Intelligent tomato picking robot suitable for greenhouse and picking method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses an intelligent tomato picking robot suitable for a greenhouse and a picking method thereof, and relates to the technical field of agricultural robots and fruit and vegetable harvesting equipment. Comprising a flexible picking mechanical arm, a lifting mechanism, a fruit conveying hose, a conveying belt, a depth camera, a temporary storage box, a track dual-purpose chassis and a digital display control panel. The flexible picking mechanical arm and the conveying belt are both installed on the lifting mechanism, the temporary storage box is installed on the track dual-purpose chassis, the flexible picking mechanical arm is provided with a flexible telescopic joint and a tail end picking device, the flexible telescopic joint adjusts the telescopic displacement of the tail end picking device, and the tail end picking device picks fruits; the fruit conveying hose conveys the fruits to the conveying belt; fruits are stored in the temporary storage box; the depth camera identifies the fruit maturity and the fruit position; the digital display control panel is used for controlling the driving piece and transmitting signals; and the road-rail dual-purpose chassis can move along the rail. The flexible picking mechanical arm only picks fruits without unloading the fruits, so that the picking efficiency is greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of agricultural robots and fruit and vegetable harvesting equipment. More specifically, it relates to a tomato intelligent picking robot applicable to greenhouses and a picking method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Tomatoes are one of the most important greenhouse crops in China and are widely planted in the northern regions of China. During the production process of tomatoes, the picking operation is the most time-consuming, laborious, and time-sensitive link. The workload of picking and harvesting accounts for about 40% of the total labor. With the increasing labor cost, the cost of agricultural production is constantly increasing. There is an urgent need to improve the automation degree of the picking process, which can greatly improve the per-unit area output of fruits and vegetables in China and the economic benefits of producing fruits and vegetables. With the maturity of robot technology and the reduction of costs, the field of robot agriculture has been widely applied. At present, after the tomato picking robot picks tomatoes, it is necessary to put the tomatoes into the picking box one by one. However, for each tomato picked, there is a process of putting it into the picking box, and the time consumed for placing tomatoes has exceeded the time for picking tomatoes, affecting the tomato picking efficiency. Therefore, the research and development of a continuous picking mechanism for tomato picking robots has important practical significance. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a tomato intelligent picking robot applicable to greenhouses and a picking method thereof. The robot has a simple and compact structure, is convenient for replacement and maintenance, can realize continuous picking during the tomato picking process, and improves the picking efficiency.

[0004] To solve the above technical problem, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: A tomato intelligent picking robot applicable to greenhouses, comprising a flexible picking robotic arm, a lifting mechanism, a fruit conveying hose, a conveyor belt, a depth camera, a temporary storage box, a rail-road dual-purpose chassis, and a digital display control panel; The flexible picking robotic arm includes a first joint, a second joint, a flexible telescopic joint, and an end picking device. One end of the first joint is connected to the output shaft of the first rotary motor, and the first rotary motor is fixedly connected to the lifting mechanism. The other end of the first joint is fixedly connected to the second rotary motor, and the output shaft of the second rotary motor is connected to one end of the second joint. The other end of the second joint is fixedly connected to one end of the flexible telescopic joint, and the other end of the flexible telescopic joint is connected to the end picking device; The lifting mechanism drives the first rotary motor and the first joint to move up and down, thereby driving the second joint, the second rotary motor, and the end picking device to move up and down at the same time; The first rotary motor realizes the extension and retraction of the entire flexible picking robotic arm and adjusts the position of the end picking device at the same time; The second rotary motor adjusts the orientation angle of the flexible telescopic joint; The flexible telescopic joint adjusts the telescopic displacement of the end picking device, and the end picking device picks fruits; The lifting mechanism is fixedly connected to the top of the dual-purpose road-rail chassis and is used to adjust the height of the entire flexible picking manipulator; The fruit conveying hose conveys the fruits picked by the end picking device to the conveyor belt; The conveyor belt is connected to the lifting mechanism and rises and falls together with the flexible picking manipulator, and conveys the fruits picked by the end picking device into the temporary storage box; The temporary storage box is fixedly connected to the top of the dual-purpose road-rail chassis and stores the fruits conveyed by the conveyor belt; The depth camera is fixedly connected to the top of the lifting mechanism to identify the fruit maturity and the fruit position; The output end and the input end of the digital display control panel are respectively electrically connected to the driving parts and sensors of each functional component, and are used to control the driving parts and transmit signals; A vacuum wheel and a track wheel are respectively provided at the four corners of the dual-purpose road-rail chassis, and the track wheel makes a rolling motion on the track.

