Intelligent zizania aquatica sorting equipment and method

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of agricultural automation equipment, and particularly relates to intelligent zizania aquatica sorting equipment and method.The intelligent zizania aquatica sorting equipment comprises a conveying mechanism, an obtaining mechanism, a first determining mechanism, a grabbing and bagging mechanism and a collecting mechanism; the conveying mechanism orderly arranges the zizania aquatica and conveys the zizania aquatica to the obtaining mechanism, the obtaining mechanism rapidly collects images and analyzes and processes the images through the first determining mechanism, and the grabbing and bagging mechanism accurately distributes the zizania aquatica to different channels according to detection results; the visual detection technology is applied to detect the appearance and the size of the zizania latifolia, the detection precision is high, and subjectivity and errors during manual sorting are avoided; according to the equipment, through close cooperation of the conveying mechanism, the obtaining mechanism and the grabbing and bagging mechanism, the full-automatic process of zizania aquatica from feeding to sorting is achieved, the sorting efficiency is greatly improved, and the production period is shortened.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of agricultural automation equipment technology, and particularly relates to intelligent sorting equipment and method for water chestnuts. Background Technology

[0002] In the development of the water bamboo industry, the effectiveness and advancement of water bamboo grading and testing technology play a decisive role in the industry's economic benefits and market competitiveness.

[0003] In existing technologies, water bamboo grading is usually done manually, which is slow. The processing speed of water bamboo cannot keep up with market demand, resulting in a large backlog of water bamboo. This not only increases storage costs, but may also cause the freshness and quality of water bamboo to decline due to prolonged lack of processing, resulting in economic losses.

[0004] Meanwhile, due to differences in experience, eyesight, and personal judgment standards, different operators may arrive at vastly different grading results for the same batch of water bamboo. Even the same operator may experience fluctuations in their judgment of water bamboo depending on the working time and conditions, leading to a lack of stability and reliability in the grading results. This results in inconsistent quality of water bamboo products on the market, making it difficult to establish unified quality standards and seriously affecting the market image and sales price of water bamboo.

[0005] Therefore, an intelligent sorting device and method for water chestnuts are proposed. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide an intelligent sorting device and method for water chestnuts to solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following solution:

[0008] The intelligent sorting equipment for water chestnuts includes:

[0009] A conveying mechanism used to transport water chestnuts;

[0010] A receiving mechanism is used to acquire the appearance information of the water chestnuts on the conveying mechanism;

[0011] The first determining body is used to determine the quality grade information of water bamboo based on its appearance information;

[0012] A gripping and bagging mechanism is disposed above the conveying mechanism and behind the acquiring mechanism. The gripping and bagging mechanism is used to grip and bag the water chestnuts according to their quality grade information.

[0013] The quality level information of water bamboo is divided into unqualified quality, substandard quality, and excellent quality. The gripping and bagging mechanism is used to grip water bamboo that is determined by the first determining mechanism to be of excellent quality and substandard quality.

[0014] A collection mechanism is provided at the tail end of the conveying mechanism, and the collection mechanism is used to collect water chestnuts that are determined by the first determining mechanism to be of substandard quality.

[0015] In the intelligent sorting device for water chestnuts of the present invention, the conveying mechanism includes:

[0016] Multiple feeding conveyors are used, and water chestnuts are placed onto the feeding conveyors manually.

[0017] A feeding conveyor is installed at the tail end of the feeding conveyor, and the feeding conveyor is used to receive the water chestnuts conveyed by the feeding conveyor;

[0018] A differential conveyor is provided at its head end corresponding to the tail ends of multiple feeding conveyors. The differential conveyor is used to receive the water chestnuts conveyed by the feeding conveyors and arrange the water chestnuts individually in sequence.

[0019] A sorting conveyor is located at the tail end of the differential conveyor. The sorting conveyor is used to sequentially receive water chestnuts conveyed by the differential conveyor. The gripping and bagging mechanism is located above the sorting conveyor, and the collecting mechanism is located at the tail end of the sorting conveyor.

[0020] In the intelligent water chestnut sorting device of the present invention, the conveying mechanism further includes:

[0021] A re-inspection conveyor is installed between the differential conveyor and the sorting conveyor to obtain the weight information of the water chestnuts that have passed through the re-inspection conveyor.

[0022] The second determining mechanism is used to determine the weight level information of the water bamboo based on the weight information of the water bamboo obtained by the re-inspection conveyor.

[0023] A pusher is installed on one side of the re-inspection conveyor and is used to push the water chestnuts off the re-inspection conveyor according to the weight level information of the water chestnuts determined by the second determining mechanism.

[0024] The weight grade information of water bamboo is divided into qualified quality and unqualified quality. The pusher is used to push down the water bamboo that is determined to be unqualified quality by the second determining mechanism.

[0025] In the intelligent sorting device for water chestnuts of the present invention, the gripping and bagging mechanism includes:

[0026] Two gripping robotic arms are positioned above the sorting conveyor and are arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the sorting conveyor. One gripping robotic arm is used to grip water chestnuts that are determined to be of excellent quality by the first determining mechanism, and the other gripping robotic arm is used to grip water chestnuts that are determined to be of secondary quality by the first determining mechanism.

[0027] In the intelligent water chestnut sorting device of the present invention, the gripping and bagging mechanism further includes:

[0028] An inclined conveyor is used to receive the water chestnuts grasped by the gripping robot and transport them to a higher position;

[0029] A bagging machine is used to bag the water chestnuts falling from the inclined conveyor, and at the same time measure the sum of the weight of the bag and the water chestnuts;

[0030] A bag sewing machine is used to sew open packaging bags that have reached a set weight.

[0031] In the intelligent sorting device for water chestnuts of the present invention, the gripping end of the gripping robot is provided with a flexible gripper.

[0032] In the intelligent water chestnut sorting device of the present invention, the obtaining mechanism includes:

[0033] Image acquisition component, used to acquire appearance information of water chestnut;

[0034] A light source component is used to provide a light source for the image acquisition component to acquire the appearance information of water chestnuts;

[0035] The first determining mechanism is used to determine the quality level information of the water bamboo based on the appearance information of the water bamboo obtained by the image acquisition component.

[0036] In the intelligent water chestnut sorting device of the present invention, the first determining mechanism includes:

[0037] The image processing module is used to receive the appearance information of water bamboo obtained by the image acquisition component, and determine the quality level information of water bamboo based on the appearance information of water bamboo;

[0038] The control terminal receives the quality level information of the water bamboo determined by the image processing module through a data transmission line. The control terminal is used to control the grasping and bagging mechanism to grasp the water bamboo.

