Intelligent tomato transfer trolley and working method thereof
By designing an intelligent tomato transfer vehicle, automatic storage and transportation frame exchange between multiple picking equipment is achieved, which solves the problem of manual handling of storage and transportation frames in the existing technology, improves picking efficiency and reduces labor costs, ensuring the stable operation of the equipment.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510842441.4
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-06-23
- Publication Date
- 2025-09-16
AI Technical Summary
The existing tomato picking equipment is a single-vehicle model, which requires manual processing to fill the storage and transportation frames, resulting in high labor costs.
An intelligent tomato transport vehicle is designed, equipped with a chassis, a conveyor belt assembly, and a vertical conveying assembly. It can realize automatic exchange of storage and transportation frames between multiple picking equipment, use a navigation system or a remote control system for path planning and operation, and adjust the height of the conveyor belt assembly through an adjustment assembly to adapt to different terrains.
It achieves efficient picking without human intervention, reduces labor costs, improves picking efficiency, and eliminates adjustment errors through the calibrator to ensure long-term stable operation of the equipment.
Smart Images

Figure CN120642686A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of agricultural machinery, and in particular to an intelligent tomato transport vehicle and a working method thereof. Background Art
[0002] Modern agriculture is gradually transitioning towards intelligent and automated harvesting, and tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables are increasingly being harvested using mechanized equipment. Existing tomato harvesting equipment typically operates in a single-vehicle mode, using a robotic arm or other harvesting terminal to pluck tomatoes from the seedlings and place them in a storage and transport frame attached to the harvester. Each tomato harvester is typically equipped with one or more storage and transport frames. Once a frame is full of tomatoes, it is manually removed and replaced with an empty one. This mechanized tomato harvesting method still requires significant manual labor, resulting in high labor costs. Summary of the Invention
[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is that in the prior art, mechanized picking of fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes is all performed in a bicycle mode, which requires a certain amount of manual labor to handle the storage and transportation boxes filled with tomatoes, resulting in high labor costs.
[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: an intelligent tomato transport vehicle, comprising a chassis, a frame, a conveyor belt assembly and a vertical conveying assembly; A walking system is configured in the chassis for moving the tomato intelligent transport vehicle. The walking system can be configured with a navigation system to implement path planning for the tomato intelligent transport vehicle, or can be configured with a remote control system for manual remote control operation. The conveyor belt assembly and frame are both installed on the chassis. The conveyor belt assembly is arranged horizontally. Parallel empty frame areas and full frame areas are arranged directly above the conveyor belt assembly. Both the empty frame area and the full frame area are arranged with vertical conveying assemblies. The vertical conveying assemblies are used to realize the transfer of empty frames between the conveyor belt and the empty frame area, and also to realize the transfer of full frames between the conveyor belt and the full frame area.
[0005] The tomato intelligent transfer vehicle of the present invention and the tomato picking equipment in the prior art form a tomato picking system. One tomato intelligent transfer vehicle serves multiple tomato picking equipment. The tomato intelligent transfer vehicle automatically takes away the storage and transportation boxes filled with tomatoes from the tomato picking equipment, and at the same time delivers empty storage and transportation boxes for use by the tomato picking equipment. When equipped with a navigation system, the picking and storage and transportation work of tomatoes can be done without manual labor throughout the process. Compared with the single-vehicle working mode of traditional tomato picking equipment, it has higher picking efficiency and lower labor costs.
[0006] Specifically, the conveyor belt assembly includes a conveyor belt, a driving shaft, a driven shaft, and two frames. The frames are arranged in parallel, with the driving shaft's ends inserted into the first ends of the two frames, and the driven shaft's ends inserted into the second ends of the two frames. The conveyor belt is wrapped around the driving and driven shafts. The driving shaft is driven by a motor and a reducer. The working length of the conveyor belt is no less than the length of the two storage and transportation frames. The conveyor belt assembly is used to facilitate the exchange of storage and transportation frames between the intelligent tomato transport vehicle and the tomato picking equipment.
