Apple picking device

Abstract

The utility model discloses an apple picking device which comprises a vehicle and a picking mechanism arranged on the vehicle. The picking mechanism comprises a vertical sliding table module and a picking unit, the picking unit comprises a transverse frame, a horizontal conveying belt device and a telescopic picking arm, the picking arm is provided with a picking claw and a machine vision system for analyzing the maturity and the position of apples to be picked, the transverse frame is installed on the vertical sliding table module in an up-down moving mode, and the picking arm is obliquely installed on the transverse frame in a horizontal moving mode; the picking arm obliquely extends upwards to lift picked apples, and the horizontal conveying belt device can receive the picked apples; the apple picking device further comprises a conveying mechanism, and the conveying mechanism comprises a vertical conveying belt device, a main conveying belt device and an auxiliary conveying belt device. According to the nearest distance picking principle, apple trees on the two sides can be picked, apple trees on the same side can be picked from a high area, a middle area and a low area at the same time, a plurality of picking claws are arranged in each area for picking, apples are conveyed by the conveying belt devices after picking, and the picking method shortens the picking path and is high in efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of agricultural equipment, and more specifically to an apple picking device. Background Art

[0002] In order to accelerate the development and promotion of advanced agricultural technology, my country has focused on increasing investment in the research and development of large-scale intelligent agricultural machinery and equipment, small machinery suitable for hilly and mountainous areas, and horticultural machinery. Mechanized harvesting is one of the keys to the modernization of agriculture and forestry. At present, mechanized automated harvesting has been achieved for the harvesting of rice, wheat, and rapeseed, which has reduced the pressure of harvesting and accelerated agricultural development.

[0003] However, for the picking of fruits, we still use the traditional manual picking method. Picking is a time-consuming and labor-intensive link in the fruit production chain. The cost of hiring pickers accounts for a large part of the operating costs of fruit farmers. Manual picking is inefficient and time-consuming, and the accuracy of judging maturity and picking needs to be improved. With the severe trend of population aging in my country, agricultural development is also facing the problem of aging workers. The lack of agricultural labor has led to the gradual increase in the cost of hiring agricultural workers. Mechanized picking is a good way to solve this problem.

[0004] In the apple-growing areas of Northwest, Southwest and Southeast my country, the terrain is mostly hilly and rugged, with fragmented planting, making it difficult to pick and transport apples.

[0005] Among some of the existing patent technologies, there are solutions proposed for apple picking, which are generally composed of a visual system, a multi-degree-of-freedom picking manipulator, and a walking mechanism at the bottom of the picking manipulator, and a collection frame is placed on the traveling mechanism. After obtaining the position of the apple through the visual system, the picking manipulator moves to the apple and picks the apple. Generally, the apple is grabbed from both sides of the apple to the middle and picked, and then placed in the collection frame. Since the picking manipulator grabs the apple from both sides to the middle, if one claw touches the apple first or the apple stalk is not firmly connected to the branch, the apple is easy to fall during the grabbing, causing the manipulator to fail to pick. Each time, the picking manipulator has to pick from the picking position, move to the collection frame position to place the picked apple, and then reset the manipulator, and then the system indicates to the next collection picture, and then pick the action. The process path of the manipulator is long each time, and the picking efficiency is low. For this kind of picking equipment, the program sequence path is still relatively messy when picking, and it is easy to fail. Many factors have led to the poor promotion and application of such picking equipment.

[0006] Therefore, it is necessary to design a device that can replace manpower to orderly pick apples, minimize the falling of fruits during picking, and effectively improve the picking efficiency, so as to reduce the heavy manual labor. Utility Model Content

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the utility model provides an apple picking device, which can realize automatic picking, with an orderly picking path, reducing the situation of apples falling during picking, and the path of a single picking process is short, and apples can be picked at multiple positions, which greatly improves the picking speed.

[0008] According to one aspect of the utility model, there is provided an apple picking device, comprising a movable vehicle and a picking mechanism installed on the vehicle, the picking mechanism comprising a vertical slide module vertically installed on the vehicle, at least one group of picking units installed on the vertical slide module, the picking unit comprising a cross frame, a horizontal conveyor belt device and at least one retractable picking arm, the top of the picking arm is provided with a picking claw that can be opened or closed, the cross frame is horizontally arranged and one end can be moved up and down and installed on the vertical slide module, the cross frame is provided with a horizontal slide module, the picking arm is inclined and can be moved left and right and installed on the horizontal slide module, the picking arm is inclined and extended upward, and the picking claw lifts and picks apples, the horizontal conveyor belt device is installed on the front lower part of the cross frame, and the horizontal conveyor belt device can catch the apples that fall after the picking arm is retracted, and the picking arm is equipped with a machine vision system to analyze the maturity and position of the apples to be picked. Thus, the picking claw can be moved in the Y direction along the vertical slide module, and can be moved in the X direction along the horizontal slide module on the horizontal frame. The tilted retractable picking claw can move in the Z direction, and the picking claw can be moved to the desired picking position. When picking, the vehicle is in the lane to the apple tree, and the picking arm moves from bottom to top in the Y direction, and the position in the Y direction does not move. The machine vision system obtains the image and analyzes whether there are ripe apples to be picked. If so, the position of the apples to be picked is analyzed and compared with the obtained Take the coordinate value of the apple with the shortest displacement in the X direction, calculate the distance that the picking claw needs to move in the X direction and the distance that the picking arm extends in the Z direction, and the picking arm extends the picking claw after moving along the horizontal slide module. The picking claw tilts upward and extends from the bottom of the apple to be picked to hold the apple together, which can reduce the situation of falling during picking, and the picking arm retracts to pick the apple; after the picking arm is reset, the apple is placed above the horizontal conveyor belt device, and the picking claw opens to release the picked apple, and the apple falls onto the horizontal conveyor belt device, and the horizontal conveyor belt device continues to complete the apple transportation work. The picking claw is a short-distance picking, and its path from picking to putting down is short, which greatly reduces the moving path of the picking claw and speeds up the picking efficiency; when the apples at the same height Y value are picked, the horizontal frame is moved upward again, and the moving distance is targeted at the apple closest to the Y direction, which can achieve the Y direction to follow only the nearest apple to pick, reduce omissions, and use this device to pick in an orderly manner.

