Tomato intelligent transfer vehicle and working method thereof

Abstract

This invention discloses a smart tomato transport vehicle, comprising a chassis, a frame, a conveyor belt assembly, and a vertical conveying assembly. A walking system is configured within the chassis for the movement of the smart tomato transport vehicle. The conveyor belt assembly and the frame are both mounted on the chassis. The conveyor belt assembly is horizontally positioned, and parallel empty and full frame areas are located directly above it. Vertical conveying assemblies are arranged in both the empty and full frame areas. This smart tomato transport vehicle, together with existing tomato harvesting equipment, forms a tomato harvesting system. One smart tomato transport vehicle serves multiple tomato harvesting devices. The smart tomato transport vehicle automatically picks up full tomato-filled storage frames from the tomato harvesting devices and simultaneously delivers empty storage frames. With a navigation system, the entire process of tomato harvesting and storage can be completed without manual labor, resulting in higher harvesting efficiency and lower labor costs compared to the single-vehicle operation mode of traditional tomato harvesting equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of agricultural machinery, and in particular to an intelligent tomato transport vehicle and its working method. Background Technology

[0002] Modern agriculture is gradually transforming towards intelligence and automation, with tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables increasingly being harvested using mechanized equipment. Currently, tomato harvesting equipment operates on a single-vehicle model, typically using robotic arms or other harvesting terminals to pluck tomatoes from the seedlings and place them into storage and transport crates on the equipment. Each harvesting unit usually has one or more storage and transport crates. Once the crates are full, they need to be manually removed and replaced with empty ones. This mechanized tomato harvesting method still requires a significant amount of manual labor, resulting in high labor costs. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by this invention is that the mechanized harvesting of fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes in the prior art is all done in a single-vehicle mode, which requires a certain amount of manual handling of the storage and transportation boxes filled with tomatoes, resulting in high labor costs.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a tomato intelligent transfer vehicle, including a chassis, a frame, a conveyor belt assembly and a vertical conveying assembly; The chassis is equipped with a walking system for moving the intelligent tomato transport vehicle. The walking system can be equipped with a navigation system to realize the path planning of the intelligent tomato transport vehicle, or it can be equipped with a remote control system for manual operation. Both the conveyor belt assembly and the frame are mounted on the chassis. The conveyor belt assembly is horizontally arranged, and parallel empty frame areas and full frame areas are arranged directly above the conveyor belt assembly. Vertical conveying components are arranged in both the empty frame areas and the full frame areas. The vertical conveying components are used to transfer empty frames between the conveyor belt and the empty frame areas, and also to transfer full frames between the conveyor belt and the full frame areas.

[0005] The intelligent tomato transport vehicle of this invention forms a tomato harvesting system with existing tomato harvesting equipment. One intelligent tomato transport vehicle serves multiple tomato harvesting devices. The intelligent tomato transport vehicle automatically picks up the storage and transport boxes full of tomatoes from the tomato harvesting devices and delivers empty storage and transport boxes for the tomato harvesting devices to use. With the navigation system configured, the tomato harvesting and storage and transport work can be carried out without manual labor. Compared with the single-vehicle operation mode of traditional tomato harvesting equipment, it has higher harvesting efficiency and lower labor costs.

[0006] Specifically, the conveyor belt assembly includes a conveyor belt, a drive shaft, a driven shaft, and two side frames. The two side frames are arranged parallel to each other. The two ends of the drive shaft are inserted into the first ends of the two side frames, and the two ends of the driven shaft are inserted into the second ends of the two side frames. The conveyor belt is wound around the drive shaft and the driven shaft. The drive shaft is driven by a motor and a reducer. The working length of the conveyor belt is not 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 transfer vehicle and the tomato harvesting equipment.

