An automatic crayfish processing system based on visual identification and intelligent control

Abstract

The present application relates to crayfish automatic processing equipment technical field, especially a kind of crayfish automatic processing system based on visual identification and intelligent control, including visual detection module real-time identification shrimp body length and posture, and electric control system is accordingly intelligently adjusted into material positioning, shrimp line parameter, transfer path and shearing position, and material feeding device is realized posture regular by Y-shaped groove and double gripper;Shrimp line device adopts bionic gripper composite swing pulling action;Transfer execution integrated module integrates worm gear-four bar steering and scissors-gripper integrated execution end, realizes 90 accurate steering and transfer between workstations;Dial lever mechanism opens chelae and avoids interference;Shrimp gill removing mechanism is stripped shrimp gill by relative displacement of double-sided telescopic clamp block and shrimp body.The present application realizes the whole process integration automation operation of material feeding, shrimp line, shrimp gill removing, shearing shrimp head, less manual intervention, high processing efficiency, stable and reliable operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automated crayfish processing equipment technology, specifically to an automated crayfish processing system based on visual recognition and intelligent control. Background Technology

[0002] Crayfish is an important specialty aquatic product in my country. With the upgrading of catering consumption and the rapid development of the pre-processed food industry, the market has placed higher demands on the efficiency, consistency, and food safety of crayfish pre-processing. Currently, crayfish processing typically involves multiple pre-processing steps, such as removing the shrimp vein, gills, and heads. These steps are highly repetitive, labor-intensive, and require a high level of operational skill and processing quality.

[0003] Currently, most restaurants, canteens, and small-to-medium-sized processing facilities still rely primarily on manual pre-processing, which generally suffers from high labor intensity, low efficiency, poor process coordination, and insufficient processing consistency, making it difficult to meet the demands of batch, continuous, and standardized processing. Although some automated cleaning or single-process equipment exists, existing technologies often suffer from limitations such as limited functionality, cumbersome switching between devices, poor positioning accuracy, and difficulty adapting to the large differences in individual crayfish size and unstable posture, failing to truly achieve integrated automated operation of the entire process from feeding, removing the shrimp vein, removing the gills, and cutting the head.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for an automated processing system that integrates feeding, shrimp vein removal, gill removal, and head trimming, and has visual recognition and intelligent control capabilities, in order to solve the technical problems of high reliance on manual labor, difficulty in coordinating multiple devices, low processing efficiency, and poor adaptability in existing technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, the present invention aims to provide an automated crayfish processing system based on visual recognition and intelligent control.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: an automated crayfish processing system based on visual recognition and intelligent control, comprising a frame, and a feeding device, a visual detection module, a shrimp-pulling device, an integrated transfer execution module, a shrimp gill removal mechanism, a lever mechanism, a shrimp head cutting mechanism, and an electronic control system disposed on the frame;

[0007] The feeding device is used to straighten the crayfish's posture, clamp and position it, and move it along the conveying direction.

[0008] The visual inspection module is installed on the frame and located directly above the feeding device. It is used to collect images of crayfish entering the feeding device and to obtain crayfish length information and target processing location information.

[0009] The shrimp-pulling device is located downstream of the feeding device and is used to receive information acquired by the visual detection module and perform a compound pulling action of clamping, rotating and loosening, and pulling backward on the shrimp tail tissue.

[0010] The integrated transfer and execution module is located above the frame and is used to transfer crayfish between the shrimp vein removal station, the shrimp gill removal station, and the shrimp head cutting station, and to perform the crayfish's posture turning and shrimp head cutting.

[0011] The gill removal mechanism is mounted on the frame and is used to clamp and fix the crayfish's walking legs and gills, and to remove the gills by the relative displacement between the crayfish body and the walking legs and gills.

[0012] The lever mechanism is located upstream of the gill removal mechanism and is used to forcibly open and hold the crayfish's two claws apart.

[0013] The head-cutting mechanism is integrated into the execution end of the transfer and execution module and is used to cut the head of crayfish that have undergone gill removal.

[0014] The electronic control system is electrically connected to the feeding device, the vision detection module, the shrimp line extraction device, the integrated transfer execution module, the shrimp gill removal mechanism, the lever mechanism, and the shrimp head cutting mechanism, respectively. It is used to intelligently control each mechanism to complete the feeding positioning, shrimp line extraction, claw opening, transfer and turning, shrimp gill removal, and shrimp head cutting operations in sequence according to the information obtained by the vision detection module.

[0015] In some embodiments, the feeding device includes a Y-shaped feeding trough, a first gripper, a second gripper, a bottom guide rail mechanism, a lower fine-tuning guide rail, and a baffle plate;

[0016] The Y-shaped feeding trough consists of inclined side panels and an arc-shaped channel at the bottom. The two V-shaped openings at the top are used to accommodate the two claws of the crayfish, allowing the crayfish to slide into the trough with its head down and tail up in an inclined posture.

[0017] The first and second grippers are arranged facing each other on both sides of the opening of the Y-shaped feed trough, and are driven by servo motors to simultaneously clamp and fix the crayfish from the side of its body. The first gripper is used to clamp the crayfish's head, and the second gripper is used to assist in fixing the crayfish's body.

[0018] The bottom guide rail mechanism consists of a lead screw driven by a servo motor, which is used to automatically adjust the longitudinal distance from the bottom of the Y-shaped feeding trough to the gripper based on the shrimp body length signal fed back by the vision detection module, so as to adapt to crayfish of different sizes.

[0019] The lower fine-tuning guide rail is used to further adjust the position of the Y-shaped feeding trough so that the shrimp tail end protrudes by a set length;

[0020] The baffle plate is driven by an electromagnetic push rod and is used to extend and abut against the end of the crayfish tail after the crayfish are fed in, thus restricting the crayfish tail from curling up.