[0007] When the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle of the present invention is in operation, it docks with the tomato picking equipment through the movement of the chassis, and the conveyor belt assembly of the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle is aligned with the material conveyor belt of the tomato picking equipment. The conveyor belt and the material conveyor belt rotate together to realize the exchange of the storage and transportation frame. Depending on the tomato planting environment, if the overall flatness of the tomato field is high, the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle and the tomato picking equipment can be kept flush, then a fixed conveyor belt assembly can meet the needs. The fixed conveyor belt assembly means that the frame in the conveyor belt assembly is directly fixed to the frame of the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle; if the flatness of the tomato field is not good enough, then when the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle is docked with the tomato picking equipment, it may cause a height difference between the conveyor belt assembly of the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle and the material conveyor belt of the tomato picking equipment. In order to adapt to this usage state, the present invention also provides another solution: the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle also includes an adjustment assembly, and the adjustment assembly includes an adjustment shaft and a spiral installed at both ends of the adjustment shaft. The spiral is spiral-shaped, and the spiral is obtained by bending a rod into a spiral shape. The adjustment shaft is driven by an adjustment motor; The first end of the frame is provided with a hinge shaft, and the frame is hinged to the frame through the hinge shaft, that is, the entire conveyor belt assembly can perform pitching motion with the hinge shaft as the center of the circle; The adjusting shaft is located below the driven shaft, and the two screws are respectively located directly below the second ends of the two frames, and the second ends of the two frames fall on the two screws; When the adjusting shaft drives the auger to rotate, the spiral shape of the auger will cause the conveyor belt assembly to pitch with the hinge shaft as the center. That is, the end of the conveyor belt assembly connected to the tomato picking equipment (the end where the driven shaft is located) can be adjusted in height through the pitching movement, ensuring that the conveyor belt assembly of the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle is always flush with the material conveyor belt of the tomato picking equipment to facilitate the transfer of the storage and transportation frame.
[0008] Generally, the adjustment component is also equipped with a laser rangefinder as a distance measuring mechanism. The distance measuring mechanism is installed on the side of the frame. When the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle is docked with the tomato picking equipment, the distance measuring mechanism measures the height difference between the conveyor belt component and the material conveyor belt of the tomato picking equipment, and then controls the adjustment shaft and the screw to rotate to the appropriate angle.
[0009] In the present invention, the adjustable height of the conveyor belt assembly corresponds to the rotation angle of the adjustment shaft and the screw. Theoretically, as long as the adjustment shaft and the screw are rotated to the appropriate angle, the pitch end of the conveyor belt assembly can reach the required height. However, in actual application, the adjustment motor driving the adjustment shaft has an irreversible stroke error. Although the single rotation angle error of the adjustment shaft and the screw is very small and does not affect the operation of the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle, this error has a cumulative effect. After repeated use, the rotation angle error of the adjustment shaft and the screw will increase unpredictably, ultimately affecting the transfer of the storage and transportation frame between the conveyor belt assembly and the material conveyor belt of the tomato picking equipment. In order to eliminate the impact of this error accumulation, the present invention also provides a calibrator at both ends of the adjustment shaft.
[0010] The calibrator includes a collar, a torsion spring, an arc-shaped support, and an electromagnet. The two calibrators are respectively located directly below the second ends of the two frames. The collar is sleeved on the end of the adjustment shaft. The torsion spring is installed between the collar and the adjustment shaft. The arc-shaped support is fixed on the collar. The electromagnet is installed inside the arc-shaped support. When the torsion spring is in a natural state, the position of the arc support is staggered with the screw, that is, the arc support does not affect the normal operation of the screw; The outer dimensions of the arc-shaped support satisfy the following requirements: when the second end of the frame falls on the arc-shaped support, the frame is in a horizontal state; The calibrator is used to calibrate the angle of the adjusting shaft. The specific calibration method is: the adjusting shaft rotates so that the frame falls on the arc support, and then the electromagnet in the arc support is energized so that the arc support is adsorbed with the frame, and then the adjusting shaft rotates again to the limit position and calibrates the current position as the zero angle position of the adjusting shaft; during the process of the adjusting shaft rotating again, the arc support still remains in the current position and is in an adsorption state with the frame. During this stage, the conveyor belt assembly is always in a horizontal posture and cannot produce a pitching movement. During this stage, the torsion spring inside the ring will also be compressed and twisted; during this stage, the limit position that the adjusting shaft and the screw can rotate always corresponds to the horizontal posture of the conveyor belt assembly, so this limit position can be used as the calibration position, thereby eliminating the previous cumulative error in the rotation angle of the adjusting shaft and the screw. When the adjusting shaft and the screw reach the limit position, the adjusting shaft and the screw cannot continue to rotate, the load of the adjusting motor increases sharply, and the internal current of the adjusting motor also increases sharply. By determining whether the internal current of the adjusting motor exceeds the set value, it can be determined whether the adjusting shaft and the screw have reached the limit position. After calibration is complete, the electromagnet within the arc support is de-energized, the attraction between the arc support and the frame disappears, and the collar and arc support rotate back to their original position under the action of the torsion spring. The adjustment assembly of the present invention periodically activates the calibrator for calibration according to a set schedule, for example, once every 100 rotations of the adjustment shaft and screw.
