Clamping and cutting type citrus picking end effector

Abstract

The clamping and cutting type citrus picking end effector comprises a visual sensing system, a touch sensing system, a clamping component, a cutting component and a driving component, the clamping component comprises a silica gel clamping arm and a touch clamping arm, and the silica gel clamping arm and the touch clamping arm are matched to clamp citrus stems; the cutting part comprises a U-shaped connecting plate, a blade and a knife rest, the cutting part is installed on the thin air cylinder support, the blade is installed on the knife rest, one end of the U-shaped connecting plate is connected with the blade, and the other end of the U-shaped connecting plate is fixed to a piston push rod of the thin air cylinder; the driving component comprises an air pump, a thin air cylinder and a sliding table air cylinder, movement control is achieved by connecting the air cylinders through air pipes, the thin air cylinder is used for controlling movement of the cutting component, and the sliding table air cylinder is used for controlling movement of the clamping component. The fruit picking device is simple in structure and convenient to operate, flexible clamping and cutting can be achieved, damage to fruits is reduced, and picking quality is guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the field of agricultural machinery, and in particular relates to a clamping type citrus picking end effector. Background Art

[0002] The traditional citrus picking method mainly relies on manual labor, which has problems such as low efficiency, high labor intensity and high cost. In recent years, the development of citrus picking end effectors has gradually attracted attention. For example, Patent 202410504601X discloses a lifting and shearing citrus picking end effector and method thereof, including a clamping device, a shearing device, a camera device, etc.; however, the structure of the end effector is relatively complex, such as its clamping device includes a base, a flexible clamping claw is provided at the front end of the base, and a first driving assembly for driving the flexible clamping claw to open or close, the flexible clamping claw includes two flexible claw arms and a central fixed block, the first driving assembly includes a clamping motor, the driving end of the clamping motor is connected to a screw, a push plate is provided between the clamping motor and the central fixed block, the screw is arranged in the middle of the push plate and forms a threaded match with the push plate, and both ends of the push plate are hinged with a swing connecting rod, and the ends of the two swing connecting rods away from the push plate are respectively hinged on the corresponding flexible claw arms; it can be seen that such a complex structure is difficult to operate in actual picking. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a citrus picking end effector that has a simple structure, is easy to operate, and can achieve flexible clamping and cutting. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the utility model is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a clamping-type citrus picking end effector which has a simple structure, is easy to operate, and can achieve flexible clamping and cutting.

[0004] The purpose of the utility model is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0005] A clamping and cutting citrus picking end effector comprises a visual sensing system, a tactile sensing system, a clamping component, a cutting component and a driving component; the visual sensing system comprises Kinect The v2 depth camera 3 and the realsense depth camera 7 are used to capture the visual information of citrus; the tactile sensing system includes a tactile sensor, a single-chip microcomputer and a solenoid valve, and the tactile sensor 22 is installed on the tactile clamping arm of the clamping component to detect the citrus stalks in the clamping area; the clamping component includes a silicone clamping arm and a tactile clamping arm, and the silicone clamping arm and the tactile clamping arm cooperate to achieve the clamping of the citrus stalks; the cutting component includes a U-shaped connecting plate 11, a blade 12 and a tool holder 23, the cutting component is installed on a thin cylinder support, and the blade is installed on the tool holder. One end of the U-shaped connecting plate 11 is connected to the blade, and the other end is fixed to the piston push rod of the thin cylinder 10; the driving component includes an air pump, a thin cylinder and a slide cylinder, and the cylinders are connected by air pipes to achieve motion control. The thin cylinder is used to control the motion of the cutting component, and the slide cylinder is used to control the motion of the clamping component.

[0006] In the visual sensing system, the Kinect v2 depth camera 3 is installed on the side of the robotic arm, and the realsense depth camera 7 is installed above the end effector.