[0009] In some embodiments, the picking arm includes a large arm, a synchronous belt linear module installed on the large arm, and a small arm, the synchronous belt linear module is provided with a slider, the end of the small arm is installed on the slider, the picking claw is installed on the top of the small arm, the small arm can be extended or retracted relative to the large arm, and the machine vision system is installed on the top of the large arm. Thus, the use of the synchronous belt linear module and the slider makes the extension or retraction of the small arm more stable, and the transmission accuracy is higher and the speed is faster, so as to achieve high-precision and high-efficiency picking of target apples.

[0010] In some embodiments, a plurality of evenly distributed lighting devices are provided on the outside of the horizontal conveyor belt device, thereby providing a sufficient lighting environment to improve the accuracy of the machine vision system during nighttime operation, and to enable picking work to be performed at night.

[0011] In some embodiments, the picking mechanism is provided with three groups of picking units, which are installed on the vertical slide module from bottom to top to perform picking at three positions: low, medium and high. Therefore, in order to improve the picking efficiency, the picking is divided into regions in height, and there are three picking units on the same side, which can simultaneously pick materials in the three regions of high, medium and low. The horizontal frame of each picking unit starts from the lowest position in the area it is responsible for, and then gradually moves upward.

[0012] In some embodiments, the apple picking device also includes a conveying mechanism, which includes a vertical conveyor belt device, a main conveyor belt device and an auxiliary conveyor belt device. The vertical conveyor belt device is vertically installed on the vehicle and is located on the side of the vertical slide module. The horizontal conveyor belt device of each group of picking units is provided with a conversion connection port on the side of the vertical conveyor belt device. The conversion connection port is located on the front side of the vertical conveyor belt device. The three conversion connection ports are staggered in the upper, middle and lower positions. The vertical conveyor belt device is correspondingly provided with three conveyor grid belts. Each conveyor grid belt has a plurality of grids evenly distributed on it. The three conveyor grid belts correspond to a conversion connection port respectively. The main conveyor belt device is located on the other side of the vertical conveyor belt device and is close to the vertical conveyor belt device to catch the apples on the vertical conveyor belt device. One end of the main conveyor belt device extends to the top of the auxiliary conveyor belt device. A collection frame is placed below one end of the auxiliary conveyor belt device. Thus, the apples are transported to the conversion connection on the side through the horizontal conveyor belt device, and are transported in turn through the vertical conveyor belt device, the main conveyor belt device, and the auxiliary conveyor belt device, and are finally collected in the collection frame; the three rows of high, medium and low picking units are all equipped with conversion connections, and the vertical conveyor belt device has three conveyor grid belts in the vertical direction, which correspond to the three conversion connections respectively. In this way, the picked apples can be smoothly transferred to the vertical conveyor belt device in a staggered and orderly manner.

[0013] In some embodiments, a rubber closure cover is provided at the upper part of the vertical conveyor belt device located on one side of the main conveyor belt device, the lower part of the rubber closure cover extends to the upper part of the main conveyor belt device, a guide slope is provided at the end of the rubber closure cover, and a discharge port is provided on the rubber closure cover above the guide slope. Therefore, when the apples are transported to the top position by the vertical conveyor belt device, the apples need to be turned over due to their own weight, and a limited space is formed between the rubber closure cover and the vertical conveyor belt device. The rubber closure cover can prevent the apples from rolling down or escaping from the vertical conveyor belt device, which is conducive to slowing down the sliding and protecting the apples, ensuring that the apples can continue to be transported downward on the vertical conveyor belt device after turning over, and the apples roll out of the discharge port when they reach the guide slope, and transition to the main conveyor belt device through the guide slope.

[0014] In some embodiments, a picking mechanism is provided on both sides of the main conveyor belt device, and each group of picking mechanisms has a vertical slide module and a picking unit. The picking unit is located on the side of the vertical slide module away from the main conveyor belt device. The side of each vertical slide module is provided with an independent vertical conveyor belt device, and the running direction of the two vertical conveyor belt devices on the side of the main conveyor belt device is downward. Therefore, when the vehicle moves between two rows of apple trees, since the left and right sides of the vehicle have picking mechanisms, the two rows of apple trees can be picked at the same time, which greatly improves the picking efficiency. The picking mechanisms on the left and right sides use the same set of main conveyor belt devices and auxiliary conveyor belt devices. After the apples on the apple trees on both sides are picked, they are first transported by their respective horizontal conveyor belt devices, and then the apples are transported to their respective vertical conveyor belt devices through the conversion interface. With the transportation of the vertical conveyor belt device, the apples are transported to the other side of the vertical conveyor belt device, and then fall onto the main conveyor belt device, and are transported to the auxiliary conveyor belt device by the main conveyor belt device, which improves the picking efficiency while reducing the equipment cost and saving the space for component layout.