[0039] In the intelligent sorting equipment for water chestnuts of the present invention, multiple manual work platforms are provided on one side of the feeding conveyor. The multiple manual work platforms are equally spaced along the length direction of the feeding conveyor, and the manual work platforms are used to accommodate workers.

[0040] The intelligent sorting method for water chestnuts, based on the aforementioned intelligent sorting equipment for water chestnuts, includes the following steps:

[0041] The conveying mechanism is controlled to convey the water bamboo shoots, the acquiring mechanism is controlled to acquire the appearance information of the water bamboo shoots, the first determining mechanism is controlled to determine the quality level information of the water bamboo shoots based on the appearance information acquired by the acquiring mechanism, and the gripping and bagging mechanism is controlled to grip and bag the water bamboo shoots based on the quality level information. The gripping and bagging mechanism is used to grip the water bamboo shoots that are determined by the first determining mechanism to be of excellent quality and substandard quality.

[0042] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages and technical effects:

[0043] When manually sorting water chestnuts, significant errors occur due to varying quality judgment standards among different workers. This invention utilizes visual inspection technology to precisely grade water chestnuts across multiple dimensions, including color and shape. In color detection, the equipment can keenly detect subtle color changes, with virtually no deviation in color assessment. For shape detection, the equipment can accurately measure key parameters such as length, diameter, and curvature of the water chestnuts with extremely high precision. This invention provides highly accurate detection of defects in water chestnuts, effectively avoiding the subjectivity and errors inherent in manual sorting, resulting in an overall sorting accuracy far exceeding that of manual sorting.

[0044] The equipment achieves a fully automated process for water chestnuts from feeding to sorting through the close collaboration of the conveying mechanism, the acquiring mechanism, and the gripping and bagging mechanism. The conveying mechanism arranges the water chestnuts in an orderly manner and transports them to the acquiring mechanism, which quickly acquires images and analyzes them through the first determining mechanism. The gripping and bagging mechanism then accurately allocates the water chestnuts to different channels based on the detection results. The entire process is completed seamlessly, significantly improving sorting efficiency compared to traditional manual and semi-automated equipment, and greatly shortening the production cycle. Attached Figure Description

[0045] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0046] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the sorting process of the present invention; Detailed Implementation

[0048] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0049] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0050] Reference Figure 1 This invention discloses an intelligent sorting device for water chestnuts, comprising:

[0051] A conveying mechanism used to transport water chestnuts;

[0052] The acquisition mechanism is used to acquire the appearance information of the water chestnuts on the conveying mechanism;

[0053] The first determining body is used to determine the quality grade information of water bamboo based on its appearance information;

[0054] The gripping and bagging mechanism is located above the conveying mechanism and behind the acquiring mechanism. The gripping and bagging mechanism is used to grip and bag the water chestnuts according to their quality grade information.

[0055] Among them, the quality level information of water bamboo is divided into unqualified quality, substandard quality, and excellent quality. The grabbing and bagging mechanism is used to grab water bamboo that is determined by the first determining mechanism to be of excellent quality and substandard quality.

[0056] A collection mechanism is located at the tail end of the conveying mechanism. The collection mechanism is used to collect water chestnuts that are determined by the first determining mechanism to be of unqualified quality.

[0057] The collection mechanism includes rejection chutes, guide baffles, defective product receiving boxes, buffer pads, and recycling support frames.

[0058] The rejection slide is fixedly connected to the guide baffle, the guide baffle is fixedly connected to the defective product receiving box, the bottom of the defective product receiving box is provided with a buffer pad, and the recycling support frame is fixedly connected to the defective product receiving box to support the recycling device as a whole.

[0059] The rejection chute is a smooth metal guide channel with an adjustable tilt angle, connecting to the rejection exit of the visual inspection or re-inspection area; the guide baffle is an arc-shaped baffle structure used to guide the high-speed falling unqualified water chestnuts and prevent them from jumping out of the chute; the defective product receiving box is a movable enclosed box with an internal cushioning pad made of flexible foam or elastic silicone material, which can effectively buffer the impact of falling material and prevent secondary damage to the water chestnuts; the recycling support frame is a rigid metal frame with high strength and corrosion resistance, making it suitable for long-term use in humid agricultural production environments.

[0060] During operation, unqualified water chestnuts are pushed into the rejection chute by the rejection mechanism of the visual inspection equipment or the re-inspection conveyor; under the action of gravity, they slide down the chute, are turned by the guide baffle, and fall into the defective product receiving box; the buffer pad provides flexible support for the water chestnuts to prevent multiple collisions; when the receiving box is full, it can be removed from the recycling support frame as a whole for manual unified cleaning or sorting.

[0061] Non-conforming water bamboo shoots rejected during the inspection and sorting process are collected in a designated area for centralized manual processing. A defective product recovery system is connected to the rejection device, collecting non-conforming water bamboo shoots through a rejection channel. Independent containers are designed to effectively prevent confusion with qualified products, collecting rejected non-conforming water bamboo shoots for subsequent processing. The centrally processed non-conforming water bamboo shoots can be reused, such as processed into feed or fertilizer, depending on the actual situation; the unusable portion is disposed of properly through environmentally friendly treatment methods, achieving both environmental protection and efficient resource utilization.

[0062] In one alternative design, the conveying mechanism includes:

[0063] Multiple feeding conveyors are used, and water chestnuts are placed onto the feeding conveyors manually.

[0064] A feeding conveyor is located at the tail end of the loading conveyor and is used to receive the water chestnuts conveyed by the loading conveyor.

[0065] The differential conveyor is set at the head end corresponding to the tail end of multiple feeding conveyors. The differential conveyor is used to receive the water chestnuts conveyed by the feeding conveyors and at the same time arrange the water chestnuts in a single sequence.

[0066] The sorting conveyor is located at the tail end of the differential conveyor. The sorting conveyor is used to sequentially receive the water chestnuts conveyed by the differential conveyor. The gripping and bagging mechanism is located above the sorting conveyor, and the collection mechanism is located at the tail end of the sorting conveyor.

[0067] The feeding conveyor includes a conveyor support, a feeding conveyor belt, a drive roller, a driven roller, a variable frequency motor, adjustable feet, and anti-slip guide strips.

[0068] The conveyor support uses an aluminum profile or stainless steel frame structure, which is both lightweight and structurally rigid. Its length and angle can be customized according to the actual production line layout. The drive roller is connected to the variable frequency motor through a coupling, supporting stepless speed regulation to achieve a conveying speed that matches the rhythm of manual work. The driven roller is located at the far end of the conveyor support and has a tensioning mechanism to adjust the tension of the conveyor belt and maintain stable operation. The adjustable feet use a screw structure, and the rotation adjustment can achieve a height range of ±10cm to meet the installation needs of operators of different heights or different ground height differences. The anti-slip guide strips are rubber transverse convex strips with uniform spacing, which can effectively prevent water chestnuts from slipping or piling on the inclined conveyor belt and improve the neatness of the materials.