[0005] Preferably, the flexible telescopic joint includes a joint support, an upper guide rail, an upper slider, an upper spring steel plate connecting seat, an upper spring steel plate, a first rack, a first motor gear, a first torque servo motor, a second torque servo motor, a second rack, a second motor gear, a lower slider, a lower guide rail, a lower spring steel plate connecting seat, a lower spring steel plate, a corrugated pipe, an end tail section piece, a head section piece, a head roller, a corrugated leaf spring, and a fruit conduit; A lower guide rail is fixedly connected to each of the left and right sides of the joint support, and an upper guide rail is fixedly connected to the top of the joint support. Each lower guide rail is slidably connected to a lower slider, and the upper guide rail is slidably connected to an upper slider. Both lower sliders are fixedly connected to a lower spring steel plate connecting seat, and an upper spring steel plate connecting seat is fixedly connected to the top of the lower spring steel plate connecting seat. The upper spring steel plate connecting seat is fixedly connected to the upper slider. The first rack and the second rack are respectively fixedly connected to both sides of the joint support. The first rack is meshed with the first motor gear, the first motor gear is connected to the first torque servo motor, the second rack is meshed with the second motor gear, and the second motor gear is connected to the second torque servo motor; the upper guide rail, the lower guide rail, the first rack, and the second rack are parallel to each other; The parallel upper guide rail is provided with a fruit conduit. One end of the fruit conduit is fixedly connected to a fruit conveying hose, and the other end is communicated with a corrugated pipe. One end of the corrugated pipe is fixedly connected to an end head section piece, and the end head section piece is fixedly connected to a joint support. The other end of the corrugated pipe is fixedly connected to an end tail section piece. On both sides and the top of the lower part of the end head section piece, a pair of end head rollers are provided. Between the two pairs of end head rollers at the lower part of the end head section piece, a lower side spring steel plate is provided, and between the pair of end head rollers at the upper part, an upper side spring steel plate is provided. One end of the lower side spring steel plate is fixedly connected to a lower side spring steel plate connecting seat, and the other end is fixedly connected to the end tail section piece. One end of the upper side spring steel plate is fixedly connected to an upper side spring steel plate connecting seat, and the other end is fixedly connected to the end tail section piece. The end picking device is fixedly connected to the end tail section piece. The first torque servo motor drives the first motor gear to roll along the first rack, and the second torque servo motor drives the second motor gear to roll along the second rack, thereby driving the lower side spring steel plate connecting seat and the upper side spring steel plate connecting seat to slide along the lower side guide rail and the upper side guide rail respectively. The lower side spring steel plate connecting seat drives the two lower side spring steel plates to move back and forth, and the upper side spring steel plate connecting seat drives the upper side spring steel plate to move back and forth. The lower side spring steel plate and the upper side spring steel plate drive the end tail section piece to move back and forth, and the end tail section piece drives the end picking device to move back and forth, and the corrugated pipe makes a telescopic movement.

[0006] Preferably, a corrugated spring is provided on each side of the corrugated pipe. One end of the corrugated spring is fixedly connected to the end tail section piece, and the other end is fixedly connected to the end head section piece.

[0007] Preferably, the end picking device includes a picking claw base, a spring, picking fingers, and an end claw. The picking claw base is fixedly connected to a flexible telescopic joint. There are several picking fingers, which are arranged in a circumferential array and are vertically fixedly connected to the picking claw base. The bottom of a directional rotating member is rotationally connected to the top of the picking finger through a rotating shaft. The bottom of the directional rotating member is stuck at the top of the picking finger and only rotates counterclockwise by 90°. The top of the directional rotating member is fixedly connected to the root of the end claw. The end claw is arranged perpendicular to the picking finger, and the claw tip of the end claw faces the center of the picking claw base. One end of the spring is wound around the top of the picking finger, and the other end is wound around the root of the end claw. The spring keeps the end claw in a state perpendicular to the picking finger.

[0008] Preferably, the temporary storage box includes an aluminum profile frame and several temporary storage baskets. The aluminum profile frame is erected on the road-rail dual-purpose chassis, and several temporary storage baskets are connected to the aluminum profile frame in sequence from top to bottom.

[0009] Preferably, an infrared sensor is installed at the end of the fruit conveying hose. When it detects that a fruit has fallen, it controls the conveyor belt to feed forward a certain distance so that the fruit is placed separately.

[0010] Preferably, baffles are provided on both sides of the conveyor belt.