[0015] In some embodiments, two groups of auxiliary conveyor belt devices are provided, and the two groups of auxiliary conveyor belt devices are arranged in a straight line, and the connection point of the two groups of auxiliary conveyor belt devices is located below the middle position of the main conveyor belt device. The two groups of auxiliary conveyor belt devices run in opposite directions to transport apples to the outer ends of both sides. Two collection frames are provided and are respectively located below the outer ends of the auxiliary conveyor belt devices. As a result, the apples picked from both sides can be diverted to the left and right groups of auxiliary conveyor belt devices to avoid centralized transportation and reduce the pressure on subsequent sorting and removing personnel. The apples are dispersed to the two groups of auxiliary conveyor belt devices and transported to both sides respectively. One side can be equipped with a separate operator to remove broken branches and unqualified products. If no personnel are assigned to directly access the collection frame, then the two collection frames can also reduce the number of times the collection frame is transferred.

[0016] In some embodiments, each group of the horizontal frames is equipped with two picking arms, which are separately arranged and start at one end of the vertical slide module and the middle position of the horizontal frame, respectively. The two picking arms are each responsible for half of the displacement range in the horizontal direction. Thus, in the horizontal direction, the two picking arms are used to simultaneously pick fruits at two positions in the horizontal direction. The two picking arms are separately arranged and each is responsible for a general picking range, which can avoid interference. After the two picking arms have completed the picking stroke at the same height, the horizontal frame will move upward.

[0017] The advantages of the utility model are: the utility model is cleverly designed, the picking path is reasonably designed, the shortest distance picking principle is followed in both the X direction and the Y direction, and the apples are transported in sequence by the horizontal conveyor belt device, the vertical conveyor belt device, the main conveyor belt device, and the auxiliary conveyor belt device after the picking claws pick the apples. Compared with the mechanical hand picking placement proposed in the prior art, the apple picking device provided by the utility model is used for picking, which shortens the picking path and greatly improves the picking efficiency; the apple picking device can pick apples on both sides at the same time, and the picking on the same side can be carried out from three areas of high, medium and low at the same time, and each area can be picked with multiple picking arms and picking claws at the same time, and the efficiency is very high. The application of the apple picking device realizes the automatic picking of apples and greatly reduces the labor demand. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of an apple picking device of the utility model;

[0019] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The main view of

[0020] Figure 3 It is a structural diagram of the picking mechanism;

[0021] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the picking unit installed on the vertical slide module;

[0022] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a picking unit;

[0023] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the structure when the picking arm is extended;

[0024] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the structure when the picking arm is retracted;

[0025] Figure 8 This is the installation diagram of the picking arm and the horizontal slide module;

[0026] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the installation of the rubber sealing cover and the vertical conveyor belt device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The utility model is further described below in conjunction with specific implementation methods.

[0028] like Figure 1 As shown, an apple picking device according to one embodiment of the utility model comprises a movable vehicle 1 and a picking mechanism installed on the vehicle 1 .

[0029] Specifically, the picking mechanism includes a vertical slide module 2 vertically mounted on the vehicle 1, and at least one group of picking units 3 mounted on the vertical slide module 2. The picking unit 3 includes a horizontal frame 31, a horizontal conveyor belt device 32 and at least one retractable picking arm 33. The top of each picking arm 33 has a picking claw 34 that can be opened or closed. The picking claw 34 is a six-claw head, and the claw end of the picking claw 34 has a rubber block (not shown) to avoid crushing the apples during picking. Figure 3 and 4 As shown, the horizontal frame 31 is horizontally arranged and one end of the horizontal frame 31 can be moved up and down and installed on the vertical slide module 2. The vertical slide module 2 specifically includes a vertical slide rail 21, a rack 22 provided on one side of the slide rail 21, a gear 23 meshing with the rack 22, a slider 24 matching the vertical slide rail 21, a vertical slide 25 installed on the slider 24, and a motor 26 for controlling the rotation of the gear 23. The end of the horizontal frame 31 is fixed to the vertical slide 25. Each picking unit 3 can move independently and has a separate motor 26, a vertical slide 25 and a gear 23. The motor 26 drives the gear 23 to rotate, and the gear 23 meshes with the rack 22 to achieve the up and down movement of the horizontal frame 31. A horizontal slide module 36 is installed in the horizontal frame 31, and the picking arm 33 is inclined and can be moved left and right and installed on the horizontal slide module 36. As shown Figure 5 and 8 As shown, the horizontal slide module 36 includes a horizontal slide rail 361, a rack 362 arranged on one side of the horizontal slide rail 361, a gear 363 meshed with the rack 362, a slider 364 matched with the horizontal slide rail 361, a horizontal slide 365 installed on the slider 364, and a motor 366 connected to the gear 363. The picking arm 33 is installed on the horizontal slide 365. Each picking arm 33 can move independently, and has an independent motor 366, a horizontal slide 365 and a gear 363. The motor 366 drives the gear 363 to rotate, and the gear 363 meshes with the rack 362 to realize the left and right movement of the picking arm 33 in the horizontal direction. The picking arm 33 extends upward at an angle, and the picking claw 34 is used to lift and pick apples. The horizontal conveyor belt device 32 is installed at the front lower part of the horizontal frame 31. When the picking arm 33 retracts, the horizontal conveyor belt device 32 can catch the fallen apples. A machine vision system 35 is disposed on the picking arm 33 to analyze the maturity and position of the apples to be picked.

[0030] The picking claw 34 can be moved in the Y direction along the vertical slide module 2, and can be moved in the X direction along the horizontal slide module 36 on the cross frame 31. The tilted retractable picking claw 34 can move in the Z direction, and the picking claw 34 can be moved to the desired picking position.

