A hawthorn picking and sorting vehicle

Abstract

This invention relates to a hawthorn harvesting and sorting vehicle, comprising four parts: the vehicle body, harvesting, impurity removal, and sorting. The vehicle body is a tracked chassis, with an aluminum frame structure supporting each functional part. The harvesting section is located at the front of the vehicle body, realizing the harvesting of hawthorns, and includes an end effector and a robotic arm. The end effector is the main unit for carrying out the harvesting operation, including a harvesting frame and a branch positioning unit, a branch clamping unit, a branch gathering unit, a rotary air blowing unit, an alignment unit, and a camera mounted on the harvesting frame. The impurity removal section is located in the middle of the vehicle body, realizing the separation of hawthorns from branches and leaves, and includes a receiving component, a conveying component, a picking mechanism, a debris removal mechanism, and a sorting mechanism. The sorting section is located at the rear of the vehicle body, realizing fruit grading, and includes a screening component and a waste collection component. This invention can complete the harvesting operation in an orderly manner in complex environments, integrating hawthorn harvesting, impurity separation, and fruit screening functions into one, significantly improving the overall efficiency of hawthorn harvesting and subsequent operations.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of agricultural machinery, specifically relating to a hawthorn picking and sorting vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] In the current context of accelerated agricultural modernization, upgrading harvesting techniques for specialty fruit trees has become crucial for improving industry efficiency. Hawthorn, a characteristic economic fruit tree of northern my country, possesses both edible and medicinal value, and its planting area has been expanding year by year. However, its harvesting process has long relied on traditional manual methods, which are no longer suitable for large-scale production. Although hawthorn trees have smooth trunks, their branches are dense and often bear sharp thorns. Manual harvesting is not only cumbersome and inefficient, but also poses a significant safety hazard, as it easily results in hand injuries from the thorns.

[0003] Traditional handheld harvesting tools mostly use pulling and cutting methods to pick hawthorns. While they are lightweight, they also have drawbacks such as high labor intensity and inability to remove impurities. For example, CN203575113U (Portable Hawthorn Harvester).

[0004] Automated machines mostly use a combination of visual recognition and cutting to complete hawthorn picking through robotic arms or hands, which can greatly reduce human support. However, they also have problems such as being unable to pick hawthorns that are obscured by leaves or being unable to sort hawthorns, as shown in publication number CN109729829A (an intelligent hawthorn picking robot based on binocular recognition).

[0005] In the current context, issues such as how to reduce labor intensity, improve machine efficiency, and enhance the level of machine integration are particularly important. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention proposes a hawthorn picking and sorting vehicle, which aims to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0007] The above-mentioned objective of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solution: A hawthorn picking and sorting vehicle includes a vehicle body, a picking section, a cleaning section, and a sorting section; the picking section, the cleaning section, and the sorting section are all installed on the vehicle body; The picking section is used to pick hawthorns and transport hawthorns and other debris such as branches and leaves to the cleaning section; the picking section consists of an end effector and a robotic arm; the end effector is connected to the end of the robotic arm via a tension spring retractor and an electromagnet device; The end effector includes a harvesting frame and components for positioning and clamping branches, and for dropping hawthorn fruit via rotary air blowing or stroking along the branch. These components include a harvesting frame and mounted on the frame a branch positioning unit, a branch clamping unit, a branch gathering unit, a rotary air blowing unit, an alignment unit, and a camera. The branch positioning unit and branch clamping unit work in tandem to clamp and fix the branch at the far end of the fruit. The branch gathering unit uses a wrapping motion to gather the branch at the near end of the fruit. The rotary air blowing unit outputs a rotating airflow in a circumferential direction. The alignment unit drives the end effector to move along the branch to align the fruit dropping hole with the fruit on the branch. The camera captures images to check if the position of the fruit on the branch is aligned with the position of the fruit dropping hole on the collection frame. The impurity removal section is used to separate hawthorn fruits from branches, leaves, and other debris; it includes a receiving assembly, a conveying assembly, a picking mechanism, a debris removal mechanism, and a sorting mechanism. The receiving assembly is connected to the fruit drop hole on the end effector via a flexible conveying pipe; the conveying assembly is used to transport the hawthorn fruits and debris output from the lower outlet of the receiving assembly to the area below the picking mechanism after quantitative accumulation; the picking mechanism uses a cage-shaped picking cylinder to pick up the hawthorn fruits and transport them to the area below the debris removal mechanism; the debris removal mechanism removes the hawthorn fruit stems, branches, and debris hanging on the picking cylinder by a laterally moving cutting tool; the sorting mechanism is used to increase the spacing between the bars of the cage-shaped picking cylinder to transport the decontaminated hawthorn fruits to the sorting section. The sorting section is used to grade and output hawthorn fruits according to their particle size.

[0008] Furthermore, the branch positioning unit consists of a positioning wheel and a positioning clamp unit; the positioning wheel is rotatably installed inside the harvesting machine frame and is driven and connected to the alignment unit; a drum-shaped groove is provided on the positioning wheel to form a positioning groove that contacts the rear of the branch; the positioning unit is installed on the front side of the harvesting machine frame and is arranged opposite to the positioning wheel along its front and back; the positioning clamp unit includes a clamp base, a positioning clamp body, two sets of upper and lower linear guide mechanisms, and a positioning compression spring; the positioning clamp body consists of a V-shaped clamp head located at the bottom, a main clamp handle connected to the middle of the upper end of the V-shaped clamp head, and two auxiliary clamp handles symmetrically arranged on both sides of the main clamp handle; the clamp base is fixed to the front of the harvesting machine frame. On the side, a vertical spring mounting cavity is provided in the middle of the front side of the clamping seat, and guide mounting cavities are provided on both sides of the vertical spring mounting cavity. A clamping handle through hole is provided at the lower end of the spring mounting cavity and the guide mounting cavity. The positioning spring is installed in the spring mounting cavity, and the two sets of upper and lower linear guide mechanisms are respectively installed in the guide mounting cavities on both sides. The upper end of the main clamping handle of the positioning clamp body passes through the clamping handle through hole at the lower part of the spring mounting cavity and presses against the lower end of the positioning spring. The upper ends of the two sets of clamping handles of the positioning clamp body pass through the clamping handle through holes at the lower end of the guide mounting cavities on both sides and are fixedly connected to the sliders of the corresponding linear guide mechanisms.

[0009] Furthermore, the branch clamping unit is integrally connected to the right side of the harvesting machine frame, including a clamping drive cylinder, a cylinder support shaft, a plate-shaped pressing wheel assembly, a collecting frame, a tilting frame, and a tilting center shaft; the cylinder support shaft and the tilting center shaft are fixed vertically to the right side of the harvesting machine frame; one end of the tilting frame is rotatably connected to the tilting center shaft, and the plate-shaped pressing wheel assembly is fixedly connected to the middle position of the tilting frame in a downward extending manner; the plate-shaped pressing wheel assembly consists of multiple axles arranged parallel front to back and densely packed small wheels movably mounted on the axles; the collecting frame is fixed to the end of the tilting frame away from the tilting center shaft in a forward extending manner, and the collecting frame... The front extension is provided with a fruit drop hole; the plate-shaped pressing wheel assembly and the collecting frame are arranged in parallel; the cylinder end of the clamping drive cylinder is connected to the cylinder support shaft, and the cylinder rod end of the clamping drive cylinder is connected to the flipping frame; when the clamping drive cylinder is in the retracted position, the plate-shaped pressing wheel assembly and the collecting frame are inclinedly arranged outside the right side of the harvester frame; when the clamping drive cylinder is in the extended position, the flipping frame drives the plate-shaped pressing wheel assembly and the collecting frame to rotate clockwise to the position below the harvester frame, so that the plate-shaped pressing wheel assembly and the collecting frame are arranged horizontally, and the plate-shaped pressing wheel assembly rotates to the position directly below the branch positioning unit to clamp the lower right end of the branch.