[0007] The tactile sensing system includes a single-chip microcomputer, a tactile sensor, a solenoid valve, a relay, a transformer and a power supply; the main control system of the tactile sensing system is a single-chip microcomputer, which is used to detect whether the clamping component clamps the fruit stem and control the changes in the solenoid valve channel; the solenoid valve is connected to the cylinder through an air pipe to control the fast forward and fast reverse actions of the cylinder; the power supply is stepped down by a transformer and power is supplied to the single-chip microcomputer, the tactile sensor and the relay respectively; the single-chip microcomputer receives signals through a program and changes the high and low levels of the port to control the state of the relay, thereby controlling the actions of the clamping component and the cutting component.

[0008] A tactile sensor 22 is pasted on the side of the tactile clamping arm, and a silicone strip 21 is provided on the side of the silicone clamping arm for clamping the citrus fruit bunch to be cut; the rear end of the tactile clamping arm is fixedly connected to a slide cylinder support 25, and a slide cylinder 24 is fixed on the slide cylinder support 25; a silicone clamping arm is fixed on the slide cylinder 24, and the silicone clamping arm moves left and right under the action of the slide cylinder 24.

[0009] The cutting component includes a U-shaped connecting plate 11, a blade 12 and a knife holder 23; the knife holder 23 is installed on the thin cylinder support; one end of the blade 12 is installed on the knife holder 23, and the other end is installed on the notch of the knife holder 23; one end of the U-shaped connecting plate 11 is connected to the blade 12, and the other end is fixed on the piston push rod of the thin cylinder 10.

[0010] The driving component includes an air pump, a thin cylinder 10 and a slide cylinder 24. The air pump controls the outward pushing and inward pulling of the cylinder through an air pipe. The thin cylinder 10 is installed on a thin cylinder support. The piston push rod of the thin cylinder 10 is connected to the U-shaped connecting plate 11. When the piston push rod of the thin cylinder 10 is pushed outward, the blade 12 rotates outward relative to the blade holder 23, that is, it is in an open state. When the piston push rod is pulled inward, the blade 12 rotates inward relative to the blade holder 23, that is, it is in a closed state. The opening and closing actions can realize the cutting function of the end effector on the citrus stems; the slide cylinder 24 is installed on the slide cylinder support 25, and the silicone clamping arm is installed on the slide cylinder 24. When the piston push rod of the slide cylinder 24 is pushed outward, the silicone clamping arm moves in the same direction as the piston push rod, that is, clamping; when the piston push rod is pulled inward, the silicone clamping arm moves in the same direction as the piston push rod, that is, releasing the clamping. One opening and closing action can realize the clamping and opening function of the end effector on the citrus stems.

[0011] The end actuator also includes a check component, which is arranged on the clamping component; the check component includes a check block 20 and a spring 26, and the check block 20 is rotatably connected to the tactile clamping arm; a protruding structure is provided at the end of the tactile clamping arm, one end of the spring 26 is installed on the protruding structure of the tactile clamping arm, and the other end is installed on the check block to realize the function of resetting the check block 20.

[0012] The end effector further comprises a user interface, which adopts a graphical operation design and is used for displaying status information and picking data of the end effector and providing user control options.

[0013] The communication module of the end effector uses the MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) protocol to remotely transmit the state information and picking data of the end effector to a designated server or user device.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the utility model has the following advantages and effects:

[0015] (1) The utility model has a simple structure and is easy to operate, and is suitable for complex citrus picking.

[0016] (2) The utility model can achieve flexible clamping and cutting through the design of the clamping parts and cutting parts, thereby reducing damage to the fruit and ensuring the picking quality. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the end effector of the utility model.

[0018] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the picking robot.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the shearing component.

[0020] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the clamping component.

[0021] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the silicone strip.

[0022] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of a tactile sensor.

[0023] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the slide cylinder.

[0024] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the stop component.

[0025] Fig. 9 The figure is a flow chart of the driving components.

