Bionic picking end effector for famous high-quality tea based on pinching, folding and pulling composite action

Abstract

The invention discloses a famous high-quality tea bionic picking end effector based on pinching, folding and pulling composite actions, and relates to intelligent agricultural machinery. Comprising a pinching simulating mechanism used for clamping tender shoot stalks, a bending simulating driving mechanism used for driving the pinching simulating mechanism to bend the tender shoot stalks, and a pulling simulating driving mechanism used for driving the clamping mechanism to pull the tender shoot stalks. The pinching simulation mechanism comprises a pinching simulation mounting seat, two pinching simulation claws and a pinching simulation driving mechanism; and the two pinching simulation claws are connected to the pinching simulation mounting seat in a relatively rotating manner. A plurality of dredging blocks are arranged on the inner side wall of the simulated pinching claw, one end of each dredging block is fixed on the inner side wall of the simulated pinching claw, and the other end of each dredging block extends upwards in an inclined manner. According to the picking end effector, drooping leaves can be supported, stems can be exposed, accurate clamping is facilitated, the picking action of manual pinching-folding-pulling can be simulated, the tender shoot picking completeness can be improved, and mechanical damage to buds and leaves can be reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to agricultural tea-picking devices, specifically to a biomimetic end effector for picking premium teas based on a combination of pinching, folding, and pulling motions. Background Technology

[0002] Tea bud (tender shoot) harvesting equipment belongs to the field of agricultural harvesting machinery and end effector technology for harvesting robots. High-quality teas typically require high tenderness and integrity of the raw materials. Common harvesting standards include "buds and their accompanying tender leaves," such as one bud and one leaf, or one bud and two or three leaves. Mechanical damage and contamination should be minimized during harvesting and transportation, otherwise, the quality and grade of subsequent processing will be affected. Related research indicates that the quality of finished tea is not only related to the maturity of the tender shoots but also closely related to the control of physical damage to the harvested materials. Therefore, selective harvesting with minimal damage and breakage is necessary during the picking process.

[0003] Due to seasonal labor shortages and rising labor costs, mechanization and intelligentization of tea garden harvesting have become development trends. Traditional tea-harvesting machinery mostly adopts shearing and cutting operations, such as scissor-type, reciprocating blade-type, self-propelled, or handheld tea-harvesting machines. While these machines are highly efficient, they are usually "non-selective" and "one-size-fits-all" harvesting methods, which easily mix in substandard branches and coarse, old leaves, and cause problems such as broken buds and leaves and cut damage. This makes it difficult to meet the quality requirements of famous and high-quality teas, which require "intact tender shoots and uniform specifications." Literature also mentions that many common mechanical tea-harvesting devices use rigid shearing harvesting methods, which may damage buds and leaves and affect the quality of tea.

[0004] In recent years, research has emerged on harvesting robots for premium teas. These robots typically consist of visual recognition and positioning, a robotic arm, and an end effector. End effector designs include shearing, suction / negative pressure guidance, sleeve, and clamping types. Existing research generally agrees that one of the key challenges in harvesting premium teas lies in the end effector's ability to balance "protection (low damage, flexible contact)" and "stability (reliable clamping / removal)." Otherwise, high-quality harvesting cannot be achieved in real tea garden environments. Specifically, this manifests in the following ways: 1. For certain high-quality tea varieties (such as large-leaf black tea), their leaves are large and exhibit a distinct drooping or curved shape. Traditional rigid shearing or simple clamping devices are prone to accidentally clamping or damaging the leaves along with the stems during operation, making precise separation impossible. This leads to phenomena such as bending leaves, damaging tender leaves, and mistakenly clamping leaves instead of stems, reducing the success rate of harvesting on the first attempt and increasing the damage rate of buds and leaves. Existing studies have also indicated that drooping tea leaves reduce the efficiency of mechanical harvesting and result in a higher proportion of broken tea shoots and leaves.

[0005] 2. The picking of high-quality tea buds is closer to the manual picking process of "pinching-folding-pulling". Simply relying on blade cutting will cause cut damage and non-selective picking problems. On the other hand, using only simple twisting / rotating actions may not be able to stably reproduce the "rotation and lifting" compound movement of manual picking at the moment of picking, resulting in incomplete picking of tender shoots, unstable breakage position, and increased breakage rate. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the above-mentioned problems and provide a biomimetic end-effector for picking premium tea based on a combination of pinching, folding and pulling actions. This end-effector can not only lift the drooping leaves to expose the stem for precise clamping, but also simulate the manual "pinching-folding-pulling" picking action, which can improve the integrity of picking tender shoots and reduce mechanical damage to buds and leaves.