[0007] When the intelligent tomato transport vehicle of this invention is in operation, it docks with the tomato harvesting equipment by moving its chassis. The conveyor belt assembly of the intelligent tomato transport vehicle aligns with the material conveyor belt of the tomato harvesting equipment, and the exchange of storage and transport frames is achieved by rotating the conveyor belt and the material conveyor belt together. Depending on the tomato growing environment, if the overall flatness of the tomato field is high, the intelligent tomato transport vehicle and the tomato harvesting equipment can remain level, and a fixed conveyor belt assembly can meet the requirements. A fixed conveyor belt assembly means that the frame of the conveyor belt assembly is directly fixed to the frame of the intelligent tomato transport vehicle. If the flatness of the tomato field is not good, the intelligent tomato transport vehicle may cause a height difference between the conveyor belt assembly of the intelligent tomato transport vehicle and the material conveyor belt of the tomato harvesting equipment when docking. To adapt to this usage, this invention also provides another solution: the intelligent tomato transport vehicle also includes an adjustment component, which includes an adjustment shaft and augers installed at both ends of the adjustment shaft. The augers are helical in shape and are obtained by bending a rod into a helical 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. The adjusting shaft is located below the driven shaft, and the two screws are located directly below the second ends of the two side frames, with the second ends of the two side frames resting 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 around the hinge shaft. That is, the end of the conveyor belt assembly that connects to the tomato picking equipment (the end where the driven shaft is located) can be adjusted in height through the pitching action, ensuring that the conveyor belt assembly of the intelligent tomato transfer vehicle and the material conveyor belt of the tomato picking equipment are always flush, so as to facilitate the transfer of the storage and transportation frame.

[0008] In general, the adjustment assembly is also equipped with a laser rangefinder as a ranging mechanism. The ranging mechanism is installed on the side of the frame. When the intelligent tomato transfer vehicle is connected to the tomato picking equipment, the ranging mechanism measures the height difference between the conveyor belt assembly and the material conveyor belt of the tomato picking equipment, and then controls the adjustment shaft and the auger to rotate at a suitable angle.

[0009] In this invention, the adjustable height of the conveyor belt assembly corresponds to the rotation angle of the adjusting shaft and the screw. Theoretically, as long as the adjusting shaft and the screw rotate at a suitable angle, the pitch end of the conveyor belt assembly can reach the required height. However, in practical applications, the adjusting motor driving the adjusting shaft has an unavoidable stroke error. Although the single rotation angle error of the adjusting shaft and the screw is very small and will not affect the operation of the intelligent tomato transfer vehicle, this error has a cumulative effect. After repeated use, the rotation angle error of the adjusting shaft and the screw will increase and become unpredictable, ultimately affecting the transfer of the storage and transportation frame between the conveyor belt assembly and the material conveyor belt of the tomato harvesting equipment. To eliminate the impact of this error accumulation, this invention also provides calibrators at both ends of the adjusting shaft.

[0010] The calibrator includes a collar, a torsion spring, an arc-shaped support, and an electromagnet. The two calibrators are located directly below the second ends of the two side frames. The collar is fitted onto the end of the adjusting shaft. The torsion spring is installed between the collar and the adjusting 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 its natural state, the position of the arc-shaped support is offset from the screw mechanism, meaning that the arc-shaped support will not affect the normal operation of the screw mechanism. The dimensions of the arc-shaped support meet the requirement that the frame is horizontal when the second end of the frame rests on the arc-shaped support. The calibrator is used for calibrating the angle of the adjusting shaft. The specific calibration method is as follows: the adjusting shaft rotates until the frame rests on the arc-shaped support. Then, the electromagnet inside the arc-shaped support is energized, causing the support to attract the frame. The adjusting shaft then rotates again to its limit position, and this position is calibrated as the zero-angle position of the adjusting shaft. During this second rotation, the arc-shaped support remains in its current position and is attracted to the frame. During this stage, the conveyor belt assembly remains horizontal and cannot pitch. During this stage, the torsion spring inside the collar is also compressed and twisted. During this stage, the limit positions that the adjusting shaft and screw can rotate always correspond to the horizontal position of the conveyor belt assembly. Therefore, this limit position can be used as the calibration position, thereby eliminating the accumulated error in the rotation angle of the adjusting shaft and screw. When the adjusting shaft and screw reach their limit positions, they cannot continue to rotate. The load on the adjusting motor increases sharply, and the internal current of the adjusting motor also increases sharply. Whether the adjusting shaft and screw have reached their limit positions can be determined by checking whether the internal current of the adjusting motor exceeds a set value. After calibration, the electromagnet inside the arc-shaped support is de-energized, the attraction between the arc-shaped support and the frame disappears, and the collar and arc-shaped support rotate back to their original positions under the action of the torsion spring. The adjustment component in this invention periodically activates the calibrator for calibration according to a set procedure; for example, calibration is performed after every 100 rotations of the adjustment shaft and screw.

