A Zanthoxylum bungeanum picking, drying and screening integrated machine

Abstract

This invention relates to an integrated machine for harvesting, drying, and sorting Sichuan peppercorns, belonging to the technical field of Sichuan peppercorn processing equipment. It consists of a vehicle body, a harvesting mechanism, a drying unit, and a sorting unit. The vehicle body is equipped with a tracked walking mechanism at the bottom, adaptable to complex field terrain. The harvesting mechanism relies on a large robotic arm, cylinder joints, harvesting blades, and a small robotic arm assembly working in concert. Mechanical claws secure the Sichuan peppercorn branches, and a collection hood completes real-time collection of the peppercorns. The drying unit adopts a microwave drying structure, with an internal spiral conveyor belt connecting the feeding and discharging structures, allowing for continuous and uniform drying of the harvested peppercorns. The sorting unit features a beating mechanism and a double-layer screening mesh structure, utilizing the difference in gaps between the two stages to efficiently separate peppercorn grains from branches, leaves, stems, and other impurities. This equipment integrates harvesting, conveying, drying, and sorting functions into a single, seamless operation process with a high degree of automation. It effectively reduces manual labor intensity, improves the efficiency of Sichuan peppercorn harvesting and processing, and is suitable for use in large-scale Sichuan peppercorn plantations.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of agricultural machinery, specifically relating to an integrated machine for harvesting, drying, and screening Sichuan peppercorns. Background Technology

[0002] Sichuan pepper, an important economic crop in my country, is both a traditional Chinese medicine and a spice. It plays a key role in the "numbing" flavor of Sichuan cuisine, which is characterized by its "numbing, spicy, fresh, and fragrant" taste, and enjoys a wide and stable market demand. Its cultivation is widespread, especially in Sichuan and other regions, where it has become an important local specialty industry, bringing considerable economic benefits to farmers. However, due to the specific uses and methods of harvesting Sichuan pepper, mature peppers must be picked in clusters. Furthermore, because they generally have short stems and thin oil sacs, improper handling during harvesting can easily cause the sac to crack, resulting in oil loss and turning them into "oil-damaged peppers" with significantly reduced market value. This places extremely high demands on the precision of the harvesting process. Currently, the harvesting methods for Sichuan pepper include: (1) Manual picking: Experienced pepper farmers can manually pick clusters of peppers, but the picking efficiency is low, the cost is high, and the hands are easily scratched by sharp thorns.

[0003] (2) Handheld robotic arms: These use blades for cutting, which avoids hand injuries, but they consume a lot of physical strength from the operator and do not significantly improve efficiency. For example, patent CN218277863U discloses a robotic arm for harvesting Sichuan pepper.

[0004] (3) Harvesting with large-scale machinery: Point-to-point harvesting using large-scale intelligent machinery eliminates the need for operators, but it is highly complex, overly reliant on intelligent recognition, and requires separate subsequent processes, making the processing steps lengthy. For example, patent CN 117501985 A discloses a pepper harvesting robot based on machine vision. Therefore, mechanized, efficient, and integrated large-scale operations are the development trend for pepper harvesting. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention proposes an integrated machine for harvesting, drying, and screening red Sichuan pepper trees, suitable for steep slopes and other terrains, with adjustable harvesting positions and heights. This machine allows for simultaneous harvesting, drying, and screening, simplifying the workflow and improving harvesting efficiency.

[0006] The above-mentioned objective of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solution: A red pepper harvesting, drying and sorting integrated machine includes four parts: body, harvesting mechanism, drying unit and sorting unit; The lower part of the vehicle body is equipped with a tracked walking mechanism; the harvesting mechanism is installed on the same side and rear of the cab on the vehicle body; the harvesting mechanism includes a large robotic arm, a cylinder joint, a harvesting blade assembly, a small robotic arm assembly, and a collection cover assembly, wherein the large robotic arm is connected to the vehicle body; The harvesting mechanism is supported by a large robotic arm and controls the movement of a cylinder joint; the cylinder joint is used to control the extension and retraction of the harvesting blade assembly; the small robotic arm assembly is connected to the lower part of the cylinder joint and is used to grip the pepper tree branches to be harvested by a mechanical claw; the collecting cover assembly is connected to and located below the harvesting blade assembly and is used to collect the harvested peppers. The drying unit is mounted on the vehicle body and located on the side of the harvesting mechanism. It includes a drying cylinder, a microwave drying section, and a tracked conveyor section. The conveyor belt of the tracked conveyor section is arranged in a spiral upward arrangement inside the drying cylinder. The conveyor belt outputs the dried peppercorns through a tangential extension on one side of the upper end of the drying cylinder. The tangential extension of the conveyor belt on the other side of the lower end of the drying cylinder is connected to the collection cover assembly through a flexible pipe to input the peppercorns. The sorting unit is mounted on the vehicle body, located on the same side and in front of the drying unit. It includes a beating mechanism, a two-layer screening section, and an end output component. The beating mechanism is located above the two-layer screening section and is used to beat the dried peppercorns to separate the peppercorns from impurities. The two-layer screening section is used to separate the peppercorns from impurities through two screening processes. It includes upper and lower screening screens, with the gap between the upper screen and the lower screen being larger. The end output component is located below the two-layer screening section and is used to collect and output the screened peppercorns.

[0007] In addition, a long hook is installed on each side near the lower front of the frame, and a short hook is installed above each of the two long hooks. The four hooks are used to hang the collection bag.