[0069] During operation, the operator places the water chestnuts one by one at the front end of the feeding conveyor belt. After the variable frequency motor starts, it drives the drive roller to rotate, which in turn drives the feeding conveyor belt to run in a cycle. The water chestnuts move smoothly with the conveyor belt under the interval of the anti-slip guide strips. If it is necessary to adjust the feeding height or angle, the conveying angle can be changed by rotating the adjustable support legs, so that the working platform and the operator can achieve a more ergonomic working posture, thereby improving working comfort and efficiency.

[0070] The feeding conveyor includes a conveying frame, a feeding conveyor belt, a main drive roller, a tension driven roller, a synchronous motor, a lateral limit baffle, anti-slip guide strips, and a support roller assembly.

[0071] The conveyor frame is fixedly connected to the main drive roller, which is rotatably connected to the feeding conveyor belt. The feeding conveyor belt is wound between the main drive roller and the tension driven roller, which can slide along the front-to-back direction of the conveyor frame. A synchronous motor is rotatably connected to the main drive roller to provide power. Lateral limiting baffles are installed on both sides of the conveyor frame, parallel to the edge of the feeding conveyor belt. Anti-slip guide strips are evenly arranged on the surface of the feeding conveyor belt. The support roller assembly is installed in the middle area below the conveyor belt. The support roller assembly consists of several idlers, installed at the bottom of the conveyor frame, distributed below the conveyor belt, with one roller assembly at regular intervals. This effectively supports the belt surface of long-distance conveying sections, preventing sagging or deformation caused by the belt's own weight or material accumulation, and maintaining conveying stability. The lateral limiting baffles are slightly higher than the water chestnut body to prevent the material from sliding laterally or falling off the belt surface.

[0072] During operation, the synchronous motor starts and drives the main drive roller to rotate, thereby driving the feeding conveyor belt to circulate. The upstream feeding conveyor smoothly transfers the water chestnuts onto the feeding conveyor belt in sequence. Anti-slip guide strips passively limit the movement of each water chestnut, keeping it aligned longitudinally and neatly. During the conveying process, the support roller group ensures that the belt surface does not deform, and the lateral limit baffles ensure lateral stability. The conveyor belt ultimately transports the water chestnuts evenly and orderly to the entrance section of the differential conveyor. Simultaneously, the conveying speed can be flexibly adjusted within a certain range according to actual production needs. Precise synchronization with subsequent processes is achieved through the PLC control system, improving overall production efficiency.

[0073] A differential conveyor includes a front conveyor belt, a rear conveyor belt, a front drive roller, a rear drive roller, a dual-motor drive unit, a conveyor base frame, a synchronization controller, and a conveyor separation trough.

[0074] The conveyor base is fixedly connected to the front drive roller, which is rotatably connected to the front conveyor belt. The tail of the front conveyor belt overlaps with the head of the rear conveyor belt, and the rear drive roller is rotatably connected to the rear conveyor belt. The dual motor drive units are independently rotatably connected to the front and rear drive rollers respectively. The synchronous controller controls the output speed of the dual motor drive units respectively. The conveyor separation trough is located in the middle below the rear conveyor belt to collect stacked or misaligned materials.

[0075] The front conveyor belt runs at a speed of V1, and the rear conveyor belt runs at a speed of V2, with V2 > V1. The speed difference is typically controlled between 1.5 and 2.5 times. This speed difference physically creates a "pull-out effect," meaning that the rear belt surface has an acceleration effect relative to the front belt, which can gradually separate the closely arranged water chestnuts and improve the individual identification rate. The dual-motor drive unit consists of two sets of variable frequency servo motors, supporting independent speed regulation, emergency stop protection, and real-time monitoring.

[0076] The conveyor base is welded from a single steel structure and equipped with guide baffles to control the belt's trajectory. To prevent material from jumping or rotating during the "pulling" process, a gentle slope transition is provided at the joint of the two conveyor belt sections, along with a blocking grid to limit tipping. The synchronous controller, based on a PLC main control system, sets parameters and reads feedback in real time. Parameters such as the operating status of the front and rear motors, belt tension, and material throughput are dynamically linked to ensure that the overall differential separation process is stable without affecting material integrity. The conveyor separation trough is equipped with a transparent viewing window and a movable cleaning port, allowing for the periodic cleaning of stacked water chestnuts that have "failed to separate," preventing subsequent visual misjudgments.

[0077] During operation, the water chestnuts are fed into the front conveyor belt by the feeding conveyor, which runs at a low and uniform speed. The water chestnuts then enter the rear conveyor belt, which runs at a higher speed. Under the action of the speed difference, longitudinal spacing is generated, and each water chestnut is separated and arranged one by one, ready to enter the vision inspection area. The synchronous controller dynamically adjusts the speed ratio according to the feeding rhythm of the front end and the acquisition rate of the vision equipment, so as to achieve the optimal balance between separation stability and sorting efficiency.

[0078] In an alternative embodiment, the conveying mechanism further includes:

[0079] The re-inspection conveyor is located between the differential conveyor and the sorting conveyor to obtain the weight information of the water chestnuts that have passed through the re-inspection conveyor.

[0080] The second determining mechanism is used to determine the weight grade information of the water bamboo based on the weight information of the water bamboo obtained by the re-inspection conveyor.

[0081] A pusher is installed on one side of the re-inspection conveyor and is used to push the water chestnuts off the re-inspection conveyor according to the weight level information of the water chestnuts determined by the second determining mechanism.

[0082] The weight grade information of water bamboo is divided into qualified quality and unqualified quality. The pusher is used to push down the water bamboo that is determined to be unqualified quality by the second determining mechanism.

[0083] The re-inspection conveyor includes a conveyor frame, a re-inspection conveyor belt, a drive roller, a driven roller, an infrared photoelectric sensor, a pneumatic rejection device, and a defective diversion chute.

[0084] The conveyor frame is fixedly connected to the drive roller, the drive roller is rotatably connected to the re-inspection conveyor belt, the re-inspection conveyor belt is wound between the drive roller and the driven roller, and the driven roller is supported at the far end of the conveyor frame; the infrared photoelectric sensor is fixedly installed above the re-inspection conveyor belt, the pneumatic rejection device is fixedly connected to the side of the conveyor frame, and the defective diversion chute is set in accordance with the rejection direction of the pneumatic rejection device.