[0011] Furthermore, the middle part of the adjusting shaft is provided with bristles, the outline of which 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, corner brackets, and a tray. The chain is wound around the sprocket assembly and is arranged in a vertical position. The corner brackets are fixed to the chain, and the trays are fixed to the corner brackets. The vertical conveying components are arranged in pairs. The pallets in the two vertical conveying components move the storage and transportation frame up and down from both sides. The spacing between the pallets on the chain should be reasonably set according to the height of the storage and transportation frame.

[0013] Furthermore, a set of vertical conveying components is arranged in the empty frame area, and two sets of vertical conveying components are arranged in the full frame area. The full frame has a greater weight, and setting two sets of vertical conveying components helps to maintain the stability of the full frame.

[0014] Furthermore, storage and transportation frame locators are arranged in the empty frame area, the full frame area, and the working area of ​​the conveyor belt assembly. The storage and transportation frame locators are used to determine whether there is a storage and transportation frame at their location. The storage and transportation frame locators can use an RGB-D camera for visual recognition or an RFID reader to identify the RFID tags on the storage and transportation frames.

[0015] The present invention also provides a working method for a tomato intelligent transport vehicle, including a full-frame mode and an empty-frame mode, which are used to realize the exchange of storage and transport frames between the tomato intelligent transport vehicle and the tomato picking equipment. The full-frame loading mode is as follows: the intelligent tomato transport vehicle moves its chassis to dock with the tomato picking equipment, and the conveyor belt assembly of the intelligent tomato transport vehicle is aligned with the material conveyor belt of the tomato picking equipment. Afterwards, the material conveyor belt of the tomato harvesting equipment and the conveyor belt of the intelligent tomato transfer vehicle rotate synchronously, transferring all the full frames on the material conveyor belt to the conveyor belt; finally, the vertical conveying component in the full frame area lifts one full frame on the conveyor belt to the full frame area, and the vertical conveying component and the conveyor belt work alternately until all the full frames on the conveyor belt are lifted to the full frame area. The empty frame exit mode is performed after the full frame entry mode is completed. The empty frame exit mode is as follows: the vertical conveying component in the empty frame area lowers an empty frame onto the conveyor belt. Then the conveyor belt and the vertical conveying component work alternately until the conveyor belt is full of empty frames. 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 Smart Transfer Vehicle also includes a full-frame exit mode and an empty-frame entry mode. The full-frame exit mode is used for unloading full frames, and the empty-frame entry mode is used for adding new empty frames into the Tomato Smart Transfer Vehicle. The full-frame unloading mode is as follows: the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle moves the unloading station via its chassis. The vertical conveying component in the full-frame area lowers a full frame onto the conveyor belt. Then, the conveyor belt and the vertical conveying component work alternately until the conveyor belt is full of full frames. Finally, the conveyor belt rotates to unload all the full frames onto the unloading station. The vertical conveying component and the conveyor belt in the full-frame area continue to work until all the full frames in the full-frame area are unloaded. Depending on the length of the conveyor belt, the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle of this invention can place two or more full frames onto the conveyor belt in advance during the transfer process, thereby improving transfer efficiency. The empty frame feeding mode is as follows: an empty frame is placed on a conveyor belt, and a vertical conveying component in the empty frame area lifts the empty frame on the conveyor belt to the empty frame area; this process is repeated until the empty frame area is filled with empty frames.