[0008] Furthermore, the harvesting blade assembly includes a telescopic blade rod, a blade drive motor, a concealed blade cover, and a blade head; the cylinder joint body is a three-axis cylinder, with its three axes fixedly connected to three telescopic blade rods respectively; each telescopic blade rod has a blade drive motor installed at its end, and the output end of the blade drive motor is directly connected to the center of the blade head; the blade head consists of a central part, multiple blade seats connected to the outer ring of the central part along the circumferential direction, and blades fixed to one side of the blade seats; wherein, the blades on one side of each blade seat consist of multiple blades arranged radially, with gaps between the blades; Each blade holder has multiple concealed blade covers arranged radially on one side where the blade is located. The outermost concealed blade cover mates with a guide extension on the blade holder, and the innermost concealed blade cover mates with a guide on the outer side of the center of the blade head. Adjacent concealed blade covers are guided by a concave-convex structure. Each concealed blade cover has a blade extension groove, and multiple concealed blade covers are fitted with multiple blades one by one through the blade extension groove. A return spring is provided between the side of each concealed blade cover near the blade holder and the blade holder. In the natural state, the blade is hidden in the blade extension groove of the corresponding concealed blade cover.

[0009] Furthermore, the collection hood assembly includes a support plate and a collection hood; the support plate has three holes that match the front ends of three telescopic cutter rods, and the three holes are used to connect and fix the three telescopic cutter rods; the collection hood is composed of an arc-shaped cover plate at the bottom and a tie rod frame connecting the two sides of the arc-shaped cover plate. The tie rod frame is triangular, and the upper rear end of the tie rod frame is hinged to the lower end of the support plate near both sides through two hinge shafts; one of the hinge shafts is connected to a rotation drive mechanism.

[0010] Moreover, the rotation drive mechanism includes two meshing gears and a cover-turning drive motor, wherein the driven gear is fixed on a hinge shaft on one side, the driving gear is fixed on the output end of the cover-turning drive motor, and the cover-turning drive motor is fixed on the back of the support plate.

[0011] Furthermore, the small robotic arm assembly includes a telescopic joint, a support arm, a robotic gripper, a translation cylinder, and a support arm rotary motor. A long slide groove is provided at the lower end of the cylinder joint's housing, extending parallel to the axial direction of the telescopic tool rod. A sliding shaft is slidably mounted within the long slide groove, and the sliding shaft is rotatably connected to the cylinder rod end of the translation cylinder. The translation cylinder is fixed to the lower end of the cylinder joint's housing, and the extension and retraction of the cylinder rod drives the sliding shaft to move along the long slide groove. One end of the telescopic joint is fixedly connected to the sliding shaft, and the other end of the telescopic joint is connected to one end of the support arm via a rotating shaft. The rotating shaft is connected to the support arm rotary motor fixed to the telescopic joint, and the support arm rotary motor drives the support arm to rotate around the rotating shaft, thereby adjusting the angle between the telescopic joint and the support arm.

[0012] Furthermore, the mechanical gripper is mounted on the other end of the support arm; the mechanical gripper includes three grippers, a gripper mounting base, and a gripper opening and closing drive cylinder. The gripper opening and closing drive cylinder is fixed to the end of the support arm, and a drive disk is fixed to the cylinder rod end of the gripper opening and closing drive cylinder. Three connecting ears are provided on the outer circle of the drive disk. The gripper mounting base is fixed to the periphery of the cylinder rod end of the gripper opening and closing drive cylinder, and consists of a central part and three radial support arms evenly distributed around the central part. Sliding grooves are provided on the three radial support arms. The three grippers are arranged around the circumference, and the rear ends of the three grippers are slidably connected to the sliding grooves on the three radial support arms through a roller shaft. The front ends of the three grippers constitute the clamping end. A mounting groove is provided in the middle of the three grippers, and the three mounting grooves are respectively for the three connecting ears on the drive disk to be inserted, and are connected in a rotatable manner by a pin shaft. When the cylinder rod of the gripper opening and closing drive cylinder extends, the mechanical gripper is in an open state; and when the cylinder rod of the gripper opening and closing drive cylinder retracts, the mechanical gripper is in a clamping state.

[0013] Furthermore, the microwave drying section includes microwave tubes and a ring-shaped microwave power supply. The microwave tubes are evenly distributed and installed on the inner wall of the drying cylinder and located in the outer space of the conveyor belt. The bottom end of the microwave tube is higher than the two conveyor belt through holes located at the bottom of the drying cylinder, and the top end of the microwave tube is lower than the tangential extension on one side of the upper end. The bottom end of the microwave tube is connected to the ring-shaped microwave power supply located outside the drying cylinder through a lead wire to realize the power supply of the microwave tube. The part of the conveyor belt located inside the drying cylinder is supported by a conveyor belt support, which is composed of a central support column and a multi-layer radial support structure connected to the central support column.

[0014] Furthermore, the two-layer screening section includes a sorting cylinder, an upper screening screen, and a lower screening screen. The sorting cylinder consists of an upper sorting cylinder and a lower sorting cylinder, which are fixedly connected vertically. An upper impurity discharge gap is provided circumferentially at the connection point for branch output. Both the upper and lower screening screens are conical screens. The upper screening screen is coaxially fixed inside the upper sorting cylinder, with its lower end extending to the area between the upper and lower sorting cylinders. The branches screened by the upper screening screen are discharged through the upper impurity discharge gap. The lower screening screen is coaxially fixed inside the lower sorting cylinder, with its lower end extending below the lower sorting cylinder. A lower impurity discharge gap is formed between the lower end of the lower sorting cylinder and the lower end of the lower screening screen. The branches screened by the lower screening screen are discharged through the lower impurity discharge gap.