[0021] In some embodiments, the visual inspection module includes a MaixCAM-Pro visual inspection module and its communication circuit. The MaixCAM-Pro visual inspection module is vertically downward aligned with the feeding station to identify the overall length, claw posture and tail position of the crayfish, and transmits the specification signal to the electronic control system.

[0022] The electronic control system controls the bottom guide rail mechanism and the lower fine-tuning guide rail of the feeding device based on the recognition results of the vision detection module, and adjusts the overall moving distance and extraction parameters of the shrimp-pulling device.

[0023] In some embodiments, the shrimp-pulling device includes a mechanical bionic gripper, a gripper opening and closing servo motor, a gripper rotation servo motor, and a lead screw linear motion mechanism.

[0024] The mechanical bionic gripper is connected to the gripper opening and closing servo motor and is used to grip the middle part of the shrimp tail tissue connected to the shrimp vein.

[0025] The gripper rotation servo is used to drive the mechanical bionic gripper to swing left and right around the horizontal axis according to a set trajectory, so as to simulate the rotation and loosening action when manually pulling out the shrimp line.

[0026] The lead screw linear motion mechanism is driven by a stepper motor, which is used to drive the mechanical bionic gripper and servo motor as a whole to move back and forth along the longitudinal direction of the shrimp body;

[0027] The electronic control system intelligently adjusts the rotation angle of the gripper servo motor and the backward speed and backward distance of the lead screw linear motion mechanism based on the shrimp length information obtained by the vision detection module, and pulls out the shrimp line stably and completely through a combination of gripping, swinging and pulling actions.

[0028] In some embodiments, the integrated transfer execution module includes a lead screw guide mechanism, a worm gear-four-bar integrated steering module, and a scissor-gripper integrated composite execution end;

[0029] The lead screw guide mechanism is horizontally mounted above the machine frame. The lead screw is driven to rotate by a servo motor, and the slider drives the lower mechanism to be precisely positioned between each workstation.

[0030] The integrated worm gear-four-bar steering module is fixed below the slider. The worm is driven by a DC geared motor, and after being reduced by the worm gear, it drives the four-bar mechanism to move. Under single motor input, the composite actuator can switch between 90° rotation in the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0031] The integrated scissor-gripper composite actuator is rigidly connected to the bottom of the steering module and integrates a transfer gripper and scissor assembly.

[0032] In some embodiments, the integrated scissor-gripper composite actuator includes multiple pairs of separate claw blades and a scissor assembly disposed at the front end of the separate claw blades;

[0033] The multiple pairs of split claw blades are arranged at intervals along the length of the crayfish's body and are synchronously opened and closed by a geared motor through gears. This can not only stably hold the whole crayfish, but also effectively avoid the movement space of the feeding device's claws.

[0034] The scissor assembly includes curved scissors, a main shaft, a coupling, a bearing support assembly, and a scissor drive motor. The curved scissors are connected to the scissor drive motor via the main shaft, coupling, and bearing support assembly, and are used to cut the head of the crayfish while it is being held.

[0035] In some embodiments, the worm gear-four-bar integrated steering module includes a worm gear transmission pair and a four-bar linkage mechanism;

[0036] The worm gear transmission pair is connected to the four-bar linkage, and the four-bar linkage is connected to the scissor-gripper integrated composite actuator, which is used to drive the composite actuator to rotate around the preset axis, so that the crayfish changes from the vertical posture of the shrimp line removal station to the horizontal posture of the shrimp gill removal station.

[0037] The travel of the four-bar linkage is set to rotate the composite actuator by 90°, without the need for additional limit sensors and homing procedures.

[0038] In some embodiments, the shrimp gill removal mechanism includes a shrimp body positioning slide, double-sided telescopic clamps, and guide baffles;

[0039] The upper surface of the shrimp positioning slide is an arc surface that is high in the middle and low on both sides, which is used to support the crayfish body and allow the shrimp's legs to hang naturally on both sides of the slide.

[0040] Each of the two telescopic clamping blocks is driven by a geared motor through a symmetrically arranged linkage and slider mechanism to achieve a linear reciprocating motion of concentric contraction and outward opening. The clamping surface of the two telescopic clamping blocks is provided with a comb-like structure that matches the gap between the legs of shrimp, and adopts a modular and replaceable design.

[0041] The guide baffle is installed before the shrimp gill removal station to guide the shrimp claws to a higher position, thereby reducing the interference of the shrimp claws with subsequent gripping actions.

[0042] When the bilateral telescopic clamps contract centripetally to clamp the walking legs and gills on both sides of the shrimp body, the integrated transfer and execution module drives the shrimp body to move, and a stable relative displacement is formed between the shrimp body, walking legs and gills, and the walking legs and gills are pulled out as a whole.

[0043] In some embodiments, the lever mechanism includes a lever shaft horizontally fixed to the frame, and a pair of spreading levers are symmetrically hinged to the lever shaft;

[0044] Each of the two spreading levers is connected to an independent geared motor via a coupling at its rear end. The two geared motors rotate synchronously in both directions, driving the spreading lever to swing outward or return inward around the lever axis.

[0045] Each of the aforementioned spreading levers has an arc-shaped spreading claw at its upper end. The inner contour of the arc-shaped spreading claw is an arc-shaped groove that matches the outer arc of the shrimp claw. This is used to forcibly spread the two sides of the crayfish claw to the left and right sides of the shrimp body and keep them open, so as to avoid interference caused by the closing of the claw during the subsequent shrimp gill removal process.

[0046] In some embodiments, the electronic control system includes an STM32F407 main control chip, a motor drive module, a servo drive module, a power supply module, a button control panel, and a voice broadcast module.

[0047] The STM32F407 main control chip is electrically connected to the vision detection module, the button control panel, the voice broadcast module, the motor drive module, and the servo drive module, respectively.