[0011] Furthermore, bristles are provided in the middle of the adjusting shaft, and the outer contour of the bristles is also spiral-shaped. The bristles are used to help clean up dirt, plant stems and leaves and other debris adhering to the conveyor belt.
[0012] Specifically, the vertical conveying assembly includes a chain, a sprocket assembly, an angle bracket and a support plate. The chain is wound around the sprocket assembly and arranged in a vertical state. The angle bracket is fixed on the chain, and the support plate is fixed on the angle bracket. The vertical conveying components are arranged in groups of two. The pallets in the two vertical conveying components move the storage and transportation frame up and down from both sides of the storage and transportation frame. The spacing between the pallets on the chain should be reasonably set according to the height of the storage and transportation frame.
[0013] Furthermore, one group of vertical conveying components is arranged in the empty frame area, and two groups of vertical conveying components are arranged in the full frame area. The full frame is heavier, and setting up two groups of vertical conveying components is conducive to maintaining the stability of the full frame.
[0014] Furthermore, the empty frame area, full frame area and working area of the conveyor belt assembly are all arranged with storage and transportation frame locators, which are used to determine whether there is a storage and transportation frame at the location. The storage and transportation frame locator can use an RGB-D camera for visual recognition, or use an RFID reader to identify the RFID tag on the storage and transportation frame.
[0015] The present invention also provides a working method of a tomato intelligent transport vehicle, including a full-frame input mode and an empty-frame output mode, wherein the full-frame input mode and the empty-frame output mode are used to realize the exchange of storage and transportation frames between the tomato intelligent transport vehicle and the tomato picking equipment; The full-frame mode is as follows: the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle moves through the chassis to dock with the tomato picking equipment, and the conveyor belt assembly of the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle is aligned with the material conveyor belt of the tomato picking equipment; Afterwards, the material conveyor belt of the tomato picking equipment and the conveyor belt of the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle rotate synchronously, transferring all full baskets on the material conveyor belt to the conveyor belt. Finally, the vertical conveyor assembly in the full-basket area lifts a full basket on the conveyor belt to the full-basket area. The vertical conveyor assembly and the conveyor belt work alternately until all full baskets on the conveyor belt are lifted to the full-basket area. The empty frame out mode is performed after the full frame in mode is completed. The empty frame out mode is: the vertical conveying component in the empty frame area drops an empty frame onto the conveyor belt, and then the conveyor belt and the vertical conveying component work alternately until the conveyor belt is full of empty frames, and finally the conveyor belt and the material conveyor belt rotate synchronously to transfer all the empty frames on the conveyor belt to the material conveyor belt.
[0016] Furthermore, the working method of the tomato intelligent transport vehicle also includes a full-frame unloading mode and an empty-frame loading mode. The full-frame unloading mode is used to unload full frames, and the empty-frame loading mode is used to add new empty frames to the tomato intelligent transport vehicle. The full-frame unloading mode is as follows: the tomato intelligent transport vehicle moves to the unloading station via the chassis, and the vertical conveying assembly in the full-frame area drops a full frame onto the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt and the vertical conveying assembly then work alternately until the conveyor belt is filled with full frames. Finally, the conveyor belt rotates to unload all the full frames on the conveyor belt to the unloading station. The vertical conveying assembly and the conveyor belt in the full-frame area continue to work until all the full frames in the full-frame area have been unloaded. Depending on the length of the conveyor belt, the tomato intelligent transport vehicle of the present invention can place two or more full frames on the conveyor belt in advance during the transfer process, thereby improving transport efficiency. The empty frame feeding mode is: placing the empty frames on the conveyor belt, and the vertical conveying component in the empty frame area lifts the empty frames on the conveyor belt to the empty frame area; and repeating this process until the empty frame area is filled with empty frames.