[0085] The re-inspection conveyor belt is made of food-grade rubber with anti-slip textures to improve the stability of the water chestnuts during transport. The drive rollers are controlled by a variable frequency motor, supporting speed adjustment to match the discharge rhythm of the upstream differential conveyor. The infrared photoelectric sensor adopts a through-beam structure, which can accurately identify whether the water chestnuts are distorted in shape or abnormal in size, and set the identification area range and error threshold. The pneumatic rejection device is a cylinder push rod mechanism controlled by a high-response solenoid valve, with a flexible rubber pad added to the push rod head to avoid mechanical damage to the water chestnuts during rejection. The defective diversion chute is equipped with a buffer slope and a flexible liner to guide the rejected water chestnuts into the defective product collection system below.

[0086] During operation, the re-inspection conveyor belt rotates at a constant speed under the drive of the drive rollers, conveying the water chestnuts into the visual inspection area. Infrared photoelectric sensors continuously monitor the size and profile of each water chestnut. When a severely bent, broken, or excessively sized water chestnut is detected, a rejection command is immediately sent to the pneumatic rejection device. The pneumatic rejection device responds quickly, and the push rod extends to push the unqualified water chestnuts into the defective diversion chute, achieving online initial screening and reducing the computational load and recognition interference of the subsequent visual inspection system.

[0087] This structure features fast recognition response, accurate rejection, and stable operation. It is especially suitable for the pre-processing stage before visual inspection, improving the overall operating efficiency and batch grading accuracy, and ensuring that the system as a whole has high intelligence and high yield.

[0088] In one alternative design, the bag-grabbing mechanism includes:

[0089] Two gripping robotic arms are positioned above the sorting conveyor and are arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the sorting conveyor. One gripping robotic arm is used to grip water chestnuts that are determined to be of excellent quality by the first determining mechanism, and the other gripping robotic arm is used to grip water chestnuts that are determined to be of secondary quality by the first determining mechanism.

[0090] In an alternative design, the gripping end of the manipulator is equipped with a flexible gripper.

[0091] The gripping robot is a SCARA robot, which includes a SCARA body, an end effector arm, a flexible gripper, a drive joint mechanism, a controller, and an image signal receiving module. The SCARA body is fixedly connected to the drive joint mechanism, which is rotatably connected to the end effector arm. The end effector arm is fixedly connected to the flexible gripper arm. The controller is electrically connected to both the drive joint mechanism and the image signal receiving module, which receives classification signals from the visual inspection equipment.

[0092] The SCARA unit is a four-axis structure, featuring high-speed and high-precision horizontal movement, suitable for rapid sorting tasks within a planar range. The drive joint mechanism consists of a servo motor and a precision harmonic reducer, achieving micron-level positioning accuracy. The flexible grippers are made of flexible silicone material and are adjusted for opening and closing via pneumatic or electronic linear drive, with the clamping force automatically adjusted according to the thickness of the water chestnuts. The grippers have built-in pressure sensors to sense the clamping force in real time, preventing indentations or damage to the water chestnuts.

[0093] During operation, the image signal receiving module receives the detection results from the vision inspection equipment and transmits them to the controller. After calculating the target pose, the controller drives the joint mechanism to rotate the end effector arm, which in turn drives the flexible gripper to move rapidly in the three-dimensional plane to the target water chestnut position. Under the controller's command, the flexible gripper opens, wraps and clamps the water chestnut, and then moves it to the designated conveyor channel for sorting and placement. The system places high-quality water chestnuts, secondary water chestnuts, and unqualified water chestnuts into the corresponding areas according to the grading results.

[0094] The entire system has a response time of no more than 100 milliseconds and can perform more than 120 precise gripping operations per minute. The arc-shaped structure of the gripper surface and the soft covering layer work together to effectively prevent water chestnuts from deforming or being scratched during the gripping process, ensuring sorting efficiency and product integrity.

[0095] The inspection results are sent to the SCARA robot via a data transmission line. Based on the visual inspection results, the SCARA robot accurately completes the sorting of the water chestnuts. The robot picks up the water chestnuts according to the sorting instructions, sending high-quality and substandard products into their respective channels, while defective products are sent to the recycling system. The SCARA robot uses high-precision servo motors and reducers to ensure the accuracy and stability of its movement.

[0096] SCARA robots are characterized by high speed and high precision. They have a large working radius and strong load capacity, enabling them to efficiently complete the gripping and placement of multiple water chestnuts in a short time. The flexible grippers utilize special materials and design; the gripper surface is made of soft silicone, providing a large contact area and even pressure distribution, effectively preventing squeezing or damage to the water chestnuts and ensuring product quality remains unaffected. The opening and closing degree of the grippers can automatically adjust according to the size of the water chestnuts, improving gripping adaptability.

[0097] In an alternative embodiment, the bag-grabbing mechanism further includes:

[0098] Inclined conveyor is used to receive water chestnuts grabbed by a robotic arm and transport them to a higher position;

[0099] A bagging machine is used to bag water chestnuts that fall from an inclined conveyor, while simultaneously measuring the sum of the weight of the bag and the water chestnut.

[0100] A bag sewing machine is used to sew open packaging bags that have reached a set weight.

[0101] An inclined conveyor includes an inclined conveyor frame, an inclined conveyor belt, a main drive roller, a driven roller, anti-slip ridges, and an angle adjustment device.

[0102] The inclined conveyor frame is fixedly connected to the main drive roller, the main drive roller is rotatably connected to the inclined conveyor belt, the inclined conveyor belt is wound between the main drive roller and the driven roller, the driven roller is installed on the top of the inclined conveyor frame, the anti-slip ridges are fixedly set on the surface of the conveyor belt, and the angle adjustment device is hinged to the inclined conveyor frame.

[0103] The inclined conveyor belt is made of highly elastic rubber with evenly spaced anti-slip ridges on the surface to prevent water chestnuts from slipping off due to gravity during inclined conveying. The angle adjustment device includes a hydraulic cylinder or mechanical telescopic rod structure, which can adjust the angle between the inclined conveyor frame and the horizontal plane (e.g., 15°–35°) to adapt to different production line layouts.

[0104] During operation, the angle adjustment device sets the climbing angle according to the installation environment. The main drive roller drives the conveyor belt to rotate under the drive of the motor. The anti-slip ridges on the conveyor belt provide intermittent support for the water chestnuts during the conveying process, so that they can still be stably conveyed to the bagging station even when tilted. The driven roller rotates in coordination with the main roller to ensure the tension of the conveyor belt and the smoothness of operation.

[0105] The bagging machine and sewing machine are integrated into one unit, including a weighing hopper, a quantitative feeding port, a bag clamping mechanism, a conveyor chute, a sewing machine head, and a sealing mechanism. The weighing hopper is fixedly connected to the quantitative feeding port, which is rotatably connected to the bag clamping mechanism. A conveyor chute is located below the bag clamping mechanism, and the sewing machine head is installed above the end of the chute. The sealing mechanism is fixedly connected to the sewing machine head.

