Broccoli harvesting machine and end effector device

Abstract

The invention discloses an end effector device applied to broccoli picking operation and a harvesting machine thereof, and belongs to the technical field of agricultural robots and vegetable harvesting equipment. Comprising a main sleeve, a square sleeve, a round sleeve, a track plate, a positioning device, a shearing mechanism, an extension spring, a linear guide rail module and a cover plate. And the main sleeve is used for covering and guiding the broccoli balls, so that the broccoli balls enter the picking channel and are matched with a shearing mechanism arranged at the lower part to complete the picking action. The square sleeve is connected with a sliding block on the linear guide rail in a screwed mode through a screw and can move up and down relative to the main sleeve, and a wedge-shaped groove is formed in the square sleeve and used for fixing the track plate. Through the integrated design of sleeve coating and an unpowered shearing structure, the precise picking process without additional motor driving is achieved. Compared with a traditional harvesting device, the broccoli harvesting device has the advantages that selective harvesting of broccoli is achieved through the sleeve structure, the ball-flower damage rate is reduced, automatic shearing without electric drive is achieved, and certain innovativeness is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The design of the present invention relates to the technical field of vegetable harvesting equipment, and in particular to an end effector device and a harvesting machine used in broccoli picking operations. Background Art

[0002] As a representative crop of cool-season vegetables, broccoli is widely cultivated in northern my country, especially in Ningxia, and has important market value. At present, the annual output of broccoli in my country has exceeded 4 million tons, and the market size is expected to continue to grow at an average annual rate of 7% to 10%. Due to its short growth cycle and concentrated maturity period, the harvesting window is extremely limited, which puts higher requirements on picking efficiency and quality. At present, broccoli harvesting still mainly relies on manual labor, which is not only labor-intensive and inefficient, but also easily causes crop damage during the picking process, affecting the commodity rate and shelf life, and increasing the economic burden on farmers. Especially during the peak harvesting season, the shortage of skilled labor has become increasingly prominent, seriously restricting the scale and modernization of the broccoli industry. At present, there is a lack of special harvesting robots designed for the physical characteristics of broccoli. The existing harvesters have a simple structure and single function, and are difficult to adapt to complex field operation environments. Therefore, the research and development of end-effectors tailored to the characteristics of broccoli is of great practical significance. The broccoli harvesting machine and end effector device proposed in the present invention exhibit certain technical advantages due to their innovative structure: the "sleeve covering + bite-type shearing" integrated structure is adopted to realize the selective harvesting of broccoli; the system modular design has a compact layout, the subsystems work together without interference, and are easy to replace and maintain; the end effector has complete harvesting functions, a simple structure, and adopts a motor-free cutting solution, which has good innovation and practicality. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a broccoli harvesting machine and an end effector device to address the problems existing in broccoli harvesting.

[0004] The technical solution adopted to achieve the purpose of the present invention is:

[0005] A broccoli harvesting machine and end effector device, comprising a main sleeve, a square sleeve, a round sleeve, a track plate, a positioning device, a shearing mechanism, a tension spring, a linear guide module and a cover plate. The main sleeve is arranged at the central axis position inside the end effector, and its upper end is fixedly connected to the cover plate by screws. An enclosing space for accommodating broccoli florets is formed inside the main sleeve. The square sleeve is screwed to the linear guide module by screws and can move up and down relative to the main sleeve. A wedge-shaped groove for mounting the track plate is provided inside. The round sleeve is installed at the lower end of the square sleeve, and a sharp structure is provided on the edge for contacting the ground to form an end positioning reference.

[0006] The track plate has a groove with a specific curve inside, and the positioning device is positioned within this groove and rolls along it. The positioning device has a protruding rod with external threads at its bottom end, which is screwed into the internal threaded hole of the shearing mechanism. A roller is installed on its top, and a compression spring is installed inside to achieve track alignment and constrained positioning. The shearing mechanism consists of symmetrically arranged shearing jaws. The shearing rod is equipped with a bolt through hole and multiple internally threaded holes for mounting the positioning device and a tension spring support rod. The ends of the tension spring are connected to the support rods at the ends of the left and right shearing jaws, respectively.

[0007] Furthermore, the main sleeve, the square sleeve and the round sleeve are coaxial sleeve structures, and the main sleeve and the square sleeve are limited by the limit block on the linear guide module. The front and rear inner walls of the square sleeve are provided with two symmetrically arranged wedge grooves for installing two track plates, thereby synchronously limiting the front and rear positions of the shearing mechanism. Furthermore, the track plate groove is an asymmetric three-section structure, including a slowly changing guide section, a sudden break section and a slowly changing reset section, which are used to guide the shearing mechanism to complete the opening, closing and reset actions. Furthermore, the positioning device adopts a bolt roller structure, and the roller is connected to the positioning pin shaft through a thread. The positioning pin shaft is placed in the positioning cylinder, and the positioning cylinder forms a closed cavity and has a built-in compression spring. The two ends are respectively connected to the positioning pin shaft and the positioning rod. Furthermore, the front end of the shearing jaw is provided with an arc-shaped shearing blade, the middle is provided with a through hole, and the rear is provided with an internal threaded hole for installation. Furthermore, the cover plate is fixedly connected to the upper end of the main sleeve and the linear guide rail module by screws, and is used to close the sleeve cavity and fix the guide rail module. The guide rail modules are arranged in pairs on the left and right sides with a symmetrical structure.