[0048] The motor drive module is used to drive the lead screw guide mechanism, the scissor drive motor, the lever reduction motor, and the telescopic drive component.

[0049] The servo drive module is used to drive the gripper opening and closing servo, the gripper rotation servo, and the servo in the feeding device;

[0050] The voice broadcast module is used to broadcast the processing quantity, equipment operating status, fault status, and foreign object detection prompts;

[0051] The machine is powered by a safe voltage and is suitable for crayfish ranging from 70mm to 90mm in size, with a processing time of approximately 20 seconds per crayfish.

[0052] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0053] 1. Fully integrated automation: The four major processes of feeding, removing shrimp veins, removing shrimp gills and cutting shrimp heads are integrated into the same frame. Through a unified electronic control system, the various mechanisms are coordinated to operate continuously. Only manual loading and unloading is required, which greatly reduces human intervention, avoids switching between multiple devices, and significantly improves processing efficiency and consistency.

[0054] 2. Visual Recognition and Adaptive Intelligent Control: Based on the MaixCAM-Pro visual inspection module, the shrimp body length and posture information are acquired in real time. The electronic control system intelligently adjusts the feeding clamp position, the shrimp pulling line advance and retreat parameters and the transfer path, so that the equipment can adapt to crayfish of different sizes from 70mm to 90mm, improving positioning accuracy and process adaptability.

[0055] 3. Bionic composite shrimp line extraction action: The shrimp line extraction device simulates the manual process of extracting shrimp line through a composite action of clamping, left and right swinging loosening, and backward pulling. With the help of visual feedback, it can intelligently adjust the swing angle and backward speed to achieve stable and complete extraction of shrimp line and reduce the breakage rate.

[0056] 4. Integrated transfer and compact structure: The integrated transfer module integrates clamping and transfer, 90° attitude steering and shrimp head shearing into the same actuator. It adopts a worm gear-four-bar integrated steering module to achieve precise reversing under single motor input. It does not require additional limit sensors and zeroing programs, reduces the number of mechanism layers, reduces the space occupied by the whole machine, and improves the continuity of action.

[0057] 5. Efficient separation of chelipeds and gills: The lever mechanism forcibly separates and holds the chelipeds on both sides through the arc-shaped opening claws, avoiding interference caused by the closing of the claws during the gill removal process; The gill removal mechanism uses the comb-like structure of the double-sided telescopic clamps to cooperate with the shrimp body positioning slide, and achieves the complete removal of the gills through the stable relative displacement between the shrimp body and the gills of the walking legs, resulting in good separation integrity.

[0058] 6. Safety and Human-Machine Interaction Optimization: The whole machine adopts 24V safe voltage power supply, and is equipped with button control panel, voice broadcast and emergency stop protection function. It can broadcast the processing quantity, running status and abnormal information in real time, taking into account the safety of operation and the convenience of use. It is suitable for restaurants, canteens and food processing plants and other scenarios.

[0059] Details of one or more embodiments of this application are set forth in the following drawings and description to make other features, objects and advantages of this application more readily apparent. The embodiments of this application will provide a detailed description and understanding of the application. Attached Figure Description

[0060] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall system structure of the present invention;

[0061] Figure 2 for Figure 1 The diagram shows the structure of the feeding device.

[0062] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the shrimp-pulling device shown.

[0063] Figure 4 for Figure 1The diagram shows the structure of the integrated transfer and execution module.

[0064] Figure 5 for Figure 4 The diagram shows the integrated steering module consisting of a transfer gripper, worm gear, and four-bar linkage.

[0065] Figure 6 for Figure 4 The diagram shows the structure of the integrated scissor-gripper actuator.

[0066] Figure 7 for Figure 1 The diagram shows the structure of the shrimp gill removal mechanism.

[0067] Figure 8 for Figure 1 The diagram shows the structure of the lever mechanism.

[0068] Figure 9 This is a simplified diagram of the force analysis for the first gripper.

[0069] Figure 10 This is a simplified diagram of the force analysis for the second gripper.

[0070] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram showing the structure and parameters of the drive motor;

[0071] Figure 12 A simplified diagram illustrating the kinematic principle of a four-bar linkage;

[0072] Figure 13 A simplified diagram of the motion principle of a four-bar linkage from another perspective;

[0073] Figure 14 A simplified structural dimension diagram of a four-bar linkage;

[0074] Figure 15 A simplified diagram of the force analysis for the shearing mechanism at the shrimp head cutting station. Detailed Implementation

[0075] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0076] Example 1: Overall Structure and Working Process of the Machine

[0077] Reference Figures 1 to 8This invention discloses an automated crayfish processing system based on visual recognition and intelligent control, including a frame, and a feeding device, a visual detection module, a shrimp line extraction device, a transfer execution integrated module, a shrimp gill removal mechanism, a lever mechanism, a shrimp head cutting mechanism, and an electronic control system installed on the same frame.

[0078] The machine adopts a modular overall design, allowing each functional unit to be debugged independently or to work together to complete continuous processing. The equipment utilizes a multi-station linkage mechanism designed to mimic manual operation paths, combined with visual recognition, adaptive positioning, directional rotation, and integrated execution end structures, achieving continuous, standardized, and efficient key processes in crayfish pre-processing. In practical applications, the machine measures 1050mm × 885mm × 1000mm, weighs approximately 25kg, has a power output of 120W, an input voltage of 24V, and is suitable for crayfish sizes ranging from 70mm to 90mm. The processing time per crayfish is approximately 20 seconds, and the finished product integrity rate can reach 75%.