[0026] The labels in the figure are as follows:

[0027] 1. Track chassis 2. Tripod 3. Kinect v2 Depth Camera 4. Six-axis robotic arm 5. Left cylinder support 6. Middle cylinder support 7. realsense depth camera 8. Camera mount 9. Right cylinder support 10. Thin cylinder 11. U-shaped connecting plate 12. blade 13. Gasket 14. Right silicone clamping arm 15. Right tactile clamping arm 16. Medium Silicone Clamp Arm 17. Medium Tactile Gripping Arm 18. Left silicone clamp arm 19. Left tactile clamping arm 20. Check block 21. Silicone Strips 22. Tactile Sensor 23. Tool holder 24. Slide cylinder 25. Slide cylinder support 26. spring DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In order to facilitate the understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments. The following embodiments will help those skilled in the art to further understand the present invention, but do not limit the present invention in any form. It should be pointed out that, for those skilled in the art, without departing from the concept of the present invention, the present invention can also make several variations and improvements, which all belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

[0029] Example 1

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, the clamping-type citrus picking end effector of this embodiment is installed on a six-axis robotic arm, and includes a visual sensing system, a tactile sensing system, a driving component, a cutting component, a clamping component, and a non-return component.

[0031] The visual sensing system consists of a Kinect v2 depth camera and a realsense depth camera. These two cameras use infrared principles to obtain depth images of citrus while collecting RGB images. Figure 2 As shown, the Kinect v2 depth camera 3 is mounted on a tripod 2, and the tripod 2 is placed on the plane of the crawler chassis 1. The RealSense depth camera 7 is mounted on a camera support 8. In addition, two concave points and a support vertical fixing plate are provided at the rear of the RealSense depth camera 7 for firmly fixing the camera position.

[0032] like Fig. 9 As shown in the figure, the tactile sensing system includes an STM32 microcontroller, a tactile sensor, a solenoid valve, a relay, a transformer and a 12V power supply. The tactile sensor is installed on the tactile clamping arm of the clamping component to detect whether there is a citrus fruit stem in the clamping area. The main control system of the tactile sensing system is an STM32 microcontroller, which is used to detect whether the clamping component clamps the fruit stem and control the change of the solenoid valve channel. The solenoid valve is connected to the cylinder of the end effector through an air pipe to control the fast forward and fast reverse action of the cylinder. The entire system is powered by a 12V power supply, in which the power supply is set with a main switch, and the power supply is turned on after the corresponding module is connected. The 12V voltage is reduced to 5V through the step-down module of the transformer, in which the 12V power supply is used to drive the solenoid valve, and the reduced 5V voltage is supplied to the microcontroller, the tactile sensor and the relay respectively. The microcontroller receives signals through the program and changes the high and low levels of the port to control the state of the relay, thereby controlling the action of the clamping component and the cutting component. The specific operation is that the single chip receives the data of the tactile sensor through the program, and determines whether to clamp the fruit stem according to the set data pressure threshold, and then controls the corresponding relay to open the switch, so that the solenoid valve and the air pump are powered on. The air pump delivers gas through the air pipe to drive the cylinder to move, and then drives the end effector to complete the clamping or cutting action through the driving component.

[0033] In actual work, the number of cutting parts can be one or more as required. Figure 3 As shown, the cutting part of this embodiment includes three sub-parts, namely, left, middle and right, which have the same structure. For example, there are three tool holders 23, which are respectively installed on the left cylinder support 5, the middle cylinder support 6 and the right cylinder support 9 by bolts. The following is an example of the middle sub-part: the blade 12 is made of Sk5 steel, the blade has a cutting angle of 20° and a thickness of 3mm; the tool holder 23 is made of Cr12MoV material, the blade has a cutting angle of 20° and a thickness of 3mm; the tool holder 23 is fixed to the middle cylinder support 6 by bolts; one end of the blade 12 is installed on the tool holder as a rotating shaft by bolts, and the other end is installed on the notch of the tool holder 23 by bolts; two gaskets 13 are installed on the notch by bolts at the other end of the blade 12, and are respectively installed above the blade 12 and below the tool holder 23 to prevent the blade from shaking during cutting; the U-shaped connecting plate 11 is installed on the outermost side by bolts with the other end of the blade 12, and is fixed to the piston push rod of the thin cylinder 10 by bolts.

