An automated sea urchin dehulling device

Abstract

The application discloses an automatic sea urchin shell opening device, which comprises an automatic clamping mechanism, an automatic cutting and shell opening mechanism, an industrial camera and a conveying belt. The industrial camera is used for shooting sea urchin images for detection and analysis, and machine vision technology is used to determine the working parameters of the device. The automatic clamping mechanism is provided with a pressure sensor and is driven by an electric push rod, and can automatically clamp the sea urchin according to the force condition. The automatic cutting and shell opening mechanism is driven by a micro motor according to the measured sea urchin size data to automatically adjust the angle of the blade inserted into the sea urchin, and the blade is inserted into the clamped sea urchin by the electric push rod, the blade seat is rotated by the stepping motor, and the cutting is realized to open the shell. The working parameters of the device are determined by the machine vision technology, the automatic clamping mechanism and the automatic cutting and shell opening mechanism are used to complete the shell opening, and the device has the characteristics of good adaptability, intelligence, high automation degree, simple operation and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention is an automated sea urchin shell-opening device, belonging to the field of aquatic food processing technology. Background Technology

[0002] Sea urchins, a prized seafood delicacy, are highly sought after in the market for their unique flavor and high nutritional value, and have become an important part of high-end seafood consumption and processing. However, their exterior is covered with hard and sharp spines, and their interior has a dense calcareous shell structure, making the process of opening the shell and extracting the meat extremely difficult, which has become a key bottleneck restricting their large-scale and standardized processing.

[0003] Currently, sea urchin processing still heavily relies on manual labor. The conventional method involves workers wearing protective gloves and using tools such as scissors to cut open the upper shell of the sea urchin, or using a propeller inserted into the urchin's navel to pry it open from the inside. These methods are not only cumbersome and labor-intensive, but also pose a significant occupational health hazard due to sudden shell breakage or operational errors leading to hand injuries from spines. Furthermore, broken shell fragments can easily get mixed into the sea urchin's gonads (commonly known as "sea urchin roe"), severely affecting the product's appearance and food safety. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention discloses a sea urchin shell-opening device that can automatically clamp and open the shell, thereby enabling a fully automated sea urchin shell-opening production line.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following solution:

[0006] An automated sea urchin shell-opening device includes an automatic clamping mechanism, an automatic cutting and shell-opening mechanism, an industrial camera, a conveyor belt, and a frame. The automatic clamping mechanism, the automatic cutting and shell-opening mechanism, and the conveyor belt are all bolted to the frame. The sea urchins are transported by the conveyor belt. The industrial camera determines the first stroke of the automatic clamping mechanism and the blade posture of the automatic cutting and shell-opening mechanism, triggering the shell-opening operation. The automatic clamping mechanism is driven by an electric push rod to move on a slide rail to clamp the sea urchins. The blade of the automatic cutting and shell-opening mechanism is driven by an electric push rod to rotate and open / close. A micro motor drives the angle between the blade and the tool connecting rod, and a stepper motor drives the rotation of the tool holder central shaft.

[0007] The automatic clamping mechanism has a silicone pad fixed to the front end of the gripper, and the end of the gripper engages with the groove of the gripper nest through a boss. A spring is provided between the gripper and the gripper nest, with both ends of the spring contacting the gripper and the gripper nest respectively, so that the gripper can make linear reciprocating motion within a certain range in the axial direction. The gripper nest is bolted to the slider of the slide rail, and the guide rail of the slide rail is bolted to the frame. The gripper nest is bolted to the upper support of the pressure sensor, and the lower support of the pressure sensor is bolted to the electric push rod. The electric push rod is bolted to the frame, and driven by the electric push rod, the automatic clamping mechanism can make linear reciprocating motion on the slide rail.

[0008] The automatic cutting and shell-opening mechanism cuts sea urchins using four circumferentially distributed blades at a 90° angle. The blade ends are bolted to blade clamping components, which are hinged to the blade clamping component and the tool connecting rod via a splined shaft. The tool connecting rod is also bolted to the tool holder. The push rod end of the electric push rod is hinged to the tool connecting rod, and the motor end is hinged to the tool holder. Driven by the electric push rod, the tool connecting rod rotates around its axis, opening and closing the blades and inserting them into the sea urchin. The angle of blade insertion is adjusted by a micro-motor-driven splined shaft that mates with the splined shaft hole of the blade clamping component. The splined shaft and the micro-motor are connected via a second coupling. The micro-motor is nested in a micro-motor support, which is bolted to the tool connecting rod. The micro-motor support is then driven to rotate by a stepper motor connected to the top shaft of the tool holder via a first coupling, thus rotating the blades to cut and open the sea urchin shell.