[0011] A method for picking greenhouse tomatoes using a tomato intelligent picking robot, comprising the following steps: S1. The tomato intelligent picking robot conducts periodic inspections, uses a depth camera to reconstruct the three-dimensional representation of tomato plants in the greenhouse, combines multi-source heterogeneous information perception and fusion technology with large model technology, and through the growth-environment control prediction large model, analyzes the environment-crop interaction relationship in real time, predicts the fruit maturity period and the mature position, and transmits the position coordinates of the pickable fruits to the tomato intelligent picking robot; S2. The rail-road dual-purpose chassis identifies the greenhouse environment through the Slam navigation system and completes modeling, docks with the track under the guidance of the Slam navigation system, and completes the on-rail of the tomato intelligent picking robot; S3. The tomato intelligent picking robot reaches the position of the pickable tomatoes along the track under the guidance of the position coordinates; S4. The lifting mechanism drives the flexible picking manipulator, conveyor belt, and fruit conveying hose to be lifted to an appropriate height; S5. Start the first rotary motor and the second rotary motor, rotate the first joint and the second joint, thereby adjusting the position and orientation of the flexible telescopic joint; S6. Start the first torque servo motor and the second torque servo motor, drive the spring steel plate to extend, and make the end picking device approach and cover the mature fruit; S7. The first torque servo motor and the second torque servo motor reverse, drive the spring steel plate to retract, make the end picking device pick the covered mature fruit, the picked fruit directly falls into the corrugated pipe, enters the fruit conduit along the corrugated pipe, then enters the fruit conveying hose from the fruit conduit, and falls on the conveyor belt through the fruit conveying hose; S8. After the conveyor belt catches the fruit, it moves forward a certain distance and waits for the next fruit to fall; when there are enough fruits temporarily stored on the conveyor belt, the conveyor belt transports the fruits above to the temporary storage box; S9. Repeat steps S3 - S8; S10. When the temporary storage box on one layer is filled with the picked fruits, start the lifting mechanism to align the conveyor belt with the temporary storage box on another layer, and then repeat steps S3 - S8; S11. When all the temporary storage boxes are filled with fruits, replace the temporary storage box, and repeat steps S3 - S8 until all the mature fruits are picked.

[0012] The beneficial effects of adopting the above technical solution are as follows: 1. Through modular design and integrated structure innovation, the present invention realizes the upgrade of unmanned precise tomato picking. During operation, the rail-road dual-purpose chassis realizes the switching between the roadbed and the track, completes the action of getting on the track. After getting on the track, the depth camera identifies the maturity and three-dimensional coordinates of tomatoes, and through the upper computer, kinematic calculations are performed to control the flexible picking robotic arm and each functional component to work together to pick tomatoes. The picked tomatoes enter the conveyor belt for temporary storage through the fruit conveying hose. When the stored tomatoes reach the upper limit, the conveyor belt is lifted to the height of the empty temporary storage box position through the lifting mechanism, and the tomatoes are sent into storage to complete the picking operation. Through the linkage control and mutual cooperation among functional components such as the flexible picking robotic arm, the lifting mechanism, the fruit conveying hose, the conveyor belt, the depth camera, the temporary storage box, and the rail-road dual-purpose chassis, the full process automation operation of getting on the track, picking, temporary storage, and storage picking can be realized. The two side robotic arms can pick multiple tomato plants simultaneously in both directions without interference, and the flexible picking robotic arm only needs to complete the picking action without performing the fruit unloading action, greatly improving the picking efficiency. Compared with traditional manual tomato picking, the present invention can reduce labor costs. Each module is precisely coordinated through mechanical limit and timing control, and the mechanism structure is simple and the actions are coordinated, realizing the selective picking of tomatoes in the complex greenhouse environment.

[0013] 2. The present invention adopts an integrated structure of flexible picking robotic arm picking + conveying hose fruit unloading + conveyor belt temporary storage + temporary storage box storage, realizing continuous picking during the tomato picking process. The flexible picking robotic arm only responsible for picking without placing, improving the picking efficiency.

[0014] 3. Both the conveyor belt and the flexible picking robotic arm are installed on the lifting mechanism, keeping the height difference between the conveyor belt and the flexible picking robotic arm unchanged and lifting together, avoiding the damage caused by the excessive falling height of tomatoes during the tomato picking process.

[0015] 4. The system modular design has a compact layout, and each subsystem works together without interference and is convenient for replacement and maintenance.

[0016] 5. The flexible picking robotic arm has a complete picking function, with a simple structure. It adopts a picking scheme of motor-driven gear racks to guide the spring steel plate to drive the end collection device to extend, having good innovation and practicality. Description of the Drawings

[0017] Figure 1 is the main framework diagram of the tomato intelligent picking robot; Figure 2 is the front view of the tomato intelligent picking robot; Figure 3 is the structure diagram of the flexible picking robotic arm; Figure 4 is the structure diagram of the flexible telescopic joint; Figure 5 is the structural schematic diagram of the second joint; Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of the upper side spring steel plate connecting seat; Figure 7 It is a schematic structural diagram of the lower side spring steel plate connecting seat; Figure 8 It is a schematic structural diagram of another view direction of the flexible joint; Figure 9 It is a schematic structural diagram of the end roller; Figure 10 It is a schematic structural diagram of the end picking device; Figure 11 It is a schematic structural diagram of the lifting mechanism; Figure 12 It is a schematic structural diagram of the temporary storage box; In the figure: 1. Flexible picking robotic arm; 110. First joint; 111. First rotating motor; 112. Second rotating motor; 113. Second joint; 120. Flexible telescopic joint; 121. Upper side guide rail; 122. Upper side slider; 123. Upper side spring steel plate connecting seat; 124. Upper side spring steel plate; 125. First rack; 126. First motor gear; 127. First torque servo motor; 128. Second torque servo motor; 129. Second rack; 131. Second motor gear; 132. Lower side slider; 133. Lower side guide rail; 134. Lower side spring steel plate connecting seat; 135. Lower side spring steel plate; 136. Bellows; 137. End tail section; 138. End head section; 139. End roller; 141. Corrugated leaf spring; 142. Fruit conduit; 150. End picking device; 151. Picking claw base; 152. Spring; 153. Picking finger; 154. End claw; 2. Lifting mechanism; 211. Camera mounting seat; 212. Column; 213. Lifting platform; 214. Ball screw mobile end bearing seat; 215. Bottom support plate; 216. Ball screw; 217. Nut mounting seat; 218. Ball screw nut; 219. Bottom cross beam; 221. Ball screw fixed end bearing seat 221; 222. Conveyor belt bracket; 223. Chain; 224. Sprocket; 225. Motor mounting seat; 226. Lifting motor; 227. Lifting slider; 228. Lifting guide rail, 229. Cross beam; 3. Fruit conveying hose; 4. Conveyor belt; 5. Digital display control panel; 6. Depth camera; 7. Temporary storage box; 711. Temporary storage basket; 712. Aluminum profile frame; 8. Road-rail dual-purpose chassis; 9. Control cabinet; 10. Vacuum wheel; 11. Track wheel; 12. Track; 13. Guide groove. Specific implementation manners