[0017] Beneficial effects: (1) The tomato intelligent transport vehicle of the present invention serves multiple tomato picking equipment, automatically removes the storage and transportation frames filled with tomatoes from the tomato picking equipment, and simultaneously delivers empty storage and transportation frames for use by the tomato picking equipment. Compared with the single-vehicle working mode of the traditional tomato picking equipment, it has higher picking efficiency and lower labor costs. (2) The tomato intelligent transport vehicle of the present invention is equipped with parallel empty frame areas and full frame areas on the conveyor belt, realizing the logical cycle of "receiving N full frames and transmitting N empty frames", thereby improving the exchange efficiency of storage and transportation frames between the tomato intelligent transport vehicle and the tomato picking equipment. (3) The tomato intelligent transport vehicle of the present invention is equipped with an adjustment component to realize the pitching movement of the conveyor belt component, so that the conveyor belt component of the tomato intelligent transport vehicle and the material conveyor belt of the tomato picking equipment automatically adjust the height difference when docking, ensuring stable exchange of storage and transportation frames between the two. (4) The tomato intelligent transport vehicle of the present invention is equipped with a calibrator in the adjustment component, which automatically calibrates regularly to eliminate the cumulative error of the rotation angle of the adjustment shaft and the screw, ensuring that the adjustment component can work stably for a long time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the tomato intelligent transport vehicle of Example 1.
[0019] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional diagram of the tomato intelligent transport vehicle in Example 1 (from another perspective).
[0020] Figure 3 This is a front view of the tomato intelligent transport vehicle in Example 1.
[0021] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional diagram of the tomato intelligent transport vehicle of Example 1 (partial frame hidden).
[0022] Figure 5 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the conveyor belt assembly in Example 1.
[0023] Figure 6 This is a front view of the conveyor belt assembly in Example 1.
[0024] Figure 7 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the vertical conveying assembly in Example 1.
[0025] Figure 8 This is a simplified working diagram of the tomato intelligent transport vehicle in Example 1 (part 1).
[0026] Figure 9 This is a simplified working diagram of the tomato intelligent transport vehicle in Example 1 (part 2).
[0027] Figure 10 This is a simplified working diagram of the tomato intelligent transport vehicle in Example 1 (part 3).
[0028] Figure 11 This is a simplified working diagram of the tomato intelligent transport vehicle in Example 1 (Part 4).
[0029] Figure 12 This is a front view of the tomato intelligent transport vehicle in Example 2.
[0030] Figure 13 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the adjustment component in Example 2.
[0031] Figure 14 This is the main view of the adjustment component in Example 2.
[0032] Figure 15 This is a working state diagram of the conveyor belt assembly and the adjustment assembly in Example 2 (part 1).
[0033] Figure 16 This is the working status diagram of the conveyor belt assembly and the adjustment assembly in Example 2 (part 2).
[0034] Figure 17 This is the working status diagram of the conveyor belt assembly and the adjustment assembly in Example 2 (part 3).
[0035] Figure 18 This is the working status diagram of the conveyor belt assembly and the adjustment assembly in Example 2 (part 4).
[0036] Among them: 100, chassis; 200, frame; 300, conveyor belt assembly; 310, conveyor belt; 320, driving shaft; 330, driven shaft; 340, frame; 341, first end; 342, second end; 343, hinge shaft; 350, L-shaped fixing part; 400, vertical conveying assembly; 410, chain; 420, sprocket assembly; 430, angle code; 440, pallet; 500, material conveyor belt; 600, adjustment assembly; 610, adjustment shaft; 611, brush; 620, screw; 630, distance measuring mechanism; 640, calibrator; 641, ring; 642, arc support; 700, storage and transportation frame locator. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0037] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments.
[0038] Example 1, as Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the tomato intelligent transport vehicle of this embodiment includes a chassis 100 , a frame 200 , a conveyor belt assembly 300 and a vertical conveying assembly 400 .
[0039] A traveling system is configured in the chassis 100 for moving the tomato intelligent transport vehicle. The traveling system may be configured with a navigation system to implement path planning for the tomato intelligent transport vehicle, or may be configured with a remote control system for manual remote control operation.
[0040] The conveyor belt assembly 300 and the frame 200 are both installed on the chassis 100. The conveyor belt assembly 300 is arranged horizontally. Parallel empty frame areas and full frame areas are arranged directly above the conveyor belt assembly 300. Both the empty frame area and the full frame area are arranged with vertical conveying assemblies 400. The vertical conveying assembly 400 is used to realize the transfer of empty frames between the conveyor belt 310 and the empty frame area, and also to realize the transfer of full frames between the conveyor belt 310 and the full frame area.