[0017] Beneficial effects: (1) The intelligent tomato transport vehicle of the present invention serves multiple tomato harvesting equipment, automatically taking away the storage and transport frames full of tomatoes from the tomato harvesting equipment, and at the same time sending empty storage and transport frames for the tomato harvesting equipment to use. Compared with the single-vehicle working mode of traditional tomato harvesting equipment, it has higher harvesting efficiency and lower labor costs. (2) The intelligent tomato transport vehicle of the present invention is equipped with parallel empty frame area and full frame area on the conveyor belt, realizing the logical loop of "receiving N full frames and transferring N empty frames", which improves the efficiency of storage and transport frame exchange between the intelligent tomato transport vehicle and the tomato harvesting equipment. (3) The intelligent tomato transport vehicle of the present invention is equipped with an adjustment component to realize the pitching action of the conveyor belt component, so that the height difference between the conveyor belt component of the intelligent tomato transport vehicle and the material conveyor belt of the tomato harvesting equipment is automatically adjusted when docking, ensuring stable exchange of storage and transport frames between the two. (4) The intelligent tomato transport vehicle of the present invention is equipped with a calibrator in the adjustment component, which is automatically calibrated periodically 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. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the intelligent tomato transport vehicle in Example 1.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a perspective view (another viewpoint) of the intelligent tomato transport vehicle in Example 1.

[0020] Figure 3 This is the front view of the intelligent tomato transport vehicle in Example 1.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a 3D view of the intelligent tomato transport vehicle in Example 1 (with the frame partially hidden).

[0022] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of the conveyor belt assembly in Example 1.

[0023] Figure 6 This is a front view of the conveyor belt assembly in Embodiment 1.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a perspective view of the vertical conveying assembly in Embodiment 1.

[0025] Figure 8 This is a simplified diagram of the operation of the intelligent tomato transport vehicle in Example 1 (Part 1).

[0026] Figure 9 This is a simplified diagram of the operation of the intelligent tomato transport vehicle in Example 1 (Part 2).

[0027] Figure 10 This is a simplified diagram of the operation of the intelligent tomato transport vehicle in Example 1 (Part 3).

[0028] Figure 11 This is a simplified diagram of the operation of the intelligent tomato transport vehicle in Example 1 (Part 4).

[0029] Figure 12 This is the front view of the intelligent tomato transport vehicle in Example 2.

[0030] Figure 13 This is a perspective view of the adjustment component in Embodiment 2.

[0031] Figure 14 This is the front view of the adjustment component in Embodiment 2.

[0032] Figure 15 This is a diagram showing the working state of the conveyor belt assembly and the regulating assembly in Embodiment 2 (one of them).

[0033] Figure 16 This is a diagram showing the working state of the conveyor belt assembly and the regulating assembly in Embodiment 2 (Part Two).

[0034] Figure 17 This is a diagram showing the working state of the conveyor belt assembly and the regulating assembly in Example 2 (Part 3).

[0035] Figure 18 This is a diagram showing the working state of the conveyor belt assembly and the regulating assembly in Example 2 (Part Four).

[0036] The components are as follows: 100, chassis; 200, frame; 300, conveyor belt assembly; 310, conveyor belt; 320, drive shaft; 330, driven shaft; 340, frame; 341, first end; 342, second end; 343, hinge shaft; 350, L-shaped fastener; 400, vertical conveying assembly; 410, chain; 420, sprocket assembly; 430, corner bracket; 440, pallet; 500, material conveyor belt; 600, adjusting assembly; 610, adjusting shaft; 611, brush; 620, auger; 630, ranging mechanism; 640, calibrator; 641, collar; 642, arc-shaped support; 700, storage and transportation frame positioner. Detailed Implementation

[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 intelligent tomato transport vehicle of this embodiment includes a chassis 100, a frame 200, a conveyor belt assembly 300, and a vertical conveying assembly 400.

[0039] The chassis 100 is equipped with a walking system for moving the intelligent tomato transport vehicle. The walking system can be equipped with a navigation system to realize the path planning of the intelligent tomato transport vehicle, or it can be equipped with a remote control system for manual operation.

