Intelligent and precise corn plant side branch and adjacent plant cutting device and cutting method thereof

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of intelligent agricultural equipment, in particular to a corn plant lateral branch and adjacent plant intelligent precise cutting device and cutting method, the clamping module realizes the center clamping of the target corn main stem and establishes a stable operation reference in the closing process of the clamping jaw; the fan-shaped unfolding and opening module is used for forming a guide frame around the main stem and guiding the corn leaves, lateral branches or adjacent corn plants to avoid in a non-rigid contact mode, so as to construct a safe operation space for ring cutting; the ring cutting module realizes the cutting around the corn lateral branch or adjacent corn plant stem, and the cutting radius can be dynamically adjusted. The present application establishes a stable operation reference and a main stem protection area around the target corn plant, realizes safe, precise and adaptable operation effect by combining the variable radius ring cutting around, is suitable for automatic lateral branch processing and spacing operation under the condition of corn dense planting, and can be integrated with a mechanical arm or a moving platform.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of agricultural machinery and intelligent agricultural equipment technology, specifically relating to an intelligent and precise device and method for cutting off lateral branches and adjacent plants of corn plants. Background Technology

[0002] Under dense maize cultivation conditions, field management often faces two typical problems: First, the vigorous growth of lateral branches or tillers in the maize plants themselves can affect the nutrient distribution to the main stem and the uniformity of the plant population, as well as reduce ventilation and light penetration. Second, excessively dense adjacent maize plants or competing plants can interfere with the growth of the target maize plant, requiring thinning or removal of competing plants to improve the plant population structure. These management tasks typically require precise treatment of the target area within the narrow space between rows, while minimizing damage to the main stem of the target maize plant.

[0003] In existing technologies, the treatment of maize lateral branches or tillers mostly relies on manual cutting or simple tools, resulting in low efficiency, high labor intensity, and poor consistency. While some mechanized cutting devices can achieve cutting, they often employ fixed-position or linear cutting methods, lacking active positioning and protection mechanisms for the target maize main stem, which easily leads to cutting deviations and accidental damage to the main stem. Furthermore, under dense planting conditions, maize leaves, lateral branches, and adjacent plants intertwine, limiting the working space. Without effective support and avoidance structures, the cutting device struggles to stably enter the working area, resulting in insufficient operational reliability.

[0004] Furthermore, existing devices typically have a fixed cutting radius, making it difficult to simultaneously address the dual operational needs of removing maize lateral branches or tillers and removing or thinning adjacent maize plants. If a larger cutting range is used to accommodate adjacent plant removal or thinning, the cutting area can easily expand during lateral branch removal; conversely, a smaller cutting range for lateral branch removal may fail to cover adjacent plants, hindering mode switching. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a device capable of establishing a stable operational baseline and safety space around the target maize plant, and switching between two operational modes through variable-radius circular cutting, to improve the safety, accuracy, and intelligence of maize field management operations under dense planting conditions. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the problems in existing technologies, such as unstable operating benchmarks, limited operating space, inability to adjust the cutting radius to simultaneously handle lateral branch treatment and removal or thinning of adjacent plants, and high risk of accidentally damaging the main stem of corn, the present invention aims to provide an intelligent and precise cutting device and method for corn plant lateral branches and adjacent plants. This device can establish a stable operating benchmark and main stem protection zone around the target corn plant under dense corn planting conditions, and achieve two operating modes by switching through variable radius circular cutting, so as to realize safe, precise and highly adaptable field treatment operations.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution provided by the present invention is as follows:

[0007] The intelligent and precise cutting device for lateral branches and adjacent plants of corn plants is used to establish a stable operating benchmark and main stem protection zone around the target corn plant under dense corn planting conditions, and to switch between two operating modes through variable radius circular cutting.

