.

[0017] According to some embodiments of the present application, the number of the pressure sensors is multiple and they are equidistantly arranged on the clamping side.

[0018] According to some embodiments of the present application, the driving member is a servo motor, the servo motor is installed on the fixed box, a servo disc is installed on the output shaft of the servo motor, and the end of the first driving rod is pivotally connected to the servo disc.

[0019] According to some embodiments of the present application, the fixed box is provided with a connecting flange, and the connecting flange is used to connect to the robotic arm.

[0020] The picking device according to the second aspect embodiment of the present application includes:

[0021] The above-mentioned end effector for pineapple picking;

[0022] A robotic arm, which is connected to the above-mentioned end effector for pineapple picking and is used to drive the end effector for pineapple picking to rotate;

[0023] A control system, which is electrically connected to the driving member and the robotic arm.

[0024] The picking device according to the embodiment of the present application has at least the following beneficial effects: The robotic arm can drive the above-mentioned end effector for pineapple picking to rotate, so as to break the pineapple fruit from the bulb and complete the picking; the control system can control the entire picking device.

[0025] According to some embodiments of the present application, the picking device further includes a camera, the camera is electrically connected to the control system, and the control system performs visual recognition based on the images captured by the camera.

[0026] According to some embodiments of the present application, the control system includes a host computer, a single-chip microcomputer, a PLC data conversion module and a driving member control module. The host computer is used to process the image data of the camera and convert it into data. The PLC data conversion module is electrically connected to the host computer to receive the processed data of the host computer. The single-chip microcomputer is electrically connected to the PLC data conversion module, and the single-chip microcomputer controls the driving member through the driving member control module.

[0027] The picking method according to the third aspect embodiment of the present application is carried out based on the above-mentioned picking device, and includes the following steps:

[0028] The end effector for pineapple picking is in an initial state, and the first wrapper and the second wrapper are far away from each other;

[0029] The picking device moves and approaches the pineapple, the third driving rod passes through the leaves and the bulb of the pineapple plant, and the second wrapper contacts the pineapple fruit;

[0030] The driving member drives the first driving rod to move, and then drives the second driving rod to rotate around its pivot axis with the first connecting rod;

[0031] The second driving rod moves relative to the second connecting rod, and then drives the third driving rod to rotate around its pivot axis with the second connecting rod;

[0032] The third driving rod drives the second wrapper to approach the first wrapper, and the first wrapper and the second wrapper jointly clamp the pineapple fruit;

[0033] The robotic arm drives the end effector for pineapple picking to rotate, and breaks the pineapple fruit from the bulb;

[0034] The picking device moves to remove the pineapple fruit from the original pineapple plant, completing the picking of the pineapple fruit.

[0035] According to the picking method of the embodiments of the present application, it has at least the following beneficial effects: By jointly performing the picking work with the robotic arm and the end-effector of the pineapple picker, it is possible to reduce the damage to the pineapple plant by the end-effector, facilitating farmers to rear the pineapple plants after picking.

[0036] Additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be given in part in the following description, become apparent in part from the following description, or be understood through the practice of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] The drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the technical solutions disclosed in the present application, and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments disclosed in the present application, they are used to explain the technical solutions of the present disclosure, and do not constitute a limitation to the technical solutions disclosed in the present application.

[0038] Figure 1 It is the first three-dimensional view of the end-effector of the pineapple picker according to the first aspect embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 2 It is the second three-dimensional view of the end-effector of the pineapple picker according to the first aspect embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the picking device picking the pineapple fruit according to the second aspect embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the picking device clamping the pineapple fruit according to the second aspect embodiment of the present application.

[0042] Reference numerals: 100 - fixed box, 110 - connecting flange, 200 - linkage mechanism, 210 - first connecting rod, 220 - second connecting rod, 230 - first driving rod, 240 - second driving rod, 250 - third driving rod, 300 - driving member, 400 - first wrapper, 500 - second wrapper, 600 - pressure sensor, 700 - control system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0043] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the drawings, where the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements or elements with the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present application and should not be construed as a limitation to the present application.

[0044] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that with respect to the orientation description, for example, the orientation or positional relationship indicated by up, down, front, back, left, right, etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, it should not be construed as a limitation to the present application.