[0018] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present application without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0019] As Figure 1-2 shown, the tomato intelligent picking robot mainly includes a flexible picking robotic arm 1, a lifting mechanism 2, a fruit conveying hose 3, a conveyor belt 4, a digital display control panel 5, a depth camera 6, a temporary storage box 7, and a dual-purpose road and rail chassis 8. Inside the dual-purpose road and rail chassis 8, four vacuum wheels 10 are arranged in a rectangular array, and inside each vacuum wheel 10, a track wheel 11 for supporting and guiding on the track 12 is provided.

[0020] On the dual-purpose road and rail chassis 8, two sets of lifting mechanisms 2 and two flexible picking robotic arms 1 are provided. One flexible picking robotic arm 1 is fixedly connected to one lifting mechanism 2. The bottom support plate 215 of the lifting mechanism 2 is connected to the dual-purpose road and rail chassis 8 by screws. As Figure 11 shown, on both sides of each set of lifting mechanisms 2, two columns 212 are provided. The upper ends of the columns 212 are connected by a cross beam 229. The lifting motor 226 is installed on the motor mounting seat 225 to drive the lifting platform 213 to lift. A conveyor belt 4 is provided on the lifting platform 213. The conveyor belt motor 411 is screwed and tightened to the conveyor belt 4. The conveyor belt 4 is fixedly connected to the lifting platform 213 by screws and rises and falls with the flexible picking robotic arm 1. A flexible picking robotic arm 1 is provided on each lifting platform 213. The first joint 110 of the flexible picking robotic arm 1 is used to extend the flexible picking robotic arm 1 and adjust the position of the end picking device 150. The second joint 113 is used to adjust the orientation angle of the flexible telescopic joint 120. The flexible telescopic joint 120 is used to control the extension amount and orientation angle of the end picking device 150. The corrugated leaf spring 141 is used to assist the extension and retraction of the bellows 136 arm body. The bellows 136 is a 3D printed TPU material soft structure for the conveying of fruits after picking. The structure of the end picking device 150 includes a picking claw base 151, picking fingers 153, end claws 154, and a spring 152 for putting the tomato on and picking it off. One end of the fruit conveying hose 3 is connected to the fruit conduit 142 by screws, and the other end is fixedly connected to the end of the conveyor belt 4 through the guide groove 13 by screws. A temporary storage box 7 is also provided on the upper side of the dual-purpose road and rail chassis 8. The temporary storage box 7 is fixedly connected to the dual-purpose road and rail chassis 8 by screws. There are three temporary storage boxes 7, arranged in sequence from top to bottom. A depth camera 6 is provided at the top of the lifting mechanism 2. The depth camera 6 is fixedly connected to the camera mounting seat at the top of the lifting mechanism 2 by screws.

[0021] As Figure 3As shown, the flexible picking robot arm 1 consists of a first joint 110, a second joint 113, a flexible telescopic joint 120, and an end picking device 150. The first joint 110 is provided with a first rotary motor 111 and a second rotary motor 112 that can rotate and extend the flexible picking robot arm 1. The first rotary motor 111 is connected to the lifting platform 2 via a flange, the second rotary motor 112 is connected to the second joint 113 via a flange, and the second joint 113 is fastened to the flexible telescopic joint 120 via screws. The output end of the digital display control panel 5 is electrically connected to the first rotary motor 111 and the second rotary motor 112 respectively. In actual application, the output shaft of the first rotary motor 111 can drive the first joint 110 to rotate and extend, and the output shaft of the second rotary motor 112 can drive the flexible telescopic joint 120 to rotate.