[0041] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the conveyor belt assembly 300 includes a conveyor belt 310, a driving shaft 320, a driven shaft 330, and a frame 340. The two frames 340 are arranged in parallel. The two ends of the driving shaft 320 are respectively inserted into the first ends 341 of the two frames 340, and the two ends of the driven shaft 330 are respectively inserted into the second ends 342 of the two frames 340. The conveyor belt 310 is wrapped around the driving shaft 320 and the driven shaft 330. The driving shaft 320 is driven by a motor through a reducer. The working length of the conveyor belt 310 is no less than the length of the two storage and transportation frames. The conveyor belt assembly 300 is used to facilitate the exchange of storage and transportation frames between the tomato intelligent transport vehicle and the tomato picking equipment. The conveyor belt assembly 300 is fixed to the chassis 100 via L-shaped fixings 350 on the frame 340.
[0042] like Figure 7 As shown, the vertical conveying assembly 400 includes a chain 410, a sprocket set 420, an angle code 430 and a pallet 440. The chain 410 is wound around the sprocket set 420, the chain 410 is arranged in a vertical state, the angle code 430 is fixed on the chain 410, and the pallet 440 is fixed on the angle code 430.
[0043] The vertical conveying components 400 are arranged in groups of two. The pallets 440 in the two vertical conveying components 400 realize the up and down movement of the storage and transportation frame from both sides of the storage and transportation frame. The spacing between the pallets 440 on the chain 410 should be reasonably set according to the height of the storage and transportation frame. One group of vertical conveying components 400 is arranged in the empty frame area, and two groups of vertical conveying components 400 are arranged in the full frame area. The full frame is heavier, and setting up two groups of vertical conveying components 400 is conducive to maintaining the stability of the full frame. The empty frame area, the full frame area and the working area of the conveyor belt component 300 are all arranged with a storage and transportation frame locator 700. The storage and transportation frame locator 700 is used to determine whether there is a storage and transportation frame at the location. The storage and transportation frame locator 700 can use an RGB-D camera for visual recognition, or use an RFID reader to identify the RFID tag on the storage and transportation frame.
[0044] The tomato intelligent transfer vehicle of this embodiment and the tomato picking equipment in the prior art form a tomato picking system. One tomato intelligent transfer vehicle serves multiple tomato picking equipment. The tomato intelligent transfer vehicle automatically takes away the storage and transportation frames filled with tomatoes from the tomato picking equipment, and at the same time delivers empty storage and transportation frames for use by the tomato picking equipment. The working method of the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle of this embodiment includes an empty frame entry mode, a full frame entry mode, an empty frame exit mode, and a full frame exit mode. The full frame entry mode and the empty frame exit mode are used to realize the exchange of storage and transportation frames between the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle and the tomato picking equipment; the full frame exit mode is used for unloading full frames, and the empty frame entry mode is used for adding new empty frames to the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle. The specific working method of the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle of this embodiment is as follows: Enter empty frame mode: Figure 8 As shown, at the unloading station, workers place empty frames on the conveyor belt 310, and the vertical conveying assembly 400 of the empty frame area lifts the empty frames on the conveyor belt 310 to the empty frame area; this process is repeated until the empty frame area is filled with empty frames. Enter full frame mode: Figure 9 As shown, the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle moves via the chassis 100 to dock with the tomato picking equipment, and the conveyor belt assembly 300 of the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle is aligned with the material conveyor belt 500 of the tomato picking equipment. Then, the material conveyor belt 500 of the tomato picking equipment and the conveyor belt 310 of the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle rotate synchronously, transferring all full boxes on the material conveyor belt 500 to the conveyor belt 310. Finally, the vertical conveying assembly 400 in the full box area lifts a full box on the conveyor belt 310 to the full box area. The vertical conveying assembly 400 and the conveyor belt 310 work alternately until all full boxes on the conveyor belt 310 are lifted to the full box area. Empty frame mode: The empty frame mode is performed immediately after the full frame mode is completed. Figure 10As shown, the vertical conveying assembly 400 in the empty frame area drops an empty frame onto the conveyor belt 310, and then the conveyor belt 310 and the vertical conveying assembly 400 work alternately until the conveyor belt 310 is full of empty frames. Finally, the conveyor belt 310 and the material conveyor belt 500 rotate synchronously to transfer all the empty frames on the conveyor belt 310 to the material conveyor belt 500. The tomato intelligent transfer vehicle of this embodiment continuously executes the full frame input mode and the empty frame output mode to ensure the execution of the "input N full frames, transfer N empty frames" logic cycle. Thereafter, if the full frame area of the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle is not full of fully loaded storage and transportation frames, the intelligent transfer vehicle continues to move to the next tomato picking equipment and executes the full frame input mode and the empty frame output mode again. Full-box mode: This full-box mode is executed after the full-box area in the tomato intelligent transport vehicle is filled with fully loaded storage and transportation boxes; Figure 11 As shown, the tomato intelligent transport vehicle moves to the unloading station through the chassis 100, and the vertical conveying component 400 in the full frame area drops a full frame onto the conveyor belt 310, and then the conveyor belt 310 and the vertical conveying component 400 work alternately until the conveyor belt 310 is full of full frames; finally, the conveyor belt 310 rotates to push out all the full frames on the conveyor belt 310, and all the full frames are removed manually; the vertical conveying component 400 and the conveyor belt 310 in the full frame area continue to work until all the full frames in the full frame area are unloaded; according to the length of the conveyor belt 310, the tomato intelligent transport vehicle of the present invention can place two or more full frames on the conveyor belt 310 in advance during the transfer process, thereby improving the transport efficiency.