[0008] A smart and precise cutting device for lateral branches and adjacent plants of corn plants, including a clamping module, a fan-shaped unfolding and spreading module, a ring cutting module and a device installation interface;

[0009] The clamping module includes a left clamp, a right clamp, a clamp drive motor, a clamp transmission mechanism, and a clamping device depth detection camera. The left and right clamps are arranged opposite to each other and open and close synchronously through the clamp transmission mechanism under the drive of the clamp drive motor. This is used to clamp and position the main stem of the target corn. During the clamp closing process, the main stem eccentricity information obtained by the clamping device depth detection camera is used to achieve centered clamping.

[0010] The fan-shaped unfolding and spreading module includes a left fan-shaped unfolding mechanism, a right fan-shaped unfolding mechanism, a left fan-shaped vertical unfolding drive motor, a right fan-shaped vertical unfolding drive motor, a left fan-shaped horizontal unfolding drive unit, and a right fan-shaped horizontal unfolding drive unit, which are used to guide and separate the leaves, lateral branches, and adjacent corn plants around the main stem of the target corn to construct a ring-shaped cutting operation space.

[0011] The annular cutting module includes an annular guide mechanism, a cutting assembly, a rotating blade, a blade drive unit, a baffle, a circumferential drive mechanism, an electric slide rail mechanism, and an electric slide rail drive motor. The cutting assembly moves around the annular guide mechanism under the drive of the circumferential drive mechanism. The rotating blade is driven to rotate by the blade drive unit to achieve cutting. The electric slide rail mechanism adjusts the radial position of the rotating blade under the drive of the electric slide rail drive motor to change the annular cutting radius. The baffle is set on the side close to the target corn main stem to form a main stem protection zone.

[0012] The device mounting interface is used to connect to the end of a robotic arm or the end of a lifting actuator on a mobile platform, so that the device can be installed on the end of a robotic arm or a mobile platform with a lifting actuator to realize mobile field operations.

[0013] Furthermore, the clamping device's depth camera is positioned in the centering area of ​​the clamping jaws to acquire spatial position and eccentricity information of the target corn stalk relative to the center line of the clamping jaws, thereby assisting in achieving centered clamping. During the clamping jaw closing process, the clamping module guides the stalk towards the center position of the clamping jaws based on the eccentricity information, thus achieving centered clamping and establishing a stable operating reference.

[0014] The gripper transmission mechanism is a combination of gear transmission mechanism and linkage mechanism, used to realize the synchronous opening and closing of the left and right grippers and the centering of the gripper.

[0015] The left and right fan-shaped vertical unfolding drive motors drive the left and right fan-shaped unfolding mechanisms to unfold vertically, forming a guide frame around the target corn stalk.

[0016] The left sector-shaped horizontal unfolding drive unit and the right sector-shaped horizontal unfolding drive unit respectively drive the left sector-shaped unfolding mechanism and the right sector-shaped unfolding mechanism to expand to both sides in the horizontal direction, so as to construct a ring-shaped cutting operation space around the target corn main stem.

[0017] The parts of the left gripper, right gripper, left fan-shaped unfolding mechanism, and right fan-shaped unfolding mechanism that come into contact with the corn plant adopt a non-rigid contact structure, including one or more of the following: elastic covering structure, flexible material covering structure, or roller contact structure, in order to achieve the guiding separation and safe avoidance of corn leaves, lateral branches, and adjacent corn plants.

[0018] The distance between the baffle and the target corn stem is adjustable to accommodate different corn stem diameters and form a stable stem protection zone to prevent the rotating blade from accidentally cutting the target corn stem. In a preferred embodiment, the distance can also be adjusted according to the spatial position of different corn plants relative to the target corn stem.

[0019] The electric slide rail mechanism is used to set the cutting radius before operation or to dynamically adjust the cutting radius during operation, so as to realize the switching of different operation modes or to make real-time correction of the cutting range. The electric slide rail mechanism adjusts the radial position of the rotating blade under the drive of the electric slide rail drive motor to change the cutting radius. The cutting radius can be set before operation or dynamically adjusted during operation, so as to realize the switching between two operation modes: corn lateral branch or tiller removal and adjacent corn plant stalk cutting.