[0010] Furthermore, the branch-gathering unit is located on the front side of the harvesting machine frame. The branch-gathering unit includes a left semi-circular arm, a right semi-circular arm, and a two-arm opening and closing control mechanism. The upper ends of the left and right semi-circular arms have tangentially extending extensions. These extensions are rotatably connected at the middle via a pin and are connected to the front extension of the harvesting machine frame via the pin, thus positioning the two semi-circular arms in front of the branch positioning unit. The two-arm opening and closing control mechanism includes an opening and closing drive cylinder, a double-headed snap-fit ​​connector, a vertical guide shaft, an axially movable component, a left forearm, and a right forearm. The vertical guide shaft is vertically fixed to the front extension of the harvesting machine frame, and the axially movable component is connected to the vertical guide shaft via a shaft hole. The axis guides and engages in a vertical direction; the rear end of the axis-moving component is driven and connected to the cylinder rod end of the opening and closing drive cylinder via a double-headed snap-fit ​​connector; the opening and closing drive cylinder is fixed on the front extension of the harvester frame; the lower ends of the left and right forearms are respectively connected to the upper ends of the left and right semi-circular arm and the upper ends of the extended portion of the right semi-circular arm via pin hinges; the upper ends of the left and right forearms are connected to the front end of the axis-moving component via a common pin; when the cylinder rod of the opening and closing drive cylinder is in the extended position, the axis-moving component moves to the upper working position along the vertical guide axis, and drives the left and right semi-circular arms to move towards each other to the closing position, thereby achieving the closing of the fruit-near end of the branch.

[0011] Furthermore, the closing cavity formed by the left and right semi-circular arms has a tapered design with a gradually decreasing area from back to front; a rubber protective ring is embedded inside the front end of the left and right semi-circular arms; a rubber protective ring and multiple arc-shaped curved strips connected to the rubber protective rings are embedded inside the rear end of the left and right semi-circular arms.

[0012] Furthermore, the rotary air blowing device includes 12 exhaust pipes, a gear set housing, a gear shaft, a fruit-picking motor, a rotating cover, an outer fixed cover, a pneumatic quick connector, and a sealing ring; 6 exhaust pipes are circumferentially inserted and fixed around the inner hole of the left half-annular arm, and 6 exhaust pipes are circumferentially inserted and fixed around the inner hole of the right half-annular arm; the exhaust pipes on the two half-annular arms are arranged in groups of three adjacent pipes, with each group sharing a common air inlet, which is located at the rear end of the two half-annular arms; the gear set housing is fixed to the upper end of the picking machine frame, and the gear shaft is vertically arranged in the inner cavity of the gear set housing. The lower part of the gear shaft is driven and connected to the output end of the fruit-picking motor through a pair of meshing gears, and the fruit-picking motor is fixed on the top of the gear set housing, offset from the gear shaft. The upper part of the gear shaft is coaxially driven to a rotating cover cylinder located outside it; the lower end of the rotating cover cylinder is placed in a bearing mounting groove of the gear set housing and engages with the gear set housing via a bearing; the top of the rotating cover cylinder is provided with an air inlet, and a rectangular through hole with a length of one-quarter of the cylinder wall circumferentially is provided at the upper position of the cylinder wall; the outer fixed cover cylinder is fitted onto the outside of the rotating cover cylinder with a clearance fit, and an air inlet is provided at the top of the outer fixed cover cylinder along the vertical direction, with the air inlet of the outer fixed cover cylinder and the air inlet of the rotating cover cylinder aligned vertically and communicating; Four air outlet holes are evenly distributed circumferentially on the upper side wall of the outer fixed cover cylinder. The height of the four air outlet holes is the same as the height of the rectangular through holes on the rotating cover cylinder. A pneumatic quick-connector is connected to each air outlet hole. The four pneumatic quick-connectors are connected to the four air inlets through air pipes. A sealing ring is installed at the upper and lower positions of the rectangular through holes between the inner wall of the outer fixed cover cylinder and the outer side of the rotating cover cylinder. The two sealing rings form a sealing ring cavity, so that the gas input from the upper end enters the sealing ring cavity through the rectangular through hole and then exits through the air outlet hole.

[0013] Furthermore, the picking mechanism mainly includes two sets of longitudinal linear modules, a transverse support shaft, a T-joint, a cage-shaped fruit picking cylinder, a cylinder support, an elastic connecting assembly, and a fruit picking drive motor. The two sets of longitudinal linear modules are located behind the receiving assembly. The two sets of longitudinal linear modules are positioned above the left and right sides of the belt conveyor and fixed to the upper end of the picking bracket on the vehicle body. The two ends of the transverse support shaft are connected to the sliders of the two sets of longitudinal linear modules via bearing seats and bearings, enabling the transverse support shaft to move in the front-to-back direction. The T-joint consists of an upper and lower bushing portion and a screw portion; the T-joint is connected to the middle position of the transverse support shaft via the bushing portion. The elastic connection assembly consists of a connecting post, a compression spring, and a lower cover. The upper end of the connecting post has an internal threaded hole, through which it is fixedly connected to the lower screw portion of the T-joint. The lower part of the connecting post has a spring mounting hole, in which the compression spring is installed. The lower cover is fixed to the lower end of the connecting post. The cylindrical support is generally in the shape of a flat bracket, with its upper end extending into the spring mounting hole of the connecting column, contacting the lower end of the compression spring, and achieving a lower limit through the lower cover; the cage-shaped fruit-collecting cylinder is arranged between the two parallel vertical walls at its lower part. One end of the cage-shaped fruit-collecting cylinder is rotatably connected to the corresponding short horizontal shaft of the cylindrical support through a bearing, and the other end of the cage-shaped fruit-collecting cylinder is driven connected to the output end of the fruit-collecting drive motor, which is fixedly supported on the other side of the cylindrical support; The cage-shaped fruit-collecting tube consists of a left side baffle, a right side baffle, and multiple elastic cage bars arranged circumferentially between the two side baffles.

[0014] Furthermore, the debris removal mechanism is integrally located at the rear of the picking mechanism, including a 120° annular cutter, a blade holder, a moving cylinder, and a transverse linear guide mechanism. The transverse linear guide mechanism consists of upper and lower transverse guide rails and a slider connected to the two transverse guide rails. The upper and lower transverse guide rails are fixed to a frame on the vehicle body. The blade holder is fixedly connected to the front side of the slider, and the 120° annular cutter is fixed in the arc-shaped groove at the lower end of the blade holder. The center of the 120° annular cutter coincides with the center of the cage-like fruit picking tube at its initial rear position, and the blade diameter of the 120° annular cutter is larger than the outer diameter of the cage-like fruit picking tube. The moving cylinder is fixed to a cylinder bracket on the vehicle body, and its cylinder rod end is fixedly connected to the slider of the transverse linear guide mechanism. The moving cylinder can drive the slider, blade holder, and 120° annular cutter to move laterally, and during the movement, it can cut off hawthorn fruit stems, branches, and other debris hanging on the fruit picking tube.

[0015] Furthermore, the dispensing mechanism comprises a vertical linear guide mechanism, a vertical movement drive mechanism, a horizontal movement linear module, two-finger cylinders, and two paddles. The vertical linear guide mechanism and the vertical movement drive mechanism are mounted on the front side of the upright frame on the vehicle body. The horizontal movement linear module is connected to the slider of the vertical linear guide mechanism and the power output component of the vertical movement drive mechanism. The two-finger cylinders are mounted on the front side of the slider of the horizontal movement linear module. A paddle is mounted on each of the two fingers of the two-finger cylinder.

[0016] Furthermore, the sorting section includes a screening assembly and a waste collection assembly; the screening assembly includes a rotary screening cylinder, a feed hopper, pulleys, a sorting collector, and a rotating device; the feed hopper is an arc-shaped hopper, located directly below the debris removal mechanism and inclined laterally, with perforations for debris to fall through; the rotary screening cylinder is located outside the feed hopper and connected to its lower end; one end of the rotary screening cylinder near the feed hopper is supported by two pulleys, and the other end is supported on a bearing seat, which is fixed to the vehicle body, and the other end is driven by the rotating device; the rotary screening cylinder consists of multiple sections with progressively increasing discharge gaps; the sorting collector is located below the rotary screening cylinder; The waste collection assembly includes a waste collection box and a fixed frame; the waste collection box is placed inside the fixed frame and is located directly below the feed hopper.