[0079] In terms of overall machine layout, the feeding device and the shrimp-extracting device are arranged coaxially along a first direction (such as the longitudinal direction of the frame), while the shrimp-gill removal mechanism and the shrimp-head trimming mechanism are arranged along a second direction. The first direction and the second direction intersect or are perpendicular to each other. The integrated transfer execution module is located above the intersection area of ​​the first direction and the second direction, and is used to realize the transfer of crayfish between the shrimp-extracting station, the shrimp-gill removal station, and the shrimp-head trimming station.

[0080] During operation, the operator first places the crayfish to be processed into the feeding device with their heads down and tails up. Under the unified control of the electronic control system, the equipment completes the posture adjustment and positioning before entering the shrimp-line extraction station. After the shrimp-line is extracted, the integrated transfer and execution module picks up the crayfish and transports it to the gill removal station, where the gill removal operation is completed through the cooperation of the steering mechanism and the leg fixing mechanism. Subsequently, the crayfish continues to the head-cutting station, where the scissor assembly integrated into the execution end of the integrated transfer and execution module performs targeted cutting. Finally, the crayfish body enters the finished product placement area, completing the entire pre-processing process. All modules of the machine operate continuously under unified control, ensuring the continuity of the mechanical structure's actions and improving the automation and practicality of the equipment in actual applications.

[0081] The entire machine is powered by a safe 24V voltage, resulting in low energy consumption. Its compact size makes it suitable for use in restaurants, canteens, and food processing plants. All modules connect via a unified interface, facilitating disassembly, replacement, and maintenance, while also improving the overall structural integration. The machine boasts advantages such as compact structure, low cost, low energy consumption, stable operation, and wide applicability, effectively improving finished product integrity and processing consistency while reducing manual labor intensity.

[0082] Example 2: Feeding device and vision inspection module

[0083] Reference Figure 1 , Figure 2 The feeding device is mounted on the frame and is used to correct the posture of the crayfish, clamp and position them, and move them along the conveying direction. The feeding device includes a Y-shaped feeding trough, a first gripper, a second gripper, a bottom guide rail mechanism, a lower fine-tuning guide rail, and a baffle plate.

[0084] The Y-shaped feeding trough consists of inclined side panels and an arc-shaped channel at the bottom. Two V-shaped openings at the top accommodate the crayfish's two claws, allowing the crayfish to slide into the trough head-down and tail-up tilted posture. The first and second grippers are positioned opposite each other on either side of the Y-shaped feeding trough opening and are driven by servo motors to simultaneously clamp and secure the crayfish from the side of its body. Specifically, the first gripper, used to hold the crayfish's head, is driven by a servo motor with a rated torque of not less than 2.0 N·m; the second gripper, used to assist in securing the crayfish's body, is driven by a conventional small servo motor.

[0085] The bottom guide rail mechanism consists of a lead screw driven by a servo motor. It automatically adjusts the longitudinal distance from the bottom of the Y-shaped feeding trough to the gripper based on the shrimp length signal fed back by the vision detection module, adapting to crayfish of different sizes. The lower fine-tuning guide rail further adjusts the position of the Y-shaped feeding trough, ensuring the shrimp tail protrudes by a set length (approximately 5mm) for subsequent shrimp line extraction. The baffle plate, driven by an electromagnetic push rod, extends after the crayfish is fed and abuts against the shrimp tail, restricting its curled-up posture.

[0086] The vision inspection module is mounted on the frame and located directly above the feeding device. It includes a MaixCAM-Pro vision inspection module and its communication circuit. The MaixCAM-Pro vision inspection module is vertically aligned with the feeding station to identify the overall length, claw posture, and tail position of the crayfish, and transmits the size signal to the electronic control system. The electronic control system controls the bottom guide rail mechanism and the lower fine-tuning guide rail of the feeding device based on the recognition results of the vision inspection module, and adjusts the overall movement distance and extraction parameters of the crayfish extraction device to achieve adaptive clamping adjustment for crayfish of different sizes.

[0087] Dimensional design and stress analysis of the feeding and positioning mechanism:

[0088] To address the processing challenges posed by the large size variation, complex shape, and unstable posture of crayfish, a force analysis of the two grippers was conducted to determine the torque requirements of the drive component. The equivalent normal pressure at the ends of both grippers was taken as... .

[0089] Force analysis of the first gripper: (as follows) Figure 9 As shown, based on the simplified force analysis diagram of the first gripper, the mechanism can be simplified into a planar three-bar linkage, and its main dimensional parameters are:

[0090]

[0091] The theoretical torque at the drive end of the first gripper is: In the formula, This is the perpendicular distance from the drive shaft to the line of force application. From geometric relationships, the effective lever arm of the first gripper can be obtained as: =88.18mm=0.08818m

[0092] Will Substituting, we get: =15×0.08818=1.323N·m

[0093] Take safety factor If the value is 1.5~2.0, then the rated output torque of the first gripper drive element should satisfy:

[0094] Therefore, the first gripper should preferably be a servo motor with a rated torque of not less than 2.0 N·m.

[0095] Force analysis of the second gripper: (as follows) Figure 10 As shown, based on the simplified force analysis diagram of the second gripper, the mechanism can be simplified into a planar multi-link mechanism, and its main dimensional parameters are:

[0096] The theoretical torque at the drive end of the second gripper is: In the formula, This is the perpendicular distance from the drive shaft of the second gripper to the line of force application. From geometric relationships, the effective lever arm of the second gripper can be obtained as: =2.29mm=0.00229m

[0097] Will Substituting, we get: =15×0.00229=0.034N⋅m

[0098] Take safety factor If the value is 1.5~2.0, then the rated output torque of the second gripper drive element should meet the following requirements:

[0099] Therefore, the second gripper can be a conventional small servo motor as the drive element.

[0100] The calculations above show that the first gripper is responsible for holding the head, requiring a larger driving torque; the second gripper is mainly used for auxiliary fixation of the shrimp body, requiring a smaller driving torque. The two grippers work together to achieve stable positioning of the crayfish, providing a reliable foundation for the subsequent process of removing the shrimp vein.