[0040] Both the conveyor belt assembly 300 and the frame 200 are mounted on the chassis 100. The conveyor belt assembly 300 is horizontally positioned, and parallel empty frame areas and full frame areas are positioned directly above the conveyor belt assembly 300. Vertical conveying components 400 are arranged in both the empty frame areas and the full frame areas. The vertical conveying components 400 are used to transfer empty frames between the conveyor belt 310 and the empty frame areas, and also to transfer full frames between the conveyor belt 310 and the full frame areas.

[0041] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the conveyor belt assembly 300 includes a conveyor belt 310, a drive shaft 320, a driven shaft 330, and two side frames 340. The two side frames 340 are arranged in parallel. The two ends of the drive shaft 320 are respectively inserted into the first ends 341 of the two side frames 340, and the two ends of the driven shaft 330 are respectively inserted into the second ends 342 of the two side frames 340. The conveyor belt 310 is wound around the drive shaft 320 and the driven shaft 330. The drive shaft 320 is driven by a motor through a reducer. The working length of the conveyor belt 310 is not less than the length of the two storage and transportation frames. The conveyor belt assembly 300 is used to realize the exchange of storage and transportation frames between the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle and the tomato picking equipment. The conveyor belt assembly 300 is fixed to the chassis 100 by L-shaped fasteners 350 on the side frames 340.

[0042] like Figure 7 As shown, the vertical conveying assembly 400 includes a chain 410, a sprocket assembly 420, a corner bracket 430, and a pallet 440. The chain 410 is wound around the sprocket assembly 420 and is arranged in a vertical position. The corner bracket 430 is fixed to the chain 410, and the pallet 440 is fixed to the corner bracket 430.

[0043] The vertical conveying components 400 are arranged in pairs, with pallets 440 in each pair enabling the storage and transport frame to move vertically from both sides. The spacing between the pallets 440 on the chain 410 should be reasonably set according to the height of the storage and transport frame. One set of vertical conveying components 400 is arranged in the empty frame area, and two sets of vertical conveying components 400 are arranged in the full frame area; the full frame has a greater weight, and setting two sets of vertical conveying components 400 helps to maintain the stability of the full frame. Storage and transport frame locators 700 are arranged in the empty frame area, the full frame area, and the working area of ​​the conveyor belt assembly 300. The storage and transport frame locators 700 are used to determine whether a storage and transport frame exists at their location. The storage and transport frame locators 700 can use an RGB-D camera for visual recognition or an RFID reader to identify the RFID tags on the storage and transport frame.

[0044] The intelligent tomato transport vehicle of this embodiment forms a tomato harvesting system with existing tomato harvesting equipment. One intelligent tomato transport vehicle serves multiple tomato harvesting devices. The vehicle automatically removes full storage crates from the harvesting devices and simultaneously delivers empty crates for the harvesting devices to use. The operating method of the intelligent tomato transport vehicle in this embodiment includes an empty crate loading mode, a full crate loading mode, an empty crate unloading mode, and a full crate unloading mode. The full crate loading and empty crate unloading modes are used to exchange storage crates between the intelligent tomato transport vehicle and the harvesting devices; the full crate unloading mode is used to unload full crates; and the empty crate loading mode is used to add new empty crates to the intelligent tomato transport vehicle. The specific operating method of the intelligent tomato transport vehicle in this embodiment is as follows: Enter empty frame mode: such as Figure 8 As shown, at the unloading station, workers place empty frames on conveyor belt 310, and the vertical conveying assembly 400 of the empty frame area lifts the empty frames on 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: such as Figure 9 As shown, the intelligent tomato transport vehicle moves and docks with the tomato harvesting equipment via chassis 100. The conveyor belt assembly 300 of the intelligent tomato transport vehicle aligns with the material conveyor belt 500 of the tomato harvesting equipment. Then, the material conveyor belt 500 of the tomato harvesting equipment and the conveyor belt 310 of the intelligent tomato transport vehicle rotate synchronously, transferring all full frames on the material conveyor belt 500 to the conveyor belt 310. Finally, the vertical conveying assembly 400 in the full frame area lifts one full frame on the conveyor belt 310 to the full frame area. The vertical conveying assembly 400 and the conveyor belt 310 work alternately until all full frames on the conveyor belt 310 are lifted to the full frame area. Empty frame exit mode: Empty frame exit mode is performed immediately after the full frame exit mode is completed, such as... Figure 10As shown, the vertical conveying component 400 in the empty frame area lowers an empty frame onto the conveyor belt 310. Then, the conveyor belt 310 and the vertical conveying component 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, transferring all the empty frames on the conveyor belt 310 to the material conveyor belt 500. The tomato intelligent transfer vehicle in this embodiment continuously executes the full frame entry mode and the empty frame exit mode to ensure the execution of the logical loop of "entering N full frames and transferring N empty frames". After that, if the full frame area of ​​the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle is not full of storage and transport frames, the intelligent transfer vehicle continues to move to the next tomato picking equipment and executes the full frame entry mode and the empty frame exit mode again. Full Frame Output Mode: This mode is executed after the full frame area inside the Tomato Smart Transfer Vehicle is filled with fully loaded storage and transport frames; for example... Figure 11 As shown, the intelligent tomato transport vehicle moves to the unloading station via chassis 100. The vertical conveying component 400 in the full-frame area lowers a full frame onto the conveyor belt 310. 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. Depending on the length of the conveyor belt 310, the intelligent tomato transport vehicle of this invention can place two or more full frames on the conveyor belt 310 in advance during the transfer process, thereby improving the transfer efficiency.