[0008] After adopting the above technical solution, the present invention has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0009] 1. Adopting the integrated structure of "sleeve covering + bite-cut shearing" to achieve selective harvesting of broccoli.

[0010] 2. The modular design of the system is compact, the subsystems work together without interference, and are easy to replace and maintain.

[0011] 3. The end effector has complete harvesting functions, a simple structure, and adopts a motor-free driving cutting solution, which is innovative and practical. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 Shown is an axonometric view of the broccoli harvesting robot's end effector.

[0013] Figure 2 Shown is the front view of the trackpad.

[0014] Figure 3 Shown is a cross-sectional view of the positioning device.

[0015] Figure 4 Shown is the front view of the shearing mechanism.

[0016] Figure 5 Shown is the overall layout of the end effector and a schematic diagram of the actuator.

[0017] Figure numerals: 1. main sleeve; 2. square sleeve; 3. round sleeve; 4. track plate; 41. slowly changing guide section; 42. sudden breaking section; 43. slowly changing reset section; 5. positioning device; 51. bolt roller; 52. positioning pin; 53. positioning cylinder; 54. positioning rod; 55. compression spring; 6. shearing mechanism; 61. shearing jaw; 62. bolt pair; 63. spring support rod; 7. tension spring; 8. linear guide module; 81. linear guide; 82. moving slider; 83. limit block; 9. cover plate; 10. actuator; 101. passive telescopic cantilever mechanism; 102. vertical moving mechanism; 103. rotating mechanism DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0019] like Figure 1 As shown, a broccoli harvesting machine and end effector device of the present invention is characterized in that it mainly includes a main sleeve 1, a square sleeve 2, a round sleeve 3, a track plate 4, a positioning device 5, a shearing mechanism 6, a tension spring 7, a linear guide module 8 and a cover plate 9. The main sleeve 1 is a hollow structure, which is arranged at the central axis position of the end effector. Its upper end is connected and fixed to the cover plate 9 by screws, forming a covering cavity for accommodating broccoli florets. The square sleeve 2 is sleeved on the outside of the main sleeve 1 and is connected to the movable slider 82 in the linear guide module 8 by screws. It can move up and down relative to the main sleeve 1 under the guidance of the guide rail. Two wedge-shaped grooves are symmetrically provided on the inner wall of the square sleeve 2, which are used to install the track plate 4, thereby simultaneously guiding the front and rear sides of the shearing mechanism 6.

[0020] The circular sleeve 3 is fixedly mounted on the lower end of the square sleeve 2. Its inner diameter is larger than the maximum diameter of the broccoli florets. The bottom edge is provided with a continuous sharp structure, which is used to push away or break the surrounding leaves during the descent process and finally contact the ground to form a position reference.

[0021] like Figure 2 As shown, the track plate 4 is made of hard material, and an asymmetric three-section groove structure is processed on its inner side, including a slowly changing guide section 41, a sudden drop section 42 and a slowly changing reset section 43. Figure 3As shown, the positioning device 5 is arranged in the groove of the track plate 4, with a bolt roller 51 on top, which can roll in the groove. The bolt roller 51 is connected to the positioning pin 52 via a threaded connection. The positioning pin 52 is sleeved within the positioning cylinder 53, forming an integrated structure that can move relative to each other within the positioning cylinder. The positioning rod 54 has external threads at both ends, one end of which is screwed tightly to the positioning cylinder 53. The positioning cylinder forms a closed cavity inside and contains a compression spring 55, which is used to maintain the bolt roller 51 in contact with the bottom surface of the track plate 4. The other end is screwed tightly to the internal threaded hole of the shear jaw 61.

[0022] like Figure 4 As shown, the shearing mechanism 6 consists of symmetrically arranged left and right shearing jaws 61. The front end is provided with an arc-shaped shearing blade, the middle portion is provided with a through hole for receiving a bolt pair 62 for fixing to the main sleeve 1, and the rear end is provided with an internally threaded hole for mounting the positioning device 5 and the tension spring support rod 63. The ends of the tension spring 7 are respectively connected to the support rods 63 of the left and right shearing jaws 61, which is used to reset the shearing mechanism 6 after the shearing action is completed.

[0023] like Figure 1 As shown, during operation, the actuator 10 drives the end effector to descend, the round sleeve 3 first contacts the ground and remains stationary, the square sleeve 2 and the round sleeve 3 form a support, and the main sleeve 1 continues to descend. Under the relative motion, the positioning device 5 in the track plate 4 rolls along the groove, driving the shearing mechanism 6 to slowly open and complete the accumulation of force of the tension spring 7. As the main sleeve 1 is further pressed down, the groove of the track plate 4 enters the mutation section, the positioning device 5 loses its support limit, the tension spring 7 is quickly released, and the shearing mechanism 6 closes instantly to complete the cutting. After that, the main sleeve 1 rises and the shearing mechanism 6 resets. From then on, a round of broccoli harvesting is completed, and this process is repeated to realize the mechanized harvesting of broccoli.