[0020] The winding drive mechanism is a motor coupled with a chain drive mechanism, a gear drive mechanism, or an arc gear drive mechanism to drive the cutting component to wind around the annular guide mechanism.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment, the device may also be equipped with a controller for timing control and interlocking control of the sequence of clamping, unfolding, cutting and repositioning actions. When it is detected that the clamping is not in place, the fan-shaped unfolding is not in place, or the blade drive unit has not met the safe start conditions, the rotation blade and the circumferential drive mechanism are prohibited from starting, so as to improve the safety of operation.

[0022] A method for intelligent and precise removal of lateral branches and adjacent plants of corn plants, using the aforementioned intelligent and precise removal device for lateral branches and adjacent plants of corn plants; the method includes the following steps:

[0023] S1: Operation preparation and positioning: The intelligent and precise cutting device for corn plant lateral branches and adjacent plants is installed at the end of the robotic arm or the end of the lifting actuator on the mobile platform, so that the device enters the corn row operation area and the height of the device is adjusted so that the target corn plant is within the operation range of the clamping module.

[0024] S2: Main stem pose detection. The spatial position information of the target corn main stem is collected by the depth camera through the clamping device, and the eccentricity information of the target corn main stem relative to the center line of the clamp is obtained.

[0025] S3: Centering and establishing the reference, driving the gripper drive motor, so that the left and right grippers guide the target corn main stem according to the eccentricity information obtained in step S2 during the closing process, thereby achieving centering and establishing the working reference axis at the target corn main stem;

[0026] S4: Fan-shaped vertical unfolding guide, drives the left fan-shaped vertical unfolding drive motor and the right fan-shaped vertical unfolding drive motor, so that the left fan-shaped unfolding mechanism and the right fan-shaped unfolding mechanism unfold in the vertical direction, and vertically guides the corn leaves, lateral branches and adjacent corn plants.

[0027] S5: The fan-shaped horizontal expansion avoidance drives the left and right fan-shaped horizontal expansion drive units, causing the left and right fan-shaped expansion mechanisms to expand horizontally to both sides, separating the leaves, lateral branches and adjacent corn plants on both sides of the target corn main stem, and constructing a ring-shaped cutting operation space.

[0028] S6: Cutting radius setting. The radial position of the rotating blade is adjusted by the electric slide rail drive motor driving the electric slide rail mechanism to set the annular cutting radius. When a smaller cutting radius is set, the lateral branches or tillers of the target corn plant are cut off; when a larger cutting radius is set, the stems of adjacent corn plants are cut off or thinned out.

[0029] S7: Circumferential cutting operation, the blade drive unit is activated to drive the rotating blade to rotate, and at the same time the circumferential drive mechanism is activated to drive the cutting assembly to circumferentially move along the annular guide mechanism to cut the target part located within the set cutting range, and the baffle forms a main stem protection zone during the cutting process;

[0030] S8: Operation ends and returns to position. After cutting, the rotating blade and the drive mechanism stop, the electric slide rail mechanism returns to the safe position, and the fan-shaped unfolding module retracts.

[0031] S9: Release clamp and move to the next work site. The clamp module releases the target corn stalk, and the device leaves the current work position and moves to the next work site.

[0032] Furthermore, the clamping device can detect a depth camera, a structured light sensor, or a laser rangefinder, which is used to acquire spatial depth information and eccentricity information of the target corn stalk.

[0033] Furthermore, the winding drive mechanism can be a motor combined with a chain drive mechanism, a gear drive mechanism, or an arc gear drive mechanism to drive the cutting assembly to wind around the annular guide mechanism.

[0034] Furthermore, the electric slide rail mechanism is used to set the radial position of the rotating blade before operation, or to dynamically adjust the radial position of the rotating blade during operation, so as to achieve switching between two operation modes or to make real-time corrections to the cutting range.

[0035] Furthermore, the distance between the baffle and the target corn stalk is adjustable to adapt to the spatial position of different work objects relative to the target corn stalk and form a stable stalk protection zone to prevent the rotating blade from accidentally cutting the target corn stalk.