[0007] The objective of this invention is achieved through the following technical solution: A biomimetic end effector for picking premium tea based on a combination of pinching, bending and pulling motions includes a pinching mechanism for clamping tender shoots and stems, a bending mechanism for driving the pinching mechanism to bend the tender shoots and stems, and a pulling mechanism for driving the clamping mechanism to pull the tender shoots and stems. The simulated pinching mechanism includes a simulated pinching mounting base and simulated pinching claws and a simulated pinching driving mechanism disposed on the simulated pinching mounting base. The simulated pinching claws are provided in two and are rotatably connected to the simulated pinching mounting base. The simulated pinching driving mechanism is used to drive the two simulated pinching claws to rotate towards or in opposite directions. The inner wall of the simulated pinch claw is provided with multiple guiding blocks. One end of the guiding block is fixed to the inner wall of the simulated pinch claw, and the other end of the guiding block extends obliquely upward.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pinch-simulating drive mechanism includes a pinch-simulating drive servo and a pinch-simulating transmission assembly; the pinch-simulating transmission assembly includes a linkage assembly, a sliding assembly, and a rocker arm; the linkage assembly includes a first linkage and a second linkage; the sliding assembly includes a slide rail, a slider, and a sliding seat; the slide rail is fixedly mounted on the pinch-simulating mounting base, and the slider is fitted onto the slide rail; one end of the first linkage is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the pinch-simulating drive servo, and the other end of the first linkage is rotatably connected to one end of the second linkage, and the other end of the second linkage is rotatably connected to the slider; the sliding seat is fixedly connected to the slider; two rocker arms are provided, one end of each rocker arm is rotatably connected to the sliding seat, and the other ends of each rocker arm are rotatably connected to two pinch-simulating claws. With the above structure, driven by the pinch-simulating drive servo, the first and second linkages transmit power to the slider, which drives the sliding seat to slide linearly, and then the two rocker arms pull the two pinch-simulating claws to swing in opposite directions.

[0009] Furthermore, the simulated pinching claw includes an arm and a claw, one end of the arm is rotatably connected to the simulated pinching mounting base, and the other end of the arm is fixedly connected to the claw.

[0010] Furthermore, the second connecting rod has an arc-shaped structure.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pull-like drive mechanism and the folding-like drive mechanism share a common integrated drive mechanism, which includes an integrated drive motor and an integrated transmission assembly. The integrated transmission assembly includes an eccentric limiting mounting ring, an eccentric wheel, a translation guide frame, a translation transmission rod, a translation transmission platform, a gear and rack assembly, and a translation and rotation transmission component. The eccentric limiting mounting ring and the eccentric wheel are both eccentrically fixedly connected to the output shaft of the integrated drive motor. The center of the eccentric limiting mounting ring and the center of the eccentric wheel are collinear. The eccentric limiting mounting ring is provided with an annular limiting mounting groove. The translation guide frame is fixedly installed and has two translation guide holes, which are symmetrical about the center of the output shaft of the integrated drive motor at 180 degrees. The translation transmission rod is provided in two parts. One end of the two translation transmission rods is fitted into the annular limiting installation groove of the eccentric limiting installation ring. The other end of the two translation transmission rods passes through two translation guide holes and is fixedly connected to the translation transmission platform. The two translation transmission rods are symmetrical about the output shaft center of the integrated drive motor at 180 degrees. The gear and rack assembly includes a transmission gear and a transmission rack, which are located between the translation transmission platform and the translation guide frame. The transmission gear passes through the translation transmission platform via a rotating shaft and is fixedly connected to the translation rotation transmission component. The transmission rack is fixedly mounted on the translation transmission platform. The translational-rotational transmission component is mounted on the translational transmission platform via a rotatable structure. This rotatable structure includes a rotational limiting boss and an annular rotational limiting groove. At least two rotational limiting bosses are arranged circumferentially around the axis of the transmission gear. The annular rotational limiting groove is formed on the translational-rotational transmission component and has a structure with a large inner cavity and a small opening. One end of the rotational limiting boss is smaller and fixedly connected to the translational transmission platform, while the other end is larger and confined within the inner cavity of the annular rotational limiting groove. The pinching mechanism's pinching mounting base is fixedly connected to the translational-rotational transmission component.