[0101] Example 3: Shrimp Deveining Device

[0102] Reference Figure 1 , Figure 3 The shrimp-pulling device is located downstream of the feeding device and is used to receive information acquired by the vision detection module and perform a compound pulling action of clamping, rotating and loosening, and pulling backward on the shrimp tail tissue.

[0103] The shrimp devein removal device includes a bionic mechanical gripper, a gripper opening and closing servo motor, a gripper rotation servo motor, and a lead screw linear motion mechanism. The bionic mechanical gripper is connected to the gripper opening and closing servo motor and is used to grip the middle part of the shrimp tail connected to the shrimp devein. The gripper rotation servo motor drives the bionic mechanical gripper to swing left and right around a horizontal axis along a set trajectory to simulate the rotational loosening action when manually removing the shrimp devein. The lead screw linear motion mechanism is driven by a stepper motor and is used to drive the bionic mechanical gripper and the servo motor as a whole to move forward and backward along the longitudinal direction of the shrimp body.

[0104] During operation, based on the crayfish length information detected by the vision detection module, the electronic control system intelligently adjusts the rotation angle of the gripper rotation servo and the backward speed and backward distance of the lead screw linear motion mechanism. Specifically, the lead screw linear motion mechanism drives the bionic gripper forward to the crayfish tail position; the gripper opening and closing servo drives the bionic gripper to close, clamping the tail tissue connected to the crayfish's intestinal tract; subsequently, the gripper rotation servo drives the bionic gripper to swing slightly left and right along a set trajectory, while the lead screw linear motion mechanism drives the gripper to slowly move backward. Through the combined actions of clamping, swinging, and pulling, the intestinal tract is stably and completely extracted from the crayfish body, effectively reducing the breakage rate.

[0105] Example 4: Integrated Transfer and Execution Module and Shrimp Head Cutting Mechanism

[0106] Reference Figure 1 , Figures 4 to 6 The integrated transfer and execution module is located above the frame and is used to transfer crayfish between the shrimp vein removal station, the shrimp gill removal station, and the shrimp head cutting station, and to perform the crayfish's posture turning and shrimp head cutting.

[0107] The integrated transfer execution module includes a lead screw guide mechanism, a worm gear-four-bar integrated steering module, and a scissor-gripper integrated composite execution end.

[0108] The lead screw guide mechanism is horizontally mounted above the machine frame. A servo motor drives the lead screw to rotate, which in turn drives the lower mechanism to precisely position itself between workstations via a slider. The worm gear-four-bar integrated steering module is fixed below the slider. A DC geared motor drives the worm, which, after being reduced in speed by the worm gear, drives the four-bar mechanism. With a single motor input, the composite actuator achieves a 90° rotation switch between the vertical and horizontal directions. The stroke of the four-bar mechanism is precisely set to rotate the composite actuator by 90° without requiring additional limit sensors or a zero-return program, simplifying the overall control system and improving the stability of the mechanism's operation.

[0109] The integrated scissor-gripper composite actuator is rigidly connected to the lower part of the steering module, integrating a transfer gripper and a scissor assembly. The transfer gripper includes multiple pairs of split claw blades, spaced apart along the length of the crayfish's body, and is synchronously opened and closed by a geared motor through gears. This not only provides stable gripping of the entire crayfish but also effectively avoids the movement space of the feeding device's gripper, preventing mechanical interference during the workstation connection process.

[0110] The scissor assembly is located at the front end of the split claw blade and includes curved scissors, a main shaft, a coupling, a bearing support assembly, and a scissor drive motor. The curved scissors are connected to the scissor drive motor via the main shaft, coupling, and bearing support assembly, and are used to cut the head of the crayfish while it is being gripped. This integrated design combines gripping and cutting functions on the same actuator, eliminating intermediate connecting rods and additional actuators, reducing secondary alignment steps, and improving structural compactness and operational accuracy.

[0111] Design principle of four-bar linkage: such as Figure 12 , Figure 13 , Figure 14 As shown, the worm gear transmission pair is connected to the four-bar linkage, which in turn is connected to the integrated scissor-gripper actuator. This actuator drives the actuator to rotate around a preset axis, causing the crayfish to change from a vertical position at the shrimp-line extraction station to a horizontal position at the gill removal station. This mechanism can achieve a precise 90° rotation of the gripper with a single motor input, ensuring the crayfish's head faces the target station. The worm gear mechanism features smooth transmission and high output torque, and when combined with the four-bar linkage, it enables reliable reversing.

[0112] Calculation of shearing force at the shrimp head cutting station: (e.g.) Figure 15 As shown, the scissor assembly at the shrimp head cutting station is driven by a symmetrical triangular linkage mechanism. The structure and force analysis are as follows:

[0113] 1. Horizontal pressure to the right It acts on the top hinge;

[0114] 2. Point A at the bottom provides a vertically upward thrust F, which is transmitted through two symmetrical connecting rods AB and AC;

[0115] 3. The included angle at the top hinge is 45.13°, therefore the included angle between each connecting rod and the vertical centerline is... =22.57°.

[0116] Core equilibrium equation:

[0117] Horizontal balance (top hinge):

[0118] Due to structural symmetry, ,therefore:

[0119] Vertical balance (point A):

[0120] Calculation of axial force on connecting rod:

[0121] Vertical thrust calculation:

[0122] In summary, when the top of the shrimp head-cutting mechanism requires a horizontal force of 15N, point A at the bottom should provide at least approximately 36.10N of vertical thrust. This result can provide a basis for the selection of drive components for the scissor mechanism and subsequent structural optimization.

[0123] Drive system selection: The drive motor in the integrated transfer execution module is a German von Haber 2342L012CR motor, with dimensions of 40mm diameter, 42mm length, 6mm output shaft diameter, and 35mm output shaft length. The main parameters of the motor are shown in Table 1 below.