[0031] like Figure 6 and 7 As shown, the picking arm 33 specifically includes an upper arm 333, a synchronous belt linear module 332 installed on the upper arm 333, and a small arm 331. The synchronous belt linear module 332 has a slide rail 3321, a synchronous belt, a driving member 3323, etc. The slide rail 3321 is provided with a slider 3322, the end of the small arm 331 is installed on the slider 3322, the picking claw 34 is installed on the top of the small arm 331, the small arm 331 can be extended or retracted relative to the upper arm 333, and the machine vision system 35 is installed on the top of the upper arm 333. The use of the synchronous belt linear module 332 and the slider makes the extension or retraction of the small arm 331 more stable, and the transmission accuracy is higher and the speed is faster, so as to achieve high-precision and high-efficiency picking of target apples.

[0032] like Figure 1 As shown, a plurality of evenly distributed lighting devices 37 are provided on the outside of the horizontal conveyor belt device 32, so that a sufficient lighting environment can be provided to improve the accuracy of the machine vision system 35 during nighttime operations, so that picking work can be performed at night or on cloudy days, thereby speeding up the picking progress.

[0033] Each group of picking mechanisms has three groups of picking units 3, which are installed on the vertical slide module 2 from bottom to top, and each group of picking units 3 can move independently along the vertical slide module 2, so as to pick apples at three positions of low, middle and high. In the utility model, the three picking units 3 on the same side are responsible for picking apples in three height areas respectively, the lower picking unit 3 is responsible for picking apples in the range below 1.2 meters, the middle picking unit 3 is responsible for picking apples in the range of 1.2 meters to 2.4 meters, and the upper picking unit 3 is responsible for picking apples in the range above 2.4 meters.

[0034] The three picking units 3 all start picking at the lowest point in their respective areas of responsibility, that is, at the point where the Y value is the smallest. After the apples at the lowest Y value are picked, each picking unit 3 will gradually move upward, that is, gradually increase the Y value, and the moving distance is based on the apple closest to the calculated Y direction, so that only the apple closest to the Y direction is always picked, avoiding omissions. This cycle repeats until all apples in the current picking area are picked. The device can then move to the next picking area to perform the above picking work.

[0035] like Figure 3As shown, each group of horizontal frames 31 is equipped with two picking arms 33, and the two picking arms 33 are separately arranged, and the starting positions of the two picking arms 33 are respectively close to one end of the vertical slide module 2 and the middle position of the horizontal frame 31. The two picking arms 33 can move independently, and each is responsible for half of the displacement range in the horizontal direction. In the horizontal direction, the two picking arms 33 are used to pick at two positions in the horizontal direction at the same time. The two picking arms 33 are separately arranged, each responsible for a general picking range, which can avoid interference. After the two picking arms 33 have completed the picking journey at the same height, the horizontal frame 31 will move upward. The machine vision system 35 has data memory and comparison functions. From the picture collected at the previous height, the height position of the apple closest to the Y direction can be analyzed, thereby determining the distance that the horizontal frame 31 moves upward. The horizontal frame 31 moves with the apple closest to the Y direction as the target. If within this height, the machine vision system 35 is unable to capture an apple that is a little higher in the Y direction than the last capture, we will impose a certain distance limit on the next movement distance of the picking unit 3 in the system program, and the maximum upward movement distance shall not exceed one common apple diameter. If pickable apples are detected during the upward movement, the machine will immediately calculate the required distance and stop moving upward to start picking. If no pickable apples are detected within the upward movement distance of one apple diameter, the two picking arms 33 will perform a cycle of movement within their respective movement ranges to avoid missing apples. After confirmation, they will continue to move upward.

[0036] like Figure 1 and 2 As shown, the apple picking device also includes a conveying mechanism for transferring and collecting apples. Specifically, the conveying mechanism includes a vertical conveyor belt device 4, a main conveyor belt device 5 and an auxiliary conveyor belt device 6. The vertical conveyor belt device 4 is vertically installed on the vehicle 1 and is located on the side of the vertical slide module 2. On the side of the horizontal conveyor belt device 32 close to the vertical conveyor belt device 4, each horizontal conveyor belt device 32 is installed with a conversion connection port 321, and the conversion connection port 321 is located on the front side of the vertical conveyor belt device 4. The conversion connection port 321 is open at the top and has an opening 3211 formed toward the vertical conveyor belt device 4. The main conveyor belt device 5 is located on the other side of the vertical conveyor belt device 4, that is, the side away from the horizontal frame 31. The main conveyor belt device 5 is close to the vertical conveyor belt device 4 so that it can catch the apples on the vertical conveyor belt device 4. The output end of the main conveyor belt device 5 extends to the top of the auxiliary conveyor belt device 6, and a collection frame 7 is placed below the output end of the auxiliary conveyor belt device 6.

[0037] In this embodiment, the three horizontal conveyor belt devices 32 of the three picking units 3 on the same side are respectively configured with a conversion connection port 321, and the three conversion connection ports 321 are staggered in the upper, middle and lower positions. The vertical conveyor belt device 4 is correspondingly provided with three conveyor grid belts 41, and each conveyor grid belt 41 is evenly distributed with a plurality of grids, and the three conveyor grid belts 41 correspond to a conversion connection port 321. Specifically, the bottom conversion connection port 321 corresponds to the conveyor grid belt 41 far away from the vertical slide module 2, the middle conversion connection port 321 corresponds to the middle conveyor grid belt 41, and the top conversion connection port 321 corresponds to the conveyor grid belt 41 close to the vertical slide module 2, so as to ensure the smooth transition from horizontal transportation to vertical transportation of apples.