[0022] like Figure 3 As shown, the flexible telescopic joint 120 is inclined at 30° to the horizontal plane, which facilitates the picking of fruits to fall onto the conveyor belt 4. Figures 4-9 As shown, the flexible telescopic joint 120 includes a first torque servo motor 127, a second torque servo motor 128, a first motor gear 126, a second motor gear 131, a first rack 125, a second rack 129, a corrugated leaf spring 141, a bellows 136, an upper spring steel plate 124, a lower spring steel plate 135, an upper guide rail 121, an upper slider 122, a lower guide rail 133, a lower slider 132, an upper spring steel plate connecting seat 123, a lower spring steel plate connecting seat 134, a fruit guide 142, a head segment 138, and a tail segment 137. Figure 4As shown in the figure, the first rack 125 and the second rack 129 are fixedly connected to the inner wall of the flexible telescopic joint 120 by screws. One end of the upper spring steel plate connecting seat 123 is fixedly connected to the first torque servo motor 126 by screws, the middle section is fixedly connected to the upper slider 122 by screws, and the other end is fixedly connected to the upper spring steel plate 124 by screws. The first motor gear 126 meshes with the first rack 125. The first torque servo motor 127 drives the first motor gear 126 to rotate, and cooperates with the upper slider 122 to drive the upper spring steel plate 124 to move along the direction of the upper guide rail 121. One end of the lower spring steel plate connecting seat 134 is fixedly connected to the second torque servo motor 128 by screws, the middle section is fixedly connected to the lower slider 132 by screws, and the other end is fixedly connected to the lower spring steel plate 134 by screws. The second motor gear 131 meshes with the second rack 129. The second torque servo motor 128 drives the second motor gear 131 to rotate, driving the lower spring steel plate 135 to move along the direction of the lower guide rail 133. The fruit conduit 142 is arranged at the central axis position inside the flexible telescopic joint 120 and is fixedly connected to the end piece 138 by screws. One end of the corrugated pipe 136 is connected to the end piece 138 by screws, and the other end is connected to the end tail piece 137 by screws. In the initial state, the corrugated pipe 136 is coaxial with the end picking device 150 and the corrugated pipe 136. The output ends of the digital display control panel 5 are respectively electrically connected to the first torque servo motor 127 and the second torque servo motor 128. In practical applications, by adjusting the output speeds of the first torque servo motor 127 and the second torque servo motor 128, the end picking device 150 is differentially driven to expand and contract along the curved track, and the expansion and contraction amount and the orientation angle of the end picking device 150 are controlled.

[0023] As Figure 10 shown, the end picking device 150 is fixedly connected to the end piece 138 by screws and is in the form of a claw with a check mechanism. The end picking device 150 includes a picking claw base 151, picking fingers 153, end claws 154, a directional rotating part, and a spring 152. A total of 7 picking fingers 153 are evenly arranged circumferentially along the axis of the picking claw base 151. The end claws 154 can only bend inward and cannot bend outward. Half of the spring 152 is wound around the end claws 154, and half is wound around the picking fingers 153. During picking, the tomato is pushed from the outside to the inside through the middle of the seven end claws 154. The end claws 154 and the directional rotating part rotate clockwise together. After the tomato completely enters the cavity formed by the seven end claws 154, the end claws 154 return to a position perpendicular to the picking fingers 153 under the elastic support of the spring 152, and the flexible telescopic joint 120 retracts, and the end claws 154 pick the tomato. Under the restriction of the directional rotating part, the end claws 154 can bend inward at most by an angle of 90°.

[0024] As Figure 11As shown, each lifting mechanism 2 is provided with two columns 212 on both sides, and a lifting guide rail 228 is provided on the inner side of the column. The upper ends of the columns 212 are connected by a crossbeam 229, and a screw 216 and a bottom crossbeam 219 are provided below. The lower end of the screw 216 is connected by a screw fixed end bearing seat 221, and the upper end of the screw 216 is connected by a screw movable end bearing seat 214 and is only allowed to rotate. A screw nut 218 is inserted in the middle, and the screw nut 218 is fastened to the nut mounting seat 217 by screws. The nut mounting seat 217 is fastened to the lifting platform 213 by screws, and the lifting platform 213 is fastened to the lifting slider 227 by screws. The lifting motor 226 is installed on the motor mounting seat 225, and the lifting motor 226 drives the sprocket 224 chain 223 to rotate, driving the screw 216 to rotate, and driving the lifting platform 213 to rise and fall. A conveyor belt bracket 222 is mounted on the lifting platform 213. The conveyor belt 4 is screw-fastened to the conveyor belt bracket 222 and rises and falls with the flexible picking robot arm 1. The output of the digital display control panel 5 is electrically connected to a lifting motor 226. In practice, the lifting motor 226 controls the lifting of the lifting platform 213 to harvest tomatoes at different heights.

[0025] like Figure 12 As shown, temporary storage box 7 is fastened to the dual-purpose rail chassis 8 via screws. The overall structure consists of an aluminum profile frame 712, which houses a three-tiered loading basket 711 and a digital control panel 5. The empty area below is used to house the control cabinet 9. The loading basket 711 is fastened to the temporary storage box 7 via screws, forming a 30° angle with the horizontal. The output and input terminals of the digital control panel 5 are electrically connected to the drivers and sensors of the various functional components. In actual use, when the conveyor belt 4 reaches its upper capacity, the lifting mechanism 2 raises the conveyor belt 4 to the height of the empty temporary storage box 711, allowing the tomatoes to be stored.