[0045] Example 2: This example is basically the same as Example 1, except that the conveyor belt assembly 300 and the adjustment assembly 600 are different. Figure 15 As shown, the conveyor belt assembly 300 of this embodiment is provided with a hinge shaft 343 at the first end 341 of the frame 340, that is, the end where the driving shaft 320 is located. The frame 340 is hinged to the frame 200 or the chassis 100 through the hinge shaft 343, that is, the entire conveyor belt assembly 300 can perform pitching movements with the hinge shaft 343 as the center of the circle, which means that the end where the driven shaft 330 of the conveyor belt assembly 300 is located can be adjusted up and down in height.
[0046] When the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle of Example 1 and the present embodiment is in operation, the chassis 100 moves to dock with the tomato picking equipment, the conveyor belt assembly 300 of the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle is aligned with the material conveyor belt 500 of the tomato picking equipment, and the conveyor belt 310 and the material conveyor belt 500 rotate together to realize the exchange of the storage and transportation frame. Depending on the tomato planting environment, if the overall flatness of the tomato field is high, the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle and the tomato picking equipment can be kept flush, then the fixed conveyor belt assembly 300 of Example 1 can meet the demand; if the flatness of the tomato field is not good enough, then when the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle is docked with the tomato picking equipment, it may cause a height difference between the conveyor belt assembly 300 of the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle and the material conveyor belt 500 of the tomato picking equipment. In order to adapt to this usage state, the present embodiment provides the following Figure 15 The conveyor belt assembly 300 shown is capable of pitching and is equipped with an adjustment assembly 600 .
[0047] like Figures 12 to 14 As shown, the adjustment assembly 600 includes an adjustment shaft 610, a screw 620 installed at both ends of the adjustment shaft 610, a distance measuring mechanism 630 and a calibrator 640 installed on the side of the frame 200; Figure 13 and Figure 14 As shown, the screw 620 is in a spiral shape. The screw 620 is obtained by bending a rod into a spiral shape, and the adjustment shaft 610 is driven by an adjustment motor.
[0048] like Figure 15 As shown, the adjustment shaft 610 is located below the driven shaft 330, and the two screws 620 are respectively located directly below the second ends 342 of the two frames 340, and the second ends 342 of the two frames 340 fall on the two screws 620; Figure 16 As shown, when the adjustment shaft 610 drives the screw 620 to rotate, the spiral shape of the screw 620 will cause the conveyor belt assembly 300 to pitch with the hinge shaft 343 as the center. That is, the end of the conveyor belt assembly 300 where the driven shaft 330 is located can achieve height adjustment through pitching, ensuring that the conveyor belt assembly 300 of the tomato intelligent transport vehicle and the material conveyor belt 500 of the tomato picking equipment always remain flush, so as to facilitate the transfer of the storage and transportation frame. Figure 12 As shown, the distance measuring mechanism 630 is installed on the side of the frame 200. When the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle is docked with the tomato picking equipment, the distance measuring mechanism 630 measures the height difference between the conveyor belt assembly 300 and the material conveyor belt 500 of the tomato picking equipment, and then controls the adjustment shaft 610 and the screw 620 to rotate to the appropriate angle.