[0017] The advantages and positive effects of this invention are as follows: 1. In this invention, the picking part integrates a robotic arm and an end effector to form an intelligent picking unit: the robotic arm can achieve flexible multi-dimensional operation; the end effector can select different picking methods to pick target fruits according to the direction and state of the branches, which can greatly reduce the intensity of manual labor in the picking work and carry out efficient picking in more complex environments.

[0018] 2. In this invention, the fruit-picking cylinder in the impurity removal section and the rotary sieve cylinder in the sorting section form a collaborative processing flow: the fruit-picking cylinder can quickly separate fruits from impurities such as branches and leaves, initially purifying the fruits; the rotary sieve cylinder can automatically grade fruits according to their size, eliminating the need for manual secondary sorting. This design effectively shortens the post-harvest processing chain, integrating the three stages of "harvesting-impurity removal-grading" into a single operation, reducing the difficulty of subsequent work. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is an axonometric perspective view of the overall structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a front view of the end effector of the present invention; Figure 3 This is an isometric view of the front right angle of the end effector of the present invention; Figure 4 This is an isometric view of the front left angle of the end effector of the present invention; Figure 5 This is an axonometric perspective view of the main body of the rotary air blowing device of the present invention (excluding the exhaust pipe); Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of the main body of the rotary air blowing device of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the harvesting part of the present invention in standby mode; Figure 8This is a schematic diagram of the harvesting part of the present invention in working condition; Figure 9 This is a flowchart of the actions performed by the harvesting part of the present invention; Figure 10 This is a three-dimensional structural view of the impurity removal part of the present invention; Figure 11 This is a perspective view of the picking mechanism of the present invention; Figure 12 This is a rear view of the picking mechanism of the present invention; Figure 13 This is a three-dimensional structural view of the debris removal mechanism and the sorting mechanism of the present invention; Figure 14 This is a three-dimensional structural view of the sorting section of the present invention; In the diagram: 1. Vehicle body; 1.1. Tracked chassis; 1.2. Aluminum frame structure; 2. Harvesting section; 2.1. End effector; 2.1.1. Clamp; 2.1.2. Positioning wheel; 2.1.3. Positioning clamp body; 2.1.4. Positioning compression spring; 2.1.5. Linear guide mechanism; 2.1.6. Plate-shaped clamping wheel assembly; 2.1.7. Collection rack; 2.1.8. Right semi-circular arm; 2.1.9. Right forearm; 2.1.10. Camera; 2.1.11. Left forearm 2.1.12 Left semi-circular retaining arm; 2.1.13 Vertical guide shaft; 2.1.14 Moving part along the shaft; 2.1.15 Double-headed snap-fit ​​connector; 2.1.16 Opening and closing drive cylinder; 2.1.17 Cylinder support shaft; 2.1.18 Clamping drive cylinder; 2.1.19 Rotation center shaft; 2.1.20 Rotation frame; 2.1.21 Alignment chain; 2.1.22 Alignment drive sprocket; 2.1.23 Alignment motor; 2.1.24 Alignment... Driven sprocket; 2.1.25, Gearbox housing; 2.1.26, Exhaust pipe; 2.1.27, Fruit picking motor; 2.1.28, Pneumatic quick connector; 2.1.29, External fixed cover; 2.1.30, Rotating cover; 2.1.31, Gear shaft; 2.1.32, Sealing ring; 2.1.33, Sealing ring cavity; 2.2, Robotic arm; 2.2.1, Base joint; 2.2.2, Shoulder joint; 2.2.3, Elbow joint; 2.2.4, Wrist joint; 2 2.2.5 Wrist Joint II; 2.2.6 Tension Spring Retractor; 2.2.7 Electromagnetic Device; 3. Impurity Removal Section; 3.1 Receiving Assembly; 3.1.1 Receiving Cylinder Cover; 3.1.2 Receiving Cylinder; 3.2 Conveying Assembly; 3.2.1 Fruit Baffle; 3.2.2 Slide Baffle; 3.2.3 Belt Conveyor Mechanism; 3.2.4 Lifting Cylinder; 3.3 Picking Mechanism; 3.3.1 Longitudinal Linear Module; 3.3.2 Transverse Support Shaft; 3.3.3 T 3.3.4. Flexible connection assembly; 3.3.4.1. Connecting post; 3.3.4.2. Compression spring; 3.3.4.3. Lower cover; 3.3.5. Cylinder support; 3.3.6. Cage-shaped fruit picking cylinder; 3.3.7. Fruit picking drive motor; 3.4. Debris removal mechanism; 3.4.1. 120° 3.4.1 Ring cutter; 3.4.2 Blade holder; 3.4.3 Moving cylinder; 3.4.4 Lateral linear guide mechanism; 3.5 Sorting mechanism; 3.5.1 Vertical linear guide mechanism; 3.5.2 Vertical moving drive mechanism; 3.5.3 Lateral moving linear module; 3.5.4 Paddle; 3.5.5 Two-finger cylinder; 4. Sorting section; 4.1 Screening assembly; 4.1.1 Feed hopper; 4.1.2 Rotary screening cylinder; 4.1.3 Pulley; 4.1.4 Classification collector; 4.1.5 Rotating device; 4.2 Waste collection assembly; 4.2.1 Waste collection box; 4.2.2 Fixed box frame. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The structure of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be noted that these embodiments are descriptive and not limiting.

[0021] Please see the hawthorn picking and sorting vehicle. Figures 1-14 The invention's main features include: a vehicle body 1, a harvesting section 2, a waste removal section 3, and a sorting section 4. The specific structure and connection relationships of each part are as follows: 1. Vehicle body The vehicle body is the main body of this invention, and its core function is to centrally assemble other components to form a cohesive and interconnected whole. For example... Figure 1 As shown, it mainly consists of a tracked chassis 1.1 and an aluminum frame structure 1.2. The tracked chassis 1.1 enhances the terrain adaptability of the hawthorn picking and sorting vehicle, ensuring stable movement of the equipment in complex environments. The aluminum frame structure 1.2 serves as an assembly carrier, responsible for fixing the three core working modules of picking, impurity removal, and sorting onto the tracked chassis 1.1, realizing the integration and connection of each module with the vehicle body. The two together support the overall operation of the equipment.

[0022] 2. Picking part The harvesting section is used to pick hawthorns and transport the hawthorns, branches, leaves, and other debris to the cleaning section. For example... Figure 1 As shown, it mainly consists of an end effector 2.1 and a robotic arm 2.2. The end effector is installed at the end of the robotic arm.

[0023] like Figures 2-6 As shown, the end effector 2.1 is used to position and clamp the branches, and to make the hawthorn fruit fall by rotating air blowing or stroking along the branches. It mainly includes a picking frame, a branch positioning unit, a branch clamping unit, a branch gathering unit, a rotating air blowing unit, an alignment unit, and a camera.

[0024] The harvesting frame is composed of multiple sheet metal parts connected together.

[0025] The branch positioning unit consists of a positioning wheel 2.1.2 and a positioning clamp unit. The positioning wheel is rotatably installed inside the harvesting machine frame and is driven by the alignment unit. The positioning wheel is made of rubber. A drum-shaped groove is provided on the positioning wheel to form a positioning groove that contacts the rear part (far fruit end) of the branch. The positioning unit is installed on the front side of the harvesting machine frame and is arranged opposite to the positioning wheel along the front and back. The positioning clamp unit includes a clamp base 2.1.1, a positioning clamp body 2.1.3, two sets of upper and lower linear guide mechanisms 2.1.5, and a positioning compression spring 2.1.4. The positioning clamp body consists of a V-shaped clamp head located at the bottom, a main clamp handle connected to the middle of the upper end of the V-shaped clamp head, and two auxiliary clamp handles symmetrically arranged on both sides of the main clamp handle. The clamp base is fixed to the front side of the harvesting machine frame. A vertical spring mounting cavity is provided in the middle of the front side of the clamp base. Guide component mounting cavities are provided on both sides of the vertical spring mounting cavity, and a clamp handle through hole is provided at the lower end of the spring mounting cavity and the guide component mounting cavity. The positioning spring is installed in the spring mounting cavity, and the two sets of upper and lower linear guide mechanisms are respectively installed in the guide member mounting cavities on both sides. The upper end of the main clamping handle of the positioning clamp body passes through the clamping handle through hole at the lower part of the spring mounting cavity and presses against the lower end of the positioning spring. The upper ends of the two clamping handles of the positioning clamp body pass through the clamping handle through holes at the lower end of the guide member mounting cavities on both sides and are fixedly connected to the sliders of the corresponding linear guide mechanisms. This allows the positioning clamp body to move upward along the guide rails of the linear guide mechanisms on both sides when the tree branch contacts the V-shaped surface of the V-shaped clamp. When the tree branch contacts the positioning groove on the positioning wheel, the movement stops, thus achieving tree branch positioning.