[0012] With the above structure, during the harvesting process, after the simulated pinching claw grasps the tender shoot stem, the integrated drive motor drives the eccentric wheel to rotate. The eccentric wheel rotates relative to the translational transmission rod, simultaneously squeezing the translational transmission rod. This causes the translational transmission rod to slide relative to the annular limiting groove of the eccentric limiting mounting ring on one side, while under the guidance of the translational guide frame, it moves the translational transmission platform and the translational rotational transmission component, thus driving the simulated pinching mechanism to perform linear translation, mimicking manual "pulling." At the same time, the transmission rack moves with the translational transmission platform, causing the transmission gear to rotate, which in turn drives the translational rotational transmission component to rotate, thus driving the simulated pinching mechanism to rotate, mimicking manual "folding." In the above process, the clamping provides the basis for the "pinching" action, the rotation achieves the "folding" effect, and the linear translation provides the "pulling" picking path, thereby making the tender shoots picked more intact and the breakage position more stable, meeting the requirements of high-quality tea picking for the integrity and low damage of tender shoots. In addition, sharing a single drive mechanism for both the pull-and-fold drive mechanism not only simplifies the structure and reduces production costs, but more importantly, it reduces the space occupied by the device, allowing for more flexible tea picking.

[0013] Furthermore, the axis of the output shaft of the integrated drive motor intersects the rotation center of the imitation pinching claw in a non-perpendicular plane. In this way, when the imitation pinching claw pinches the tender shoot stem in a vertical posture, the integrated drive motor can drive the imitation pinching claw to rotate in a non-vertical direction. This not only facilitates the quick picking of the tender shoot stem, but also allows for the simultaneous spatial transfer of tea buds, enabling the quick storage of the picked tea buds.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a collection mechanism for collecting the harvested tea buds is further included. This mechanism comprises a collection shell and a collection box. The collection shell has an inclined collection inlet, and the collection box is disposed within the inner cavity of the collection shell. With this structure, after the tender shoots are picked, the pinching mechanism rotates 180° (at an angle to the vertical plane), positioning the tail of the pinching claw above the collection inlet of the collection shell. This allows the tender shoots to be placed into the collection inlet under gravity, achieving passive collection of "picked and immediately placed in the box." The pinching mechanism then returns to its position perpendicular to the horizontal plane, completing one picking cycle and proceeding to the next target tender shoot picking operation. Furthermore, this structure reduces additional transport and secondary gripping steps, lowers the risk of secondary squeezing, collision, and scattering, shortens the single-operation cycle time, and improves overall harvesting efficiency, while simultaneously ensuring the integrity of the tender shoots and minimizing damage.

[0015] Furthermore, the folding drive mechanism and the pulling drive mechanism are mounted on the collecting housing, which is connected to the robotic arm or the operating mechanism.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: 1. The harvesting end effector of the present invention, by setting guide blocks, during the harvesting operation, multiple guide blocks preferentially contact and lift the drooping leaves, guide the leaves upward, and prevent the leaves from entering the clamping point and being bent or accidentally clamped; after the leaves are lifted and guided upward, the tender shoots and stems are exposed and enter the clamping area, which helps to improve the accuracy of the clamping position and the success rate of harvesting in one go, and reduces mechanical damage to the leaves.

[0017] 2. The picking end effector of the present invention can reproduce the manual "pinch-fold-pull" picking action, which is closer to the actual needs of high-quality tea bud picking and improves the anthropomorphism and adaptability of the picking process.

[0018] 3. The stem is stably clamped by the imitation pinching mechanism, and the combined action of the imitation bending and imitation pulling drive mechanism realizes a manual "rotation and lifting" picking method, reducing the occurrence of tender shoot breakage, fragmentation or incomplete picking.

[0019] 4. Compared with the traditional rigid shearing picking method, this device uses flexible clamping and compound action to remove the tea leaves, which reduces the damage to the cut surfaces of the buds and leaves and physical impact, and helps to maintain the quality of the tea leaves in subsequent processing.