[0045] In the description of the present application, the meaning of "several" is more than one, the meaning of "multiple" is more than two, and understandings such as greater than, less than, exceeding, etc. do not include the recited number, and understandings such as above, below, within, etc. include the recited number. If there is a description of first and second, it is only for the purpose of distinguishing technical features and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features or implicitly specifying the sequence relationship of the indicated technical features.

[0046] In the description of the present application, unless otherwise clearly defined, words such as "set", "installed", "connected", etc. should be understood in a broad sense, and those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meanings of the above words in the present application in combination with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0047] In the description of the present application, the description with reference to terms such as "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "schematic embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples", etc. means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic descriptions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0048] During the pineapple planting cycle, the harvesting of pineapples is the most time-consuming and laborious task in the whole process. The pineapple plant includes parts such as the pineapple stem, leaves, corms, and fruits. The fruit grows at the very top of the pineapple stem and is wrapped by leaves, corms, etc. Among them, the pineapple fruit is the part that generates economic benefits of the common pineapple in the public perception. However, for growers, the leaves, corms, etc. of pineapples can be used to plant new pineapple plants and have the same economic benefits as the pineapple fruit. Therefore, in order to safely pick the fruit without damaging the leaves and corms, manual harvesting is generally carried out at present.

[0049] However, manual harvesting has a high cost. The spines on the pineapple fruit body affect both the harvesting efficiency and pose a risk of injury, and the harvesting process is affected by the weather. Therefore, some automatic harvesting machines for pineapples have also emerged on the market currently.

[0050] However, the current research on the mechanical picking mechanism of pineapples still remains at the laboratory stage. Most of them adopt the design of clamping jaws that extend from both sides of the pineapple fruit for feeding, so as to surround the pineapple fruit. Considering that the distances between the pineapple stalk, bulb, leaves and the fruit are extremely close, the current mechanical picking mechanism still cannot overcome the problem that the pineapple fruit is blocked by obstacles such as the bulbs and leaves on the stalk, and the fruit cannot be separated and picked without damaging the stalk, bulb and fruit.

[0051] In this regard, the pineapple picking end manipulator in the first aspect embodiment of the present application can drive the first driving rod 230 through the driving member 300, which can drive the link mechanism 200 to deform, and then drive the first wrapper 400 and the second wrapper 500 to approach each other to clamp the pineapple to complete the picking. This manipulator only extends unidirectionally through the third driving rod 250. Compared with the traditional picking manipulator that uses two claws to extend, its interference with the leaves and bulbs of the pineapple plant is less, thus reducing the damage to the plant during the picking process.

[0052] In addition, the present application also proposes a picking device that uses the above-mentioned pineapple picking end manipulator. The robotic arm can drive the above-mentioned pineapple picking end manipulator to rotate, so as to break the pineapple fruit off the bulb and complete the picking; the control system 700 can control the entire picking device.

[0053] Moreover, the present application also proposes a picking method based on the above-mentioned picking device. By jointly performing the picking work with the robotic arm and the pineapple picking end manipulator, it can reduce the damage of the manipulator to the pineapple plant and facilitate farmers to rear the picked pineapple plants again.

[0054] Refer to Figure 1 , the pineapple picking end manipulator in the first aspect embodiment of the present application includes a fixed box 100, a link mechanism 200, a driving member 300, a first wrapper 400 and a second wrapper 500. Among them, the fixed box 100 and the link mechanism 200 constitute the main structure of this pineapple picking end manipulator. The fixed box 100 is a fixed structure, which is used to connect with the external robotic arm, and the robotic arm can drive the fixed box 100 to rotate, thereby driving the entire pineapple picking end manipulator to rotate and complete the breaking action of the pineapple fruit. The link mechanism 200 is used to drive the first wrapper 400 and the second wrapper 500 to approach each other to clamp the pineapple fruit. The driving member 300 is used to drive the link mechanism 200 to deform.

[0055] Further, refer to Figure 2 , the fixed box 100 is provided with a connecting flange 110 for connecting with the external robotic arm, and the robotic arm drives the fixed box 100 to rotate through the connecting flange 110.

[0056] Specifically, the linkage mechanism 200 includes a first connecting rod 210, a second connecting rod 220, a first driving rod 230, a second driving rod 240, and a third driving rod 250. One end of the first connecting rod 210 is fixedly connected to the fixed box 100, and the other end of the first connecting rod 210 is pivotally connected to the second connecting rod 220, and the second connecting rod 220 and the first connecting rod 210 can rotate relative to each other. One end of the second driving rod 240 is provided with two pivot points and is pivotally connected to the first connecting rod 210 and the first driving rod 230 respectively, and one end of the third driving rod 250 is provided with two pivot points and is pivotally connected to the second connecting rod 220 and the second driving rod 240 respectively.