[0026] The branch clamping unit, in conjunction with the branch positioning unit, completely clamps the end of the branch furthest from the fruit. The branch clamping unit is integrally connected to the right side of the harvesting machine frame and includes a clamping drive cylinder 2.1.18, a cylinder support shaft 2.1.17, a plate-shaped pressing wheel assembly 2.1.6, a collecting frame 2.1.7, a flipping frame 2.1.20, and a flipping center shaft 2.1.19. The cylinder support shaft and the flipping center shaft are fixed vertically to the right side of the harvesting machine frame. One end of the flipping frame is rotatably connected to the flipping center shaft, and the plate-shaped pressing wheel assembly is fixedly connected to the middle of the flipping frame with a downward extension. The plate-shaped pressing wheel assembly consists of multiple axles arranged parallel to each other and numerous small wheels that are movably (rotatable and capable of slight axial movement) mounted on the axles. The collecting frame is fixed to the end of the flipping frame furthest from the flipping center shaft with a forward extension. A fruit drop hole is provided on the forward extension of the collecting frame. The plate-shaped pressing wheel assembly and the collecting frame are arranged in parallel. The cylinder barrel end of the clamping drive cylinder is connected to the cylinder support shaft, and the cylinder rod end of the clamping drive cylinder is connected to the tilting frame. When the clamping drive cylinder is in the retracted position, the plate-shaped clamping wheel assembly and the collecting frame are tilted outside the right side of the harvester frame. When the clamping drive cylinder is in the extended position, the tilting frame drives the plate-shaped clamping wheel assembly and the collecting frame to rotate clockwise to the position below the harvester frame. At this time, the plate-shaped clamping wheel assembly and the collecting frame are horizontally arranged. The plate-shaped clamping wheel assembly rotates to a position directly below the branch positioning unit, clamping the lower right end of the branch.

[0027] The branch-gathering unit is located on the front side of the harvesting frame and is used to gather the branch near the fruit. The branch-gathering unit includes a left semi-circular arm 2.1.12, a right semi-circular arm 2.1.8, and a two-arm opening and closing control mechanism. The upper ends of the left and right semi-circular arms have tangentially extending extensions. The two extensions are rotatably connected at the middle by a pin and are connected to the front extension of the harvesting frame by the pin, thus positioning the two semi-circular arms in front of the branch positioning unit. The two-arm opening and closing control mechanism includes an opening and closing drive cylinder 2.1.16, a double-headed snap-fit ​​connector 2.1.15 (cylinder accessory), a vertical guide shaft 2.1.13, an axially movable part 2.1.14, a left forearm 2.1.11, and a right forearm 2.1.9. The vertical guide shaft is fixed to the front extension of the harvester frame. The movable component along the shaft is guided and engaged with the vertical guide shaft through a shaft hole in a vertical direction. The rear end of the movable component along the shaft is driven to the cylinder rod end of the opening and closing drive cylinder through a double-headed snap-fit ​​connector. The opening and closing drive cylinder is fixed to the front extension of the harvester frame. The lower ends of the left and right forearms are respectively connected to the upper ends of the left and right semi-circular arm and the upper ends of the extended parts of the right semi-circular arm through pin hinges. The upper ends of the left and right forearms are connected to the front end of the movable component along the shaft through a common pin. When the cylinder rod of the opening and closing drive cylinder is in the extended position, the movable component along the shaft moves to the upper working position along the vertical guide shaft. The left and right forearms drive the left and right semi-circular arms to move towards each other to the closing position, thereby closing the fruit-bearing end of the branch. Furthermore, the closing cavity formed by the left and right semi-circular arms has a tapered design with a gradually decreasing area from back to front. Even further, rubber protective rings are embedded inside the front ends of both the left and right semi-circular arms to reduce impact on the branches. Rubber protective rings and multiple circumferentially arranged arc-shaped strips connected to the rear ends of both the left and right semi-circular arms are also embedded inside to fill the gaps between the two semi-circular arms and the branches, increasing stability and friction when supporting the branches.

[0028] like Figures 4-6As shown, the rotary air-blowing device mainly includes 12 exhaust pipes (2.1.26), a gearbox (2.1.25), a gear shaft (2.1.31), a fruit-picking motor (2.1.27), a rotating cover (2.1.30), an outer fixed cover (2.1.29), a pneumatic quick connector (2.1.28), and a sealing ring. Six exhaust pipes are circumferentially inserted and fixed around the inner hole of the left half-annular arm, and six exhaust pipes are circumferentially inserted and fixed around the inner hole of the right half-annular arm. The exhaust pipes on the two half-annular arms are arranged in groups of three, sharing a single air inlet, which is located at the rear end of each half-annular arm. The gearbox is fixed to the upper end of the harvesting frame. The gear shaft is vertically positioned within the inner cavity of the gearbox. The lower part of the gear shaft is driven by a pair of meshing gears connected to the output end of the fruit-picking motor. The fruit-picking motor is fixed to the top of the gearbox, offset from the gear shaft. The upper part of the gear shaft is coaxially driven and connected to the rotating cover cylinder located outside it (a key connection may be used). The lower end of the rotating cover cylinder is placed in the bearing mounting groove of the gear set housing and mates with the gear set housing through the bearing. The top of the rotating cover cylinder is provided with an air inlet, and a rectangular through hole with a length of one-quarter of the circumference of the cylinder wall is provided along the circumference at the upper position of the cylinder wall, which allows gas entering through the air inlet to be output radially through the rectangular through hole. The outer fixed cover cylinder is fitted onto the outside of the rotating cover cylinder with a clearance fit. An air inlet is provided on the top of the outer fixed cover cylinder along the vertical direction, and the air inlet of the outer fixed cover cylinder is aligned and connected with the air inlet of the rotating cover cylinder. Four air outlet holes are evenly distributed along the circumference on the upper side wall of the outer fixed cover cylinder, and the height of the four air outlet holes is the same as the height of the rectangular through hole on the rotating cover cylinder. A pneumatic quick-connect coupling is connected to each air outlet hole, and the four pneumatic quick-connect couplings are connected to the four air inlets respectively through air pipes. Furthermore, a sealing ring 2.1.32 is installed at the upper and lower positions of the rectangular through hole between the inner wall of the outer fixed cover and the outer side of the rotating cover. These two sealing rings form a sealing ring cavity 2.1.33, allowing gas input from the upper end to enter the sealing ring cavity through the rectangular through hole and then exit through the outlet hole. Further, sealing rings are also provided at the upper position where the rotating cover mates with the outer fixed cover and at the lower position where the rotating cover mates with the gear set housing, improving the airtightness of the rotary air blowing device.

[0029] Using this rotary air blowing device, the fruit picking motor drives the gear shaft to rotate, which in turn drives the rotating cover cylinder. The sealing ring cavity formed on the cover cylinder moves relative to the four air outlet holes on the outer fixed cover cylinder, thereby achieving intermittent airflow distribution.

[0030] The camera 2.1.10 is used to photograph whether the position of the fruit on the branch is aligned with the position of the fruit drop hole on the collection rack.

[0031] The alignment unit is used to adjust the position of the end effector along the branch according to the camera's image, aligning the fruit position on the branch with the fruit drop hole on the collection rack. This ensures that the hawthorn fruit can fall smoothly through the drop hole during subsequent rotating air-blowing fruit drop. The alignment unit includes an alignment motor 2.1.23, an alignment drive sprocket 2.1.22, an alignment driven sprocket 2.1.24, and an alignment chain 2.1.21. The alignment motor is fixed to the left rear extension of the harvesting frame, the alignment drive sprocket is fixed to the output end of the alignment motor, the alignment driven sprocket is coaxially connected to the positioning wheel, and the alignment chain is connected to the alignment drive sprocket and the alignment driven sprocket.