[0024] like Figure 5 As shown, the end effector device is fixedly connected to the end of the actuator 10 of the harvesting machine by screws and is installed as a whole in the front working unit of the harvesting machine. It can realize periodic positioning, pressing down and rising under the command of the whole machine control system to complete the identification and picking tasks of broccoli.

Claims

1. A broccoli harvesting machine and end effector device, characterized in that: It includes a main sleeve, a square sleeve, a round sleeve, a track plate, a positioning device, a shearing mechanism, a tension spring, a linear guide module and a cover plate; the main sleeve is arranged at the central axis position inside the end actuator, and the upper end is fixedly connected to the cover plate by screws, and a accommodating space for wrapping broccoli is formed inside the main sleeve; the square sleeve is fixedly connected to the up and down movable slider in the linear guide module by screws, and can move up and down relative to the main sleeve, and a wedge-shaped groove for fixing the track plate is provided inside it; the round sleeve is fixed to the lower end of the square sleeve by screws, and a sharp edge is provided at the bottom. The round sleeve contacts the ground to form an end positioning reference; the track plate is provided with a specific curve inside. The positioning device is arranged in the groove and rolls along it; the bottom end of the positioning device is provided with a protruding rod with an external thread, and the protruding rod is installed in the internal threaded hole provided in the shearing mechanism by a tightening connection method. A compression spring is provided inside the positioning device, and a roller is provided on the top, which is used to continuously fit the bottom surface of the track plate groove to achieve one-way rolling control; the shearing mechanism consists of a symmetrically arranged shearing left jaw and a shearing right jaw, and the shearing rod is provided with a bolt secondary through hole for fixing the shearing mechanism on the main sleeve and an internal threaded hole for placing a spring support rod and a positioning device; the two ends of the tension spring are respectively installed on the spring support rods of the shearing left jaw and the shearing right jaw.

2. The broccoli harvesting machine and end effector device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Through the integrated design of sleeve covering and unpowered shearing structure, a precise picking process is achieved without the need for additional motor drive; during operation, the actuator drives the end effector to descend, and the round and square sleeves first contact the ground to form support and remain fixed, while the main sleeve continues to descend, guiding the positioning device to slide in the track plate, thereby driving the shearing mechanism to open and accumulate force; as the main sleeve is further pressed down, the inner side of the track plate groove loses its support limit, the positioning device disengages, and the tension spring is released to complete the cutting action; after picking, the main sleeve rises and the shearing mechanism resets, completing a round of operation cycle.

3. The broccoli harvesting machine and end effector device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main sleeve, square sleeve and round sleeve are coaxial sleeve structures. The main sleeve and the square sleeve are limited by the limit block on the linear guide module. The front and rear inner walls of the square sleeve are provided with two symmetrical and consistent wedge-shaped grooves for placing two track plates, which play a limiting role on the front and rear of the shearing mechanism at the same time.

4. The broccoli harvesting machine and end effector device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that: An integrated bolt roller is provided on the top of the positioning device, and the roller forms a rolling contact with the side wall of the track plate groove. The bolt roller is screwed tightly to the internal threaded hole of the positioning pin shaft through the external thread on the bolt column. The positioning pin shaft is sleeved in the positioning cylinder. The bolt roller and the positioning pin shaft are an integrated structure and can move relative to each other in the positioning cylinder. External threads are provided at both ends of the positioning rod, one end is screwed tightly to the positioning cylinder, a closed cavity is formed inside the positioning cylinder and a compression spring is built in, and the other end is screwed tightly to the internal threaded hole of the shear jaw.

5. The broccoli harvesting machine and end effector device according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that: The groove of the track plate is set as an asymmetric three-section structure along the movement path of the unilateral positioning device, the front section is a slowly changing guide section, the middle section is a sudden drop section, and the rear section is a slowly changing reset section.

6. The broccoli harvesting machine and end effector device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, characterized in that: The left shearing jaw and the right shearing jaw are arranged in a mirror image, with an arc-shaped shearing blade at the front end, a through hole for installing a bolt pair in the middle, and internal threaded holes for installing a positioning device and a tension spring support rod at the rear end.

7. The broccoli harvesting machine and end effector device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner diameter of the circular sleeve is larger than the maximum diameter of the broccoli floret, and a sharp structure is provided on the circumferential edge of the lower end thereof. The circular sleeve is used for contacting with the ground to form an end positioning reference.

8. The broccoli harvesting machine and end effector device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cover plate is fixedly connected to the upper end of the main sleeve and the linear guide rail module by screws. On the one hand, it is used to close the upper end of the main sleeve to form an internal covering cavity, and on the other hand, it is used to install and position two sets of linear guide rail modules arranged symmetrically on the left and right.

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