[0036] Compared with existing technologies, this solution has significant advantages: It addresses the structural characteristics of corn plants, such as stable main stem axis and significant spatial differences in the distribution of lateral branches or tillers from adjacent plants. A clamping module enables centered clamping and establishes a stable working benchmark. Combined with a fan-shaped unfolding module, a safe working space is constructed through non-rigid contact. An electric sliding rail enables variable-radius circular cutting, thus allowing for switching between two modes: lateral branch or tiller removal and adjacent plant removal or thinning, while minimizing the risk of damage to the target corn main stem. The device is modular and highly adaptable, facilitating integration with robotic arms or mobile platforms, and improving the safety, accuracy, and automation of field management operations under dense corn planting conditions. Attached Figure Description

[0037] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the invention and form part of the specification. They are used in conjunction with embodiments of the invention to explain the invention and do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings:

[0038] Figure 1 This is one of the schematic diagrams of the overall structure;

[0039] Figure 2 This is the second schematic diagram of the overall structure;

[0040] Figure 3 This is one of the schematic diagrams showing the clamping and supporting module in its closed state.

[0041] Figure 4 The second schematic diagram shows the clamping and opening module in its closed state;

[0042] Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing the vertically unfolded state of the clamping and supporting module;

[0043] Figure 6 A schematic diagram showing the clamping and supporting module in its vertically unfolded and horizontally expanded state;

[0044] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a ring-shaped cutting device and a depth detection system.

[0045] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of a device for adjusting the cutting radius of an electric slide rail mechanism;

[0046] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the overall system implementation of the device of the present invention mounted on a tracked chassis;

[0047] Figure 10 This is one of the schematic diagrams of corn lateral branch treatment in Mode A of the two operation modes in this invention;

[0048] Figure 11 This is the second schematic diagram of the corn lateral branch treatment in Mode A of the two operating modes in this invention;

[0049] Figure 12 This is one of the schematic diagrams of adjacent maize plant treatment in Mode B of the two operating modes in this invention;

[0050] Figure 13 This is the second schematic diagram of adjacent corn plant treatment in Mode B of the two operating modes in this invention.

[0051] In the diagram: 1-Clamping module, 2-Left gripper, 3-Right gripper, 4-Gripper drive motor, 5-Gripper transmission mechanism, 6-Clamping device depth camera, 7-Fan-shaped unfolding and supporting module, 8-Left fan-shaped unfolding mechanism, 9-Right fan-shaped unfolding mechanism, 10-Left fan-shaped vertical unfolding drive motor, 11-Right fan-shaped vertical unfolding drive motor, 12-Left fan-shaped horizontal unfolding drive unit, 13-Right fan-shaped horizontal unfolding drive unit, 14-Annular cutting module, 15-Annular guide mechanism, 16-Cutting assembly, 17-Rotating blade, 18-Blade drive unit, 19-Baffle, 20-Circuit drive mechanism, 21-Electric slide rail mechanism, 22-Electric slide rail drive motor, 23-Device mounting interface, 24-Crawler mobile chassis, 25-Robotic arm, 26-Chassis navigation LiDAR, 27-Chassis navigation depth camera, 28-Robotic arm depth camera. Detailed Implementation

[0052] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the preferred embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0053] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the device of the present invention includes a clamping module 1, a fan-shaped unfolding and spreading module 7, an annular cutting module 14, and a device mounting interface 23.

[0054] I. Clamping Module Structure and Function

[0055] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the clamping module 1 is located at the lower part of the device and is used to clamp and position the target corn stalk and establish a working reference. The clamping module 1 includes a left gripper 2, a right gripper 3, a gripper drive motor 4, a gripper transmission mechanism 5, and a clamping device depth detection camera 6. The left gripper 2 and the right gripper 3 are arranged opposite to each other, and under the drive of the gripper drive motor 4, they open and close synchronously through the gripper transmission mechanism 5.