[0015] Furthermore, the striking mechanism consists of a striking wheel, a wheel drive motor, a feed cylinder shell, a damping baffle, and a damping return spring. The feed cylinder shell is integrally fixed to the center of the top plate of the sorting cylinder. The space above the top plate of the feed cylinder shell is the striking working chamber, and the lower space is a conical material leakage chamber. A feed inlet is provided at the upper end of the feed cylinder shell, on one side of the striking wheel. The feed inlet connects to the end of the upper anti-flow groove of the conveyor belt to receive the peppercorns output by the conveyor belt. An arc-shaped mounting plate is connected to the lower end of the feed inlet inside the feed cylinder shell via a transition arc surface. The center of the arc-shaped mounting plate coincides with the center of the striking wheel. Multiple mounting slots are evenly distributed circumferentially on the arc-shaped mounting plate, and a damping baffle is inserted into each mounting slot. The side of the damping baffle away from the striking wheel is connected to the feed cylinder shell. A damping return spring is installed between the inner walls of the device. Under the elastic force of the damping return spring, the damping baffle extends from the inner arc surface of the arc-shaped mounting plate. The beating wheel is installed in the beating working chamber with the wheel axle set horizontally. The beating wheel is connected to the wheel drive motor through the wheel axle. The wheel drive motor is fixed on the beating motor bracket on the vehicle body. The beating wheel consists of a central part and blades evenly distributed around the central part. The blades are flexible blades, and the outer end of each blade is curved. When the blade rotates to one side of the arc-shaped mounting plate, the outer end of the blade forms a sliding contact with the inner arc surface of the arc-shaped mounting plate, beating the pepper bundle to separate the impurities from the pepper grains. During the downward rotation, the blades successively squeeze the damping baffle outward, realizing the feeding of the separated impurities and pepper grains after beating. The advantages and positive effects of this invention are as follows: 1. This invention, through the cooperation of the vehicle body, picking mechanism, drying unit, sorting unit and other mechanisms and the various components, can pick, dry and sort pepper trees with different growth structures within a certain space, realizing the integrated operation of pepper at the same time and making up for the defects of current market products.

[0016] 2. This invention is simple to operate and highly efficient. It does not rely solely on manual labor and can achieve automatic harvesting, drying and sorting under human supervision, which greatly saves labor and reduces costs.

[0017] 3. This invention utilizes the collision between clustered peppercorns and the concealed knife cover to expose the blade, thereby enabling the harvesting of peppercorns without damaging the leaves of the peppercorn trees, improving harvesting accuracy. Furthermore, the blade position is lower than the point where the peppercorns and the concealed knife cover touch, thus minimizing damage to the peppercorns and preserving their value. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the vehicle body structure of the present invention; Figure 3This is a front view of the harvesting mechanism of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a perspective view of the harvesting mechanism of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the blade head in the harvesting mechanism of the present invention; Figure 6 for Figure 5 A magnified view of a portion of the image; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram showing the installation and structure of the small robotic arm in the harvesting mechanism of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the mechanical gripper in the small robotic arm of the present invention; Figure 9 This is a front perspective view of the collection cover in the harvesting mechanism of the present invention; Figure 10 This is a perspective view of the back of the collection cover in the harvesting mechanism of the present invention; Figure 11 This is a reference schematic diagram of the non-connected state of the irregular flexible pipe of the present invention; Figure 12 This is a reference schematic diagram of the irregular flexible pipe connection state according to the present invention; Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the drying unit of the present invention; Figure 14 This is a diagram of the drying conveyor belt cycle of the present invention; Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the sorting unit of the present invention; Figure 16 This is a detailed drawing of the striking mechanism of the present invention; Figure 17 This is an external view of the sorting unit of the present invention; In the diagram: 1. Chassis; 1-2. Sorting unit mounting position; 1-3. Motor bracket; 1-4. Drying unit mounting base; 1-5. Harvesting mechanism mounting base; 1-6. Tracked walking mechanism; 1-7. Cab; 1-8. Long hook; 2. Harvesting mechanism; 2-1. Large robotic arm; 2-1-1. Lower arm joint; 2-1-2. Upper arm joint; 2-2. Cylinder joint; 2-3. Telescopic blade rod; 2-4. Blade drive motor; 2-5. Blade concealment cover; 2-6. Blade. 2-7. Reset Spring; 2-8. Small Robotic Arm Assembly; 2-8-1. Translation Cylinder; 2-8-2. Sliding Shaft; 2-8-3. Telescopic Joint; 2-8-4. Support Arm Rotary Motor; 2-8-5. Support Arm; 2-8-6. Mechanical Gripper; 2-8-6-1. Gripper Opening and Closing Drive Cylinder; 2-8-6-2. Gripper Mounting Base; 2-8-6-3. Drive Disc; 2-8-6-4. Gripper; 2-9. Support Plate; 2-10. Collection Cover; 2-10- 1. Arc-shaped cover plate; 2-10-2. Tie rod frame; 2-11. Driven gear; 2-12. Drive gear; 2-13. Cover tilting drive motor; 2-14. Camera; 3. Drying unit; 3-1. Drying cylinder; 3-2. Conveyor track motor; 3-3. Conveyor track; 3-4. Track support; 3-5. Microwave tube; 3-6. Microwave power supply; 3-7. Upper anti-flow groove; 3-8. Lower anti-flow groove; 4. Sorting unit; 4-1. Feed cylinder shell; 4-1-1 4-1-2. Conical discharge chamber; 4-1-3. Arc-shaped mounting plate; 4-1-4. Arc-shaped baffle; 4-2. Beating wheel; 4-3. Sorting cylinder; 4-3-1. Upper sorting cylinder; 4-3-2. Lower sorting cylinder; 4-4. Upper screening screen; 4-5. Lower screening screen; 4-6. Vibration module; 4-7. Damping baffle; 4-8. Damping return spring; 4-9. Wheel drive motor; 4-10. Upper waste discharge gap; 4-11. Lower waste discharge gap; 4-12. End output component. Detailed Implementation

[0019] 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.

[0020] Please see the following: A machine for harvesting, drying, and screening Sichuan peppercorns in one piece. Figures 1-17 The invention's main features include: a vehicle body 1, a picking mechanism 2, a drying unit 3, and a sorting unit 4. The specific structure and connection relationships of each part are as follows: 1. Body The machine body serves as its chassis, supporting and transporting other mechanisms to form a mating connection. For example... Figure 2As shown, the vehicle body includes a frame 1-1, four sets of tracked walking mechanisms (preferably triangular tracked walking mechanisms) 1-6 mounted on the lower end of the frame, a cab 1-7 mounted on the front left position of the frame, a picking mechanism mounting seat 1-5 mounted on the rear left position of the frame, and a drying unit mounting seat 1-4 mounted on the rear right position of the frame. A sorting unit mounting position 1-2 is provided on the front right position of the frame.