[0032] like Figures 7-8 As shown, the robotic arm 2.2 includes a base joint 2.2.1, a shoulder joint 2.2.2, an elbow joint 2.2.3, a wrist joint 1 2.2.4, a wrist joint 2 2.2.5, a tension spring retractor 2.2.6, and an electromagnet device 2.2.7. The tension spring retractors are evenly distributed around the outside of wrist joint 2, in three sets, and are connected to the left side of the harvesting frame in the end effector via steel wire ropes. The electromagnet device is installed inside wrist joint 2, and changes the magnetic force by switching the current on and off, attracting the left side wall of the harvesting frame in the end effector. Through the movement of the robotic arm, the end effector is moved to the target tree branch for precise work.

[0033] 3. Impurity Removal Section The impurity removal section is used to separate hawthorn fruits from branches, leaves, and other debris. For example... Figure 10-13 As shown, it includes a receiving assembly 3.1, a conveying assembly 3.2, a picking mechanism 3.3, a debris removal mechanism 3.4, and a sorting mechanism 3.5.

[0034] like Figure 10 As shown, the receiving assembly 3.1 includes a receiving cylinder cover 3.1.1 and a receiving cylinder 3.1.2. The receiving cylinder cover is fixed to the receiving cylinder by perforated "ear-shaped" structures extending outward from the four corners. Two circular perforations with connecting structures on the surface are used for fixed connection to one end of the flexible conveying tube. The receiving cylinder has a conical funnel structure at the bottom, which is fixed to the receiving bracket on the vehicle body by a cross-shaped support structure at the bottom. The receiving assembly is used to receive hawthorns, branches, and leaves from the harvested portion and transfer them to the conveying assembly. The other end of the flexible conveying tube is fixedly connected to the periphery of the fruit drop hole at the lower end of the collecting rack, realizing the conveying of harvested fruit into the receiving cylinder through the flexible conveying tube.

[0035] like Figure 10 As shown, the conveying assembly 3.2 includes a fruit baffle 3.2.1, a slide baffle 3.2.2, a belt conveyor mechanism 3.2.3, and a lifting cylinder 3.2.4. The front end of the belt conveyor mechanism extends to the bottom of the receiving cylinder to catch fallen hawthorn fruits and debris.

[0036] Two sliding baffles are installed on both sides of the belt conveyor to prevent hawthorns and other debris from falling off during the rearward conveying process. The baffles are installed on the rear side of the receiving bracket in a vertically adjustable manner and are connected to a lifting cylinder for up-and-down movement. The timed up-and-down movement of the baffles controls the number of hawthorns on the conveyor belt. The belt conveyor is arranged at a downward angle from front to back.

[0037] like Figures 10-12 As shown, the picking mechanism mainly includes two sets of longitudinal linear modules 3.3.1, a transverse support shaft 3.3.2, a T-joint 3.3.3, a cage-shaped fruit picking cylinder 3.3.6, a cylinder support 3.3.5, an elastic connecting assembly 3.3.4, and a fruit picking drive motor 3.3.7. The two sets of longitudinal linear modules are located behind the receiving assembly. The two sets of longitudinal linear modules are positioned above the left and right sides of the belt conveyor and fixed to the upper end of the picking bracket on the vehicle body. The two ends of the transverse support shaft are connected to the sliders of the two sets of longitudinal linear modules via bearing seats and bearings, respectively, enabling the transverse support shaft to move in the front-to-back direction. The T-joint consists of an upper and lower bushing portion and a screw portion. The T-joint is connected to the middle position of the transverse support shaft via the bushing portion. In this invention, to prevent the bushing from rotating along the circumferential direction of the shaft, the bushing part is fitted with a square shaft segment on the transverse support shaft through a square hole. In addition, a U-shaped flip bracket is provided at one end of the transverse support shaft. The U-shaped flip bracket is fixed on the slider of the corresponding longitudinal linear module. The U-shaped flip bracket is engaged with the square shaft head of the transverse support shaft to limit the transverse support shaft along the circumferential direction.

[0038] The elastic connection assembly consists of a connecting post 3.3.4.1, a compression spring 3.3.4.2, and a lower cover 3.3.4.3. The upper end of the connecting post is provided with an internal threaded hole, which is used to fix it to the lower screw part of the T-joint. The lower part of the connecting post is provided with a spring mounting hole, and the compression spring is installed in the spring mounting hole. The lower cover is fixed to the lower end of the connecting post.

[0039] The cylindrical support is shaped like a flat bracket, with its upper end extending into the spring mounting hole of the connecting column, contacting the lower end of the compression spring, and its lower limit is achieved by the lower cover. The cage-shaped fruit-collecting cylinder is positioned between the two parallel vertical walls at its lower part. One end of the cage-shaped fruit-collecting cylinder is rotatably connected to the corresponding short horizontal shaft of the cylindrical support via a bearing, and the other end of the cage-shaped fruit-collecting cylinder is driven by the output end of a fruit-collecting drive motor, which is fixedly supported on the other side of the cylindrical support.

[0040] The cage-shaped fruit-collecting tube consists of a left side baffle, a right side baffle, and multiple elastic cage bars arranged circumferentially between the two side baffles.

[0041] like Figure 11 , Figure 13 As shown, the debris removal mechanism 3.4 is integrally located at the rear of the picking mechanism, including a 120° annular cutter 3.4.1, a blade holder 3.4.2, a moving cylinder 3.4.3, and a transverse linear guide mechanism 3.4.4. In this invention, the transverse linear guide mechanism consists of upper and lower transverse guide rails and a slider connected to the two transverse guide rails. The upper and lower transverse guide rails are fixed to a frame on the vehicle body. The blade holder is fixedly connected to the front side of the slider, and the 120° annular cutter is fixed in the arc-shaped groove at the lower end of the blade holder. The center of the 120° annular cutter coincides with the center of the cage-like fruit picking tube at its initial rear position, and the blade diameter of the 120° annular cutter is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the cage-like fruit picking tube. The moving cylinder is fixed to a cylinder bracket on the vehicle body (the cylinder bracket is not shown in the attached diagram), and its cylinder rod end is fixedly connected to the slider of the transverse linear guide mechanism. The slider, blade holder, and 120° annular cutter can be driven to move laterally by the moving cylinder. During the movement, it can cut off the hawthorn fruit stems, branches, and other debris hanging on the fruit picking tube.

[0042] like Figure 11 , Figure 13 As shown, the sorting mechanism 3.5 functions to open the elastic bars of the cage-like fruit-collecting tube, allowing the hawthorns to fall into the sorting section. It mainly comprises a vertical linear guide mechanism 3.5.1, a vertical movement drive mechanism 3.5.2, a horizontal movement linear module 3.5.3, a two-finger cylinder 3.5.5, and two paddles 3.5.4. The vertical linear guide mechanism and the vertical movement drive mechanism are mounted on the front side of the upright frame on the vehicle body. The horizontal movement linear module is connected to the slider of the vertical linear guide mechanism and the power output component of the vertical movement drive mechanism; the two-finger cylinder is mounted on the front side of the slider of the horizontal movement linear module. A paddle is mounted on each of the two fingers of the two-finger cylinder.

[0043] 4. Sorting section The sorting section is used to grade the hawthorns. For example... Figure 14 As shown, it includes a screening component 4.1 and a waste collection component 4.2.

[0044] like Figure 14As shown, the screening assembly 4.1 includes a rotary screening cylinder 4.1.2, a feed hopper 4.1.1, pulleys 4.1.3, a sorting collector 4.1.4, and a rotating device 4.1.5. The feed hopper is an arc-shaped hopper, positioned directly below the debris removal mechanism and inclined laterally. It has perforations for debris to fall through. The rotary screening cylinder is located outside the feed hopper and connected to its lower end. One end of the rotary screening cylinder near the feed hopper is supported by two pulleys, and the other end is supported on a bearing seat. The support seat is fixed to the vehicle body, and the other end is connected to the rotating device. The rotating device can be a belt drive mechanism driven by a motor, as shown in the attached diagram. The rotary screening cylinder consists of multiple sections with progressively increasing discharge gaps; in this invention, a three-section structure is used. Hawthorns falling into the screening cylinder, under centrifugal force, will pass through different gaps between the rod-shaped components and fall into the corresponding sorting collectors.