[0009] The beneficial effects of this invention are: by combining machine vision technology, it realizes fully automated and intelligent production line production of sea urchin shell opening. Compared with the existing technology where the working parameters are fixed and some steps require manual operation based on human experience, it has the characteristics of good adaptability, high degree of intelligence and automation, and simple operation. Attached Figure Description

[0010] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention;

[0011] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of the algorithm for determining the operating parameters of the adjustment device using machine vision technology in this invention.

[0012] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic clamping mechanism of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 4 This is an exploded view of the automatic clamping mechanism of the present invention;

[0014] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic cutting and shell-opening mechanism of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 6 This is an exploded view of the blade installation in the automatic cutting and shell-opening mechanism of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the knife holder in the automatic cutting and shell opening mechanism of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 8 This is an assembly diagram of the automatic cutting and shell-opening mechanism of the present invention in standby and working states, wherein (a is a diagram in standby state; b is an assembly diagram in working state).

[0018] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of tool posture adjustment in the automatic cutting and shell-opening mechanism of the present invention.

[0019] List of reference numerals in the attached diagram:

[0020] 1. Automatic clamping mechanism, 1-1 silicone pad, 1-2 gripper, 1-3 gripper nesting cover, 1-4 gripper nest, 1-5 upper support for pressure sensor, 1-6 pressure sensor, 1-7 lower support for pressure sensor, 1-8 first electric push rod, 1-9 slider, 1-10 guide rail, 1-11 boss, 1-12 spring, 1-13 rotating groove, 1-14 sliding groove; 2. Automatic cutting and shell opening mechanism, 2-1 stepper motor, 2-2 motor support, 2-3 first coupling, 2-4 tool holder, 2-5 second electric push rod, 2-6 tool connecting rod, 2-7 blade clamping component, 2-8 blade, 2-9 blade angle adaptive adjustment mechanism, 2-10 splined shaft, 2-11 second coupling, 2-12 micro motor, 2-13 micro motor support; 3. Industrial camera; 4. Conveyor belt; 5. Stand. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The present invention will be further illustrated below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the following specific embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. It should be noted that the terms "front," "rear," "left," "right," "up," and "down" used in the following description refer to directions in the accompanying drawings, and the terms "inner" and "outer" refer to directions toward or away from the geometric center of a specific component, respectively.

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown, an automated sea urchin shell-opening device includes an automatic clamping mechanism 1, an automatic cutting and shell-opening mechanism 2, an industrial camera 3, a conveyor belt 4, and a frame 5. The automatic clamping mechanism 1, the automatic cutting and shell-opening mechanism 2, and the conveyor belt 4 are all bolted to the frame 5. During operation, the sea urchin is transported by the conveyor belt 4, and its position is determined by the industrial camera 3. When the sea urchin passes the industrial camera 3, the industrial camera 3 captures an image of the sea urchin.

[0023] like Figure 1 , 2As shown, after the industrial camera captures an image of a sea urchin, machine vision technologies such as image enhancement and image edge detection are used to process the sea urchin image, extract the sea urchin's outline, measure the sea urchin's size, and determine the cutting position near the sea urchin's mouth by recognizing the extracted sea urchin outline. At the same time, after the industrial camera 3 detects and recognizes the sea urchin, it transmits a signal to the host computer to start timing. According to the running speed of the conveyor belt 4, when the sea urchin is transported to the center of the automatic clamping mechanism 1, the conveyor belt 4 stops running.