[0045] Example 2 is basically the same as Example 1, except for the conveyor belt assembly 300 and the adjusting assembly 600. For example... Figure 15 As shown, in this embodiment, the conveyor belt assembly 300 has a hinge shaft 343 at the first end 341 of the frame 340, that is, the end where the drive shaft 320 is located. The frame 340 is hinged to the frame 200 or the chassis 100 through the hinge shaft 343. This means that the entire conveyor belt assembly 300 can pitch with the hinge shaft 343 as the center. This means that the end of the conveyor belt assembly 300 where the driven shaft 330 is located can be adjusted up and down.

[0046] In both Example 1 and this embodiment, the intelligent tomato transport vehicle moves its chassis 100 to dock with the tomato harvesting equipment during operation. The conveyor belt assembly 300 of the intelligent tomato transport vehicle aligns with the material conveyor belt 500 of the tomato harvesting equipment. The exchange of storage and transport frames is achieved by rotating the conveyor belt 310 and the material conveyor belt 500 together. Depending on the tomato growing environment, if the overall flatness of the tomato field is high, the intelligent tomato transport vehicle and the tomato harvesting equipment can remain level, and the fixed conveyor belt assembly 300 of Example 1 is sufficient. However, if the flatness of the tomato field is not good, a height difference may occur between the conveyor belt assembly 300 of the intelligent tomato transport vehicle and the material conveyor belt 500 of the tomato harvesting equipment when docking. To adapt to this usage, this embodiment provides... 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, screws 620 mounted at both ends of the adjustment shaft 610, a ranging mechanism 630 mounted on the side of the frame 200, and a calibrator 640; as Figure 13 and Figure 14 As shown, the screw 620 is helical in shape and is obtained by bending a rod into a helical shape. The adjusting shaft 610 is driven by an adjusting motor.

[0048] like Figure 15 As shown, the adjusting 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 side frames 340, with the second ends 342 of the two side frames 340 resting on the two screws 620; Figure 16 As shown, when the adjusting shaft 610 drives the screw 620 to rotate, the spiral shape of the screw 620 will cause the conveyor belt assembly 300 to pitch around the hinge shaft 343. That is, the end of the conveyor belt assembly 300 where the driven shaft 330 is located can be height-adjusted through the pitching motion, ensuring that the conveyor belt assembly 300 of the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle and the material conveyor belt 500 of the tomato harvesting equipment remain flush, facilitating the transfer of the storage and transportation frame. Figure 12 As shown, the ranging mechanism 630 is installed on the side of the frame 200. When the intelligent tomato transfer vehicle is connected to the tomato picking equipment, the ranging 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 adjusting shaft 610 and the auger 620 to rotate at a suitable angle.