[0038] In order to improve the picking efficiency, the picking is divided into areas in height. There are three picking units 3 on the same side, which can simultaneously pick materials in the three areas of high, medium and low. The cross frame 31 of each picking unit 3 starts from the lowest position in the area it is responsible for, and then gradually moves upward. The three rows of picking units 3 of high, medium and low are all equipped with conversion ports 321, and the vertical conveyor belt device 4 has three conveying grid belts 41 in the vertical direction, which correspond to the three conversion ports 321 respectively. In this way, the picked apples can be smoothly transferred to the vertical conveyor belt device 4 in a staggered and orderly manner.

[0039] Two lifting frames 71 are arranged on the vehicle 1, and two collecting frames 7 are placed on the lifting frames 71. If the broken branches and unqualified apples are not removed manually before being collected into the collecting frames 7, the collecting frames 7 are raised to reduce the height of the apples falling and the damage. As the height of the collection increases, the position of the lifting frames 71 can be lowered.

[0040] The apple picking device includes a control actuator (not shown), which is connected to the machine vision system 35 for determining whether to pick apples, the position movement of the picking claws 34, the picking action, and the operation of each conveyor belt device.

[0041] The apple picking device uses a machine vision system 35 to collect apple maturity information and determine whether it has reached the degree of being ready for picking. The identification method is based on: when fruits and vegetables are ripe, their color will change with the content of four pigments, which are chlorophyll (green); carotenoids (yellow, red, orange); flavonoids: anthocyanins + flavonoids (red, blue, purple); betalains (red, yellow, purple). These pigments are a group of substances with molecular structures that can absorb a specific wavelength of light and reflect the rest of the light waves. Since the main pigment contained in the cells of immature fruits and vegetables is chlorophyll, they are often green. When they are ripe, the chlorophyll will decompose and be replaced by orange carotenoids and red anthocyanins. These two pigments are antioxidants that can slow down the deterioration of fruits in the air. Therefore, to detect whether the apples are ripe, we perform a five-step process:

[0042] 1. Color analysis

[0043] 2. Color detection: After the visual camera captures the image of the apple, the color of the apple is determined by the color detection algorithm. Apples of different maturity usually have different colors. For example, a ripe apple may have a darker color.

[0044] 3. Spectral analysis: Using spectral analysis technology, especially near-infrared spectroscopy, the ripeness of apples can be measured more accurately. Ripe fruits usually show specific characteristics on the spectrum that distinguish them from unripe apples.

[0045] 4. Maturity analysis: Select apples within a certain range on the spectrum (i.e. a certain maturity).

[0046] 5. Texture and surface features: The visual system can judge the ripeness of an apple by analyzing its surface texture and features. Ripe fruit is usually smoother, while unripe fruit may have more bumps and blemishes.

[0047] In addition, shape analysis can be combined: maturity can be further analyzed by the shape of the fruit. Ripe apples are usually more rounded, while unripe ones may have irregular shapes.

[0048] In application, both sides of the main conveyor belt device 5 may be provided with picking mechanisms, and each group of picking mechanisms has a vertical slide module 2 and a picking unit 3. The picking unit 3 is located on the side of the vertical slide module 2 away from the main conveyor belt device 5, and the side of each vertical slide module 2 is respectively provided with an independent vertical conveyor belt device 4, and the running direction of the two vertical conveyor belt devices 4 on the side of the main conveyor belt device 5 is both downward. That is, the picking arm 33 can extend toward the outside direction of the vehicle 1, and the main conveyor belt device 5 is located between the two picking mechanisms, and both sides have three groups of picking units 3 distributed in high, medium and low. When the vehicle 1 moves between two rows of apple trees, since the left and right sides of the vehicle 1 are respectively provided with picking mechanisms, the two rows of apple trees can be picked at the same time, which greatly improves the picking efficiency. The picking mechanisms on the left and right sides use the same set of main conveyor belt devices 5 and auxiliary conveyor belt devices 6. After the apples on the apple trees on both sides are picked, they are first transported through their respective horizontal conveyor belt devices 32, and then transported to their respective vertical conveyor belt devices 4 through the conversion connection port 321. As the vertical conveyor belt device 4 is transported, the apples are transported to the other side of the vertical conveyor belt device 4, and then fall onto the main conveyor belt device 5, and are transported to the auxiliary conveyor belt device 6 by the main conveyor belt device 5. This improves the picking efficiency while reducing equipment costs and saving space for component layout. In particular, the picking arm 33 is tilted, which saves space for component layout while meeting the picking depth.

[0049] The auxiliary conveyor belt device 6 has two groups, and the two groups of auxiliary conveyor belt devices 6 are arranged in a straight line, and the connection point of the two groups of auxiliary conveyor belt devices 6 is located below the middle position of the output end of the main conveyor belt device 5. The two groups of auxiliary conveyor belt devices 6 have opposite running directions, and the apples are transported to the outer ends on both sides. Two collecting frames 7 are correspondingly configured and are respectively located below the output ends of the auxiliary conveyor belt devices 6. In this way, the apples picked from the apple trees on both sides can finally be diverted to the left and right groups of auxiliary conveyor belt devices 6, avoiding centralized transportation and reducing the pressure of subsequent sorting and removing personnel. The apples are dispersed to the two groups of auxiliary conveyor belt devices 6 and transported to both sides respectively. One side can be equipped with an operator to remove the residual branches and unqualified products. If the personnel are not configured to directly access the collection frame 7, then the two collection frames 7 can also reduce the number of times the collection frame 7 is transported. The originally qualified apples may be stabbed by the residual branches, and may also be contaminated by unqualified apples with rot bacteria.