[0021] The machine's rotation and movement are controlled by a triangular tracked walking mechanism at the bottom of the vehicle, which is controlled from the cab. The vehicle body is divided into four parts: the cab on the front left includes a seat, steering wheel, throttle, and control panel, allowing for manual intervention of the harvesting mechanism; the harvesting mechanism mounting base is located at the rear seat; the drying unit mounting base on the rear right has a bottom-rounded structure for mounting the drying unit; the sorting unit mounting position on the front right has a hollowed-out bottom with holes for the collection device and a motor bracket 1-3 is installed. Two long hooks 1-8 are installed on each side of the front end of the frame near the lower part, and a short hook is installed above each of the two long hooks; these four hooks are used to suspend the collection bags.

[0022] 2. Picking organizations The harvesting mechanism is the one that works directly on the pepper trees; it is the first step after the machine arrives at its working position.

[0023] like Figures 3 to 10 As shown, the harvesting mechanism includes a large robotic arm 2-1, a cylinder joint 2-2, a telescopic blade rod 2-3, a blade drive motor 2-4, a concealed blade cover 2-5, a blade head 2-6, a small robotic arm assembly 2-8, a support plate 2-9, and a collection cover 2-10. The harvesting mechanism is responsible for harvesting Sichuan peppercorns. Specifically, the telescopic blade rod 2-3, the blade drive motor 2-4, the concealed blade cover 2-5, and the blade head 2-6 constitute the harvesting blade assembly; the support plate 2-9 and the collection cover 2-10 constitute the collection cover assembly.

[0024] Specifically: The bottom end of the aforementioned large robotic arm 2-1 is connected to the harvesting mechanism mounting base by being driven to rotate in a circumferential direction. The top end is connected to the cylinder joint 2-2 and controls the movement of the cylinder joint 2-2. The main body of the cylinder joint 2-2 is a three-axis cylinder, and its three axes are respectively fixedly connected to three telescopic cutter rods 2-3. Thus, the cylinder can control the extension and retraction of the telescopic cutter rods 2-3, and the bottom of the cylinder joint 2-2 is connected to the small robotic arm assembly 2-8.

[0025] Each telescopic cutter bar is equipped with a blade drive motor 2-4 at its end, and the output end of the blade drive motor 2-4 is directly connected to the center of the blade head. The blade head consists of a central part, multiple blade seats connected to the outer ring of the central part along the circumferential direction, and blades fixed to one side of the blade seats. Each blade seat has multiple blades arranged radially on one side, with gaps between them. On the side of each blade seat where the blades are located, multiple concealed blade covers are arranged radially. The outermost concealed blade cover mates with a guide extension on the blade seat, and the innermost concealed blade cover mates with a guide portion located on the outer side of the center of the blade head. Adjacent concealed blade covers are guided by a concave-convex structure. Each concealed blade cover has a blade extension groove, and multiple concealed blade covers are fitted with multiple blades one by one through the blade extension groove. A return spring 2-7 is provided between the side of each concealed blade cover near the blade seat and the blade seat. In its natural state, the blade is hidden in the corresponding blade extension groove of the concealed blade cover.

[0026] The support plate 2-9 is used to install the collection cover. Three holes are opened on the support plate to match the front ends of three telescopic cutter rods, thereby connecting and fixing them to the three telescopic cutter rods 2-3. The collection cover 2-10 consists of an arc-shaped cover plate 2-10-1 at the bottom and tie rods 2-10-2 connecting the two sides of the arc-shaped cover plate. The tie rods are triangular, and their upper rear ends are hinged to the lower end of the support plate near both sides via two hinge shafts. One of the hinge shafts is connected to a rotation drive mechanism. In this invention, the rotation drive mechanism includes two meshing gears and a cover-tilting drive motor. The driven gear 2-11 is fixed to one side of the hinge shaft, and the driving gear 2-12 is fixed to the output end of the cover-tilting drive motor 2-13, which is fixed to the back of the support plate.

[0027] The large robotic arm is divided into two parts: a lower arm joint 2-1-1 and an upper arm joint 2-1-2. The lower end of the lower arm joint can rotate horizontally about a vertical axis via a first servo drive module, while the lower end of the upper arm joint can rotate about a horizontal axis via a second servo drive module. The connection and drive of the large robotic arm can refer to existing robotic arm structures and are not the inventive point of this patent application.

[0028] The above-mentioned small robotic arm components 2-8, such as Figure 7 and Figure 8As shown, the device comprises five parts: a telescopic joint 2-8-3, a support arm 2-8-5, a mechanical gripper 2-8-6, a translation cylinder 2-8-1, and a support arm rotary motor 2-8-4. The telescopic joint enables translational movement. Specifically, a long slide groove is provided at the lower end of the cylinder joint housing, the extension direction of which is parallel to the axial direction of the telescopic tool rod. A sliding shaft 2-8-2 is slidably installed within the long slide groove, and the sliding shaft is rotatably connected to the cylinder rod end of the translation cylinder. The translation cylinder is fixed to the lower end of the cylinder joint housing, and the extension and retraction of the cylinder rod drives the sliding shaft to move along the long slide groove. One end of the telescopic joint is fixedly connected to the sliding shaft, and the other end of the telescopic joint is connected to one end of the support arm via a rotating shaft. The rotating shaft is connected to the support arm rotary motor fixed on the telescopic joint, and the support arm rotary motor drives the support arm to rotate around the rotating shaft, thereby adjusting the angle between the telescopic joint and the support arm. The mechanical gripper is mounted on the other end of the support arm. The specific operation is as follows: When working, the mechanical claw is in the open state. After determining the position of the pepper branch to be clamped, the large mechanical arm and cylinder joint make initial movements to facilitate the small mechanical arm to clamp it. Through the movement of the telescopic joint and the support arm, the tip of the branch is sent to the opening of the mechanical claw for clamping. After the mechanical claw clamps the tip of the pepper branch, the translation cylinder rod moves backward to drive the telescopic joint to retract to ensure that the branch is completely positioned, which facilitates the subsequent harvesting operation.