[0049] In this embodiment, the adjustable height of the conveyor belt assembly 300 corresponds to the rotation angle of the adjusting shaft 610 and the screw 620. Theoretically, as long as the adjusting shaft 610 and the screw 620 rotate at a suitable angle, the pitch end of the conveyor belt assembly 300 can reach the required height. However, in practical applications, the adjusting motor driving the adjusting shaft 610 has an unavoidable stroke error. Although the single rotation angle error of the adjusting shaft 610 and the screw 620 is very small and will not affect the operation of the intelligent tomato transfer vehicle, this error has a cumulative effect. After repeated use, the rotation angle error of the adjusting shaft 610 and the screw 620 will increase and become unpredictable, ultimately affecting the transfer of the storage and transportation frame between the conveyor belt assembly 300 and the material conveyor belt 500 of the tomato harvesting equipment. To eliminate the impact of this error accumulation, this embodiment also provides calibrators 640 at both ends of the adjusting 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 fitted onto the end of the adjusting shaft 610. The torsion spring is installed between the collar 641 and the adjusting shaft 610. The arc-shaped support 642 is fixed to the collar 641, and the electromagnet is installed inside the arc-shaped support 642. Figure 17 As shown, both the calibrator 640 and the screwdriver 620 are located directly below the frame 340; When the torsion spring is in its natural state, the position of the arc-shaped support 642 is offset from that of the screw 620, meaning that the arc-shaped support 642 will not affect the normal operation of the screw 620. The external dimensions of the arc-shaped support 642 satisfy the following condition: when the second end 342 of the frame 340 rests 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 adjustment shaft 610 rotates so that the frame 340 rests on the arc-shaped support 642. Then, the electromagnet inside the arc-shaped support 642 is energized, causing the arc-shaped support 642 to attract the frame 340. Then, as... Figure 18 The adjustment shaft 610 is rotated clockwise to its limit position and the current position is marked as the zero angle position of the adjustment shaft 610.

[0052] During the clockwise rotation of the adjusting shaft 610, the arc-shaped support 642 remains in its current position and is attracted to the frame 340. During this phase, the conveyor belt assembly 300 remains horizontal and cannot pitch. The torsion spring inside the collar 641 is also compressed and twisted. During this phase, the limit positions that the adjusting shaft 610 and the screw 620 can rotate always correspond to the horizontal position of the conveyor belt assembly 300. Therefore, this limit position can be used as the calibration position to eliminate the accumulated error of the rotation angle of the adjusting shaft 610 and the screw 620. When the adjusting shaft 610 and the screw 620 reach their limit positions, they can no longer rotate. The load on 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 610 and the screw 620 have reached their limit positions. After calibration, the electromagnet inside the arc-shaped support 642 is de-energized, the attraction between the arc-shaped support 642 and the frame 340 disappears, and the collar 641 and the arc-shaped support 642 rotate back to their original positions under the action of the torsion spring. In this embodiment, the adjustment component 600 periodically starts the calibrator 640 for calibration according to a set time. For example, the adjustment shaft 610 and the screw 620 are calibrated once every 100 rotations.

[0053] like Figure 13 As shown, this embodiment also provides a brush 611 in the middle of the adjusting shaft 610. The outer contour of the brush 611 is also spiral-shaped. The brush 611 is used to help clean the mud, plant stems and leaves and other debris adhering to the conveyor belt 310.