[0045] like Figure 14 As shown, the waste collection component 4.2 includes a waste collection bin 4.2.1 and a fixed frame 4.2.2. The waste collection bin is placed inside the fixed frame, directly below the feed hopper. The feed hopper has five rectangular cutouts to allow branches and leaves from the conveyor belt, as well as hawthorn fruit stems and branches cut off by the cutter, to pass through and eventually fall into the waste collection bin.

[0046] The working principle of the hawthorn picking and sorting vehicle of this invention: The hawthorn picking and sorting vehicle is driven to the side of the hawthorn tree, with the front of the vehicle facing the tree. The mechanical arm is used to adjust the picking height and position, and different picking plans are selected for different picking environments.

[0047] Once the equipment is in working order, the workflow unfolds sequentially: 1. Harvesting stage, see Figure 9 : The robotic arm first moves the end effector above the branch containing the target hawthorn cluster, then moves downwards. When the positioning clamp of the end effector contacts the hawthorn branch, the clamp moves upwards under the combined action of the branch's squeezing force and the limiting effect of the fixing frame. During this process, the branch automatically moves along the inclined structure of the positioning clamp to the center of the clamp, and finally engages with the drum-shaped groove on the positioning wheel, completing the branch positioning. After the first positioning step is completed, the clamping drive cylinder is inflated, the cylinder rod extends, and drives the plate-shaped clamping wheel assembly and the collection rack below it to rotate from an inclined state to a horizontal state, thereby reducing the gap with the positioning wheel and clamping the tree branch. At the same time, the opening and closing drive cylinder is inflated, and after the cylinder rod extends, it drives the opening and closing drive cylinder to move upward on the vertical guide shaft through the double-headed buckle connector. Then, with the help of the four-bar linkage consisting of the left and right forearms and the left and right semi-circular arm, the left and right semi-circular arm are driven to close, restricting the tree branch in the near-circular cavity formed by the two.

[0048] When the electromagnet inside the wrist joint is de-energized, the magnetic force disappears; then the alignment motor starts, driving the alignment drive sprocket to rotate. The alignment drive sprocket drives the alignment driven sprocket through the alignment chain, and finally drives the positioning wheel to move along the tree branch toward the target hawthorn cluster. During this process, the steel wire rope in the tension spring take-up device is pulled out synchronously with the movement of the end effector. During the movement of the end effector, several arc-shaped strips on the rubber rings embedded in the rear end of the left semi-circular arm and the rear part of the right semi-circular arm automatically fill the gaps between the two semi-circular arms and the branches, thereby increasing the stability and friction when gripping the branches. At the same time, the bucket-shaped structure of the left and right upper arms, which is narrower at the front and wider at the back, will gather the hawthorn clusters, while the rubber protective rings embedded in the front of the two semi-circular arms can effectively reduce the impact damage to the branches. In addition, the degree of gathering of the target hawthorn clusters can be judged in real time by the camera above. Once the gathering reaches the appropriate state, the alignment motor stops working. After harvesting, air is pumped into the rotating air blower. Simultaneously, the fruit-picking motor drives a gear shaft via a pair of meshing gears. The gear shaft then rotates the cylinder cover, intermittently distributing the airflow to four pneumatic quick connectors. The airflow is delivered through air pipes to four exhaust pipe groups on the left and right semi-circular arms, flowing out in pulses to impact the target hawthorn clusters, thus completing the harvesting operation. The harvested hawthorns and branches fall into a flexible conveyor pipe fitted onto the collection rack, which is fixed directly below the harvesting position. The completion of the entire harvesting operation can be observed and judged in real time by an overhead camera.

[0049] After the harvesting operation is completed, the gas in the clamping drive cylinder and the opening and closing drive cylinder is discharged first, and the branch clamping unit and the branch gathering unit return to their initial state. At the same time, the tension spring in the tension spring retractor resets, and the previously pulled-out steel wire rope is retrieved. In addition, the electromagnet device inside the wrist joint is re-energized, and the end effector and the wrist joint are precisely reset through the three-point positioning mechanism. During this process, the positioning clamp will return to its initial position synchronously under the action of the spring force, preparing for the next operation.

[0050] The above process is the standard solution for the equipment. When facing an open area where the target hawthorn cluster is outside the hawthorn tree and the robotic arm can easily move along the branches, the power dependence of the end effector can be simplified: the end effector does not need to work independently without the robotic arm, and the robotic arm provides stable support throughout the process, directly driving the end effector to move along the branches towards the target hawthorn cluster. Other processes such as positioning, clamping, picking, and resetting are still performed according to the standard procedure. In addition, for branches that are determined to be pruned after the harvest season, i.e., such branches can be damaged, the hawthorn clusters on them can skip the airflow impact picking stage and adopt a more efficient rubbing picking method: the positioning and clamping stages remain unchanged, there is no need to inflate the rotating air blowing device, and the power source is directly started. That is, in the standard scenario, the centering motor drives the positioning wheel, and in the open area outside the tree, the robotic arm directly drives it, so that the end effector moves at a constant speed along the extension direction of the branch; using the structural characteristics of the left and right semi-circular arms, which are narrow at the front and wide at the back, the hawthorns are peeled off the branches by rubbing through the lateral compression and forward pushing of the arm body against the hawthorn cluster.

[0051] 2. Impurity Removal Stage After harvesting, hawthorns and branches enter the receiving cylinder through a flexible conveyor pipe connected to the cylinder cover at one end. They then fall naturally into the conveyor belt below via a conical funnel structure. Initially, the baffle plate next to the conveyor belt is in an unlifted position, intercepting hawthorns and branches rolling down from the top of the conveyor belt to prevent premature falling and achieve concentrated accumulation. When the pressure sensor installed on the lower side of the conveyor belt detects that the pressure of the accumulated material reaches a preset value (corresponding to the maximum amount the picking cylinder can pick up in one stroke), air is pumped into the lifting cylinder to drive the baffle plate upwards. The conveyor belt then starts, moving the accumulated hawthorns and branches diagonally downwards to the picking area. Once the pressure sensor detects that the pressure has returned to its initial state, indicating that the accumulation has been completed, the lifting cylinder releases air, causing the baffle plate to descend and reset, preparing for the next accumulation of hawthorns. As the hawthorns and branches move diagonally downwards along the conveyor belt, two sets of longitudinal linear modules start simultaneously, driving the fruit-collecting cylinder to move horizontally towards the baffle plate until the left side baffle plate of the baffle plate engages with the groove on the conveyor belt to complete the positioning of the fruit-collecting cylinder. After the fruit-collecting cylinder contacts the conveyor belt, as it moves upwards with the conveyor belt, the springs embedded in the fruit-collecting cylinder frame are compressed and contracted. The resulting reaction force is transmitted to the fruit-collecting cylinder through the frame body, ensuring that the fruit-collecting cylinder and the conveyor belt maintain stable contact to avoid gaps that may cause missed collection. At the same time, the fruit-collecting drive motor starts, driving the fruit-collecting cylinder to rotate. Its rotation speed is precisely matched with the horizontal movement speed of the conveyor belt, forming a rolling fit or a rolling + slight sliding fit. When the elastic cage bars on the surface of the fruit-collecting cylinder contact the material, the cage bars will adaptively deform to wrap the hawthorns and collect them into the fruit-collecting cylinder. However, branches and leaves, due to their size and shape, cannot be collected because they do not meet the gripping conditions of the cage bars and are discharged as the conveyor belt continues to move, thus achieving automatic impurity removal. After impurity removal, the two sets of longitudinal linear modules move in opposite directions, causing the fruit-collecting cylinder to return to its initial position. Then, air is injected into the moving cylinder, driving the 120° annular cutter to move rapidly in the axial direction of the fruit-collecting cylinder. The blade contacts the outer edge of the cage bars on the surface of the fruit-collecting cylinder, and the cutter presses the hawthorn cluster stems hanging on the cage bars against the rubber pad on the left side baffle of the fruit-collecting cylinder to complete the stem removal. The rubber pad acts as a buffer and protection. After the removal, the moving cylinder exhausts air, causing the annular cutter to return to its initial position. Then, the fruit-collecting drive motor drives the fruit-collecting cylinder to rotate 120°, repeating the above cutting and resetting actions. Repeating this process twice will cover the 360° range of the fruit-collecting cylinder, completely eliminating the problem of branches hanging on the cage bars and clearing obstacles for the next collection operation. After the cutting is completed, the horizontal moving linear module drives the two-finger cylinder to move horizontally to directly below the fruit picking cylinder. Then, the vertical moving drive mechanism drives the horizontal moving linear module to move upward until the paddles installed on the two pneumatic fingers extend into the fruit picking cylinder. Next, air is injected into the two-finger cylinder, driving the two paddles to simultaneously open the cage bars inside the fruit picking cylinder. The hawthorns inside lose their support and naturally fall into the feed hopper of the sorting section below to complete the unloading. After unloading, the vertical moving drive mechanism drives the horizontal moving linear module to move downward, while the two-finger cylinder exhausts air to reset the paddles. Finally, the horizontal moving linear module drives the two-finger cylinder back to the initial position, entering the standby state for the next work cycle.