[0020] 5. Suitable for picking famous and high-quality teas and green teas, it can meet the harvesting standard of "intact tender shoots and uniform size", which is conducive to improving the quality and grade of tea after processing. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the biomimetic end effector for picking premium tea based on a combination of pinching, folding, and pulling motions, according to the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a side view of the biomimetic end effector for picking premium tea based on a combination of pinching, folding, and pulling motions, according to the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a front view of the pinch-simulating mechanism of the present invention, with part of the pinch-simulating mounting base structure hidden in the figure.

[0024] Figure 4 This is a side view of the pull-like drive mechanism and the fold-like drive mechanism of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 5 This is an exploded three-dimensional structural diagram of the integrated drive mechanism of the present invention from one perspective.

[0026] Figure 6 This is an exploded three-dimensional structural diagram of the integrated drive mechanism of the present invention from another perspective.

[0027] Figure 7This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the eccentric limiting mounting ring, eccentric wheel, translation guide frame, and translation transmission rod of the integrated drive mechanism of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 8 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the translational transmission platform and translational rotational transmission component of the integrated drive mechanism of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0029] To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the technical solutions of the present invention, the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with embodiments and accompanying drawings, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

[0030] The biomimetic end effector for picking premium tea based on the combined action of pinching, bending and pulling in this embodiment includes a pinching mechanism for clamping tender shoots and stems, a bending mechanism for driving the pinching mechanism to bend the tender shoots and stems, a pulling mechanism for driving the clamping mechanism to pull the tender shoots and stems, and a collection mechanism for collecting the picked tea buds.

[0031] Combination Figures 1-3 The pinching mechanism includes a pinching mounting base 1, pinching claws 2 and a pinching drive mechanism disposed on the pinching mounting base 1. The pinching claws 2 are provided and are rotatably connected to the pinching mounting base 1. The pinching drive mechanism is used to drive the two pinching claws 2 to rotate towards or in opposite directions.

[0032] Combination Figure 3 The inner wall of the simulated pinching claw 2 is provided with multiple guiding blocks 3. One end of the guiding block 3 is fixed to the inner wall of the simulated pinching claw 2, and the other end of the guiding block 3 extends obliquely upward. With the above structure, during the harvesting operation, the robotic arm or positioning system first aligns the device with the target tender shoot, so that the tender shoot is located between the two simulated pinching claws 2. Then, the simulated pinching drive mechanism drives the two simulated pinching claws 2 to rotate in opposite directions. The multiple guiding blocks 3 on the inner side of the simulated pinching claw 2 preferentially contact and lift the drooping leaves, guiding the leaves upward and preventing the leaves from entering the clamping point and being bent or accidentally clamped. After the leaves are lifted and guided upward, the tender shoot stem is exposed and enters the clamping area. Then, the simulated pinching claw 2 accurately clamps the tender shoot stem (simulating manual "pinching"), which helps to improve the accuracy of the clamping position and the success rate of harvesting in one go, and reduces mechanical damage to the leaves.

[0033] Combination Figure 3The pinch-simulating drive mechanism includes a pinch-simulating drive servo 4 and a pinch-simulating transmission assembly; the pinch-simulating transmission assembly includes a connecting rod assembly, a sliding assembly, and a rocker arm 5. The connecting rod assembly includes a first connecting rod 6 and a second connecting rod 7, the second connecting rod 7 being an arc-shaped structure; the sliding assembly includes a slide rail 8, a slider 9, and a sliding seat 10. The slide rail 8 is fixedly mounted on the pinch-simulating mounting base 1, and the slider 9 is fitted onto the slide rail 8; one end of the first connecting rod 6 is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the pinch-simulating drive servo 4, and the other end of the first connecting rod 6 is rotatably connected to one end of the second connecting rod 7, and the other end of the second connecting rod 7 is rotatably connected to the slider 9; the sliding seat 10 is fixedly connected to the slider 9; there are two rocker arms 5, one end of each rocker arm 5 is rotatably connected to the sliding seat 10, and the other end of each rocker arm 5 is rotatably connected to two pinch-simulating claws 2. With the above structure, under the drive of the simulated pinch drive servo 4, the first link 6 and the second link 7 transmit power to the slider 9, which drives the sliding seat 10 to slide in a straight line. Then, the two swing rods 5 pull the two simulated pinch claws 2 to swing in opposite directions.

[0034] Furthermore, the simulated pinching claw 2 includes an arm and a claw. One end of the arm is rotatably connected to the simulated pinching mounting base 1, and the other end of the arm is fixedly connected to the claw.