[0124] Table 1 Motor Parameter Table

[0125]

[0126] Example 5: Shrimp gill removal mechanism and lever mechanism

[0127] Reference Figure 1 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 The gill removal mechanism is mounted on the frame and is used to clamp and fix the crayfish's walking legs and gills, and to remove the gills through the relative displacement between the crayfish body and the walking legs and gills. The lever mechanism is located upstream of the gill removal mechanism and is used to forcibly open and hold the crayfish's two chelipeds.

[0128] Lever Mechanism: The lever mechanism includes a lever shaft horizontally fixed to the frame, with a pair of symmetrically hinged spreading levers on the lever shaft. The rear ends of each of the two spreading levers are connected to an independent geared motor via a coupling. The two geared motors synchronously rotate forward and backward, driving the spreading levers to swing outward or return inward around the lever shaft. Each spreading lever has an arc-shaped spreading claw at its upper end. The inner contour of the arc-shaped spreading claw is an arc-shaped groove matching the outer arc of the crayfish claw, used to forcibly spread the crayfish's claws to the left and right sides of the crayfish body and maintain them, thus preventing interference from the mechanism due to claw closure during subsequent gill removal operations, and also preventing damage to the crayfish claws from hard contact.

[0129] The shrimp gill removal mechanism includes a shrimp body positioning slide, double-sided telescopic clamps, and guide baffles. The upper surface of the shrimp body positioning slide is an arc surface that is higher in the middle and lower on both sides, used to support the crayfish body, allowing the shrimp's walking legs to hang naturally on both sides of the slide. Each of the double-sided telescopic clamps is driven by a geared motor through a symmetrically arranged linkage slider mechanism, realizing a linear reciprocating motion of centripetal contraction and outward opening. The clamping surfaces of the double-sided telescopic clamps are provided with a comb-like structure that matches the spacing between the shrimp's walking legs, and adopt a modular and replaceable design, allowing the clamps with corresponding tooth pitches to be replaced according to the walking leg density of different batches of crayfish.

[0130] The guide baffle is located before the shrimp gill removal station and is used to guide the shrimp claws to a higher position, reducing the interference of the shrimp claws with subsequent clamping actions.

[0131] When the bilateral telescopic clamping blocks retract centripetally to clamp the walking legs and gills on both sides of the shrimp body, the integrated transfer and execution module drives the shrimp body upward, creating a stable relative displacement between the shrimp body, walking legs, and gills. The walking legs, along with the gills, are pulled out as a whole, achieving complete removal of the shrimp gills. This workstation has a compact structure and stable positioning, meeting the workstation connection requirements for continuous processing of the entire machine.

[0132] Example 6: Electronic Control System

[0133] Reference Figure 1 The electronic control system is electrically connected to the feeding device, the vision detection module, the shrimp line extraction device, the integrated transfer execution module, the shrimp gill removal mechanism, the lever mechanism, and the shrimp head cutting mechanism, respectively. It is used to intelligently control each mechanism to complete the feeding positioning, shrimp line extraction, claw opening, transfer and turning, shrimp gill removal, and shrimp head cutting operations in sequence according to the information obtained by the vision detection module.

[0134] The electronic control system includes an STM32F407 main control chip, a motor drive module, a servo drive module, a power supply module, a button control panel, and a voice broadcast module. The STM32F407 main control chip is electrically connected to the vision detection module, the button control panel, the voice broadcast module, and the motor drive module, respectively.

[0135] The motor drive module drives the lead screw guide mechanism, the scissor drive motor, the lever reduction motor, and the telescopic drive component. The servo drive module drives the gripper opening and closing servo motor, the gripper rotation servo motor, and the servo motor in the feeding device. The voice broadcast module broadcasts the processing quantity, equipment operating status, fault status, and foreign object detection prompts.

[0136] To improve the equipment's intelligence and reliability in practical applications, the electrical control system is equipped with functions such as automatic operation, single-step debugging, pause and reset, emergency stop protection, abnormal alarm, and fault reset. Operators can switch between different modes and set parameters via the button control panel, and the system can provide corresponding feedback and protection based on the operating status. The entire machine uses a safe 24V power supply, is suitable for crayfish ranging from 70mm to 90mm in size, and has a processing time of approximately 20 seconds per crayfish.

[0137] The OpenMV vision inspection module is installed above the feeding device to identify crayfish and detect their length information. The detection results are then transmitted to the STM32F407 main control chip. Based on the vision inspection results, the main control chip intelligently adjusts relevant parameters of the entire machine, such as adjusting the gripping position of the second claw of the feeding device, the overall movement distance of the crayfish-extracting device, and the extraction distance, thereby improving the equipment's adaptability to crayfish of different sizes.

[0138] To further illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, a complete processing cycle is described below:

[0139] First, the operator places the crayfish to be processed head-down and tail-up into the Y-shaped feeding trough, with the crayfish's two claws landing in the two V-shaped upper ports of the Y-shaped trough. The visual detection module captures images of the crayfish in real time, identifies its length, and transmits the signal to the electronic control system. The electronic control system then controls the bottom guide rail mechanism to automatically adjust its length, ensuring the clamping position matches the crayfish's dimensions. The first gripper, driven by a servo motor, grips the crayfish head, while the bottom screw guide rail moves the entire feeding device towards the working area, cooperating with the Y-shaped feeding trough to unfold and flatten the crayfish body, keeping the tail as straight as possible. The lower fine-tuning guide rail further adjusts the position of the feeding trough, allowing approximately 5mm of the tail end to protrude. The baffle extends to restrict tail curling, and the second gripper closes to clamp the crayfish body, working in conjunction with the first gripper to stably secure the crayfish.