[0106] The weighing hopper has a built-in electronic weighing unit with a weighing accuracy of 0.1 kg. It can control the opening time of the quantitative feeding port according to the set weight (such as 2 kg or 3 kg) to achieve quantitative feeding. The bag clamping mechanism adopts a two-way pneumatic opening and closing structure, which can automatically open and clamp the empty bag mouth. The conveying slide is a stainless steel inclined guide rail, which is used to guide the packaging bag filled with water chestnuts to slide smoothly into the sewing position. The sewing machine head is a high-speed chain sewing structure, and the sealing mechanism has a built-in automatic thread cutter to ensure that the sewing thread is neat and the seal is reliable.

[0107] During operation, the weighing hopper sends a discharge command to the quantitative feeding port based on the detection signal. The quantitative feeding port rotates and opens, and the water chestnuts in the hopper fall into the packaging bag held by the bag clamping mechanism under gravity. When the target weight is reached, the weighing control unit automatically closes the feeding port, the bag clamping mechanism releases the bag opening, and the packaging bag slides along the conveyor slide to below the sewing machine head under gravity. The sewing machine head automatically starts, sews the bag opening, and the sealing mechanism cuts the thread after sealing, completing the packaging process. The graded water chestnuts are automatically bagged and sewn, ensuring the integrity and airtightness of the product packaging. The bagging machine uses an intelligent weighing system that can automatically bag according to the set weight range, with the error controlled within a certain range.

[0108] High-quality and substandard products are packaged separately to strictly ensure the integrity of the grading process, facilitating subsequent sales and management. The bag-sewing machine is automated, employing advanced single-thread chain stitch for excellent sealing, meeting the needs of long-term storage and transportation, and effectively protecting product quality. The machine operates quickly, improving packaging efficiency.

[0109] Equipment workflow:

[0110] The first step involves manual feeding. Operators neatly place the water bamboo shoots onto the feeding conveyor, the speed of which can be adjusted according to the operator's skill level. Driven by the feeding conveyor, the water bamboo shoots are transported at a uniform speed to the supply conveyor, where automated grading begins. During the feeding process, operators can perform preliminary selection of the water bamboo shoots, removing obvious debris and severely damaged shoots.

[0111] The second step involves feeding and differential conveying. The water chestnuts smoothly enter the differential conveyor via the feeding mechanism. The differential conveyor utilizes its unique speed adjustment function, with the front and rear conveyor belts moving at different speeds to precisely adjust the spacing of the water chestnuts, ensuring they are arranged individually and effectively preventing accumulation and overlap. This lays a solid foundation for subsequent inspection and sorting. A PLC control system enables synchronized and coordinated operation of the feeding and differential conveying mechanisms.

[0112] The third step involves the water chestnuts entering the re-inspection conveyor. Before entering the receiving mechanism, the water chestnuts undergo preliminary screening using optical sensors or a simple screening device. When the optical sensor detects a defective product, it triggers a signal, which pushes the defective product off the conveyor belt via a mechanical pusher, sending it directly to the defective product recycling area. The simple screening device uses a mechanical structure to make a preliminary judgment on the shape and size of the water chestnuts, rejecting those that do not meet the requirements. These devices can quickly identify obviously non-compliant water chestnuts, such as those that are severely deformed or damaged, reducing the pressure on subsequent inspection stages.

[0113] The fourth step is visual inspection. Industrial cameras capture images of the water chestnuts entering the inspection area at a frequency of 10-15 times per second. The captured images undergo in-depth analysis using advanced algorithms to comprehensively detect the color, shape, and surface defects of the water chestnuts. Based on the inspection results, the water chestnuts are precisely categorized into three quality levels: excellent, substandard, and unqualified. The visual inspection equipment uses real-time communication technology with the production line to transmit the inspection results to the subsequent sorting system in a timely manner.

[0114] The fifth step is robotic sorting. Based on visual inspection results, the SCARA robot quickly and accurately grasps the water chestnuts. The robot's grasping efficiency is high, transferring high-quality products to a high-quality product conveyor belt, substandard products to a substandard product conveyor belt, and defective products to a defective product recycling system, achieving precise sorting and classification. Through robot motion trajectory planning and visual positioning technology, the accuracy and efficiency of grasping are ensured.

[0115] The sixth step is incline conveying and bagging. High-quality and lower-quality water chestnuts are conveyed to their respective bagging machines via incline conveyors. The bagging machines automatically bag the water chestnuts according to pre-set weight standards. Subsequently, a sewing machine sews the bagged water chestnuts to ensure the integrity and airtightness of the packaging. The speed of the incline conveyor is matched to the feeding speed of the bagging machine to ensure continuous material transport.

[0116] The seventh step is finished product output. After bagging, the finished water chestnuts are transported to the output area and stacked neatly according to certain rules and quantities using an automated palletizing system. This facilitates subsequent transportation and sales, achieving efficient completion of the entire production process. The palletizing system can be flexibly set and adjusted according to different packaging specifications and transportation requirements.

[0117] The eighth step is the handling of defective products. Substandard water bamboo shoots are collected and processed manually. Staff discard the shoots based on their condition; those with remaining value are reprocessed or otherwise utilized, such as processing slightly flawed shoots into water bamboo strips or cubes, maximizing resource utilization.

[0118] In one alternative approach, the acquisition mechanism includes:

[0119] Image acquisition component, used to acquire appearance information of water chestnut;

[0120] A light source component is used to provide a light source for the image acquisition component when acquiring information about the appearance of water chestnuts.

[0121] The first determining mechanism is used to determine the quality level information of the water bamboo based on the appearance information of the water bamboo obtained by the image acquisition component.

[0122] In an alternative scheme, the first determining mechanism includes:

[0123] The image processing module is used to receive the appearance information of water bamboo obtained by the image acquisition component, and determine the quality level information of water bamboo based on the appearance information.

[0124] The control terminal receives the quality grade information of the water bamboo determined by the image processing module through the data transmission line. The control terminal is used to control the grabbing and bagging mechanism to grab the water bamboo.

[0125] The image acquisition component is a linear industrial camera used for progressive scanning of water chestnut images. Its resolution is higher than 5000 dpi, which can capture minute surface defects. The light source component is an adjustable color temperature LED ring light source, coaxially arranged with the image acquisition component, providing highly uniform illumination and avoiding reflective dead angles on the water chestnut surface. The image processing module has built-in color analysis unit, shape fitting unit, and surface defect recognition unit, which extract and analyze RGB / HSV color values, contour boundary fitting parameters, and texture feature vectors, respectively. The data transmission line is an industrial high-speed Ethernet cable, ensuring that the image processing results are transmitted to the industrial control terminal in real time.