[0029] The aforementioned mechanical gripper, such as Figure 8 As shown, a three-jaw structure is adopted, including three jaws 2-8-6-4, a jaw mounting base 2-8-6-2, and a jaw opening and closing drive cylinder 2-8-6-1. The jaw opening and closing drive cylinder is fixed to the end of the support arm, and a drive disk 2-8-6-3 is fixed to the cylinder rod end of the jaw opening and closing drive cylinder. Three connecting ears are provided on the outer circle of the drive disk. The jaw mounting base is fixed to the periphery of the cylinder rod end of the jaw opening and closing drive cylinder, and consists of a central part and three radial support arms evenly distributed around the central part in the circumferential direction. The three radial support arms are provided with radially oriented sliding grooves. The three jaws are arranged in the circumferential direction, and the rear ends of the three jaws are slidably connected to the sliding grooves on the three radial support arms through a roller shaft. The front ends of the three jaws constitute the clamping end. A mounting groove is provided in the middle of the three jaws, and the three mounting grooves are respectively for the three connecting ears on the drive disk to be inserted, and a relatively rotatable connection is formed by a pin shaft. When the cylinder rod of the pawl opening and closing drive cylinder extends, the mechanical pawl is in an open state; and when the cylinder rod of the pawl opening and closing drive cylinder retracts, the mechanical pawl is in a clamping state.

[0030] When this harvesting mechanism is in operation, the large robotic arm 2-1 controls the movement of the cylinder joint 2-2, and at this time the cylinder is in a retracted state, delivering the small robotic arm assembly 2-8 to the vicinity of the pepper tree branch. Then, the small robotic arm assembly 2-8 works, first clamping the tip of the branch, thereby using the claw opening and closing drive cylinder to retract and position it for clamping. After positioning, the large robotic arm, cylinder assembly, and small robotic arm all remain stationary. At this time, the collection cover 2-10 rotates under the control of the support plate 2-9 until it reaches below the blade head 2-6 and is fixed. Next, the blade drive electric... Machine 2-4 drives the blade head 2-6 to rotate, and at the same time the cylinder starts working, slowly advancing the three sets of picking blades. It stops when the picking range reaches the end of the branch. During picking, the clusters of peppercorns hit the hidden blade cover 2-5. The hidden blade cover will retract upon impact, thus revealing the hidden blades, thereby picking the peppercorns. After the peppercorns are cut, the hidden blade cover will return to its original position under the action of the return spring, so as to make the next cut. The picked peppercorns will fall onto the collection cover 2-10 and slide down the flexible pipe fixed below the discharge port of the collection cover into the drying unit.

[0031] The pipe leading from the collection hood to the drying drum of the drying unit is an irregularly shaped flexible pipe. When not connected, its shape is as follows: the upper section is a large funnel shape, connected to the arc-shaped outlet on the collection hood by a hook; the middle section is cylindrical; and the lower section is a small funnel shape, also connected to the inlet of the drying drum by a hook. (See [link to relevant documentation]). Figure 11 After connection, the upper and lower sections fit snugly against the shape of the interface. See [reference needed]. Figure 12 .

[0032] In addition, a camera 2-14 is fixed at the lower part of the outer end of the cylinder joint housing to identify and locate the peppercorns to be harvested.

[0033] 3. Drying unit The drying unit is responsible for drying and transporting the harvested peppercorns. The dried peppercorns are dropped from a height into the sorting unit so that they can be sorted by gravity.

[0034] like Figure 13 and Figure 14 As shown: The drying unit includes a drying cylinder 3-1, a conveyor belt motor 3-2, a conveyor belt 3-3, a belt support 3-4, a microwave tube 3-5, a microwave power supply 3-6, and an anti-flow groove 3-7. Among them, the conveyor belt motor 3-2 and the conveyor belt 3-3 constitute the conveyor belt section; the microwave tube 3-5 and the microwave power supply 3-6 constitute the microwave drying tube section.

[0035] The drying unit is responsible for microwave drying the harvested peppercorns. Specifically, the drying cylinder 3-1 is mounted on the vehicle body. A tangential extension is integrally connected to one side of the upper end of the drying cylinder, forming an upper anti-flow groove 3-7. A tangential extension is integrally connected to the other side of the lower end of the drying cylinder, forming a lower anti-flow groove 3-8. Both anti-flow grooves prevent microwave leakage. The transmission track transmits power through the upper anti-flow groove and transmits power through the lower anti-flow groove. The transmission track is spirally arranged inside the drying cylinder in the vertical direction and is supported by a track bracket fixed inside the drying cylinder. The track bracket consists of a central pillar and a multi-layer radial support structure connected to the central pillar. The radial support frame supports the transmission track motor, enabling the transmission track to be spirally arranged inside the drying cylinder in the vertical direction. The input part of the transmission track in the lower anti-flow groove connects to the lower end of the flexible pipe, allowing the harvested peppercorns to be placed onto the transmission track. In addition, to achieve the circulation of the transmission track, two track through holes are provided opposite each other on the drying cylinder below the lower anti-flow groove, allowing the conveyor track portion located outside the drying cylinder to pass through. Conveyor wheels that mesh with the back of the conveyor track are provided outside the two track through holes. The conveyor wheels are driven by the conveyor track motor, which can drive the conveyor track to rotate in a cycle. During the rotation, the peppercorns are conveyed upward.