[0140] After the feeding operation is completed, the linear motion mechanism of the screw drives the bionic mechanical gripper to move forward until it reaches the tail of the crayfish. The gripper opening and closing servo motor drives the bionic mechanical gripper to close, clamping the tail tissue connected to the shrimp vein. Subsequently, the gripper rotation servo motor drives the bionic mechanical gripper to swing slightly left and right along a set trajectory, while the linear motion mechanism of the screw drives the gripper to slowly move backward. The electronic control system intelligently adjusts the rotation angle and backward speed and distance based on the shrimp length information obtained by the vision detection module, and through the combined actions of clamping, swinging, and pulling, completely extracts the shrimp vein from the shrimp body.

[0141] After the shrimp vein extraction is completed, the screw guide mechanism of the integrated transfer module drives the transfer gripper to move above the feeding station, where it closes to grab the crayfish. The worm gear-four-bar integrated steering module is driven by a DC geared motor. Through the linkage of the worm gear and the four-bar mechanism, the crayfish is rotated 90° to a horizontal position. The screw guide mechanism then moves the transfer gripper to the lever station, placing it on the two combined levers, with the crayfish's claws naturally hanging down on both sides of the levers. The two geared motors of the lever mechanism start synchronously, driving the levers to swing outward around their axis. The arc-shaped levers forcefully open the crayfish's claws to the left and right sides of the crayfish and hold them there.

[0142] Subsequently, the screw guide mechanism moves the transfer gripper to the gill removal station. The guide baffle first guides the shrimp claw, raising it. The screw guide mechanism continues to move the transfer gripper, placing the shrimp body on the shrimp body positioning slide, with the shrimp legs hanging naturally on both sides of the slide. The reduction motor drives the double-sided telescopic clamping blocks to retract towards the center through the linkage slider mechanism, clamping the legs and gills on both sides of the shrimp body. The transfer gripper moves the shrimp body upward, creating a stable relative displacement between the shrimp body, legs, and gills, allowing the legs and gills to be pulled out as a whole, achieving complete removal of the shrimp gills.

[0143] After the gill removal operation is completed, the screw guide mechanism continues to move the transfer gripper to the shrimp head cutting station. It stops at the designated cutting position, ensuring the shrimp head is within the effective range of the scissor assembly. Driven by a high-torque servo motor, the scissor assembly in the integrated scissor-gripper actuator closes, performing a precise cut along the junction of the shrimp head and body. After cutting, the shrimp body enters the finished product placement area, and the shrimp head falls into the collection container below, completing one processing cycle.

[0144] The above embodiments merely illustrate several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent application should be determined by the appended claims.

[0145] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An automated crayfish processing system based on visual recognition and intelligent control, characterized in that, It includes a frame, and a feeding device, a vision inspection module, a shrimp line removal device, a transfer execution integrated module, a shrimp gill removal mechanism, a lever mechanism, a shrimp head cutting mechanism, and an electronic control system mounted on the frame; The feeding device is used to straighten the crayfish's posture, clamp and position it, and move it along the conveying direction. The visual inspection module is installed on the frame and located directly above the feeding device. It is used to collect images of crayfish entering the feeding device and to obtain crayfish length information and target processing location information. The shrimp-pulling device is located downstream of the feeding device and is used to receive information acquired by the visual detection module and perform a compound pulling action of clamping, rotating and loosening, and pulling backward on the shrimp tail tissue. The integrated transfer and execution module is located above the frame and is used to transfer crayfish between the shrimp vein removal station, the shrimp gill removal station, and the shrimp head cutting station, and to perform the crayfish's posture turning and shrimp head cutting. The gill removal mechanism is mounted on the frame and is used to clamp and fix the crayfish's walking legs and gills, and to remove the gills by the relative displacement between the crayfish body and the walking legs and gills. The lever mechanism is located upstream of the gill removal mechanism and is used to forcibly open and hold the crayfish's two claws apart. The head-cutting mechanism is integrated into the execution end of the transfer and execution module and is used to cut the head of crayfish that have undergone gill removal. The electronic control system is electrically connected to the feeding device, the vision detection module, the shrimp line extraction device, the integrated transfer execution module, the shrimp gill removal mechanism, the lever mechanism, and the shrimp head cutting mechanism, respectively. It is used to intelligently control each mechanism to complete the feeding positioning, shrimp line extraction, claw opening, transfer and turning, shrimp gill removal, and shrimp head cutting operations in sequence according to the information obtained by the vision detection module.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding device includes a Y-shaped feeding trough, a first gripper, a second gripper, a bottom guide rail mechanism, a lower fine-tuning guide rail, and a baffle plate; The Y-shaped feeding trough consists of inclined side panels and an arc-shaped channel at the bottom. The two V-shaped openings at the top are used to accommodate the two claws of the crayfish, allowing the crayfish to slide into the trough with its head down and tail up in an inclined posture. The first and second grippers are arranged facing each other on both sides of the opening of the Y-shaped feed trough, and are driven by servo motors to simultaneously clamp and fix the crayfish from the side of its body. The first gripper is used to clamp the crayfish's head, and the second gripper is used to assist in fixing the crayfish's body. The bottom guide rail mechanism consists of a lead screw driven by a servo motor, which is used to automatically adjust the longitudinal distance from the bottom of the Y-shaped feeding trough to the gripper based on the shrimp body length signal fed back by the vision detection module, so as to adapt to crayfish of different sizes. The lower fine-tuning guide rail is used to further adjust the position of the Y-shaped feeding trough so that the shrimp tail end protrudes by a set length; The baffle plate is driven by an electromagnetic push rod and is used to extend and abut against the end of the crayfish tail after the crayfish are fed in, thus restricting the crayfish tail from curling up.