[0054] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in the specification, these embodiments are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention. Various omissions, substitutions, and modifications made without departing from the spirit of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A smart tomato transport vehicle, characterized in that: Includes chassis, frame, conveyor belt assembly, and vertical conveyor assembly; Both the conveyor belt assembly and the frame are mounted on the chassis. The conveyor belt assembly is horizontally arranged, and parallel empty frame areas and full frame areas are arranged directly above the conveyor belt assembly. Vertical conveying components are arranged in both the empty frame areas and the full frame areas. The conveyor belt assembly includes a conveyor belt, a drive shaft, a driven shaft, and two side frames. The two side frames are arranged in parallel. The two ends of the drive shaft are inserted into the first ends of the two side frames respectively, and the two ends of the driven shaft are inserted into the second ends of the two side frames respectively. The conveyor belt is wound around the drive 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. It also includes an adjustment assembly, which includes an adjustment shaft and a screw mounted at both ends of the adjustment shaft, the screw being helical; The first end of the frame is provided with a hinge axis, and the frame is hinged to the frame through the hinge axis; The adjusting shaft is located below the driven shaft, and the two screws are located directly below the second ends of the two side frames, with the second ends of the two side frames resting on the two screws. The two ends of the adjusting shaft are also provided with calibrators. The calibrators include a collar, a torsion spring, an arc-shaped support and an electromagnet. The two calibrators are located directly below the second end of the two side frames. The collar is sleeved on the end of the adjusting shaft. The torsion spring is installed between the collar and the adjusting 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 its natural state, the position of the arc-shaped support is offset from that of the auger; The dimensions of the arc-shaped support meet the requirement that the frame is horizontal when the second end of the frame rests on the arc-shaped support. The calibrator is used to calibrate the angle of the adjustment shaft. The specific calibration method is as follows: the adjustment shaft is rotated so that the frame falls on the arc support. Then, the electromagnet in the arc support is energized so that the arc support is attracted to the frame. Then the adjustment shaft is rotated to the limit position again and the current position is calibrated as the zero angle position of the adjustment shaft.

2. The intelligent tomato transport vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adjusting shaft is provided with bristles in the middle.

3. The intelligent tomato transport vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vertical conveying assembly includes a chain, a sprocket assembly, corner brackets, and a tray. The chain is wound around the sprocket assembly and is arranged vertically. The corner brackets are fixed to the chain, and the trays are fixed to the corner brackets. The vertical conveying components are arranged in pairs, and the pallets in the two vertical conveying components enable the storage and transportation frame to move up and down from both sides.

4. The intelligent tomato transport vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that: One set of vertical conveying components is arranged in the empty frame area, and two sets of vertical conveying components are arranged in the full frame area.

5. The intelligent tomato transport vehicle according to claim 4, characterized in that: Storage and transportation frame positioners are arranged in the empty frame area, the full frame area, and the working area of ​​the conveyor belt assembly.

6. A method for operating a tomato intelligent transfer vehicle as described in any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that: Includes full-frame mode and empty-frame mode; The full-frame loading mode is as follows: the intelligent tomato transport vehicle moves its chassis to dock with the tomato picking equipment, and the conveyor belt assembly of the intelligent tomato transport vehicle is aligned with the material conveyor belt of the tomato picking equipment. Afterwards, the material conveyor belt of the tomato harvesting equipment and the conveyor belt of the intelligent tomato transfer vehicle rotate synchronously, transferring all the full frames on the material conveyor belt to the conveyor belt; finally, the vertical conveying component in the full frame area lifts one full frame on the conveyor belt to the full frame area, and the vertical conveying component and the conveyor belt work alternately until all the full frames on the conveyor belt are lifted to the full frame area. The empty frame exit mode is performed after the full frame entry mode is completed. The empty frame exit mode is as follows: the vertical conveying component in the empty frame area lowers an empty frame onto the conveyor belt. Then the conveyor belt and the vertical conveying component work alternately until the conveyor belt is full of empty frames. 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.

7. The working method of the intelligent tomato transfer vehicle according to claim 6, characterized in that: It also includes full-frame exit mode and empty-frame entry mode: The full-frame unloading mode is as follows: the tomato intelligent transfer vehicle moves the unloading station via its chassis. The vertical conveying component in the full-frame area lowers a full frame onto the conveyor belt. Then, the conveyor belt and the vertical conveying component work alternately until the conveyor belt is full of full frames. Finally, the conveyor belt rotates to unload all the full frames on the conveyor belt to the unloading station. The vertical conveying component 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 as follows: an empty frame is placed on a conveyor belt, and a vertical conveying component in the empty frame area lifts the empty frame on the conveyor belt to the empty frame area; this process is repeated until the empty frame area is filled with empty frames.

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