[0036] The microwave tubes are evenly distributed and installed on the inner wall of the drying cylinder, located in the outer space of the conveyor belt. The bottom of the microwave tube is slightly higher than the two conveyor belt through-holes, and the top of the microwave tube is slightly lower than the upper unloading trough. The bottom of the microwave tube is connected to a ring-shaped microwave power supply located outside the drying cylinder via a lead wire to power the microwave tube. The microwave tubes are used to dry the peppercorns as they are conveyed upwards along the spiral track.

[0037] 4. Sorting Unit The sorting unit is responsible for beating the dried peppercorns to separate the branches and other impurities from the peppercorns. Then, the peppercorns are screened by vibration to remove impurities and retain the peppercorns.

[0038] like Figures 15-17 As shown: The sorting unit includes a tapping mechanism, a sorting cylinder 4-3, and an end output component 4-12. Among them, the sorting cylinder 4-3, the upper screening screen 4-4, and the lower screening screen 4-5 constitute a two-layer screening section.

[0039] The tapping mechanism consists of a tapping wheel 4-2, a wheel drive motor 4-9, a feed cylinder shell 4-1, a damping baffle 4-7, and a damping return spring 4-8. The feed cylinder shell is integrally mounted and fixed at the center of the top plate of the sorting cylinder; the space above the top plate of the feed cylinder shell is the tapping working chamber, and the lower space is the conical material leakage chamber 4-1-1.

[0040] A feed inlet is located at the upper end of the feed cylinder shell, on one side of the striking wheel. This inlet connects to the end of the upper anti-flow groove of the conveyor belt, serving to receive the peppercorns output from the conveyor belt. Inside the feed cylinder shell, at the lower end of the feed inlet, an arc-shaped mounting plate 4-1-2 is connected via a transition arc surface. The center of the arc-shaped mounting plate coincides with the center of the striking wheel. Multiple mounting slots are evenly distributed circumferentially on the arc-shaped mounting plate, and a damping baffle is inserted into each slot. A damping return spring is installed between the side of the damping baffle away from the striking wheel and the inner wall of the feed cylinder shell. Under the elastic force of the damping return spring, the damping baffle extends from the inner arc surface of the arc-shaped mounting plate, preventing the peppercorn bundles falling from the feed inlet from falling. The striking wheel is installed horizontally within the striking chamber via an axle and is connected to a wheel drive motor. The wheel drive motor is fixed to a striking motor bracket on the vehicle body. The beating wheel consists of a central section and blades evenly distributed around the perimeter. The blades are flexible, with each blade's outer end curved. When the blades rotate to one side of the curved mounting plate, the outer ends of the blades slide against the inner curved surface of the plate, beating the peppercorn bundles to separate impurities from the peppercorns. During downward rotation, the wheel continuously pushes outward against the damping baffle, allowing the separated impurities and peppercorns to be discharged.

[0041] To prevent debris and peppercorns from being carried out during the upward rotation of the blades, an arc-shaped baffle 4-1-3, centered on the striking wheel, is connected to the lower part of the striking chamber on the side away from the arc-shaped mounting plate. The lower end of the arc-shaped baffle extends below the striking wheel. The outer ends of the striking wheel blades make sliding contact with the inner arc surface of the arc-shaped baffle. A material discharge port is formed between the lower end of the arc-shaped baffle and the lower end of the arc-shaped mounting plate, allowing debris and peppercorns after striking to fall into the conical discharge chamber.

[0042] The sorting cylinder consists of two parts: an upper sorting cylinder body 4-3-1 and a lower sorting cylinder body 4-3-2, which are fixedly connected vertically. An upper waste discharge gap 4-10 is provided circumferentially at the connection point for branch output. Both the upper and lower screening screens are conical. The material discharge gap of the upper screening screen is larger than that of the lower screening screen. The upper screening screen is coaxially fixed within the upper sorting cylinder, with its lower end extending to the area between the upper and lower sorting cylinders. The branches screened by the upper screening screen are discharged through the upper waste discharge gap. The lower screening screen is coaxially fixed within the lower sorting cylinder, with its lower end extending below the lower sorting cylinder. A lower waste discharge gap 4-11 is formed between the lower end of the lower sorting cylinder and the lower end of the lower screening screen. The branches screened by the lower screening screen are discharged through this lower waste discharge gap. A good waste removal effect is achieved through two waste removal processes.

[0043] The end output component consists of an upper and lower connected end material collection funnel and a material output pipe. The upper end of the end material collection funnel is fixedly connected to the lower end of the lower screening screen.

[0044] During operation, dried peppercorns are fed into the sorting unit via a conveyor belt. Damping baffles prevent the peppercorns from falling, while flexible blades on the beating wheels, driven by a beating motor, beat the peppercorns and damping baffles. The damping baffles protect the peppercorns from breakage to some extent, and they also retract under the action of the blades. The beaten peppercorns then fall onto the second-layer screening screen below, completing the beating process. Multiple damping baffles retract and reset sequentially under the beating of the beating wheels, completing the cyclical process. Impurities and peppercorn particles after beating pass through the upper and lower screening screens for secondary impurity removal. The removed peppercorn particles fall into the final output unit for collection and output.

[0045] Working principle of this integrated machine for harvesting, drying and sorting Sichuan peppercorns: Before using this integrated machine for harvesting, drying, and sorting Sichuan peppercorns, the machine should be driven next to the peppercorn tree to ensure that it is within the working range of the robotic arm. This allows the smaller robotic arm to grip the peppercorn branches under the control of the larger robotic arm, facilitating the subsequent harvesting process.

[0046] When the equipment is in operation, the small robotic arm on the harvesting mechanism identifies the tip of the pepper tree branch and drives the large robotic arm and cylinder joint, allowing the small robotic arm to accurately position the branch. The cylinder joint then drives the telescopic blade rods forward. The three telescopic blade rods and their connected blade heads form an arc-shaped working range. At this time, the blade drive motor drives the blade heads to rotate, thus performing the harvesting work. During harvesting, the blade heads are connected to the concealed blade cover by springs and are divided into five groups, each group operating independently. When a cluster of pepper trees hits the concealed blade cover, the blades under the cover extend under the spring force, thus harvesting the pepper trees. After harvesting, the pepper trees fall into the collection hood opened by the support plate under the force of gravity, and are then transported to the drying unit.