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The visual inspection module includes a MaixCAM-Pro visual inspection module and its communication circuit. The MaixCAM-Pro visual inspection module is vertically downward aligned with the feeding station and is used to identify the overall length, claw posture and tail position of the crayfish, and transmit the specification signal to the electronic control system. The electronic control system controls the bottom guide rail mechanism and the lower fine-tuning guide rail of the feeding device based on the recognition results of the vision detection module, and adjusts the overall moving distance and extraction parameters of the shrimp-pulling device.

4. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shrimp-pulling device includes a mechanical bionic gripper, a gripper opening and closing servo motor, a gripper rotation servo motor, and a lead screw linear motion mechanism. The mechanical bionic gripper is connected to the gripper opening and closing servo motor and is used to grip the middle part of the shrimp tail tissue connected to the shrimp vein. The gripper rotation servo is used to drive the mechanical bionic gripper to swing left and right around the horizontal axis according to a set trajectory, so as to simulate the rotation and loosening action when manually pulling out the shrimp line. The lead screw linear motion mechanism is driven by a stepper motor, which is used to drive the mechanical bionic gripper and servo motor as a whole to move back and forth along the longitudinal direction of the shrimp body; The electronic control system intelligently adjusts the rotation angle of the gripper servo motor and the backward speed and backward distance of the lead screw linear motion mechanism based on the shrimp length information obtained by the vision detection module, and pulls out the shrimp line stably and completely through a combination of gripping, swinging and pulling actions.

5. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The integrated transfer execution module includes a lead screw guide mechanism, a worm gear-four-bar integrated steering module, and a scissor-gripper integrated composite execution end. The lead screw guide mechanism is horizontally mounted above the machine frame. The lead screw is driven to rotate by a servo motor, and the slider drives the lower mechanism to be precisely positioned between each workstation. The integrated worm gear-four-bar steering module is fixed below the slider. The worm is driven by a DC geared motor, and after being reduced by the worm gear, it drives the four-bar mechanism to move. Under single motor input, the composite actuator can switch between 90° rotation in the vertical and horizontal directions. The integrated scissor-gripper composite actuator is rigidly connected to the bottom of the steering module and integrates a transfer gripper and scissor assembly.

6. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The integrated scissor-gripper composite actuator includes multiple pairs of split claw blades and a scissor assembly disposed at the front end of the split claw blades; The multiple pairs of split claw blades are arranged at intervals along the length of the crayfish's body and are synchronously opened and closed by a geared motor through gears. This can not only stably hold the whole crayfish, but also effectively avoid the movement space of the feeding device's claws. The scissor assembly includes curved scissors, a main shaft, a coupling, a bearing support assembly, and a scissor drive motor. The curved scissors are connected to the scissor drive motor via the main shaft, coupling, and bearing support assembly, and are used to cut the head of the crayfish while it is being held.

7. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The integrated worm gear-four-bar steering module includes a worm gear transmission pair and a four-bar mechanism. The worm gear transmission pair is connected to the four-bar linkage, and the four-bar linkage is connected to the scissor-gripper integrated composite actuator, which is used to drive the composite actuator to rotate around the preset axis, so that the crayfish changes from the vertical posture of the shrimp line removal station to the horizontal posture of the shrimp gill removal station. The travel of the four-bar linkage is set to rotate the composite actuator by 90°, without the need for additional limit sensors and homing procedures.

8. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shrimp gill removal mechanism includes a shrimp body positioning slide, double-sided telescopic clamps, and guide baffles; The upper surface of the shrimp positioning slide is an arc surface that is high in the middle and low on both sides, which is used to support the crayfish body and allow the shrimp's legs to hang naturally on both sides of the slide. Each of the two telescopic clamping blocks is driven by a geared motor through a symmetrically arranged linkage and slider mechanism to achieve a linear reciprocating motion of concentric contraction and outward opening. The clamping surface of the two telescopic clamping blocks is provided with a comb-like structure that matches the gap between the legs of shrimp, and adopts a modular and replaceable design. The guide baffle is installed before the shrimp gill removal station to guide the shrimp claws to a higher position, thereby reducing the interference of the shrimp claws with subsequent gripping actions. When the bilateral telescopic clamps contract centripetally to clamp the walking legs and gills on both sides of the shrimp body, the integrated transfer and execution module drives the shrimp body to move, and a stable relative displacement is formed between the shrimp body, walking legs and gills, and the walking legs and gills are pulled out as a whole.

9. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lever mechanism includes a lever shaft horizontally fixed on the frame, and a pair of spreading levers are symmetrically hinged on the lever shaft; Each of the two spreading levers is connected to an independent geared motor via a coupling at its rear end. The two geared motors rotate synchronously in both directions, driving the spreading lever to swing outward or return inward around the lever axis. Each of the aforementioned spreading levers has an arc-shaped spreading claw at its upper end. The inner contour of the arc-shaped spreading claw is an arc-shaped groove that matches the outer arc of the shrimp claw. This is used to forcibly spread the two sides of the crayfish claw to the left and right sides of the shrimp body and keep them open, so as to avoid interference caused by the closing of the claw during the subsequent shrimp gill removal process.

10. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electronic control system includes an STM32F407 main control chip, a motor drive module, a servo drive module, a power supply module, a button control panel, and a voice broadcast module. The STM32F407 main control chip is electrically connected to the vision detection module, the button control panel, the voice broadcast module, the motor drive module, and the servo drive module, respectively. The motor drive module is used to drive the lead screw guide mechanism, the scissor drive motor, the lever reduction motor, and the telescopic drive component. The servo drive module is used to drive the gripper opening and closing servo, the gripper rotation servo, and the servo in the feeding device; The voice broadcast module is used to broadcast the processing quantity, equipment operating status, fault status, and foreign object detection prompts; The machine is powered by a safe voltage and is suitable for crayfish ranging from 70mm to 90mm in size, with a processing time of approximately 20 seconds per crayfish.

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