[0026] The picking process of the tomato picking robot is as follows: S1. The intelligent tomato picking robot conducts periodic inspections, using a depth camera 6 to reconstruct a 3D representation of the tomato plants in the greenhouse. Combining multi-source heterogeneous information perception and fusion technology with large-scale modeling technology, the robot uses a growth-environmental control prediction model to analyze the environment-crop interaction in real time, predict the fruit ripening period and location, and transmit the coordinates of the harvestable fruit locations to the intelligent tomato picking robot. S2, the road-rail dual-purpose chassis 8 uses the Slam navigation system to identify the greenhouse environment and complete the modeling. Under the guidance of the Slam navigation system, it docks with the track 12, completing the installation of the tomato intelligent picking robot; S3, the tomato intelligent picking robot reaches the tomato picking position along track 12 under the guidance of the position coordinates; S4, the lifting mechanism 2 drives the flexible picking robot arm 1, the conveyor belt 4, and the fruit transport hose 3 to a suitable height; S5. Start the first rotary motor 111 and the second rotary motor 112 to rotate the first joint 110 and the second joint 113, thereby adjusting the position and orientation of the flexible telescopic joint 120; S6. Start the first torque servo motor 127 and the second torque servo motor 128 to drive the leaf spring to extend, so that the end picking device 150 approaches and slews the ripe fruit; S7. The first torque servo motor 127 and the second torque servo motor 128 reverse to drive the leaf spring to retract, so that the end picking device 150 picks the slewed ripe fruit. The picked fruit directly falls into the corrugated pipe 136, enters the fruit conduit 142 along the corrugated pipe 136, then enters the fruit conveying hose 3 from the fruit conduit 142, and falls on the conveyor belt 4 through the fruit conveying hose 3; S8. After the conveyor belt 4 catches the fruit, it moves forward a certain distance and waits for the next fruit to fall; when there are enough fruits temporarily stored on the conveyor belt 4, the conveyor belt 4 transports the fruits above to the temporary storage box 711; S9. Repeat steps S3 - S8; S10. When one of the temporary storage boxes 711 is filled with the picked fruits, start the lifting mechanism 2 to align the conveyor belt 4 with another temporary storage box 711, and then repeat steps S3 - S8; S11. When all the temporary storage boxes 711 are filled with fruits, replace the temporary storage box 711 and repeat steps S3 - S8 until all the ripe fruits are picked.

[0027] The working principle of the picking robot of the present invention: The rail-road dual-purpose chassis 8 can adapt to both flat ground and tracks simultaneously through the wheel system provided on the bottom side. In practical applications, a traveling drive mechanism capable of driving the wheels to rotate and a steering mechanism for driving the front and rear wheels to steer are also provided inside the rail-road dual-purpose chassis 8. The traveling drive mechanism and the steering mechanism adopt existing technologies. The tomato planters are installed on both sides of the track 12. During the traveling process of the rail-road dual-purpose chassis 8, simultaneous picking of the tomato planters on both sides of the track 12 can be achieved without interference. The depth camera 6 is used to detect ripe tomatoes. The depth camera 6 adopts existing technology, can output the three-dimensional coordinates of the tomatoes, and judge the ripeness of the tomatoes according to their colors, and is picked by the flexible picking robotic arm 1. The lifting motor 226 drives the lifting platform 213 to move, enabling adjustment of the heights of the flexible picking robotic arm 1 and the conveyor belt 4. The rotation of the first joint 110 can achieve the extension of the flexible telescopic joint 120. The second joint 113 can rotate to adjust the position and orientation angle of the flexible telescopic joint 120. The flexible telescopic joint 120 can control the extension of the end picking device 150 to pick. The picked tomatoes are conveyed to the conveyor belt for temporary storage through the fruit delivery hose 3. During this process, the conveyor belt 4 follows under the flexible picking robotic arm 1 with a constant height difference. After the flexible picking robotic arm 1 picks the tomatoes without placing them, the tomatoes successively enter the corrugated pipe 136, the fruit conduit 142, the fruit delivery hose 3, and the conveyor belt 4. When the capacity of the conveyor belt 4 reaches the upper limit, the conveyor belt 4 is lifted to the height of the empty temporary storage frame 711 position through the lifting mechanism 2, and the tomatoes are sent into storage, realizing the continuous picking of the picking robotic arm 1.