[0034] Similarly, in actual work, the clamping component can be one or more than one as needed, and must be coordinated with the cutting component. Figure 4 As shown, the clamping component of this embodiment includes three sub-components: left, middle and right, all of which have the same structure, specifically including a right silicone clamping arm 14, a right middle silicone clamping arm 16, a left silicone clamping arm 18, a right tactile clamping arm 15, a middle tactile clamping arm 17, and a left tactile clamping arm 19. Figure 6 As shown, the left and right ends of the middle tactile clamping arm 17 are provided with non-through convex grooves in the horizontal direction, and the left end of the right tactile clamping arm 15 and the right end of the left tactile clamping arm 19 have convex structures, which are inserted into the convex grooves of the middle tactile clamping arm 17 to form the tactile clamping arm. Figure 5 As shown, the right side surfaces of the left, middle and right tactile clamping arms are glued with long strips of tactile sensors 22 with a size of 110mm×15mm. The rear end of the middle tactile clamping arm 17 is provided with two square grooves, and the slide cylinder support 25 is inserted into the grooves and fixedly connected by bolts. The slide cylinder support 25 is provided with three through holes for fixing the slide cylinder (MXS6-30) 24. The left and right ends of the middle silicone clamping arm 16 are provided with non-through convex grooves in the vertical direction. The right end of the left silicone clamping arm 18 and the left end of the right silicone clamping arm 14 have convex structures, which are inserted into the convex grooves of the middle silicone clamping arm 16 to form a silicone clamping arm. Four countersunk holes are provided on the upper part of the middle silicone clamping arm 16, and the middle silicone clamping arm 16 is fixed to the slide cylinder (MXS6-30) 24 by bolts, as shown in FIG. Figure 7 As shown, the slide cylinder (MXS6-30) 24 is fixed to the slide cylinder support 25 by bolts. The silicone clamping arm moves left and right under the action of the slide cylinder (MXS6-30) 24. The left sides of the left, middle and right silicone clamping arms are provided with non-through L-shaped grooves in a vertical direction, and the silicone strips 21 have an L-shaped structure, which are inserted into the corresponding L-shaped grooves. The silicone strips 21 are detachable and are used to clamp the citrus fruit bunches cut by the blades, while ensuring that different thicknesses of fruit stems are clamped simultaneously in different cutting and clamping areas. The clamping component composed of the left, middle and right tactile clamping arms and the left, middle and right silicone clamping arms completes the clamping of the citrus fruit stems. The tips of the left, middle and right silicone clamping arms and the front of the left, middle and right tactile clamping arms have a guiding function, guiding the citrus fruit stems into multiple identical cutting and clamping areas.

[0035] The driving components include a 550W-8L air pump air compressor, a thin cylinder 10 and a slide cylinder 24. The air pump controls the push-out and pull-in actions of the above two cylinders through the air pipe. Specifically, in this embodiment, the three thin cylinders 10 are respectively mounted on the left cylinder support 5, the middle cylinder support 6, and the right cylinder support 9 by bolts. The piston push rod of the thin cylinder 10 is connected to the U-shaped connecting plate 11 by bolts. When the piston push rod of the thin cylinder 10 is pushed outward, the blade 12 rotates outward relative to the tool holder 23, that is, it is in an open state; when the piston push rod is pulled inward, the blade 12 rotates inward relative to the tool holder 23, that is, it is in a closed state. In this way, the end effector can realize the cutting function of the citrus stem with one opening and closing action. The slide cylinder 24 is mounted on the slide cylinder support 25 by bolts, and the middle silicone clamping arm 16 is mounted on the slide cylinder 24 by bolts. When the piston push rod of the slide cylinder 24 is pushed outward, the middle silicone clamping arm 16 moves in the same direction as the piston push rod, i.e., clamping; when the piston push rod is pulled inward, the middle silicone clamping arm 16 moves in the same direction as the piston push rod, i.e., releasing the clamping. Similarly, the end effector can achieve the clamping and opening functions of the citrus stems by one opening and closing action.