[0035] Combination Figures 4-8 The pull-like drive mechanism and the fold-like drive mechanism share an integrated drive mechanism, which includes an integrated drive motor 11 and an integrated transmission assembly. The integrated transmission assembly includes an eccentric limiting mounting ring 12, an eccentric wheel 13, a translation guide frame 14, a translation transmission rod 15, a translation transmission platform 16, a gear and rack assembly, and a translation and rotation transmission component 17.

[0036] The eccentric limiting mounting ring 12 and the eccentric wheel 13 are both eccentrically fixedly connected to the output shaft of the integrated drive motor 11. The center of the eccentric limiting mounting ring 12 and the center of the eccentric wheel 13 are collinear. The eccentric limiting mounting ring 12 is provided with an annular limiting mounting groove 12-1.

[0037] The translation guide frame 14 is fixedly installed, and the translation guide frame 14 is provided with two translation guide holes 14-1. The two translation guide holes 14-1 are symmetrical about the output shaft center of the integrated drive motor 11 at 180 degrees.

[0038] Two translation transmission rods 15 are provided. One end of the two translation transmission rods 15 is fitted into the annular limiting mounting groove 12-1 of the eccentric limiting mounting ring 12. The other ends of the two translation transmission rods 15 pass through the two translation guide holes 14-1 respectively and are fixedly connected to the translation transmission platform 16. The two translation transmission rods 15 are symmetrical about the output shaft center of the integrated drive motor 11 at 180 degrees.

[0039] The gear and rack assembly includes a transmission gear 18 and a transmission rack 19. The transmission gear 18 and the transmission rack 19 are located between the translation transmission platform 16 and the translation guide frame 14. The transmission gear 18 passes through the translation transmission platform 16 via a rotating shaft and is fixedly connected to the translation rotation transmission component 17. The transmission rack 19 is fixedly mounted on the translation transmission platform 16.

[0040] The translational-rotational transmission component 17 is mounted on the translational transmission platform 16 via a rotatable structure. This rotatable structure includes a rotational limiting boss 20 and an annular rotational limiting groove 17-1. At least two rotational limiting bosses 20 are provided and arranged circumferentially around the axis of the transmission gear 18. The annular rotational limiting groove 17-1 is formed on the translational-rotational transmission component 17 and has a structure with a large inner cavity and a small opening. One end of the rotational limiting boss 20 is smaller and fixedly connected to the translational transmission platform 16, while the other end is larger and confined within the inner cavity of the annular rotational limiting groove 17-1. The imitation pinching mounting base 1 of the imitation pinching mechanism is fixedly connected to the translational-rotational transmission component 17.

[0041] With the above structure, during the harvesting process, when the imitation pinching claw 2 pinches the tender shoot stem, the integrated drive motor 11 drives the eccentric wheel 13 to rotate. The eccentric wheel 13 rotates relative to the translation transmission rod 15 and simultaneously squeezes the translation transmission rod 15, causing the translation transmission rod 15 to slide relative to the annular limiting installation groove 12-1 of the eccentric limiting installation ring 12 on one side, and under the guidance of the translation guide frame 14, it carries the translation transmission platform 16 and the translation rotation transmission component 17 to perform translational movement, that is, drive the imitation pinching mechanism to perform linear translation, imitating the manual "pulling"; at the same time, the transmission rack 19 moves with the translation transmission platform 16, causing the transmission gear 18 to rotate, which in turn drives the translation rotation transmission component 17 to rotate, that is, drive the imitation pinching mechanism to rotate, imitating the manual "folding". In the above process, the clamping provides the basis for the "pinching" action, the rotation achieves the "folding" effect, and the linear translation achieves the "pulling" plucking path, thus making the tender shoots more intact and the breakage position more stable, meeting the requirements of high-quality tea picking for the integrity and low damage of tender shoots. In addition, sharing a single drive mechanism for the simulated pulling drive mechanism and the simulated folding drive mechanism not only simplifies the structure and reduces production costs, but more importantly, it reduces the space occupied by the device, allowing for flexible tea picking.

[0042] Furthermore, the axis of the output shaft of the integrated drive motor 11 intersects the rotation center of the imitation pinching claw 2 in a non-perpendicular plane. In this way, when the imitation pinching claw 2 pinches the tender shoot stalk in a vertical posture, the integrated drive motor 11 can drive the imitation pinching claw 2 to rotate in a non-vertical direction. This not only facilitates the quick picking of the tender shoot stalk, but also allows for the simultaneous spatial transfer of the tea buds, enabling the quick storage of the picked tea buds.