[0024] like Figure 3 , 4 As shown, the automatic clamping mechanism 1 consists of a silicone pad (1-1), a gripper (1-2), a gripper nesting cover (1-3), a gripper nest (1-4), an upper support for a pressure sensor (1-5), a pressure sensor (1-6), a lower support for a pressure sensor (1-7), a first electric push rod (1-8), a slider (1-9), a guide rail (1-10), a boss (1-11), a spring (1-12), a rotating groove (1-13), and a sliding groove (1-14). The silicone pad 1-1 is fixed to the gripper 1-2 to prevent slippage when clamping the sea urchin. The gripper 1-2 has a boss 1-11 at its end. During installation, the boss 1-11 mates with the longitudinal rotating groove 1-13 on the gripper nesting cover 1-3, allowing the gripper 1-2 to insert into the gripper nesting cover 1-3. The gripper then rotates 90° along the rotating groove 1-13, mates with the boss 1-11 and the transverse sliding groove 1-14 within the gripper nest, allowing the gripper 1-2 to move along the sliding groove 1-14. The linear reciprocating motion is achieved by a spring 1-12 between the gripper 1-2 and the gripper nest 1-4. The gripper nest 1-4 is fixed to the slider 1-9 by bolts, and the slider 1-9 can slide linearly along the guide rail 1-10. The gripper nest 1-4 is fixed to the upper support 1-5 of the pressure sensor by bolts, and the lower support 1-7 of the pressure sensor is fixed to the first electric push rod 1-8 by bolts. The first electric push rod 1-8 is fixed to the platform 5 by bolts.

[0025] like Figure 1 , 2 As shown in Figures 3 and 4, when the conveyor belt 4 stops running, the first electric push rods 1-8 of the symmetrically installed automatic clamping mechanism 1 on both sides start simultaneously. To ensure working efficiency and avoid damaging the sea urchin, the automatic clamping mechanism 1 is set with a first stroke of rapid movement and a second stroke of slow movement. The first stroke is determined by the maximum width of the sea urchin measured by machine vision technology, that is, the gripper just touches the sea urchin. At this time, the force on the pressure sensor 1-6 remains basically unchanged. The second stroke is the distance that the gripper 1-2 travels from touching the sea urchin to clamping it. After the gripper 1-2 touches the sea urchin, the running speed of the first electric push rod 1-8 is reduced. As the first electric push rod 1-8 moves slowly, the spring 1-12 is gradually compressed, and the force on the pressure sensor 1-6 gradually increases. When the pressure reaches the threshold of force required to clamp the sea urchin without damaging its shell, that is, after the sea urchin is clamped, the first electric push rod 1-8 stops running.

[0026] like Figure 5 , 6 As shown in Figure 7, the automatic cutting and shell-opening mechanism 2 cuts sea urchins using four circumferentially distributed blades 2-8. The included angle between the blades 2-8 is 90°. The ends of the blades 2-8 are fixed to the blade clamping member 2-7 by bolts. The blade clamping member 2-7 is hinged to the tool connecting rod 2-6 via a spline shaft 2-10. The spline shaft 2-10 is connected to the micro motor 2-12 via a second coupling 2-11. The micro motor 2-12 is nested in the micro motor support 2-13. The micro motor support 2-13 is fixed to the tool connecting rod 2-6 by bolts. Driven by the micro motor 2-12, the blades 2-8 can rotate around the spline shaft 2-10. The tool connecting rod 2-6 is hinged to the tool holder 2-4 by bolts and is driven by the second electric push rod 2-5 to rotate around the central axis of the tool holder 2-4, thereby moving the blade 2-8. The push rod end of the second electric push rod 2-5 is hinged to the tool connecting rod 2-6, and the motor end is hinged to the tool holder 2-4. The top of the tool holder 2-4 is connected to the stepper motor 2-1 through the first coupling 2-3. The stepper motor 2-1 is placed on the motor support 2-2 and fixed to the frame 5 by bolts.

[0027] like Figure 5 , 6 As shown in Figure 8, the automatic cutting and shell-opening mechanism 2 exhibits the following characteristics during non-working hours: Figure 8 (a) shows the standby state. When the automatic clamping mechanism 1 clamps the sea urchin, i.e., after the first electric push rod 1-8 stops running, the four second electric push rods 2-5 start simultaneously and operate with the same running parameters, driving the cutter connecting rod 2-6 to rotate. At the same time, the blade 2-8 is driven by the micro motor 2-12 to rotate around the spline shaft 2-10, adjusting the angle of cutting into the sea urchin. Figure 8 As shown in (b), when the second electric push rod 2-5 reaches the set stroke and the blade 2-8 is adjusted to the preset angle (i.e., the blade 2-8 inserts into the sea urchin and stops), the stepper motor 2-1 starts, driving the cutter holder 2-4 to rotate the blade 2-8 90° to cut the sea urchin and complete the shell-opening action, maintaining the working posture. At this time, the cut sea urchin shell waste is located above the blade 2-8, and the opened sea urchin is located below the automatic cutting and shell-opening mechanism 2. Then, the conveyor belt 4 restarts to transport the sea urchin to the subsequent operation station. After the sea urchin leaves the automatic clamping mechanism 1, the second electric push rod 2-5 is activated to return the blade 2-8 to its original position. Figure 8 (a) shows the standby state. The cut sea urchin shell waste is separated from the automatic cutting and shell opening mechanism 2 and falls onto the conveyor belt 4, realizing the separation of sea urchin and waste at the same time as opening the shell.