[0036] like Figure 8 As shown, the non-return component includes a non-return block 20 and a spring 26. A small protruding structure is provided at the end of the left, middle and right tactile clamping arms, and a through hole is provided next to the protruding structure. The non-return block 20 is rotatably connected to the tactile clamping arm by a bolt, and circular grooves are provided in the protruding structure and the non-return block 20, respectively, for installing the spring 26. One end of the spring 26 is installed on the protruding structure, and the other end is installed on the non-return block, so as to realize the function of resetting the non-return block 20. The cooperation of the protruding structure on the clamping arm, the non-return block 20 and the spring 26 can prevent the citrus stem from escaping the range of the cutting component during the clamping operation. Such a design ensures the stability and accuracy of the clamping component and the cutting component during operation.

[0037] When working, the visual sensing system and tactile sensing system of the end effector respectively collect the visual data and tactile data of the real-time position of the citrus, and obtain the positioning information of the citrus to be picked; then according to the positioning information of the citrus to be picked, the sliding cylinder is started, and the clamping component clamps the citrus stalks; then the thin cylinder is started, and the cutting component cuts off the citrus stalks to complete the citrus picking.

[0038] It can be understood that the above specific description of the utility model is only used to illustrate the utility model and is not limited to the technical solution described in the embodiment of the utility model. Ordinary technicians in the field should understand that the utility model can still be partially modified or replaced by equivalents to achieve the same technical effect; as long as the use requirements are met, they are within the protection scope of the utility model.

Claims

1. A clamping type citrus picking end effector, characterized in that: It includes a visual sensing system, a tactile sensing system, a clamping component, a cutting component, and a driving component; the visual sensing system includes a Kinect v2 depth camera and a realsense depth camera for capturing visual information of citrus; the tactile sensing system includes a tactile sensor, a single-chip microcomputer and a solenoid valve, the tactile sensor is installed on the tactile clamping arm of the clamping component, and is used to detect the citrus stalks in the clamping area; the clamping component includes a silicone clamping arm and a tactile clamping arm, and the silicone clamping arm and the tactile clamping arm cooperate to achieve the clamping of the citrus stalks; the cutting component includes a U-shaped connecting plate, a blade and a tool holder, the cutting component is installed on a thin cylinder support, the blade is installed on the tool holder, one end of the U-shaped connecting plate is connected to the blade, and the other end is fixed to the piston push rod of the thin cylinder; the driving component includes an air pump, a thin cylinder and a slide cylinder, and the cylinders are connected by air pipes to achieve motion control, the thin cylinder is used to control the motion of the cutting component, and the slide cylinder is used to control the motion of the clamping component.

2. The clamping type citrus picking end effector according to claim 1 is characterized in that: In the visual sensing system, a Kinect v2 depth camera is installed on the side of the robotic arm, and a realsense depth camera is installed above the end effector.

3. The clamping type citrus picking end effector according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The tactile sensing system includes a single-chip microcomputer, a tactile sensor, a solenoid valve, a relay, a transformer and a power supply; the main control system of the tactile sensing system is a single-chip microcomputer, which is used to detect whether the clamping component clamps the fruit stem and control the changes in the solenoid valve channel; the solenoid valve is connected to the cylinder through an air pipe to control the fast forward and fast reverse actions of the cylinder; the power supply is stepped down by a transformer and power is supplied to the single-chip microcomputer, the tactile sensor and the relay respectively; the single-chip microcomputer receives signals through a program and changes the high and low levels of the port to control the state of the relay, thereby controlling the actions of the clamping component and the cutting component.

4. The clamping type citrus picking end effector according to claim 1 is characterized in that: A tactile sensor is pasted on the side of the tactile clamping arm, and a silicone strip is provided on the side of the silicone clamping arm for clamping the citrus fruit bunches to be cut; the rear end of the tactile clamping arm is fixedly connected to a slide cylinder support, and a slide cylinder is fixed on the slide cylinder support; a silicone clamping arm is fixed on the slide cylinder, and the silicone clamping arm moves left and right under the action of the slide cylinder.