[0126] During operation, the water chestnuts are conveyed at differential speed and then enter the visual inspection area. Within the space defined by the support frame, they are scanned line by line at high speed by the image acquisition component. At the same time, the light source component provides stable illumination to eliminate the influence of ambient light. The acquired images are transmitted in real time to the image processing module for multi-dimensional analysis, such as color deviation exceeding the threshold, abnormal aspect ratio, and abnormal area ratio of scratches or spots. These will be judged as defective or unqualified products. The final results are uploaded to the industrial control terminal via the data transmission line, providing instructions for the subsequent precise sorting by the SCARA robot.

[0127] The visual inspection equipment uses industrial cameras to capture images of water chestnuts. The system incorporates image processing algorithms to analyze the color, shape, and defects of the water chestnuts, thereby determining their quality grade. The equipment is connected to a re-inspection conveyor and a robotic sorting system, and is linked to the control system via a data transmission line. Employing high-resolution industrial cameras and high-performance image acquisition cards, the equipment enables rapid and clear image acquisition.

[0128] The inspection includes color detection, shape detection, and defect detection. For color detection, high-quality water bamboo shoots are typically white or pale yellow with a good gloss; if the surface is black, yellow, or has dirt, it is considered substandard. By analyzing the RGB and HSV values ​​of the image and combining machine learning algorithms, the color of the water bamboo shoots is accurately determined to meet the standards. High-quality water bamboo shoots should be cylindrical and uniformly full; if the shoots are curved or too thin, they are considered substandard. Edge detection and shape matching algorithms are used to analyze the contour of the water bamboo shoots, calculating parameters such as aspect ratio and roundness to determine if the shape is acceptable. For defect detection, scratches, dents, black spots, and other defects on the surface of the water bamboo shoots are meticulously detected to ensure accurate grading. Image enhancement and feature extraction algorithms are used to highlight surface defect features, and then deep learning models are used for defect identification and classification.

[0129] Through a series of preprocessing operations such as contrast enhancement, brightness adjustment, and filtering, image quality is further improved to highlight the key features of water chestnuts, facilitating subsequent feature extraction and analysis. An adaptive histogram equalization algorithm is employed to enhance image contrast; Gaussian filtering is used to remove image noise. Full use is made of features such as color, texture, and shape to comprehensively and deeply analyze the quality of water chestnuts, providing a strong basis for accurate grading. Local Binary Pattern (LBP) is used to extract texture features, combined with color moments and shape features to construct a multi-dimensional feature vector. Advanced classification algorithms such as Support Vector Machine (SVM) or Deep Learning Model (CNN) are used to identify defects such as scratches and dents. Accurate classification of water chestnuts is achieved, ensuring the reliability and stability of the grading results. Through training with a large amount of sample data, model parameters are optimized to improve classification accuracy.

[0130] In one alternative design, multiple manual work platforms are installed on one side of the feeding conveyor. These platforms are spaced at equal intervals along the length of the feeding conveyor and are used to accommodate workers.

[0131] The manual work platform includes a platform panel, supporting columns, adjustable feet, horizontal reinforcing beams, anti-slip pedals, and tool racks.

[0132] The platform panel is fixedly connected to the support columns, the bottom of the support columns is rotatably connected to the adjustable feet, and the support columns are fixedly connected by a horizontal reinforcing beam to enhance structural stability. Anti-slip pedals are installed on the upper surface of the platform panel, and tool racks are fixedly installed on the side of the platform panel.

[0133] The platform panel is rectangular, made of aluminum alloy or stainless steel, offering corrosion resistance and easy cleaning. Rounded corners prevent operator bumps. The support columns are detachable hollow tubes for easy transport and maintenance, and include internal lifting limit pins. Adjustable feet use a threaded telescopic structure, with one end inserted into the support column cavity. Precise height adjustment (approximately 100mm range) is achieved through rotation, accommodating different operator heights and working postures. Rubber suction cups at the bottom enhance anti-slip performance. Horizontal reinforcing beams are rectangular steel tubes spanning two or more columns, improving overall torsional resistance and preventing platform wobbling or deformation during prolonged standing. Anti-slip pedals are made of rubber composite material with a diamond-patterned anti-slip texture, increasing friction on the operator's feet, reducing fatigue during extended standing, and are removable for cleaning. The tool rack is a perforated panel structure for hanging auxiliary tools such as scissors, cloths, and barcode scanners, improving work efficiency and ease of use.

[0134] During operation, the manual operation platform is placed next to the feeding conveyor, and the operator stands on the non-slip foot pedal to manually feed the material. If the platform height needs to be adjusted according to the operator's habits, the footrest can be rotated to raise and lower the entire platform panel on the support column, improving ergonomic adaptability. The overall structure of the platform is stable, which is conducive to long-term stable operation in humid or vibrating environments. It is a key human-machine interface in automated grading equipment.

[0135] The feeding conveyor uses a low-speed belt conveyor with anti-slip rubber stripes on the surface to effectively prevent water chestnuts from slipping during transport. Both ends of the conveyor belt are equipped with variable frequency motors and reducers, allowing for flexible adjustment of the conveying speed according to actual production needs. A programmable logic controller (PLC) precisely controls the frequency converter, enabling precise adjustment of the conveying speed. A photoelectric sensor is installed at the inlet, which sensitively detects the water chestnut feeding status and promptly feeds the signal back to the PLC, providing crucial information for subsequent automated processes. This ensures the water chestnuts are transported smoothly and safely to the feeding conveyor, effectively avoiding collision damage and guaranteeing that the quality of the water chestnuts remains unaffected.

[0136] The feeding conveyor uses a straight stainless steel conveyor belt with an adjustable speed to meet different production rhythms. Its modular design allows for length expansion based on site conditions and production scale, offering high flexibility. Driven by a high-performance servo motor, it achieves speed synchronization with the differential conveyor mechanism via a PLC, evenly distributing the water chestnuts to the differential conveyor and providing a stable and continuous feed for subsequent sorting processes.

[0137] The differential conveyor mechanism consists of two parallel conveyor belts. By strategically setting the speed difference between the front and rear sections, the spacing between the water chestnuts is increased, preventing them from piling up and ensuring that they enter the visual inspection area in a single, orderly fashion. The conveyor belts are made of high-quality, non-slip material, further ensuring the stability of the water chestnut conveying process. Each conveyor belt is driven by an independent servo motor, and the PLC precisely coordinates the speed difference via a CAN bus, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the differential conveying.