[0052] 3. Sorting stage The branches and leaves discharged by the conveyor belt, along with the cut hawthorn fruit stems, will fall into the feed hopper. They will then fall naturally through the pre-set rectangular openings in the feed hopper and eventually into the waste collection box below, achieving complete separation of branches and leaves from hawthorn and centralized waste processing.

[0053] Hawthorns that fall into the feed hopper after unloading will slide along the inner wall of the feed hopper into the rotary screening cylinder. At the same time, the rotating device starts, driving the rotary screening cylinder to rotate at a constant speed. Due to differences in individual size and weight, the hawthorns entering the cylinder experience different centrifugal forces. During the rotation, they will gradually move towards the cylinder wall and be layered and screened through the gaps of different widths between the rod-shaped components on the cylinder wall. They will then fall into the corresponding classification collectors below, completing the automated grading and sorting of hawthorns and providing standardized materials for subsequent processing or packaging.

[0054] Although embodiments and drawings of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will understand that various substitutions, variations and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the contents disclosed in the embodiments and drawings.

Claims

1. A hawthorn picking and sorting vehicle, characterized in that: It includes a vehicle body, a harvesting section, a cleaning section, and a sorting section; the harvesting section, the cleaning section, and the sorting section are all installed on the vehicle body; The picking section is used to pick hawthorns and transport hawthorns and other debris such as branches and leaves to the cleaning section; the picking section consists of an end effector and a robotic arm; the end effector is connected to the end of the robotic arm via a tension spring retractor and an electromagnet device; The end effector includes a harvesting frame and components for positioning and clamping branches, and for dropping hawthorn fruit via rotary air blowing or stroking along the branch. These components include a harvesting frame and mounted on the frame a branch positioning unit, a branch clamping unit, a branch gathering unit, a rotary air blowing unit, an alignment unit, and a camera. The branch positioning unit and branch clamping unit work in tandem to clamp and fix the branch at the far end from the fruit. The branch gathering unit uses a circumferential approach to gather the branch at the near end from the fruit. The rotary air blowing unit outputs a rotating airflow along a circumferential direction. The alignment unit is used to drive the end effector to move along the branch to align the fruit drop hole with the fruit on the branch; the camera is used to capture whether the position of the fruit on the branch is aligned with the position of the fruit drop hole on the collection rack. The impurity removal section is used to separate hawthorn fruits from branches, leaves, and other debris; it includes a receiving assembly, a conveying assembly, a picking mechanism, a debris removal mechanism, and a sorting mechanism. The receiving assembly is connected to the fruit drop hole on the end effector via a flexible conveying pipe; the conveying assembly is used to transport the hawthorn fruits and debris output from the lower outlet of the receiving assembly to the area below the picking mechanism after quantitative accumulation; the picking mechanism uses a cage-shaped picking cylinder to pick up the hawthorn fruits and transport them to the area below the debris removal mechanism; the debris removal mechanism removes the hawthorn fruit stems, branches, and debris hanging on the picking cylinder by a laterally moving cutting tool; the sorting mechanism is used to increase the spacing between the bars of the cage-shaped picking cylinder to transport the decontaminated hawthorn fruits to the sorting section. The sorting section is used to grade and output hawthorn fruits according to their particle size.

2. The hawthorn picking and sorting vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The branch positioning unit consists of a positioning wheel and a positioning clamp unit. The positioning wheel is rotatably installed inside the harvesting machine frame and is driven by the alignment unit. A drum-shaped groove is provided on the positioning wheel to form a positioning groove that contacts the rear of the branch. The positioning unit is installed on the front side of the harvesting machine frame and is positioned opposite to the positioning wheel along its front-to-back axis. The positioning clamp unit includes a clamp base, a positioning clamp body, two sets of upper and lower linear guide mechanisms, and a positioning spring. The positioning clamp body consists of a V-shaped clamp at the bottom, a main clamp handle connected to the middle of the upper end of the V-shaped clamp, and two auxiliary clamp handles symmetrically arranged on both sides of the main clamp handle. The clamp base is fixed to the front side of the harvesting machine frame. The clamp has a vertical spring mounting cavity in the middle of its front side, guide mounting cavities on both sides of the vertical spring mounting cavity, and a handle through hole at the lower end of the spring mounting cavity and the guide mounting cavity. The positioning spring is installed in the spring mounting cavity, and the two sets of upper and lower linear guide mechanisms are respectively installed in the guide mounting cavities on both sides. The upper end of the main handle of the positioning clamp body passes through the handle through hole at the lower part of the spring mounting cavity and presses against the lower end of the positioning spring. The upper ends of the two sets of handles of the positioning clamp body pass through the handle through holes at the lower end of the guide mounting cavities on both sides and are fixedly connected to the sliders of the corresponding linear guide mechanisms.

3. The hawthorn picking and sorting vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The branch clamping unit is integrally connected to the right side of the harvesting machine frame, including a clamping drive cylinder, a cylinder support shaft, a plate-shaped pressing wheel assembly, a collecting frame, a tilting frame, and a tilting center shaft. The cylinder support shaft and the tilting center shaft are fixed vertically to the right side of the harvesting machine frame. One end of the tilting frame is rotatably connected to the tilting center shaft. The plate-shaped pressing wheel assembly is fixedly connected to the middle of the tilting frame in a downward extending manner. The plate-shaped pressing wheel assembly consists of multiple axles arranged parallel to each other front and back, and densely packed small wheels that are movably mounted on the axles. The collecting frame is fixed to the end of the tilting frame away from the tilting center shaft in a forward extending manner. The protruding part is provided with a fruit dropping hole; the plate-shaped pressing wheel assembly and the collecting frame are arranged in parallel; the cylinder end of the clamping drive cylinder is connected to the cylinder support shaft, and the cylinder rod end of the clamping drive cylinder is connected to the flipping frame; when the clamping drive cylinder is in the retracted position, the plate-shaped pressing wheel assembly and the collecting frame are inclinedly arranged outside the right side of the harvester frame; when the clamping drive cylinder is in the extended position, the flipping frame drives the plate-shaped pressing wheel assembly and the collecting frame to rotate clockwise to the position below the harvester frame, so that the plate-shaped pressing wheel assembly and the collecting frame are arranged horizontally, and the plate-shaped pressing wheel assembly rotates to the position directly below the branch positioning unit to clamp the lower right end of the branch.