[0047] After the harvested peppercorns enter the conveyor belt at the bottom of the drying unit through the collection hood, the conveyor belt moves upward under the drive of the conveyor motor. During the movement, the microwave tube dries the peppercorns. The speed of the conveyor belt is adjusted according to the season of the peppercorns and the humidity of the day to ensure that the peppercorns are completely dried. When the peppercorns are transported to the top by the conveyor belt, they will enter the sorting unit for sorting.

[0048] After drying, the peppercorns fall onto the beating mechanism of the sorting unit on the conveyor belt due to gravity. The peppercorns briefly remain on the working surface under the action of the damping baffle. At this time, driven by the beating motor, the flexible blades on the beating wheel beat the peppercorns. Simultaneously, the damping baffle is also subjected to the beating force, compressing the return spring and causing it to retract. Peppercorns without the damping baffle then move with the flexible blades of the beating wheel and eventually fall into the second-layer screening screen below for further screening. Vibration modules 4-6 are installed in the screening screen, causing it to vibrate. The peppercorns and impurities undergo two layers of vibration screening. Impurities roll down the screening screen and are discharged through the gaps between the upper and lower layers, while the peppercorns, after two screenings, fall into the material output pipe and are collected in a collection bag.

[0049] 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 machine for harvesting, drying, and screening Sichuan peppercorns, characterized in that: It consists of four parts: vehicle body, picking mechanism, drying unit, and sorting unit; The lower part of the vehicle body is equipped with a tracked walking mechanism; the harvesting mechanism is installed on the same side and rear of the cab on the vehicle body; the harvesting mechanism includes a large robotic arm, a cylinder joint, a harvesting blade assembly, a small robotic arm assembly, and a collection cover assembly, wherein the large robotic arm is connected to the vehicle body; The harvesting mechanism is supported by a large robotic arm and controls the movement of a cylinder joint; the cylinder joint is used to control the extension and retraction of the harvesting blade assembly; the small robotic arm assembly is connected to the lower part of the cylinder joint and is used to grip the pepper tree branches to be harvested by a mechanical claw; the collecting cover assembly is connected to and located below the harvesting blade assembly and is used to collect the harvested peppers. The drying unit is mounted on the vehicle body and located on the side of the harvesting mechanism. It includes a drying cylinder, a microwave drying section, and a tracked conveyor section. The conveyor belt of the tracked conveyor section is arranged in a spiral upward arrangement inside the drying cylinder. The conveyor belt outputs the dried peppercorns through a tangential extension on one side of the upper end of the drying cylinder. The tangential extension of the conveyor belt on the other side of the lower end of the drying cylinder is connected to the collection cover assembly through a flexible pipe to input the peppercorns. The sorting unit is mounted on the vehicle body, located on the same side and in front of the drying unit. It includes a beating mechanism, a two-layer screening section, and an end output component. The beating mechanism is located above the two-layer screening section and is used to beat the dried peppercorns to separate the peppercorns from impurities. The two-layer screening section is used to separate the peppercorns from impurities through two screening processes. It includes upper and lower screening screens, with the gap between the upper screen and the lower screen being larger. The end output component is located below the two-layer screening section and is used to collect and output the screened peppercorns.

2. The integrated machine for harvesting, drying, and screening Sichuan peppercorns according to claim 1, characterized in that: Install a long hook on each side near the lower front of the frame, and install a short hook above each of the two long hooks. The four hooks are used to hang the collection bag.

3. The integrated collection vehicle for harvesting, drying, and screening Sichuan peppercorns according to claim 1, characterized in that: The harvesting blade assembly includes a telescopic blade rod, a blade drive motor, a concealed blade cover, and a blade head; the cylinder joint body is a three-axis cylinder, with its three axes fixedly connected to three telescopic blade rods respectively; a blade drive motor is installed at the end of each telescopic blade rod, and the output end of the blade drive motor is directly connected to the middle of the blade head; the blade head consists of a central part, multiple blade seats connected to the outer ring of the central part along the circumferential direction, and blades fixed to one side of the blade seats; wherein, the blades on one side of each blade seat consist of multiple blades arranged radially, with gaps between the blades; in each The blade holder has multiple concealed blade covers arranged radially on one side where the blade is located. The outermost concealed blade cover mates with a guide extension on the blade holder, and the innermost concealed blade cover mates with a guide on the outer side of the center of the blade head. Adjacent concealed blade covers are guided by a concave-convex structure. Each concealed blade cover has a blade extension groove, and multiple concealed blade covers are fitted with multiple blades one by one through the blade extension groove. A return spring is provided between the side of each concealed blade cover near the blade holder and the blade holder. In the natural state, the blade is hidden in the blade extension groove of the corresponding concealed blade cover.

4. The integrated collection vehicle for harvesting, drying, and screening Sichuan peppercorns according to claim 3, characterized in that: The collection hood assembly includes a support plate and a collection hood; the support plate has three holes that match the front ends of three telescopic cutter rods, and the three holes are used to connect and fix the three telescopic cutter rods; the collection hood is composed of an arc-shaped cover plate at the bottom and a tie rod frame connecting the two sides of the arc-shaped cover plate. The tie rod frame is triangular, and the upper rear end of the tie rod frame is hinged to the lower end of the support plate near both sides through two hinge shafts; one of the hinge shafts is connected to a rotation drive mechanism.

5. The integrated collection vehicle for harvesting, drying, and screening Sichuan peppercorns according to claim 4, characterized in that: The rotation drive mechanism includes two meshing gears and a cover-turning drive motor; wherein, the driven gear is fixed on a hinge shaft on one side, the driving gear is fixed on the output end of the cover-turning drive motor, and the cover-turning drive motor is fixed on the back of the support plate.