[0056] A depth camera 6 is installed in the centering area of ​​the gripper to acquire spatial position and eccentricity information of the target corn stalk relative to the center line of the gripper before and during gripper closure. In practice, gripper closure is not a simple clamping action, but rather, during closure, the target corn stalk is guided to gradually move towards the center of the gripper based on the eccentricity information, thus achieving centered gripping. This centered gripping process establishes a stable working reference axis at the target corn stalk, providing spatial reference for subsequent spreading, avoidance, and circular cutting.

[0057] II. Structure and Function of the Fan-Shaped Expanding Module

[0058] like Figure 3 – Figure 6 As shown, the fan-shaped unfolding and supporting module 7 is located outside the clamping module 1 and is used to form a guide frame around the main stem of the target corn and construct a safe working space for ring cutting. The fan-shaped unfolding and supporting module 7 includes a left fan-shaped unfolding mechanism 8, a right fan-shaped unfolding mechanism 9, a left fan-shaped vertical unfolding drive motor 10, a right fan-shaped vertical unfolding drive motor 11, a left fan-shaped horizontal unfolding drive unit 12, and a right fan-shaped horizontal unfolding drive unit 13.

[0059] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, when the fan-shaped unfolding module 7 is in the closed state, the left fan-shaped unfolding mechanism 8 and the right fan-shaped unfolding mechanism 9 retract so that the device can enter the row.

[0060] like Figure 5 As shown, the left sector vertical unfolding drive motor 10 and the right sector vertical unfolding drive motor 11 respectively drive the left sector unfolding mechanism 8 and the right sector unfolding mechanism 9 to unfold in the vertical direction, forming a guide frame around the target corn main stem, which is used to vertically guide the corn leaves, lateral branches and adjacent corn plants.

[0061] like Figure 6As shown, the left sector-shaped horizontal unfolding drive unit 12 and the right sector-shaped horizontal unfolding drive unit 13 respectively drive the left sector-shaped unfolding mechanism 8 and the right sector-shaped unfolding mechanism 9 to open up to both sides in the horizontal direction, separating the leaves, lateral branches and adjacent corn plants on both sides of the target corn main stem, thereby constructing the working space required for ring cutting around the main stem.

[0062] Furthermore, the parts of the left gripper 2, right gripper 3, left fan-shaped unfolding mechanism 8, and right fan-shaped unfolding mechanism 9 that come into contact with the corn plant adopt a non-rigid contact method. They can adopt an elastic covering structure, a flexible material covering structure, or a roller contact structure to reduce the risk of squeezing and damaging the corn plant while achieving guided separation.

[0063] III. Structure and Function of the Circular Cutting Module

[0064] like Figure 7 As shown, the annular cutting module 14 is located outside the fan-shaped unfolding module 7, and is used to perform annular wraparound cutting within the working space formed by the unfolding. To illustrate the spatial relationship between the annular cutting device and the depth detection component, Figure 7 The image also shows the clamping device depth detection camera 6. The annular cutting module 14 includes an annular guide mechanism 15, a cutting assembly 16, a rotating blade 17, a blade drive unit 18, a baffle 19, a circumferential drive mechanism 20, an electric slide rail mechanism 21, and an electric slide rail drive motor 22. The clamping device depth detection camera 6 is used to acquire spatial position information of the target corn stalk and its surrounding working area, providing auxiliary detection information for device alignment, cutting area judgment, and the operation process.

[0065] The circumferential drive mechanism 20 drives the cutting assembly 16 to circumferentially move along the annular guide mechanism 15; the rotating blade 17 is mounted on the cutting assembly 16 and is driven to rotate by the blade drive unit 18 to achieve cutting. The baffle 19 is set on the side close to the target corn main stem to form a main stem protection zone and isolate the cutting area during the cutting process, reducing the risk of the rotating blade 17 accidentally cutting the target corn main stem.

[0066] like Figure 8 As shown, the electric slide rail drive motor 22 drives the electric slide rail mechanism 21 to adjust the position of the rotating blade 17 in the radial direction, thereby changing the annular cutting radius. The cutting radius can be set before operation or dynamically adjusted during operation according to the operation requirements to adapt to different work objects and different spatial distributions.