[0138] The re-inspection conveyor includes a weighing device and a photoelectric screening device. The dynamic weighing module of the weighing device and photoelectric screening device has high precision. Combined with a sensitive infrared beam sensor, it can accurately screen out water chestnuts with abnormal weight or severe deformation, initially removing obviously defective products, reducing the load on subsequent visual inspection, and improving overall sorting efficiency. The weighing signal is quickly transmitted to the PLC, and the screening command triggers the pneumatic push rod to quickly remove unqualified products, ensuring the high efficiency of the sorting process.

[0139] The image acquisition component employs a high-performance linear scan camera with high resolution and high scanning frequency, enabling rapid and accurate acquisition of water chestnut images. A ring-shaped LED light source with suitable color temperature and illuminance provides excellent lighting conditions for image acquisition. The camera communicates with a reliable industrial control computer via a specific interface, and the detection results are sent to the robot controller via a specific protocol, achieving rapid data transmission and processing.

[0140] Image processing algorithms were developed based on the OpenCV and TensorFlow frameworks. These algorithms include effective filtering for noise reduction, appropriate contrast enhancement, precise extraction of water chestnut outlines, and accurate calculation of key features such as the mean of the relevant color space, aspect ratio, and the proportion of surface defect area, which serve as the basis for judging the quality of water chestnuts. An advanced convolutional neural network (CNN) model was trained on a large amount of image data, achieving high accuracy in testing and accurately classifying water chestnuts.

[0141] The SCARA robot sorting system utilizes high-performance SCARA robots, offering high precision and stability. Its end effector is equipped with flexible silicone grippers, whose gripping force is adjustable within a certain range, allowing for gentle handling of water chestnuts and preventing damage. The robot controller receives visual inspection signals via an EtherCAT bus, planning the gripping path in real time to ensure accuracy and efficiency. Based on the visual inspection results, high-quality products are gripped and conveyed to an inclined conveyor, substandard products to a secondary channel, and defective products are pushed into a recycling chute, achieving precise sorting.

[0142] The inclined conveyor uses a non-slip, tilted conveyor belt to effectively prevent water chestnuts from slipping. At the end, it connects to an intelligent bagging machine and a suitably speed-controlled sewing machine, forming a complete packaging process. The bagging machine is triggered by a PLC to start the sewing machine, and after packaging, the contents are output to the palletizing area, achieving automated packaging and conveying.

[0143] Reference Figure 2 A method for intelligent sorting of water chestnuts, based on intelligent water chestnut sorting equipment, includes the following steps:

[0144] The control conveying mechanism conveys the water bamboo shoots, the control acquisition mechanism acquires the appearance information of the water bamboo shoots, the control first determining mechanism determines the quality level information of the water bamboo shoots based on the appearance information acquired by the acquisition mechanism, and the control gripping and bagging mechanism grips and bags the water bamboo shoots based on the quality level information. The gripping and bagging mechanism is used to grip the water bamboo shoots that are determined by the first determining mechanism to be of excellent quality and secondary quality.

[0145] Specific sorting methods:

[0146] Step 1: Manual feeding and material delivery

[0147] Workers neatly place the water chestnuts onto the feeding conveyor, setting its speed to an appropriate value to ensure stable feeding. Once the photoelectric sensor detects material, the PLC quickly starts the feeding conveyor, setting its speed to a reasonable level so that the water chestnuts can enter the differential conveyor evenly, ensuring continuous feeding.

[0148] Step 2: Differential conveying and spacing adjustment

[0149] The differential conveyor mechanism has a moderate speed at the front end and a relatively faster speed at the rear end. The speed difference between the two will keep the water chestnuts spaced at an appropriate distance, effectively preventing them from overlapping during visual inspection and ensuring the accuracy of the inspection.

[0150] Step 3: Re-examination and preliminary screening

[0151] The re-inspection conveyor weighs the water chestnuts in real time. If the weight of the water chestnuts is found to be outside the normal range, the PLC will immediately trigger the pneumatic push rod to remove them. When the infrared sensor detects severely deformed water chestnuts, it will also remove them simultaneously, thus initially screening out those that are not qualified.

[0152] Step 4: Visual Inspection and Classification

[0153] A line scan camera scans the water bamboo shoots at high speed, generating images of each shoot from multiple angles, including top, side, and bottom, to comprehensively capture image information. By calculating the HSV mean, if the H value is outside the normal range or the S value exceeds the normal upper limit, the shoot is judged as defective, thus assessing quality based on color. After contour fitting, if the aspect ratio of the water bamboo shoot does not conform to the normal proportion, whether too thin or too thick, it is considered unqualified, eliminating non-compliant shoots based on shape. A CNN model is used to identify scratches, black spots, etc., on the surface of the water bamboo shoots; if the defect area exceeds the normal proportion, it is marked as unqualified, accurately detecting flawed shoots. The final classification result (high-quality / secondary / unqualified) is transmitted to the robot controller via a specific transmission protocol, providing a basis for subsequent sorting.

[0154] Step 5: Robot sorting

[0155] The SCARA robot grasps water chestnuts based on received signals, placing high-quality products onto an inclined conveyor, diverting substandard products to secondary channels, and pushing defective products into a chute. The robot's grasping action is rapid, achieving efficient sorting.

[0156] Step 6: Packing and sewing the bags

[0157] An inclined conveyor transports high-quality products to a bagging machine, which then bags them according to appropriate weight standards. After bagging, a sewing machine automatically sews the bag openings, and the finished products are output via a roller conveyor, completing the entire packaging process.

[0158] When manually sorting water chestnuts, significant errors occur due to varying quality judgment standards among workers. This equipment utilizes visual inspection technology to precisely grade water chestnuts based on multiple dimensions, including color and shape. In color detection, the equipment can keenly detect subtle color changes, with virtually no deviation in color assessment. For shape detection, it accurately measures key parameters such as length, diameter, and curvature with extremely high precision. Leveraging deep learning algorithms, the equipment achieves highly accurate detection of defects in water chestnuts, effectively avoiding the subjectivity and errors inherent in manual sorting. The overall sorting accuracy is significantly higher than that of manual sorting.

[0159] The equipment achieves a fully automated process for water chestnuts from feeding to sorting through the close collaboration of the conveying mechanism, the acquiring mechanism, and the gripping and bagging mechanism. The conveying mechanism arranges the water chestnuts in an orderly manner and transports them to the acquiring mechanism, which quickly acquires images and analyzes them through the first determining mechanism. The gripping and bagging mechanism then accurately allocates the water chestnuts to different channels based on the detection results. The entire process is completed seamlessly, significantly improving sorting efficiency compared to traditional manual and semi-automated equipment, and greatly shortening the production cycle.