[0050] When the apples are transported to the top position by the vertical conveyor belt device 4, the apples need to be turned over due to their own weight. To ensure the stable transportation of the apples, Fig. 9As shown, a rubber sealing cover 42 is fixedly provided on the upper cover of the vertical conveyor belt device 4 located on one side of the main conveyor belt device 5. A limited space is formed between the rubber sealing cover 42 and the vertical conveyor belt device 4, the lower part of the rubber sealing cover 42 extends above the main conveyor belt device 5, a guide slope 421 is fixed at the end of the rubber sealing cover 42, the guide slope 421 is made of rubber material, and a discharge port 422 is opened on the rubber sealing cover 42 above the guide slope 421. The rubber sealing cover 42 is made of rubber material and can prevent the apples from being squeezed between the rubber sealing cover 42 and the vertical conveyor belt device 4 during the downward transportation. The setting of the rubber sealing cover 42 can prevent the apples from rolling off or falling off the vertical conveyor belt device 4, which is helpful to slow down the sliding and protect the apples, and ensure that the apples can continue to be transported downward on the vertical conveyor belt device 4 after being turned over. The apples reach the guide slope 421, roll out from the discharge port 422, and transition to the main conveyor belt device 5 via the guide slope 421. The apples successfully complete the transmission from the vertical conveyor belt device 4 to the main conveyor belt device 5.

[0051] The control process and judgment logic are described in detail: the three groups of picking units 3 on the same side are distributed in the upper, middle and lower parts, and are responsible for picking apples above 2.4 meters, picking apples between 1.2 meters and 2.4 meters, and picking apples below 1.2 meters. The two picking arms 33 on each group of picking units 3 are located at the innermost and middle positions, respectively, that is, for apples at the same height Y value, the two picking arms 33 are responsible for half in the X direction. The three groups of picking units 3 all start picking at the lowest point in their respective responsible ranges, that is, at the point with the smallest Y value. After the apples at the lowest Y value height are picked, each picking unit 3 will gradually move upwards, that is, gradually increase the Y value, and the moving distance is calculated by the computer to take the apple closest to the Y direction as the target, so that only the apples closest to the Y direction are always picked, avoiding omissions.

[0052] Specifically, when the picking unit 3 reaches a certain picking height Y, the picking arm 33 starts from its starting position, and the machine vision system 35 collects pictures. The computer system will collect the spatial coordinates (Xn, Yn, Zn) of the apples, and perform logical judgment through the programmed corresponding program. For apples at the same Y height, the Y value is determined, and their X values ​​are compared first. The apples with the shortest displacement in the X direction are picked first, that is, the apples with a spatial position of (Xmin, Y0, Z0) are picked. A logical judgment is performed every time an apple is picked, so that only the apples closest to it in the X direction are always picked, avoiding omissions. After the above logical judgment, the picking target each time is the apple with the smallest X value and Y value, that is, (Xmin, Ymin, Z0). When the picking arm 33 first reaches the specified coordinates, such as (Xmin, Ymin, Z0), the picking arm 33 needs to move in the Z direction. Due to space saving considerations during the design process, the picking arm 33 is installed at a certain tilt angle, which results in a displacement component in the Y direction when the picking arm 33 moves in the Z direction. Therefore, the program combines the tilt angle during installation to perform corresponding compensation calculations: when moving in the Y direction, subtract the component Yw corresponding to different Z values.

[0053] The spatial position coordinates mentioned above are obtained as follows:

[0054] Step 1: Obtaining source data

[0055] First, the camera of the machine vision system 35 is initialized, and then the depth camera is used to collect the RGB image stream (identify objects) and the depth image stream (measure distance). Finally, the two image streams are aligned to obtain the unity of the RGB image and the depth image in the pixel coordinate system.

[0056] Note: The camera selected is a structured light depth camera because it uses a rolling shutter on the depth sensor and has a standard field of view. For smaller objects or when more precise measurements are required, this field of view provides higher depth resolution, which is particularly suitable for precise positioning work.

[0057] Step 2: Target Identification

[0058] After obtaining the RGB image and the depth image through step one, the YoLoV3 neural network algorithm is used to identify the target object grasped by the picking arm 33.

[0059] The YoLoV3 network can be said to be a very meaningful network in the neural network of target detection. It not only retains the real-time performance of the original YoLo network, but also improves the accuracy of detection, allowing YoLo to get rid of the label of "fast speed, low accuracy".

[0060] Step 3: Target positioning

[0061] The main purpose of target positioning is to obtain the three-dimensional coordinates of the center of the target object and the grasping radius of the object, which is the basis for the movement judgment of the picking arm 33. There are four main steps to achieve target positioning: ROI area acquisition, edge detection, model reconstruction, and acquisition of three-dimensional coordinates.

[0062] ROI (Region of interest): The entire image source is segmented to separate the area where the object is located, in order to reduce the amount of calculation and the error caused by image segmentation.

[0063] Edge detection: Edge detection is performed in the ROI area, and the edge of the target object is detected through an algorithm.

[0064] Reconstruct model: In order to ensure the accuracy of the three-dimensional information of the target object, a depth camera is used to collect the depth image information of the target object and obtain the three-dimensional coordinate information of the object surface to reconstruct the target object model. Then, the coordinate system conversion method is combined to deduce the actual three-dimensional coordinates of the center of the target object.

[0065] In summary, after obtaining the RGB image and depth image of the object through the depth camera, the utility model uses the YoLoV3 neural network to identify the target object, and finally obtains the three-dimensional coordinates of the object's location through the positioning algorithm.