6. The integrated collection vehicle for harvesting, drying, and screening Sichuan peppercorns according to claim 1, characterized in that: The small robotic arm assembly includes a telescopic joint, a support arm, a robotic gripper, a translation cylinder, and a support arm rotary motor. A long slide groove is provided at the lower end of the cylinder joint's housing, extending parallel to the axial direction of the telescopic tool rod. A sliding shaft is slidably mounted within the long slide groove. The sliding shaft is rotatably connected to the cylinder rod end of the translation cylinder, which is fixed to the lower end of the cylinder joint's housing. The extension and retraction of the cylinder rod drives the sliding shaft to move along the long slide groove. One end of the telescopic joint is fixedly connected to the sliding shaft, and the other end is connected to one end of the support arm via a rotating shaft. The rotating shaft is connected to the support arm rotary motor fixed to the telescopic joint. The support arm rotary motor drives the support arm to rotate around the rotating shaft, thus adjusting the angle between the telescopic joint and the support arm.

7. The integrated collection vehicle for harvesting, drying, and screening Sichuan peppercorns according to claim 6, characterized in that: The mechanical gripper is mounted on the other end of the support arm. The mechanical gripper includes three jaws, a jaw mounting base, and a jaw opening / closing drive cylinder. The jaw opening / closing drive cylinder is fixed to the end of the support arm, and a drive disk is fixed to the cylinder rod end of the drive cylinder. Three connecting ears are provided on the outer circumference of the drive disk. The jaw mounting base is fixed to the periphery of the cylinder rod end of the jaw opening / closing drive cylinder and consists of a central part and three radial support arms evenly distributed around the central part. Sliding grooves are provided on the three radial support arms. The three jaws are arranged circumferentially, and their rear ends are slidably connected to the sliding grooves on the three radial support arms via roller shafts. The front ends of the three jaws form the clamping ends. Mounting grooves are provided in the middle of the three jaws, and the three mounting grooves are respectively for the three connecting ears on the drive disk to be inserted into, forming a rotatable connection via pins. When the cylinder rod of the jaw opening / closing drive cylinder extends, the mechanical gripper is in an open state; when the cylinder rod retracts, the mechanical gripper is in a clamped state.

8. The integrated collection vehicle for harvesting, drying, and screening Sichuan peppercorns according to claim 1, characterized in that: The microwave drying section includes microwave tubes and a ring-shaped microwave power supply. The microwave tubes are evenly distributed and installed on the inner wall of the drying cylinder and located in the outer space of the conveyor belt. The bottom end of the microwave tube is higher than the two conveyor belt through holes located at the bottom of the drying cylinder, and the top end of the microwave tube is lower than the tangential extension on one side of the upper end. The bottom end of the microwave tube is connected to the ring-shaped microwave power supply located outside the drying cylinder through a lead wire to realize the power supply of the microwave tube. The part of the conveyor belt located inside the drying cylinder is supported by a conveyor belt support, which is composed of a central support column and a multi-layer radial support structure connected to the central support column.

9. The integrated collection vehicle for harvesting, drying, and screening Sichuan peppercorns according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two-layer screening section includes a sorting cylinder, an upper screening screen, and a lower screening screen. The sorting cylinder consists of an upper sorting cylinder and a lower sorting cylinder, which are fixedly connected vertically. An upper impurity discharge gap is provided circumferentially at the connection point for branch output. Both the upper and lower screening screens are conical screens. The upper screening screen is coaxially fixed inside the upper sorting cylinder, with its lower end extending to the area between the upper and lower sorting cylinders. The branches screened by the upper screening screen are discharged through the upper impurity discharge gap. The lower screening screen is coaxially fixed inside the lower sorting cylinder, with its lower end extending below the lower sorting cylinder. A lower impurity discharge gap is formed between the lower end of the lower sorting cylinder and the lower end of the lower screening screen. The branches screened by the lower screening screen are discharged through the lower impurity discharge gap.

10. The integrated collection vehicle for harvesting, drying, and screening Sichuan peppercorns according to claim 9, characterized in that: The beating mechanism consists of a beating wheel, a wheel drive motor, a feed cylinder shell, a damping baffle, and a damping return spring. The feed cylinder shell is integrally fixed to the center of the top plate of the sorting cylinder. The space above the top plate of the feed cylinder shell is the beating working chamber, and the lower space is a conical discharge chamber. An inlet is provided at the upper end of the feed cylinder shell on one side of the beating wheel. The inlet connects to the end of the tangential extension of the conveyor belt on one side of the upper end of the drying cylinder, and is used to receive the peppercorns output by the conveyor belt. An arc-shaped mounting plate is connected to the lower end of the feed inlet of the feed cylinder shell via a transition arc surface. The center of the arc-shaped mounting plate coincides with the center of the beating wheel. Multiple mounting slots are evenly distributed circumferentially on the arc-shaped mounting plate. A damping baffle is inserted into each mounting slot. The side of the damping baffle away from the beating wheel is connected to the feed cylinder shell. A damping return spring is installed between the inner walls of the material cylinder shell. Under the elastic force of the damping return spring, the damping baffle extends from the inner arc surface of the arc-shaped mounting plate. The beating wheel is installed in the beating working chamber with the wheel axle set horizontally. The beating wheel is connected to the wheel drive motor through the wheel axle. The wheel drive motor is fixed on the beating motor bracket on the vehicle body. The beating wheel consists of a central part and blades evenly distributed around the central part. The blades are flexible blades, and the outer end of each blade is curved. When the blade rotates to one side of the arc-shaped mounting plate, the outer end of the blade forms a sliding contact with the inner arc surface of the arc-shaped mounting plate, beating the pepper bundle to separate the impurities from the pepper grains. During the downward rotation, the damping baffle is squeezed outwards to discharge the impurities and pepper grains separated after beating.

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