[0043] Combination Figures 1-2 The collection mechanism includes a collection housing 21 and a collection box 22. The collection housing 21 has an inclined collection inlet, and the collection box 22 is located inside the collection housing 21. With this structure, after the tender shoots are picked, the pinching mechanism rotates 180° (at an angle to the vertical), positioning the tail of the pinching claw 2 above the collection inlet of the collection housing 21. This allows the tender shoots to be placed into the collection inlet, and under gravity, they fall into the collection box 22, achieving passive collection of "picked and immediately placed in the box." The pinching mechanism then returns to its position perpendicular to the horizontal plane, completing one harvesting cycle and proceeding to the next target tender shoot. Furthermore, this structure reduces additional transport and secondary gripping steps, lowers the risk of secondary squeezing, collisions, and scattering, shortens the single-cycle operation time, and improves overall harvesting efficiency, while simultaneously ensuring the integrity of the tender shoots and minimizing damage.

[0044] Furthermore, the folding drive mechanism and the pulling drive mechanism are mounted on the collecting housing 21, which is connected to the robotic arm or the operating mechanism.

[0045] Combination Figures 1-8 The working principle of the above-mentioned biomimetic end effector for picking premium tea based on a combination of pinching, folding, and pulling actions is as follows: First, a robotic arm or positioning system aligns the device with the target shoot, positioning it between two simulated pinching claws 2. The inner side of each simulated pinching claw 2 has multiple upwardly extending guide blocks 3 that contact and lift the drooping leaves before clamping, guiding them upwards and preventing the leaves from entering the clamping area, thus exposing the shoot stem. Subsequently, the simulated pinching drive mechanism drives the two simulated pinching claws 2 to rotate in opposite directions, achieving stable clamping of the stem and completing the "pinching" action.

[0046] After clamping, the integrated drive mechanism begins to operate. Through the eccentric wheel 13, translation transmission rod 15, gear rack, and other transmission components, it simultaneously realizes the linear translation and rotational motion of the simulated pinching mechanism. Specifically, the eccentric wheel 13 drives the translation transmission rod 15, causing the simulated pinching mechanism to translate in a straight line, simulating a "pulling" action. At the same time, during the translation process, the gear rack assembly converts the linear motion into rotational motion, driving the simulated pinching mechanism to rotate around its axis, simulating a "folding" action. These two combined movements achieve a "rotational and lifting" detachment of the tender shoot, ensuring the shoot separates completely from the branch, stabilizing the breakage position, and reducing breakage and damage.

[0047] After picking, the pinching mechanism rotates 180°, delivering the pinched tea buds to the inclined inlet of the collecting mechanism. Under the influence of gravity, the tea buds fall into the collecting box 22, achieving passive collection of "picked and immediately placed into the box," reducing damage from secondary operations. The device then resets and enters the next picking cycle.

[0048] Throughout the process, the device uses flexible clamping and combined actions to remove the buds and leaves, avoiding damage to the cut surfaces and meeting the requirements of high-quality tea for the integrity and minimal damage of the tender shoots during harvesting.

[0049] The above are preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above content. Any changes, modifications, substitutions, combinations, or simplifications made without departing from the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be considered equivalent substitutions and shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A biomimetic end effector for picking premium tea based on a combination of pinching, folding, and pulling motions, characterized in that: It includes a pinching mechanism for clamping tender shoots and stems, a bending drive mechanism for driving the pinching mechanism to bend the tender shoots and stems, and a pulling drive mechanism for driving the clamping mechanism to pull the tender shoots and stems. The simulated pinching mechanism includes a simulated pinching mounting base and simulated pinching claws and a simulated pinching driving mechanism disposed on the simulated pinching mounting base. The simulated pinching claws are provided in two and are rotatably connected to the simulated pinching mounting base. The simulated pinching driving mechanism is used to drive the two simulated pinching claws to rotate towards or in opposite directions. The inner wall of the simulated pinch claw is provided with multiple guiding blocks. One end of the guiding block is fixed to the inner wall of the simulated pinch claw, and the other end of the guiding block extends obliquely upward.