[0066] The method for picking and collecting apples using the apple picking device specifically includes:

[0067] The vehicle 1 carrying the apple picking device is driven to the sidewalk next to the apple tree. The three horizontal frames 31 of high, medium and low are located at the lowest starting position of the vertical slide module 2 to achieve positioning in the Y direction. Each picking arm 33 is located at the starting position on its horizontal slide module 36. The picking arms 33 in a picking unit 3 are always at the same height.

[0068] The image is acquired by the machine vision system 35 and then analyzed to see whether there are ripe apples to be picked.

[0069] If there are ripe apples to be picked, the machine vision system 35 analyzes the position coordinate values ​​of each apple in the image, compares the X coordinate values ​​of each apple to determine the apple with the shortest displacement in the X direction, and gives priority to picking the apple with the shortest displacement in the X direction. Move the picking arm 33 to the specified position according to the coordinate value of the apple to be picked this time, realize the linear movement of the picking arm 33 in the X direction, and then fix the picking arm 33. The forearm 331 of the picking arm 33 realizes the extension movement of the forearm 331 through the synchronous belt linear module 332 fixed to the upper arm 333 according to the analyzed Z-axis coordinate. By combining the vertical slide module 2, the horizontal slide module 36 and the synchronous belt linear module 332, the picking claw 34 can move separately on the three axes of space (X, Y, Z), and the picking arm 33 can accurately move to the target point. The picking arm 33 extends upward at an angle, and uses the open picking claw 34 to lift and pick apples together. After the apples are picked, the picking arms 33 retract, and the picking claws 34 open to release the picked apples, and the apples fall onto the horizontal conveyor belt device 32. The apples are transported to the side conversion interface 321 by the horizontal conveyor belt device 32, and the conversion interface 321 transports the apples to the vertical conveyor belt device 4, and the vertical conveyor belt device 4 transports the apples upward. When the apples are transported to the highest point by the vertical conveyor belt device 4, the apples need to be turned over due to their own weight and continue to be transported downward by the vertical conveyor belt device 4. Because a rubber sealing cover 42 is installed on the inner side of the vertical conveyor belt device 4, a limited space is formed between the rubber sealing cover 42 and the vertical conveyor belt device 4, which ensures that the apples will not roll down or fall off the vertical conveyor belt device 4 due to their own gravity during the downward transportation process. The rubber sealing cover 42 can play a role in deceleration and protection. As the vertical conveyor belt device 4 is transported, the apples reach the guide slope 421, roll out from the discharge port 422, and transition to the main conveyor belt device 5 via the guide slope 421. The apples successfully complete the transportation from the vertical conveyor belt device 4 to the main conveyor belt device 5. After being transferred to the main conveyor belt device 5, the apples are transported to the auxiliary conveyor belt device 6, and then transported by the auxiliary conveyor belt device 6 to the collection frame 7.

[0070] If there are no ripe apples to be picked, the picking arm 33 moves to the next position in the X direction, and the machine vision system 35 continues to acquire images until ripe apples to be picked are found in the images acquired by the machine vision system 35, and then the above-mentioned apple picking operation is performed.

[0071] Each time an apple is picked, a logical judgment is performed to analyze the apple closest to the picking distance in the X direction until all apples at the current picking height are picked.

[0072] After the apples at the current picking height are picked, the picking arm 33 is reset to the starting position on its horizontal slide module 36. The horizontal frame 31 moves upward along the vertical slide module 2, and the horizontal frame 31 moves to the nearest apple in the Y direction. The picking unit 3 rises, and the picking arm 33 starts the picking operation from the starting position.

[0073] When a picking unit 3 has multiple picking arms 33, the multiple picking arms 33 are evenly distributed on the horizontal slide module 36, and each picking arm 33 is responsible for picking within a horizontal displacement distance, and the moving direction of each picking arm 33 during picking is the same, which can avoid the problem of interference between the picking arms 33 on the same layer. When the picking mechanism is set up on both sides of the apple picking device, the vehicle 1 travels between two rows of apple trees and can pick apples from the trees on both sides at the same time. After picking, the apples are transported to their respective vertical conveyor belt devices 4 by their respective horizontal conveyor belt devices 32, and then transported to the shared main conveyor belt device 5 by the vertical conveyor belt device 4. An operator is arranged in front of the auxiliary conveyor belt device 6, and the operator sorts the apples transported from the auxiliary conveyor belt device 6, removes the broken branches and unqualified apples, and places the qualified apples into the collection frame 7. In this way, two rows of apple trees can be picked at the same time. When picking on the same side, when picking in the three areas of high, medium and low at the same time, multiple picking claws 34 are set in each area to pick at the same time, which greatly improves the picking efficiency. Before collecting apples, the broken branches and unqualified apples are removed first, which is conducive to protecting qualified apples and avoiding punctures and the infection of rot bacteria.

[0074] The picking method is orderly. It adopts the method of picking from bottom to top in the picking area. After the apples at the same height are picked, they are gradually picked upwards. Each picking targets the apple closest to the X direction. The picking claws 34 are retracted and transported by each conveyor belt, shortening the moving path of the picking claws 34 and increasing the frequency of use of the picking claws 34. The distance of the upward movement of the horizontal frame 31 targets the apple closest to the Y direction, so that only the apple closest to the Y direction is picked, reducing the probability of missing. When picking apples, the method of lifting and closing from the bottom is adopted instead of clamping from the left and right sides, which greatly reduces the probability of accidental falling during picking.