[0028] like Figure 2 , 8As shown in Figure 9, based on the cutting position identified by machine vision technology and the measured cutting height, cutting cross-sectional diameter, and other parameters, α and β can be obtained by substituting them into equations (1) to (5), and then sent to the control system to drive the second electric push rod 2-5 and the micro motor 2-12 to adjust the tool posture from the standby state of 8(a) to the ready state. Figure 8 (b) shows the working status.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, once the above shell-opening process is completed, repeating the above process can realize the automated production line production of sea urchin shell opening.

[0030] The technical means disclosed in this invention are not limited to those disclosed in the above embodiments, but also include technical solutions composed of any combination of the above technical features.

Claims

1. An automatic clamping and cutting control method for an automated sea urchin shell-opening device, characterized in that: This is achieved through an automated sea urchin shell-opening device, which includes an automatic clamping mechanism (1), an automatic cutting and shell-opening mechanism (2), an industrial camera (3), a conveyor belt (4), and a platform (5). The automatic clamping mechanism (1) and the automatic cutting and shell-opening mechanism (2) are located above the conveyor belt (4) and fixed on the platform (5). The conveyor belt (4) is fixed on the platform (5) by bolts. The conveyor belt (4) is used to transport sea urchins. The industrial camera (3) is used to detect the shape and size of the sea urchins and determine the main working parameters of the device. The industrial camera (3) is located at the feeding end of the conveyor belt (4) during operation. The automatic clamping and cutting of sea urchins is assisted by machine vision technology. The steps are as follows: Step 1: Use machine vision technology to identify and measure the shape and size of the sea urchin, and send the relevant parameters to the control system; Step 2: Start timing from the moment the sea urchin enters the field of view of the industrial camera (3). Calculate the time required for the sea urchin to move from the moment it enters the field of view of the camera to the center of the automatic clamping mechanism (1) based on the speed of the conveyor belt (4). Once the sea urchin reaches the working position, control the conveyor belt (4) to stop running. Step 3: Based on the sea urchin width measured in Step 1, generate the automatic clamping mechanism (1) from the initial state until the gripper (1-2) just touches the sea urchin. This stroke is named the first stroke. The stroke required to further clamp the sea urchin completely is named the second stroke, which is determined by the pressure measured by the pressure sensor (1-6). Step 4: Determine the cutting position of the automatic shell-cutting mechanism (2) based on the sea urchin shape identified in Step 1, and calculate and determine the blade posture of the automatic shell-cutting mechanism (2) when cutting the sea urchin based on the measured cross-sectional diameter of the cutting point and the height of the cutting position: ； ； ； In the formula, θ is the angle between the blade (2-8) and the central axis of the tool holder (2-4) in the working state, that is, the angle at which the blade (2-8) cuts into the sea urchin, and α w β is the angle between the tool connecting rod (2-6) and the central axis of the tool holder (2-4) in the working state. w L is the angle between the tool connecting rod (2-6) and the cutting tool (2-8) in the working state; OA L is the diameter of the bottom surface of the tool holder (2-4). AB L represents the length of the tool connecting rod (2-6). BC H is the distance from the tip of the blade (2-8) to the center of the spline shaft (2-10). H is the vertical distance from the tip of the blade (2-8) to the tool holder (2-4) in the working state, i.e., the working height, which is determined by the measured cutting position height. W is the horizontal distance from the tip of the blade (2-8) to the central axis of the tool holder (2-4) in the working state, which is determined by the cross-sectional diameter of the sea urchin cutting point. Step 5: Based on the tool posture of the automatic cutting and shell-opening mechanism (2) calculated in Step 4, calculate the required rotation angle α for the second electric push rod (2-5) to drive the tool connecting rod (2-6), and the required rotation angle β for the micro motor (2-12) to drive the blade (2-8): ； ； In the formula, α0 is the angle between the tool connecting rod (2-6) and the central axis of the tool holder (2-4) in the standby state, and β0 is the angle between the tool connecting rod (2-6) and the cutting tool (2-8) in the standby state.