2. The biomimetic end effector for picking premium tea based on a combination of pinching, folding, and pulling motions as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The pinch-simulating drive mechanism includes a pinch-simulating drive servo and a pinch-simulating transmission assembly; the pinch-simulating transmission assembly includes a linkage assembly, a sliding assembly, and a rocker arm; the linkage assembly includes a first linkage and a second linkage; the sliding assembly includes a slide rail, a slider, and a sliding seat; the slide rail is fixedly mounted on the pinch-simulating mounting base, and the slider is fitted onto the slide rail; one end of the first linkage is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the pinch-simulating drive servo, and the other end of the first linkage is rotatably connected to one end of the second linkage, and the other end of the second linkage is rotatably connected to the slider; the sliding seat is fixedly connected to the slider; two rocker arms are provided, one end of each rocker arm is rotatably connected to the sliding seat, and the other end of each rocker arm is rotatably connected to two pinch-simulating claws.

3. The biomimetic end effector for picking premium tea based on a combination of pinching, folding, and pulling motions as described in claim 2, is characterized in that... The simulated pinching claw includes an arm and a claw. One end of the arm is rotatably connected to the simulated pinching mounting base, and the other end of the arm is fixedly connected to the claw.

4. The biomimetic end effector for picking premium tea based on a combination of pinching, folding, and pulling motions as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The second connecting rod has an arc-shaped structure.

5. The biomimetic end effector for picking premium tea based on a combination of pinching, folding, and pulling motions as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The pull-like drive mechanism and the fold-like drive mechanism share a common integrated drive mechanism, which includes an integrated drive motor and an integrated transmission assembly. The integrated transmission assembly includes an eccentric limiting mounting ring, an eccentric wheel, a translation guide frame, a translation transmission rod, a translation transmission platform, a gear and rack assembly, and a translation and rotation transmission component.

6. The biomimetic end effector for picking premium tea based on a combination of pinching, folding, and pulling motions as described in claim 5, is characterized in that... The eccentric limiting mounting ring and the eccentric wheel are both eccentrically fixedly connected to the output shaft of the integrated drive motor. The center of the eccentric limiting mounting ring and the center of the eccentric wheel are collinear. The eccentric limiting mounting ring is provided with an annular limiting mounting groove. The translation guide frame is fixedly installed, and the translation guide frame is provided with two translation guide holes, which are symmetrical about the center of the output shaft of the integrated drive motor at 180 degrees. The translation transmission rod is provided in two parts. One end of the two translation transmission rods is fitted into the annular limiting installation groove of the eccentric limiting installation ring. The other end of the two translation transmission rods passes through two translation guide holes and is fixedly connected to the translation transmission platform. The two translation transmission rods are symmetrical about the output shaft center of the integrated drive motor at 180 degrees. The gear and rack assembly includes a transmission gear and a transmission rack, which are located between the translation transmission platform and the translation guide frame. The transmission gear passes through the translation transmission platform via a rotating shaft and is fixedly connected to the translation rotation transmission component. The transmission rack is fixedly mounted on the translation transmission platform.

7. The biomimetic end effector for picking premium tea based on a combination of pinching, folding, and pulling motions as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The translational-rotational transmission component is mounted on the translational transmission platform via a rotatable structure. This rotatable structure includes a rotational limiting boss and an annular rotational limiting groove. At least two rotational limiting bosses are arranged circumferentially around the axis of the transmission gear. The annular rotational limiting groove is formed on the translational-rotational transmission component and has a structure with a large inner cavity and a small opening. One end of the rotational limiting boss is smaller and fixedly connected to the translational transmission platform, while the other end is larger and confined within the inner cavity of the annular rotational limiting groove. The pinching mechanism's pinching mounting base is fixedly connected to the translational-rotational transmission component.

8. The biomimetic end effector for picking premium tea based on a combination of pinching, folding, and pulling motions as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The axis of the output shaft of the integrated drive motor intersects the rotation center of the simulated pinching claw in a non-perpendicular plane.

9. The biomimetic end effector for picking premium tea based on a combination of pinching, folding, and pulling motions as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a collection mechanism for collecting the picked tea buds, which includes a collection shell and a collection box. The collection shell is provided with an inclined collection inlet, and the collection box is disposed in the inner cavity of the collection shell.

10. The biomimetic end effector for picking premium tea based on a combination of pinching, folding, and pulling motions as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The folding drive mechanism and the pulling drive mechanism are mounted on the collection housing, which is connected to the robotic arm or the operating mechanism.

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