[0067] like Figure 9As shown, in this embodiment, the intelligent and precise cutting device for corn plant lateral branches and adjacent plants is mounted on the end of a robotic arm 25 on a tracked mobile chassis 24 via a device mounting interface 23. The tracked mobile chassis 24 is equipped with a chassis navigation lidar 26 and a chassis navigation depth camera 27 for row navigation, obstacle perception, and path-assisted positioning. The robotic arm 25 is equipped with a robotic arm detection depth camera 28 for close-range detection and positioning of the target corn plant when the device enters the work area, thus providing a perception basis for the device to approach, align, and operate. It should be noted that the tracked mobile chassis 24 and the robotic arm 25 are merely application carriers for the device of this invention. The core innovation of this invention lies in its clamping and centering, spreading and avoidance, and variable radius circumferential cutting structure, which is independent of the specific form of the chassis or robotic arm.

[0068] IV. Description of Work Mode

[0069] like Figure 10 and Figure 11 The diagram shown illustrates the treatment of maize lateral branches in Mode A. In this mode, the rotating blade 17 is set to a smaller cutting radius via the electric slide rail mechanism 21 to remove the lateral branches or tillers of the target maize plant.

[0070] like Figure 12 and Figure 13 The diagram shown illustrates the treatment of adjacent corn plants in Mode B. In this mode, the rotating blade 17 is set to a larger cutting radius via the electric slide rail mechanism 21, which is used to cut or thin the stems of adjacent corn plants on both sides of the target corn plant.

[0071] V. Resection Procedures and Steps

[0072] The above-mentioned resection method includes the following steps:

[0073] S1: Work preparation and positioning. The tracked mobile chassis 24 moves to the target work area, and the robotic arm 25 delivers the device of the present invention into the corn row and adjusts it to the predetermined work height, so that the target corn plant is within the effective work range of the clamping module 1.

[0074] S2: Main stem pose detection. The clamping device uses depth camera 6 to collect spatial position information of the target corn main stem and obtain information on the eccentricity of the main stem relative to the center line of the clamp.

[0075] S3: Centering and establishing the reference. The gripper drive motor 4 drives the gripper transmission mechanism 5, causing the left gripper 2 and the right gripper 3 to gradually close. During the closing process, the target corn stalk is guided to move towards the center position of the gripper based on the eccentricity information obtained in step S2, thereby achieving centering and establishing a stable working reference axis.

[0076] S4: Fan-shaped vertical unfolding guide. The left fan-shaped vertical unfolding drive motor 10 and the right fan-shaped vertical unfolding drive motor 11 drive the left fan-shaped unfolding mechanism 8 and the right fan-shaped unfolding mechanism 9 to unfold in the vertical direction, providing vertical guidance for the corn leaves, lateral branches and adjacent corn plants.

[0077] S5: Fan-shaped horizontal expansion avoidance. The left fan-shaped horizontal expansion drive unit 12 and the right fan-shaped horizontal expansion drive unit 13 drive the left fan-shaped expansion mechanism 8 and the right fan-shaped expansion mechanism 9 to expand to both sides, so that the leaves, lateral branches and adjacent corn plants on both sides of the target corn main stem are separated, and a ring-shaped cutting operation space is constructed.

[0078] S6: Cutting radius setting. The electric slide rail drive motor 22 drives the electric slide rail mechanism 21 to adjust the radial position of the rotating blade 17 and set the annular cutting radius.

[0079] When a smaller cutting radius is set, the lateral branches or tillers of the target corn plant itself are removed;

[0080] When a large cutting radius is set, the stems of adjacent corn plants on both sides of the target corn plant are cut off or thinned out.

[0081] S7: Start the cutting and circling operation. The blade drive unit 18 drives the rotating blade 17 to start, and the circling drive mechanism 20 drives the cutting assembly 16 to circulate along the annular guide mechanism 15 to achieve cutting of the target part located within the set cutting range; the baffle 19 forms a main stem protection zone during the cutting process.