[0057] When the first driving rod 230 moves, it drives the second driving rod 240 to move, and the second driving rod 240 rotates around its pivot axis with the first connecting rod 210. Since the pivot axis of the second connecting rod 220 and the first connecting rod 210, and the pivot axis of the second driving rod 240 and the first connecting rod 210 are not coaxially arranged, when the second driving rod 240 rotates, it is displaced relative to the second connecting rod 220, thereby driving the third driving rod 250 to move, and the third driving rod 250 rotates around its pivot axis with the second connecting rod 220. Thus, the extension and contraction of the linkage mechanism 200 are completed.

[0058] The driving member 300 is connected to the first driving rod 230 to drive it to move. For the specific structure of the driving member 300, in some embodiments, the driving member 300 is a linear motor, a pneumatic telescopic rod, and a hydraulic telescopic rod, and drives the first driving rod 230 to move by means of expansion and contraction. In this embodiment, the driving member 300 is a servo motor, the servo motor is installed on the fixed box 100, a steering wheel is installed on the output shaft of the servo motor, and the end of the first driving rod 230 is pivotally connected to the steering wheel. When the servo motor drives the steering wheel to rotate, the first driving rod 230 is driven to move, thereby driving the linkage mechanism 200 to deform.

[0059] The first wrapper 400 is installed on the first connecting rod 210, and the second wrapper 500 is installed on the third driving rod 250. When the first driving rod 230 drives the linkage mechanism 200 to deform, it can drive the first wrapper 400 and the second wrapper 500 to approach or move away from each other, thereby completing the clamping and releasing of the pineapple fruit.

[0060] Furthermore, both the first wrapper 400 and the second wrapper 500 are arc-shaped, and the concave sides of the first wrapper 400 and the second wrapper 500 are the clamping sides, and the clamping sides are in direct contact with the pineapple fruit. The first wrapper 400 and the second wrapper 500 are designed to be arc-shaped to better fit the shape of the pineapple fruit, so as to have a more stable clamping effect during clamping and prevent loosening.

[0061] Further, a pressure sensor 600 is provided on the clamping side, and the number of pressure sensors 600 is multiple and they are equidistantly arranged on the clamping side. Thus, the pressure sensor 600 can detect the acting force applied by the first wrapper 400 and the second wrapper 500 to the pineapple fruit, avoiding damage to the pineapple fruit due to excessive pressure or unstable clamping due to too small pressure.

[0062] The picking device in the second aspect embodiment of the present application includes the above-mentioned pineapple picking end manipulator, robotic arm, and control system 700. Among them, the robotic arm is connected to the pineapple picking end manipulator and is used to drive the pineapple picking end manipulator to rotate to complete the breaking action of the pineapple fruit. The control system 700 is electrically connected to the driving member 300 and the robotic arm and is used for overall control of the picking device.

[0063] Further, the picking device further includes a camera, and the camera is electrically connected to the control system 700. The control system 700 performs visual recognition based on the images captured by the camera, thereby completing the automatic picking work and reducing the labor burden of the picking workers.

[0064] Further, for the control system 700, it includes a host computer, a single-chip microcomputer, a PLC data conversion module, and a driving member control module. The host computer is used to process the image data of the camera and convert it into data. The PLC data conversion module is electrically connected to the host computer to receive the processed data of the host computer. The single-chip microcomputer is electrically connected to the PLC data conversion module, and the single-chip microcomputer controls the driving member 300 through the driving member control module.