[0049] In this embodiment, the adjustable height of the conveyor belt assembly 300 corresponds to the rotation angle of the adjustment shaft 610 and the auger 620. Theoretically, as long as the adjustment shaft 610 and the auger 620 are rotated to the appropriate angle, the pitch end of the conveyor belt assembly 300 can reach the desired height. However, in actual use, the adjustment motor driving the adjustment shaft 610 has an unavoidable travel error. Although the angular error of a single rotation of the adjustment shaft 610 and the auger 620 is small and does not affect the operation of the tomato intelligent transport vehicle, this error has a cumulative effect. After repeated use, the rotation angle error of the adjustment shaft 610 and the auger 620 will increase unpredictably, ultimately affecting the transfer of storage and transport frames between the conveyor belt assembly 300 and the material conveyor belt 500 of the tomato picking equipment. To eliminate the impact of this error accumulation, this embodiment also provides calibrators 640 at both ends of the adjustment shaft 610.
[0050] like Figure 13 As shown, the calibrator 640 includes a collar 641, a torsion spring, an arc-shaped support 642 and an electromagnet. The collar 641 is sleeved on the end of the adjustment shaft 610, a torsion spring is installed between the collar 641 and the adjustment shaft 610, the arc-shaped support 642 is fixed on the collar 641, and the electromagnet is installed inside the arc-shaped support 642; Figure 17 As shown, the marker 640 and the screw 620 are both located directly below the frame 340; When the torsion spring is in a natural state, the position of the arc-shaped support 642 is offset from the screw 620 , that is, the arc-shaped support 642 does not affect the normal operation of the screw 620 ; The outer dimensions of the arc-shaped support 642 satisfy the following conditions: when the second end 342 of the frame 340 falls on the arc-shaped support 642 , the frame 340 is in a horizontal state.
[0051] The calibrator 640 is used to adjust the angle calibration of the shaft 610. The specific calibration method is as follows: Figure 17 As shown, the adjusting shaft 610 rotates so that the frame 340 falls on the arc support 642, and then the electromagnet in the arc support 642 is energized so that the arc support 642 is adsorbed on the frame 340, and then as shown in FIG. Figure 18 The adjusting shaft 610 is shown rotated clockwise to the limit position and the current position is calibrated as the zero angle position of the adjusting shaft 610 .
[0052] During the clockwise rotation of the adjustment shaft 610, the arc-shaped support 642 remains in its current position and is in an adsorption state with the frame 340. During this stage, the conveyor belt assembly 300 is always in a horizontal posture and cannot produce a pitching motion. During this stage, the torsion spring inside the ring 641 is also compressed and twisted. During this stage, the limit position to which the adjustment shaft 610 and the screw 620 can rotate always corresponds to the horizontal posture of the conveyor belt assembly 300. Therefore, this limit position can be used as a calibration position, thereby eliminating the previous cumulative error in the rotation angle of the adjustment shaft 610 and the screw 620. When the adjustment shaft 610 and the screw 620 reach the limit position, the adjustment shaft 610 and the screw 620 cannot continue to rotate, the load of the adjustment motor increases sharply, and the current inside the adjustment motor also increases sharply. By determining whether the current inside the adjustment motor exceeds the set value, it can be determined whether the adjustment shaft 610 and the screw 620 have reached the limit position. After calibration is complete, the electromagnet within the arc support 642 is de-energized, the attraction between the arc support 642 and the frame 340 disappears, and the collar 641 and the arc support 642 rotate back to their original position under the action of the torsion spring. The adjustment assembly 600 of this embodiment periodically activates the calibrator 640 for calibration according to a set schedule. For example, calibration is performed every hundred rotations of the adjustment shaft 610 and the screw 620.
[0053] like Figure 13 As shown, in this embodiment, bristles 611 are further provided in the middle of the adjustment shaft 610 . The outer contour of the bristles 611 is also spiral-shaped. The bristles 611 are used to help clean the dirt, plant stems and leaves and other debris adhering to the conveyor belt 310 .
[0054] Although the embodiments of the present invention are described in the specification, these embodiments are only for reference and should not limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Various omissions, substitutions and changes without departing from the scope of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.
Claims
1. A tomato intelligent transport vehicle, characterized by: Includes chassis, frame, conveyor belt assembly and vertical conveyor assembly; The conveyor belt assembly and the frame are both installed on the chassis. The conveyor belt assembly is arranged horizontally. Parallel empty frame areas and full frame areas are arranged directly above the conveyor belt assembly. Vertical conveying assemblies are arranged in the empty frame area and the full frame area.
2. The intelligent tomato transporter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conveyor belt assembly includes a conveyor belt, a driving shaft, a driven shaft and a frame. The two frames are arranged in parallel. The two ends of the driving shaft are respectively inserted into the first ends of the two frames, and the two ends of the driven shaft are respectively inserted into the second ends of the two frames. The conveyor belt is wound around the driving shaft and the driven shaft. The working length of the conveyor belt is not less than the length of the two storage and transportation frames.