[0028] The above is only a preferred specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, according to the technical solution of the present invention and its inventive concept, makes equivalent substitutions or changes, and should be covered by the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tomato intelligent picking robot applicable to greenhouses, characterized in that, It includes a flexible picking robotic arm (1), a lifting mechanism (2), a fruit conveying hose (3), a conveyor belt (4), a depth camera (6), a temporary storage box (7), a rail-road dual-purpose chassis (8), and a digital display control panel (5); The flexible picking robotic arm (1) includes a first joint (110), a second joint (113), a flexible telescopic joint (120), and a terminal picking device (150). One end of the first joint (110) is connected to the output shaft of the first rotating motor (111), and the first rotating motor (111) is fixedly connected to the lifting mechanism (2). The other end of the first joint (110) is fixedly connected to the second rotating motor (112), and the output shaft of the second rotating motor (112) is connected to one end of the second joint (113). The other end of the second joint (113) is fixedly connected to one end of the flexible telescopic joint (120), and the other end of the flexible telescopic joint (120) is connected to the terminal picking device (150). The lifting mechanism (2) drives the first rotating motor (111) and the first joint (110) to move up and down, thereby driving the second joint (113), the second rotating motor (112), and the terminal picking device (150) to move up and down simultaneously. The first rotating motor (111) realizes the extension and retraction of the entire flexible picking robotic arm and adjusts the position of the terminal picking device (150) at the same time. The second rotating motor (112) adjusts the orientation angle of the flexible telescopic joint (120). The flexible telescopic joint (120) adjusts the telescopic displacement of the terminal picking device (150), and the terminal picking device (150) picks fruits; The lifting mechanism (2) is fixedly connected to the top of the rail-road dual-purpose chassis (8) and is used to adjust the height of the entire flexible picking robotic arm; The fruit conveying hose (3) conveys the fruits picked by the terminal picking device (150) onto the conveyor belt (4); The conveyor belt (4) is connected to the lifting mechanism (2) and moves up and down together with the flexible picking robotic arm (1), and conveys the fruits picked by the terminal picking device (150) into the temporary storage box (7); The temporary storage box (7) is fixedly connected to the top of the rail-road dual-purpose chassis (8) and stores the fruits conveyed by the conveyor belt (4); The depth camera (6) is fixedly connected to the top of the lifting mechanism (2) to identify the fruit ripeness and fruit position; The output end and the input end of the digital display control panel (5) are respectively electrically connected to the driving parts and sensors of each functional component, and are used to control the driving parts and transmit signals; A vacuum wheel (10) and a track wheel (11) are respectively provided at the four corners of the rail-road dual-purpose chassis (8), and the track wheel (11) makes a rolling movement on the track (12).

2. The tomato intelligent picking robot applicable to a greenhouse according to claim 1, wherein The flexible telescopic joint (120) includes a joint support, an upper guide rail (121), an upper slider (122), an upper spring steel plate connecting seat (123), an upper spring steel plate (124), a first rack (125), a first motor gear (126), a first torque servo motor (127), a second torque servo motor (128), a second rack (129), a second motor gear (131), a lower slider (132), a lower guide rail (133), a lower spring steel plate connecting seat (134), a lower spring steel plate (135), a corrugated pipe (136), a tail end section piece (137), a head end section piece (138), a head end roller (139), a corrugated leaf spring (141), and a fruit conduit (142). A lower guide rail (133) is fixedly connected to each of the left and right sides of the joint support, and an upper guide rail (121) is fixedly connected to the top of the joint support. Each lower guide rail (133) is slidably connected to a lower slider (132), and the upper guide rail (121) is slidably connected to an upper slider (122). Both lower sliders (132) are fixedly connected to a lower spring steel plate connecting seat (134). An upper spring steel plate connecting seat (123) is fixedly connected to the top of the lower spring steel plate connecting seat (134), and the upper spring steel plate connecting seat (123) is fixedly connected to the upper slider (122). A first rack (125) and a second rack (129) are also respectively fixedly connected to both sides of the joint support. The first rack (125) is meshed and connected to a first motor gear (126), and the first motor gear (126) is connected to a first torque servo motor (127). The second rack (129) is meshed and connected to a second motor gear (131), and the second motor gear (131) is connected to a second torque servo motor (127). The upper guide rail (121), the lower guide rail (133), the first rack (125), and the second rack (129) are parallel to each other. A fruit conduit (142) is provided on the parallel upper guide rail (121). One end of the fruit conduit (142) is fixedly connected to a fruit conveying hose (3), and the other end is communicated with the corrugated pipe (136). One end of the corrugated pipe (136) is fixedly connected to the head end section piece (138), and the head end section piece (138) is fixedly connected to the joint support. The other end of the corrugated pipe (136) is fixedly connected to the tail end section piece (137). A pair of head end rollers (139) are provided on both the lower sides and the top of the head end section piece (138). A lower spring steel plate (135) is provided between the two pairs of head end rollers (139) at the lower part of the head end section piece (138), and an upper spring steel plate (124) is provided between the pair of head end rollers (139) at the upper part. One end of the lower spring steel plate (135) is fixedly connected to the lower spring steel plate connecting seat (134), and the other end is fixedly connected to the tail end section piece (137). One end of the upper spring steel plate (124) is fixedly connected to the upper spring steel plate connecting seat (123), and the other end is fixedly connected to the tail end section piece (137). The end picking device (150) is fixedly connected to the tail end section piece (137). The first torque servo motor (127) drives the first motor gear (126) to roll along the first rack (125), and the second torque servo motor (127) drives the second motor gear (131) to roll along the second rack (129), thereby driving the lower spring steel plate connecting seat (134) and the upper spring steel plate connecting seat (123) to slide along the lower guide rail (133) and the upper guide rail (121) respectively. The lower spring steel plate connecting seat (134) drives the two lower spring steel plates (135) to move back and forth, and the upper spring steel plate connecting seat (123) drives the upper spring steel plate (124) to move back and forth. The lower spring steel plate (135) and the upper spring steel plate (124) drive the end tail section piece (137) to move back and forth, and the end tail section piece (137) drives the end picking device (150) to move back and forth, and the corrugated pipe (136) makes a telescopic movement.