[0065] The picking method in the third aspect embodiment of the present application is carried out based on the above-mentioned picking device and includes the following steps:

[0066] S100. The pineapple picking end manipulator is in an initial state, and the first wrapper 400 and the second wrapper 500 are far away from each other to make room for subsequent clamping work;

[0067] S200. Refer to Figure 3 , the picking device moves and approaches the pineapple, the third driving rod 250 passes through the leaves and corms of the pineapple plant, and the second wrapper 500 contacts the pineapple fruit;

[0068] S300. The driving member 300 drives the first driving rod 230 to move, and then drives the second driving rod 240 to rotate around its pivot axis with the first connecting rod 210;

[0069] S400. The second driving rod 240 moves relative to the second connecting rod 220, and then drives the third driving rod 250 to rotate around its pivot axis with the second connecting rod 220;

[0070] S500. The third driving rod 250 drives the second wrapper 500 to approach the first wrapper 400. Referring to Figure 4 , the first wrapper 400 and the second wrapper 500 jointly clamp the pineapple fruit;

[0071] S600. The robotic arm drives the end manipulator of the pineapple picker to rotate, and breaks the pineapple fruit off from the corm;

[0072] S700. The picking device moves to remove the pineapple fruit from the original pineapple plant, completing the picking of the pineapple fruit.

[0073] The above has described the embodiments of the present application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present application is not limited to the above embodiments. Within the scope of knowledge possessed by those of ordinary skill in the art, various changes can be made without departing from the purpose of the present application. In addition, without conflict, the embodiments of the present application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

Claims

1. A pineapple picking end manipulator, characterized in that: include: A fixed box, which is rotatably connected to the robot arm; A connecting rod mechanism, comprising a first connecting rod, a second connecting rod, a first driving rod, a second driving rod and a third driving rod, wherein one end of the first connecting rod is fixedly connected to the fixing box, and the other end of the first connecting rod is pivotally connected to the second connecting rod; one end of the second driving rod is provided with two pivot points and is pivotally connected to the first connecting rod and the first driving rod respectively; one end of the third driving rod is provided with two pivot points and is pivotally connected to the second connecting rod and the second driving rod respectively; A driving member connected to the first driving rod to drive the first driving rod to move; a first wrapper mounted to the first connecting rod; a second wrapper mounted to the third drive rod; The first driving rod can drive the connecting rod mechanism to deform, thereby driving the first wrapper and the second wrapper to move closer to or farther away from each other.

2. The pineapple picking end manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first wrapper and the second wrapper are both in an arc shape, and the concave side of the first wrapper and the second wrapper is a clamping side, which is in direct contact with the pineapple fruit.

3. The pineapple picking terminal manipulator according to claim 2, characterized in that: The clamping side is provided with a pressure sensor.

4. The pineapple picking terminal manipulator according to claim 3, characterized in that: There are multiple pressure sensors, which are equidistantly arranged on the clamping side.

5. The pineapple picking end manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving component is a steering gear, which is mounted on the fixing box. The output shaft of the steering gear is mounted with a steering disc, and the end of the first driving rod is pivotally connected to the steering disc.

6. The pineapple picking terminal manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fixing box is provided with a connecting flange, and the connecting flange is used to be connected to the robot arm.

7. A picking device, characterized in that: include: The pineapple picking end manipulator according to any one of claims 1 to 6; A mechanical arm connected to the pineapple picking end mechanical arm and used to drive the pineapple picking end mechanical arm to rotate; A control system is electrically connected to the driving member and the robotic arm.

8. The picking device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The picking device also includes a camera, which is electrically connected to the control system. The control system performs visual recognition based on the image captured by the camera.

9. The picking device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The control system includes a host computer, a single-chip microcomputer, a PLC data conversion module and a drive component control module. The host computer is used to process the image data of the camera and convert it into data. The PLC data conversion module is electrically connected to the host computer to receive the processed data of the host computer. The single-chip microcomputer is electrically connected to the PLC data conversion module. The single-chip microcomputer controls the drive component through the drive component control module.

10. A picking method, performed based on the picking device according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that: include: The pineapple picking terminal manipulator is in an initial state, and the first wrapper and the second wrapper are away from each other; The picking device moves and approaches the pineapple, the third driving rod passes through the leaves and bulb of the pineapple plant, and the second wrapper contacts the pineapple fruit; The driving member drives the first driving rod to move, thereby driving the second driving rod to rotate around the pivot axis between the second driving rod and the first connecting rod; The second driving rod moves relative to the second connecting rod, thereby driving the third driving rod to rotate around the pivot axis between the third driving rod and the second connecting rod; The third driving rod drives the second wrapper to approach the first wrapper, and the first wrapper and the second wrapper jointly clamp the pineapple fruit; The mechanical arm drives the pineapple picking terminal mechanical arm to rotate, breaking the pineapple fruit from the bulb; The picking device moves to remove the pineapple fruits from the original pineapple plants, thereby completing the picking of the pineapple fruits.

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