3. The intelligent tomato transporter according to claim 2, characterized in that: The invention also includes an adjustment component, wherein the adjustment component includes an adjustment shaft and a spiral device installed at both ends of the adjustment shaft, and the spiral device is spiral-shaped; The first end of the frame is provided with a hinge shaft, and the frame is hinged to the frame via the hinge shaft; The adjusting shaft is located below the driven shaft, the two screws are respectively located directly below the second ends of the two frame frames, and the second ends of the two frame frames fall on the two screws.
4. The intelligent tomato transporter according to claim 3, characterized in that: Both ends of the adjusting shaft are further provided with calibrators, which include a collar, a torsion spring, an arc-shaped support and an electromagnet. The two calibrators are respectively located directly below the second ends of the two frames. The collar is sleeved on the end of the adjusting shaft, a torsion spring is installed between the collar and the adjusting shaft, the arc-shaped support is fixed on the collar, and the electromagnet is installed inside the arc-shaped support. When the torsion spring is in a natural state, the position of the arc support is staggered with the spiral device; The outer dimensions of the arc-shaped support satisfy the following requirements: when the second end of the frame falls on the arc-shaped support, the frame is in a horizontal state; The calibrator is used to calibrate the angle of the adjusting shaft. The specific calibration method is: the adjusting shaft rotates so that the frame falls on the arc support, then the electromagnet in the arc support is energized so that the arc support and the frame are adsorbed, and then the adjusting shaft rotates again to the extreme position and calibrates the current position as the zero angle position of the adjusting shaft.
5. The intelligent tomato transporter according to claim 4 is characterized by: Brush bristles are arranged in the middle of the adjusting shaft.
6. The intelligent tomato transporter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vertical conveying assembly includes a chain, a sprocket assembly, an angle bracket and a supporting plate. The chain is wound around the sprocket assembly and arranged in a vertical state. The angle bracket is fixed on the chain and the supporting plate is fixed on the angle bracket. The vertical conveying components are arranged in groups of two, and the pallets in the two vertical conveying components realize the up and down movement of the storage and transportation frame from both sides of the storage and transportation frame.
7. The intelligent tomato transporter according to claim 6, characterized in that: The empty frame area is arranged with one group of vertical conveying components, and the full frame area is arranged with two groups of vertical conveying components.
8. The intelligent tomato transporter according to claim 7, characterized in that: The empty frame area, the full frame area and the working area of the conveyor belt assembly are all arranged with storage and transportation frame positioners.
9. A method for operating the intelligent tomato transport vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: Including full frame mode and empty frame mode; The full-frame mode is as follows: the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle moves through the chassis to dock with the tomato picking equipment, and the conveyor belt assembly of the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle is aligned with the material conveyor belt of the tomato picking equipment; Afterwards, the material conveyor belt of the tomato picking equipment and the conveyor belt of the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle rotate synchronously, transferring all full baskets on the material conveyor belt to the conveyor belt. Finally, the vertical conveyor assembly in the full-basket area lifts a full basket on the conveyor belt to the full-basket area. The vertical conveyor assembly and the conveyor belt work alternately until all full baskets on the conveyor belt are lifted to the full-basket area. The empty frame out mode is performed after the full frame in mode is completed. The empty frame out mode is: the vertical conveying component in the empty frame area drops an empty frame onto the conveyor belt, and then the conveyor belt and the vertical conveying component work alternately until the conveyor belt is full of empty frames, and finally the conveyor belt and the material conveyor belt rotate synchronously to transfer all the empty frames on the conveyor belt to the material conveyor belt.
10. The operating method of the tomato intelligent transport vehicle according to claim 9, characterized in that: It also includes full frame mode and empty frame mode: The full-frame unloading mode is as follows: the tomato intelligent transport vehicle moves to the unloading station via the chassis, and the vertical conveying assembly in the full-frame area drops a full frame onto the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt and the vertical conveying assembly then work alternately until the conveyor belt is filled with full frames. Finally, the conveyor belt rotates to unload all the full frames on the conveyor belt to the unloading station. The vertical conveying assembly and the conveyor belt in the full-frame area continue to work until all the full frames in the full-frame area have been unloaded. The empty frame feeding mode is: placing the empty frames on the conveyor belt, and the vertical conveying component in the empty frame area lifts the empty frames on the conveyor belt to the empty frame area; and repeating this process until the empty frame area is filled with empty frames.
Citation Information
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