5. The clamping-type citrus picking end effector according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The cutting component includes a U-shaped connecting plate, a blade and a knife holder; the knife holder is installed on a thin cylinder support; one end of the blade is installed on the knife holder, and the other end is installed on the notch of the knife holder; one end of the U-shaped connecting plate is connected to the blade, and the other end is fixed on the piston push rod of the thin cylinder.

6. The clamping-type citrus picking end effector according to claim 1 is characterized in that: There are one or more cutting parts; there are one or more clamping parts, which cooperate with the cutting parts.

7. The clamping-type citrus picking end effector according to claim 6 is characterized in that: The cutting part includes three sub-parts: left, middle and right, all of which have the same structure; there are three tool holders, which are respectively installed on the left cylinder support, the middle cylinder support and the right cylinder support; one end of the blade is installed on the tool holder as a rotating axis through bolts, and the other end is installed on the slot of the tool holder through bolts; two gaskets are installed on the slot through bolts at the other end of the blade, and are respectively installed above the blade and below the tool holder; the U-shaped connecting plate is installed on the outermost side through bolts with the other end of the blade, and is fixed to the piston push rod of the thin cylinder through bolts.

8. The clamping-type citrus picking end effector according to claim 6 is characterized in that: The clamping component includes three sub-components: left, middle and right, which have the same structure; the left and right ends of the middle tactile clamping arm are provided with horizontal non-through convex grooves, the left end of the right tactile clamping arm and the right end of the left tactile clamping arm are provided with convex structures, which are inserted into the convex grooves of the middle tactile clamping arm to form the tactile clamping arm; the right sides of the left, middle and right tactile clamping arms are adhered with long strips of tactile sensors; the rear end of the middle tactile clamping arm is provided with two square grooves, the slide cylinder support is inserted into the grooves and fixedly connected by bolts, and the slide cylinder support is provided with three through holes for fixing the slide cylinder Cylinder; the left and right ends of the middle silicone clamping arm are provided with non-through convex grooves in the vertical direction, the right end of the left silicone clamping arm and the left end of the right silicone clamping arm are provided with convex structures, which are inserted into the convex grooves of the middle silicone clamping arm to form a silicone clamping arm; a countersunk hole is provided on the upper part of the middle silicone clamping arm, the middle silicone clamping arm is fixed to the slide cylinder by bolts, the slide cylinder is fixed to the slide cylinder support, and the silicone clamping arm moves left and right under the action of the slide cylinder; the left sides of the left, middle and right silicone clamping arms are provided with non-through L-shaped grooves in the vertical direction, and silicone strips are inserted into the L-shaped grooves.

9. The clamping-type citrus picking end effector according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The driving component includes an air pump, a thin cylinder and a sliding cylinder. The air pump controls the pushing and pulling actions of the cylinder through an air pipe. The thin cylinder is installed on a thin cylinder support, and the piston push rod of the thin cylinder is connected to a U-shaped connecting plate. When the piston push rod of the thin cylinder is pushed outward, the blade rotates outward relative to the tool holder, that is, it is in an open state. When the piston push rod is pulled inward, the blade rotates inward relative to the tool holder, that is, it is in a closed state. One opening and closing action can realize the cutting function of the end effector on the citrus stalk; the sliding cylinder is installed on the sliding cylinder support, and the silicone clamping arm is installed on the sliding cylinder. When the piston push rod of the sliding cylinder is pushed outward, the silicone clamping arm moves in the same direction as the piston push rod, that is, clamping. When the piston push rod is pulled inward, the silicone clamping arm moves in the same direction as the piston push rod, that is, releasing the clamping. One opening and closing action can realize the clamping and opening function of the end effector on the citrus stalk.

10. The clamping type citrus picking end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The end actuator includes a check component, which is arranged on the clamping component; the check component includes a check block and a spring, and the check block is rotatably connected to the tactile clamping arm; a protruding structure is arranged at the end of the tactile clamping arm, one end of the spring is installed on the protruding structure of the tactile clamping arm, and the other end is installed on the check block to realize the function of resetting the check block.

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