[0082] S8: Operation completed and return to position. After cutting, the rotating blade 17 and the winding drive mechanism 20 stop, the electric slide rail mechanism 21 returns to the safe position, the left fan-shaped unfolding mechanism 8 and the right fan-shaped unfolding mechanism 9 retract, and the clamping module 1 remains stable or is ready to release the target corn stalk as needed.

[0083] S9: Release clamping and relocate. Clamping module 1 releases the target corn stalk, robotic arm 25 drives the device to leave the current working position, and tracked mobile chassis 24 relocates to the next working point.

[0084] Finally, it should be noted that the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can modify the technical solutions described in the above embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features without departing from the spirit and principles of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device for intelligent and precise removal of lateral branches and adjacent plants from corn plants, characterized in that, It includes a clamping module (1), a fan-shaped unfolding and spreading module (7), a ring cutting module (14), and a device mounting interface (23). The clamping module (1) includes a left clamp (2), a right clamp (3), a clamp drive motor (4), a clamp transmission mechanism (5), and a clamping device detection depth camera (6). The left clamp (2) and the right clamp (3) are arranged opposite to each other. Under the drive of the clamp drive motor (4), they open and close synchronously through the clamp transmission mechanism (5) to clamp and position the main stem of the target corn. During the clamp closing process, the clamp is centered based on the eccentricity information of the main stem obtained by the clamping device detection depth camera (6). The fan-shaped unfolding and spreading module (7) includes a left fan-shaped unfolding mechanism (8), a right fan-shaped unfolding mechanism (9), a left fan-shaped vertical unfolding drive motor (10), a right fan-shaped vertical unfolding drive motor (11), a left fan-shaped horizontal unfolding drive unit (12), and a right fan-shaped horizontal unfolding drive unit (13), which are used to guide and separate the leaves, lateral branches, and adjacent corn plants around the main stem of the target corn to construct a ring-shaped cutting operation space; The annular cutting module (14) includes an annular guide mechanism (15), a cutting assembly (16), a rotating blade (17), a blade drive unit (18), a baffle (19), a circumferential drive mechanism (20), an electric slide rail mechanism (21), and an electric slide rail drive motor (22). The cutting assembly (16) moves around the annular guide mechanism (15) under the drive of the circumferential drive mechanism (20). The rotating blade (17) is driven to rotate by the blade drive unit (18) to achieve cutting. The electric slide rail mechanism (21) adjusts the radial position of the rotating blade (17) under the drive of the electric slide rail drive motor (22) to change the annular cutting radius. The baffle (19) is set on the side close to the main stem of the target corn to form a main stem protection zone. The device mounting interface (23) is used to connect to the end of a tracked mobile chassis (24) or a robotic arm (25).

2. The intelligent and precise cutting device for lateral branches and adjacent plants of corn plants according to claim 1, characterized in that, The depth camera (6) of the clamping device is set in the centering area of ​​the clamping jaws to obtain the spatial position information and eccentricity information of the target corn stem relative to the center line of the clamping jaws, so as to assist in achieving centered clamping.

3. The intelligent and precise cutting device for lateral branches and adjacent plants of corn plants according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gripper transmission mechanism (5) is a combination of gear transmission mechanism and linkage mechanism, used to realize the synchronous opening and closing of the left and right grippers and the clamping centering.

4. The intelligent and precise cutting device for lateral branches and adjacent plants of corn plants according to claim 1, characterized in that, The left sector vertical unfolding drive motor (10) and the right sector vertical unfolding drive motor (11) respectively drive the left sector unfolding mechanism (8) and the right sector unfolding mechanism (9) to unfold in the vertical direction, forming a guide frame around the target corn main stem.

5. The intelligent and precise cutting device for lateral branches and adjacent plants of corn plants according to claim 1, characterized in that, The left sector horizontal unfolding drive unit (12) and the right sector horizontal unfolding drive unit (13) respectively drive the left sector unfolding mechanism (8) and the right sector unfolding mechanism (9) to expand horizontally to both sides, so as to construct a ring-shaped cutting operation space around the target corn main stem.