2. The automatic clamping and cutting control method of the automated sea urchin shell-opening device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic clamping mechanism (1) includes a jaw (1-2), a jaw nest (1-4), a spring (1-12), a pressure sensor (1-6), a first electric push rod (1-8), and a slide rail assembly; the jaw (1-2) has a boss (1-11) at its end, and the jaw nest (1-4) has a sliding groove (1-14). The boss (1-11) and the sliding groove (1-14) cooperate to allow the jaw (1-2) to perform linear reciprocating motion along the axial direction; the spring (1-12) is disposed between the jaw (1-2) and the jaw nest (1-4); the clamping... The claw nest (1-4) is fixedly connected to the slider (1-9), and the slider (1-9) is slidably disposed on the guide rail (1-10); the pressure sensor (1-6) is disposed between the upper support (1-5) and the lower support (1-7) of the pressure sensor, the upper support (1-5) of the pressure sensor is connected to the claw nest (1-4), and the lower support (1-7) of the pressure sensor is connected to the first electric push rod (1-8); the first electric push rod (1-8) is fixed to the platform (5) and is used to drive the claw (1-2) to move along the guide rail (1-10).

3. The automatic clamping and cutting control method of the automated sea urchin shell-opening device according to claim 2, characterized in that, A silicone pad (1-1) is fixed to the front end of the gripper (1-2).

4. The automatic clamping and cutting control method of the automated sea urchin shell-opening device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The automatic cutting and shell-opening mechanism (2) includes a stepper motor (2-1), a tool holder (2-4), a second electric push rod (2-5), a tool connecting rod (2-6), a blade clamping member (2-7), at least two circumferentially distributed blades (2-8), and a blade angle adaptive adjustment mechanism (2-9); the blades (2-8) are fixedly connected to the blade clamping member (2-7), and the blade clamping member (2-7) and the blade angle adaptive adjustment mechanism (2-9) are connected by a spline shaft. 9) Fixedly connected to the tool connecting rod (2-6); the tool connecting rod (2-6) is hinged to the tool holder (2-4); the push rod end of the second electric push rod (2-5) is hinged to the tool connecting rod (2-6), and its motor end is hinged to the tool holder (2-4), for driving the blade (2-8) to open and close; the stepper motor (2-1) is connected to the tool holder (2-4) through the first coupling (2-3), for driving the tool holder (2-4) and the blade (2-8) to rotate around the central axis of the tool holder (2-4).

5. The automatic clamping and cutting control method of the automated sea urchin shell-opening device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The blades (2-8) are four in number, evenly distributed circumferentially, with an included angle of 90° between adjacent blades.

6. The automatic clamping and cutting control method of the automated sea urchin shell-opening device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The blade angle adaptive adjustment mechanism (2-9) includes a splined shaft (2-10), a second coupling (2-11), a micro motor (2-12), and a micro motor support (2-13). The micro motor (2-12) is nested in the micro motor support (2-13) and connected to the splined shaft (2-10) through the second coupling (2-11). The splined end of the splined shaft (2-10) is connected to the splined shaft hole of the blade clamping member (2-7). The micro motor (2-12) drives the blade (2-8) to rotate around the splined shaft (2-10), and the rotation angle is adjusted within the range of 0-90° from the initial position, while avoiding interference with the tool connecting rod (2-6).

7. The automatic clamping and cutting control method of the automated sea urchin shell-opening device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The automatic cutting and shell-opening mechanism (2) has a standby state and a working state; in the working state, the blade (2-8) is inserted into the sea urchin and rotated to complete the shell opening, and the sea urchin shell waste is located above the blade (2-8) to achieve the separation of the sea urchin and the waste.

8. The automatic clamping and cutting control method of the automated sea urchin shell-opening device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The device also includes a control system, which is electrically connected to the industrial camera (3), the first electric push rod (1-8), the second electric push rod (2-5), the pressure sensor (1-6), the stepper motor (2-1), and the micro motor (2-12) to realize fully automatic shell opening process control.

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