[0075] The utility model is cleverly designed, and the picking path is reasonably designed. The principle of shortest distance picking is followed in both the X and Y directions. After the picking claws 34 pick the apples, the horizontal conveyor belt device 32, the vertical conveyor belt device 4, the main conveyor belt device 5, and the auxiliary conveyor belt device 6 sequentially transport the apples. Compared with the mechanical hand picking placement proposed in the prior art, the apple picking device provided by the utility model is used for picking, which shortens the picking path and greatly improves the picking efficiency. The apple picking device can pick apples from apple trees on both sides at the same time. The picking on the same side can be carried out from three areas of high, medium and low at the same time, and each area can be picked with multiple picking arms 33 and picking claws 34 at the same time, which is very efficient. The application of the apple picking device realizes the automatic picking of apples and greatly reduces the labor demand.

[0076] The above are only some embodiments of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this field, other modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the creative concept of the present invention, which all belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An apple picking device, comprising a movable vehicle (1) and a picking mechanism mounted on the vehicle (1), characterized in that: The picking mechanism comprises a vertical slide module (2) vertically mounted on the vehicle (1), at least one group of picking units (3) mounted on the vertical slide module (2), the picking unit (3) comprising a horizontal frame (31), a horizontal conveyor belt device (32) and at least one retractable picking arm (33), the top of the picking arm (33) being provided with a picking claw (34) that can be opened or closed, the horizontal frame (31) being horizontally arranged and one end of which can be moved up and down and mounted on the vertical slide module (2), the horizontal frame (31) being provided with a water-tight container. The invention discloses a sliding table module (36), wherein the picking arm (33) is arranged obliquely and can be moved left and right and is installed on the horizontal sliding table module (36), wherein the picking arm (33) is inclined and extended upward, and the picking claw (34) lifts and picks apples, and the horizontal conveyor belt device (32) is installed on the front lower part of the horizontal frame (31), and the horizontal conveyor belt device (32) can catch the apples that fall after the picking arm (33) is retracted, and the picking arm (33) is equipped with a machine vision system (35) to analyze the maturity and position of the apples to be picked.

2. The apple picking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The picking arm (33) comprises an upper arm (333), a synchronous belt linear module (332) installed on the upper arm (333), and a lower arm (331); the synchronous belt linear module (332) is provided with a slider (3322); the end of the lower arm (331) is installed on the slider (3322); the picking claw (34) is installed on the top of the lower arm (331); the lower arm (331) can be extended or retracted relative to the upper arm (333); and the machine vision system (35) is installed on the top of the upper arm (333).

3. The apple picking device according to claim 2, characterized in that: A plurality of evenly distributed lighting devices (37) are provided on the outer side of the horizontal conveyor belt device (32).

4. The apple picking device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The picking mechanism is provided with three groups of picking units (3), and the three groups of picking units (3) are installed on the vertical slide module (2) from bottom to top so as to perform picking at three positions: low, middle and high.

5. The apple picking device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The vehicle also includes a conveying mechanism, the conveying mechanism including a vertical conveyor belt device (4), a main conveyor belt device (5) and an auxiliary conveyor belt device (6), the vertical conveyor belt device (4) being vertically mounted on the vehicle (1) and being located on the side of the vertical slide module (2), a horizontal conveyor belt device (32) of each group of picking units (3) being provided with a conversion connection port (321) on the side close to the vertical conveyor belt device (4), the conversion connection port (321) being located on the front side of the vertical conveyor belt device (4), the three conversion connection ports (321) being arranged in an upper, middle and lower staggered manner, and the vertical conveyor belt device (32) being arranged in an upper, middle and lower staggered manner. The belt conveyor device (4) is provided with three conveyor grid belts (41) respectively, and each of the conveyor grid belts (41) is evenly distributed with a plurality of grids. The three conveyor grid belts (41) respectively correspond to a conversion connection port (321). The main conveyor belt device (5) is located on the other side of the vertical conveyor belt device (4) and is close to the vertical conveyor belt device (4) to receive the apples on the vertical conveyor belt device (4). One end of the main conveyor belt device (5) extends to the top of the auxiliary conveyor belt device (6), and a collection frame (7) is placed below one end of the auxiliary conveyor belt device (6).

6. The apple picking device according to claim 5, characterized in that: A rubber sealing cover (42) is provided on the upper part of the vertical conveyor belt device (4) located on one side of the main conveyor belt device (5), the lower part of the rubber sealing cover (42) extends above the main conveyor belt device (5), a guide slope (421) is provided at the end of the rubber sealing cover (42), and a discharge port (422) is provided on the rubber sealing cover (42) above the guide slope (421).

7. The apple picking device according to claim 6, characterized in that: Picking mechanisms are provided on both sides of the main conveyor belt device (5), and each group of the picking mechanisms comprises a vertical slide module (2) and a picking unit (3). The picking unit (3) is located on a side of the vertical slide module (2) away from the main conveyor belt device (5). An independent vertical conveyor belt device (4) is provided on the side of each vertical slide module (2), and the running direction of the two vertical conveyor belt devices (4) on the side close to the main conveyor belt device (5) is downward.

8. The apple picking device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The auxiliary conveyor belt device (6) is provided with two groups, and the two groups of the auxiliary conveyor belt devices (6) are arranged in a straight line, and the connection point of the two groups of the auxiliary conveyor belt devices (6) is located below the middle position of the main conveyor belt device (5). The two groups of the auxiliary conveyor belt devices (6) run in opposite directions to transport the apples to the outer ends on both sides. The collecting frames (7) are provided with two and are respectively located below the outer ends of the auxiliary conveyor belt devices (6).

9. The apple picking device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: Each group of the horizontal frames (31) is equipped with two picking arms (33), the two picking arms (33) are separately arranged and the starting positions are respectively close to one end of the vertical slide module (2) and the middle position of the horizontal frame (31), and the two picking arms (33) are respectively responsible for half of the displacement range in the horizontal direction.

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