4. The hawthorn picking and sorting vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The branch-gathering unit is located on the front side of the harvesting frame. The unit includes a left semi-circular arm, a right semi-circular arm, and a control mechanism for opening and closing both arms. The upper ends of the left and right semi-circular arms have tangentially extending extensions. These extensions are rotatably connected at the middle via a pin and are also connected to the front extension of the harvesting frame via the pin, thus positioning the two semi-circular arms in front of the branch positioning unit. The control mechanism for opening and closing both arms includes an opening / closing drive cylinder, a double-headed snap-fit ​​connector, a vertical guide shaft, an axially movable component, a left forearm, and a right forearm. The vertical guide shaft is vertically fixed to the front extension of the harvesting frame, and the axially movable component is connected to the vertical guide shaft via a shaft hole. The mechanism is guided and fitted along the vertical direction; the rear end of the axially movable component is driven and connected to the cylinder rod end of the opening and closing drive cylinder through a double-headed snap-fit ​​connector; the opening and closing drive cylinder is fixed on the front extension of the harvester frame; the lower ends of the left and right forearms are respectively connected to the upper ends of the left and right semi-circular arm and the upper ends of the extended parts of the right semi-circular arm through pin hinges; the upper ends of the left and right forearms are connected to the front end of the axially movable component through a common pin; when the cylinder rod of the opening and closing drive cylinder is in the extended position, the axially movable component moves to the upper working position along the vertical guide axis, and drives the left and right semi-circular arms to move towards each other to the closing position through the left and right forearms, thereby achieving the closing of the fruit-near end of the branch.

5. The hawthorn picking and sorting vehicle according to claim 4, characterized in that: The closing cavity formed by the left and right semi-circular arm has a tapered design with a gradually decreasing area from back to front; a rubber protective ring is embedded inside the front end of the left and right semi-circular arm; a rubber protective ring and multiple arc-shaped curved strips connected to the rubber protective ring are embedded inside the rear end of the left and right semi-circular arm.

6. The hawthorn picking and sorting vehicle according to claim 4, characterized in that: The rotary air blowing device includes 12 exhaust pipes, a gear set housing, a gear shaft, a fruit-picking motor, a rotating cover, an outer fixed cover, a pneumatic quick connector, and a sealing ring. Six exhaust pipes are circumferentially inserted and fixed around the inner hole of the left half-annular arm, and six exhaust pipes are circumferentially inserted and fixed around the inner hole of the right half-annular arm. The exhaust pipes on the two half-annular arms are arranged in groups of three adjacent pipes, with each group sharing a single air inlet. The air inlet is located at the rear end of the two half-annular arms. The gear set housing is fixed to the upper end of the picking machine frame. The gear shaft is vertically positioned within the inner cavity of the gear set housing. The lower part of the gear shaft is driven and connected to the output end of the fruit-picking motor via a pair of meshing gears. The fruit-picking motor is fixed to the top of the gear set housing on a side offset from the gear shaft. The upper part of the gear shaft is coaxially driven to a rotating cover cylinder located outside it; the lower end of the rotating cover cylinder is placed in a bearing mounting groove of the gear set housing and engages with the gear set housing via a bearing; the top of the rotating cover cylinder is provided with an air inlet, and a rectangular through hole with a length of one-quarter of the cylinder wall circumferentially is provided at the upper position of the cylinder wall; the outer fixed cover cylinder is fitted onto the outside of the rotating cover cylinder with a clearance fit, and an air inlet is provided at the top of the outer fixed cover cylinder along the vertical direction, with the air inlet of the outer fixed cover cylinder and the air inlet of the rotating cover cylinder aligned vertically and communicating; Four air outlet holes are evenly distributed circumferentially on the upper side wall of the outer fixed cover cylinder. The height of the four air outlet holes is the same as the height of the rectangular through holes on the rotating cover cylinder. A pneumatic quick-connector is connected to each air outlet hole. The four pneumatic quick-connectors are connected to the four air inlets through air pipes. A sealing ring is installed at the upper and lower positions of the rectangular through holes between the inner wall of the outer fixed cover cylinder and the outer side of the rotating cover cylinder. The two sealing rings form a sealing ring cavity, so that the gas input from the upper end enters the sealing ring cavity through the rectangular through hole and then exits through the air outlet hole.

7. The hawthorn picking and sorting vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The picking mechanism mainly includes two sets of longitudinal linear modules, a transverse support shaft, a T-joint, a cage-shaped picking cylinder, a cylinder support, an elastic connecting assembly, and a picking drive motor. The two sets of longitudinal linear modules are located behind the receiving assembly. They are positioned above the left and right sides of the belt conveyor and fixed to the upper end of the picking bracket on the vehicle body. The two ends of the transverse support shaft are connected to the sliders of the two sets of longitudinal linear modules via bearing seats and bearings, allowing the transverse support shaft to move in the front-to-back direction. The T-joint consists of an upper and lower bushing portion and a screw portion; the T-joint is connected to the middle position of the transverse support shaft via the bushing portion. The elastic connection assembly consists of a connecting post, a compression spring, and a lower cover. The upper end of the connecting post has an internal threaded hole, through which it is fixedly connected to the lower screw portion of the T-joint. The lower part of the connecting post has a spring mounting hole, in which the compression spring is installed. The lower cover is fixed to the lower end of the connecting post. The cylindrical support is generally in the shape of a flat bracket, with its upper end extending into the spring mounting hole of the connecting column, contacting the lower end of the compression spring, and achieving a lower limit through the lower cover; the cage-shaped fruit-collecting cylinder is arranged between the two parallel vertical walls at its lower part. One end of the cage-shaped fruit-collecting cylinder is rotatably connected to the corresponding short horizontal shaft of the cylindrical support through a bearing, and the other end of the cage-shaped fruit-collecting cylinder is driven connected to the output end of the fruit-collecting drive motor, which is fixedly supported on the other side of the cylindrical support; The cage-shaped fruit-collecting tube consists of a left side baffle, a right side baffle, and multiple elastic cage bars arranged circumferentially between the two side baffles.

8. The hawthorn picking and sorting vehicle according to claim 7, characterized in that: The debris removal mechanism is located at the rear of the picking mechanism and includes a 120° annular cutter, a blade holder, a moving cylinder, and a transverse linear guide mechanism. The transverse linear guide mechanism consists of upper and lower transverse guide rails and a slider connected to the two transverse guide rails. The upper and lower transverse guide rails are fixed to a frame on the vehicle body. The blade holder is fixedly connected to the front side of the slider, and the 120° annular cutter is fixed in an arc-shaped groove at the lower end of the blade holder. The center of the 120° annular cutter coincides with the center of the cage-like fruit picking tube at its initial rear position, and the blade diameter of the 120° annular cutter is larger than the outer diameter of the cage-like fruit picking tube. The moving cylinder is fixed to a cylinder bracket on the vehicle body, and its cylinder rod end is fixedly connected to the slider of the transverse linear guide mechanism. The moving cylinder can drive the slider, blade holder, and 120° annular cutter to move laterally, and during the movement, it can cut off hawthorn fruit stems, branches, and other debris hanging on the fruit picking tube.

9. The hawthorn picking and sorting vehicle according to claim 7, characterized in that: The dispensing mechanism comprises a vertical linear guide mechanism, a vertical movement drive mechanism, a horizontal movement linear module, two-finger cylinders, and two paddles. The vertical linear guide mechanism and the vertical movement drive mechanism are mounted on the front side of the upright frame on the vehicle body. The horizontal movement linear module is connected to the slider of the vertical linear guide mechanism and the power output component of the vertical movement drive mechanism. The two-finger cylinders are mounted on the front side of the slider of the horizontal movement linear module. A paddle is mounted on each of the two fingers of the two-finger cylinder.

10. The hawthorn picking and sorting vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sorting section includes a screening assembly and a waste collection assembly. The screening assembly includes a rotary screening cylinder, a feed hopper, pulleys, a sorting collector, and a rotating device. The feed hopper is an arc-shaped hopper, located directly below the debris removal mechanism and inclined laterally. It has perforations for debris to fall through. The rotary screening cylinder is located outside the feed hopper and connected to its lower end. One end of the rotary screening cylinder near the feed hopper is supported by two pulleys, and the other end is supported on a bearing seat. The support seat is fixed to the vehicle body, and the other end is connected to the rotating device for drive. The rotary screening cylinder consists of multiple sections with progressively increasing discharge gaps. The sorting collector is located below the rotary screening cylinder. The waste collection assembly includes a waste collection box and a fixed frame; the waste collection box is placed inside the fixed frame and is located directly below the feed hopper.

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