6. The intelligent and precise cutting device for lateral branches and adjacent plants of corn plants according to claim 1, characterized in that, The parts of the left gripper (2), right gripper (3), left fan-shaped unfolding mechanism (8) and right fan-shaped unfolding mechanism (9) that come into contact with the corn plant adopt a non-rigid contact structure, which includes one or more of the following: elastic covering structure, flexible material covering structure or roller contact structure.

7. The intelligent and precise cutting device for lateral branches and adjacent plants of corn plants according to claim 1, characterized in that, The distance between the baffle (19) and the target corn stem is adjustable to adapt to different corn stem diameters and different corn plant operation objects relative to the target corn stem, forming a stable stem protection zone to prevent the rotating blade (17) from accidentally cutting the target corn stem.

8. The intelligent and precise cutting device for lateral branches and adjacent plants of corn plants according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electric slide rail mechanism (21) is used to set the cutting radius of the rotating blade (17) before operation, or to dynamically adjust the cutting radius of the rotating blade (17) during operation, so as to realize the switching of different operation modes or to make real-time correction of the cutting range.

9. The intelligent and precise cutting device for lateral branches and adjacent plants of corn plants according to claim 1, characterized in that, The winding drive mechanism (20) is a motor coupled with a chain drive mechanism, a gear drive mechanism or an arc gear drive mechanism to drive the cutting component (16) to wind around the annular guide mechanism (15).

10. A method for intelligent and precise removal of lateral branches and adjacent plants of corn plants, characterized in that, The method employs the intelligent and precise cutting device for lateral branches and adjacent plants of corn plants as described in any one of claims 1-9; the method includes the following steps: S1: Operation preparation and positioning, install the intelligent precision cutting device for corn plant side branches and adjacent plants on the tracked mobile chassis (24) or the end of the robotic arm (25) or the end of the lifting actuator on the mobile platform through the device installation interface (23), so that the device enters the corn row operation area and adjusts the height of the device so that the target corn plant is within the operation range of the clamping module (1). S2: Main stem pose detection, the spatial position information of the target corn main stem is collected by the depth camera (6) through the clamping device, and the eccentricity information of the target corn main stem relative to the center line of the clamp is obtained. S3: Centering clamping and establishing reference, driving the gripper drive motor (4), so that the left gripper (2) and the right gripper (3) guide the target corn main stem according to the eccentricity information obtained in step S2 during the closing process, realize centering clamping, and establish the working reference axis at the target corn main stem; S4: Fan-shaped vertical unfolding guide, drives the left fan-shaped vertical unfolding drive motor (10) and the right fan-shaped vertical unfolding drive motor (11), so that the left fan-shaped unfolding mechanism (8) and the right fan-shaped unfolding mechanism (9) unfold in the vertical direction, and vertically guides the corn leaves, side branches and adjacent corn plants; S5: The fan-shaped horizontal expansion avoids the left fan-shaped horizontal expansion drive unit (12) and the right fan-shaped horizontal expansion drive unit (13), so that the left fan-shaped expansion mechanism (8) and the right fan-shaped expansion mechanism (9) are expanded to both sides in the horizontal direction, separating the leaves, side branches and adjacent corn plants on both sides of the target corn main stem, and constructing a ring-shaped cutting operation space. S6: Cutting radius setting: The radial position of the rotating blade (17) is adjusted by the electric slide rail mechanism (21) driven by the electric slide rail drive motor (22) to set the annular cutting radius; S7: For the bypass cutting operation, the blade drive unit (18) is started to drive the rotating blade (17) to rotate, and at the same time the bypass drive mechanism (20) is started to drive the cutting assembly (16) to move around along the ring guide mechanism (15) to cut the target part located within the set cutting range, and the baffle (19) forms a main stem protection area during the cutting process. S8: Operation ends and returns to position. After cutting, the rotating blade (17) and the bypass drive mechanism (20) stop, the electric slide rail mechanism (21) returns to the safe position, and the fan-shaped unfolding support module (7) retracts. S9: Release the clamp and move to the next work site. The clamping module (1) releases the target corn stem, and the device leaves the current work site and moves to the next work site.

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