3. The intelligent tomato picking robot applicable to a greenhouse according to claim 2, wherein On both sides of the corrugated pipe (136), a corrugated spring (141) is respectively provided. One end of the corrugated spring (141) is fixedly connected to the end tail section piece (137), and the other end is fixedly connected to the end head section piece (138).

4. The intelligent tomato picking robot applicable to a greenhouse according to claim 1, wherein, The end picking device (150) includes a picking claw base (151), a spring (152), picking fingers (153), and end claws (154); the picking claw base (151) is fixedly connected to the flexible telescopic joint (120). There are several picking fingers (153), which are arranged in a circumferential array and are vertically fixedly connected to the picking claw base (151); at the top of the picking fingers (153), the bottom of the directional rotating part is rotationally connected through a rotating shaft. The bottom of the directional rotating part is stuck at the top end of the picking fingers (153) and only rotates counterclockwise. The top of the directional rotating part is fixedly connected to the root of the end claw (154). The end claw (154) is arranged perpendicular to the picking fingers (153), and the claw tip of the end claw (154) faces the center of the picking claw base (151). One end of the spring (152) is wound around the top of the picking fingers (15), and the other end is wound around the root of the end claw (154). The spring (152) keeps the end claw (15) in a state perpendicular to the picking fingers (15).

5. The intelligent tomato picking robot applicable to a greenhouse according to claim 1, characterized in that, The temporary storage box (7) includes an aluminum profile frame (712) and several temporary storage baskets (711). The aluminum profile frame (712) is erected on the road-rail dual-purpose chassis (8), and several temporary storage baskets (711) are sequentially connected to the aluminum profile frame (712) from top to bottom.

6. The intelligent tomato picking robot applicable to a greenhouse according to claim 1, wherein An infrared sensor is installed at the end of the fruit conveying hose (3). When it detects that the fruit has fallen, it controls the conveyor belt (4) to feed forward a certain distance so that the fruit is placed separately.

7. The intelligent tomato picking robot applicable to a greenhouse according to claim 1, characterized in that, Baffles are provided on both sides of the conveyor belt (4).

8. A method for harvesting greenhouse tomatoes using a tomato intelligent harvesting robot according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, It includes the following steps: S1. The tomato intelligent picking robot conducts periodic inspections, uses the depth camera (6) to reconstruct the three-dimensional representation of the tomato plants in the greenhouse, combines the multi-source heterogeneous information perception and fusion technology with the large model technology, and through the growth-environment control prediction large model, it analyzes the environment-crop interaction relationship in real time, predicts the fruit maturity period and the mature position, and transmits the position coordinates of the pickable fruits to the tomato intelligent picking robot; S2. The rail-road dual-purpose chassis (8) identifies the greenhouse environment through the Slam navigation system and completes modeling. Under the guidance of the Slam navigation system, it docks with the track (12) to complete the on-rail operation of the tomato intelligent picking robot. S3. The tomato intelligent picking robot reaches the position where tomatoes can be picked along the track (12) under the guidance of the position coordinates. S4. The lifting mechanism (2) drives the flexible picking manipulator (1), the conveyor belt (4), and the fruit conveying hose (3) to be lifted to an appropriate height. S5. Start the first rotating motor (111) and the second rotating motor (112) to rotate the first joint (110) and the second joint (113), thereby adjusting the position and orientation of the flexible telescopic joint (120). S6. Start the first torque servo motor (127) and the second torque servo motor (128) to drive the spring steel plate to extend, so that the end picking device (150) approaches and sleeves the ripe fruit. S7. The first torque servo motor (127) and the second torque servo motor (128) reverse to drive the spring steel plate to retract, so that the end picking device (150) picks the sleeved ripe fruit. The picked fruit directly falls into the corrugated pipe (136), enters the fruit conduit (142) along the corrugated pipe (136), then enters the fruit conveying hose (3) from the fruit conduit (142), and falls on the conveyor belt (4) through the fruit conveying hose (3). S8. After the conveyor belt (4) catches the fruit, it moves forward a certain distance and waits for the next fruit to fall; when there are enough fruits temporarily stored on the conveyor belt (4), the conveyor belt (4) transports the fruits above to the temporary storage box (711). S9. Repeat steps S3 - S8. S10. When one layer of the temporary storage box (711) is filled with the picked fruits, start the lifting mechanism (2) to align the conveyor belt (4) with another layer of the temporary storage box (711), and then repeat steps S3 - S8. S11. When all the temporary storage boxes (711) are filled with fruits, replace the temporary storage box (711) and repeat steps S3 - S8 until all the ripe fruits are picked.

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