[0160] Utilizing deep learning algorithms such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), the device achieves a complete process of image acquisition, processing, segmentation, feature extraction, and defect detection. Trained on a large amount of water chestnut image data, the algorithm possesses powerful learning and recognition capabilities, adapting to the detection needs of water chestnuts under different environments. Even under complex conditions such as varying lighting and differences in water chestnut varieties, the detection accuracy exhibits minimal fluctuations, ensuring the stability and reliability of the detection process.

[0161] The equipment utilizes SCARA robots and flexible grippers. When removing inferior water chestnuts, the flexible grippers automatically adjust their gripping force based on the shape and texture of the water chestnuts, preventing product damage caused by rigid mechanical operation. Actual testing has shown that using this flexible processing design significantly reduces the damage rate of water chestnuts during sorting, effectively protecting product integrity and improving product quality and market value.

[0162] This invention effectively solves the problems of low efficiency, large errors, and high labor intensity inherent in traditional manual sorting methods. Through innovative technical solutions, it improves sorting efficiency, reduces labor intensity, and promotes the branding of agricultural products at the societal level; reduces production costs, increases economic returns, and expands profit margins at the economic level; and achieves precise grading and detection, automated sorting processes, intelligent algorithm support, and flexible processing design at the technical level. Experimental results fully demonstrate the equipment's superior performance. This equipment meets the urgent needs of modern agriculture for automation and intelligence, providing an efficient and reliable solution for the grading and detection of water chestnuts and other agricultural products, and has broad application prospects and significant social, economic, and technological value.

[0163] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this invention, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this invention.

[0164] The embodiments described above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Various modifications and improvements made by those skilled in the art to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the present invention should fall within the protection scope defined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A smart sorting device for water chestnuts, characterized in that, include: A conveying mechanism used to transport water chestnuts; A receiving mechanism is used to acquire the appearance information of the water chestnuts on the conveying mechanism; The first determining body is used to determine the quality grade information of water bamboo based on its appearance information; A gripping and bagging mechanism is disposed above the conveying mechanism and behind the acquiring mechanism. The gripping and bagging mechanism is used to grip and bag the water chestnuts according to their quality grade information. The quality level information of water bamboo is divided into unqualified quality, substandard quality, and excellent quality. The gripping and bagging mechanism is used to grip water bamboo that is determined by the first determining mechanism to be of excellent quality and substandard quality. A collection mechanism is provided at the tail end of the conveying mechanism, and the collection mechanism is used to collect water chestnuts that are determined by the first determining mechanism to be of substandard quality.

2. The intelligent sorting equipment for water chestnuts according to claim 1, characterized in that, The conveying mechanism includes: Multiple feeding conveyors are used, and water chestnuts are placed onto the feeding conveyors manually. A feeding conveyor is installed at the tail end of the feeding conveyor, and the feeding conveyor is used to receive the water chestnuts conveyed by the feeding conveyor; A differential conveyor is provided at its head end corresponding to the tail ends of multiple feeding conveyors. The differential conveyor is used to receive the water chestnuts conveyed by the feeding conveyors and arrange the water chestnuts individually in sequence. A sorting conveyor is located at the tail end of the differential conveyor. The sorting conveyor is used to sequentially receive water chestnuts conveyed by the differential conveyor. The gripping and bagging mechanism is located above the sorting conveyor, and the collecting mechanism is located at the tail end of the sorting conveyor.

3. The intelligent sorting equipment for water chestnuts according to claim 2, characterized in that, The conveying mechanism further includes: A re-inspection conveyor is installed between the differential conveyor and the sorting conveyor to obtain the weight information of the water chestnuts that have passed through the re-inspection conveyor. The second determining mechanism is used to determine the weight level information of the water bamboo based on the weight information of the water bamboo obtained by the re-inspection conveyor. A pusher is installed on one side of the re-inspection conveyor and is used to push the water chestnuts off the re-inspection conveyor according to the weight level information of the water chestnuts determined by the second determining mechanism. The weight grade information of water bamboo is divided into qualified quality and unqualified quality. The pusher is used to push down the water bamboo that is determined to be unqualified quality by the second determining mechanism.

4. The intelligent sorting equipment for water chestnuts according to claim 2, characterized in that, The gripping and bagging mechanism includes: Two gripping robotic arms are positioned above the sorting conveyor and are arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the sorting conveyor. One gripping robotic arm is used to grip water chestnuts that are determined to be of excellent quality by the first determining mechanism, and the other gripping robotic arm is used to grip water chestnuts that are determined to be of secondary quality by the first determining mechanism.

5. The intelligent sorting equipment for water chestnuts according to claim 4, characterized in that, The gripping and bagging mechanism also includes: An inclined conveyor is used to receive the water chestnuts grasped by the gripping robot and transport them to a higher position; A bagging machine is used to bag the water chestnuts falling from the inclined conveyor, and at the same time measure the sum of the weight of the bag and the water chestnuts; A bag sewing machine is used to sew open packaging bags that have reached a set weight.

6. The intelligent sorting equipment for water chestnuts according to claim 4, characterized in that, The gripping end of the gripping robot is equipped with flexible grippers.

7. The intelligent sorting equipment for water chestnuts according to claim 1, characterized in that, The acquiring institutions include: Image acquisition component, used to acquire appearance information of water chestnut; A light source component is used to provide a light source for the image acquisition component to acquire the appearance information of water chestnuts; The first determining mechanism is used to determine the quality level information of the water bamboo based on the appearance information of the water bamboo obtained by the image acquisition component.

8. The intelligent sorting equipment for water chestnuts according to claim 7, characterized in that, The first determining agency includes: The image processing module is used to receive the appearance information of water bamboo obtained by the image acquisition component, and determine the quality level information of water bamboo based on the appearance information of water bamboo; The control terminal receives the quality level information of the water bamboo determined by the image processing module through a data transmission line. The control terminal is used to control the grasping and bagging mechanism to grasp the water bamboo.

9. The intelligent sorting equipment for water chestnuts according to claim 2, characterized in that, Multiple manual work platforms are provided on one side of the feeding conveyor. These platforms are evenly spaced along the length of the feeding conveyor and are used to accommodate workers.

10. A method for intelligent sorting of water chestnuts, based on the intelligent sorting equipment for water chestnuts according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: The conveying mechanism is controlled to convey the water bamboo shoots, the acquiring mechanism is controlled to acquire the appearance information of the water bamboo shoots, the first determining mechanism is controlled to determine the quality level information of the water bamboo shoots based on the appearance information acquired by the acquiring mechanism, and the gripping and bagging mechanism is controlled to grip and bag the water bamboo shoots based on the quality level information. The gripping and bagging mechanism is used to grip the water bamboo shoots that are determined by the first determining mechanism to be of excellent quality and substandard quality.

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