End effector for picking flexible crops

Abstract

The utility model provides an end effector for picking flexible crops, which relates to the field of agricultural machinery and comprises an actuating body (10), a positioning sleeve (20), a fixed bottom plate (30), a driving mechanism, a clamping jaw mechanism and a rotating mechanism, the positioning sleeve (20) is arranged in the middle of the bottom surface of the actuating body (10), the fixed bottom plate (30) is coaxially arranged at the bottom of the positioning sleeve (20), and the driving mechanism is arranged in an inner cavity of the positioning sleeve (20). Comprising a driving screw rod (41), a conical block (42) and a connecting rod (43), the connecting rod (43) penetrates through the outer wall of the positioning sleeve (20) and then is connected with the clamping jaw mechanisms, the multiple clamping jaw mechanisms are evenly distributed around the central axis of the positioning sleeve (20), and the rotating mechanisms are arranged on the outer wall of the fixed bottom plate (30) and connected with the corresponding clamping jaw mechanisms. According to the end effector, damage to crops in the clamping process is reduced through the flexible clamping claws, and the angle of the claw fingers can be adjusted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of agricultural machinery technology, specifically to an end effector for harvesting flexible crops. Background Technology

[0002] With the acceleration of agricultural modernization, the demand for mechanized harvesting of delicate crops such as cotton, safflower, and tomatoes with thin skin and fragile fibers is becoming increasingly prominent. Taking Xinjiang as an example, the cost of manual cotton harvesting accounts for more than 60% of the total production cost, resulting in high labor costs. At the same time, for special cash crops such as safflower, the demand for mechanized harvesting to replace manual harvesting is particularly urgent due to the short harvesting cycle and high labor costs. Chinese patent document CN221066321U discloses a mechanical claw, its mechanical arm, and a fruit and vegetable harvesting robot. Through the mechanical claw, the opening and closing of the claw can be achieved by simply driving the threaded screw forward and backward with a motor. This mechanical claw is not only simple in structure, but also enhances the structural stability of the device by limiting the connection end of the claw through a fixed frame. However, this mechanical claw is a rigid gripper, which is prone to causing skin damage (such as cotton boll fiber breakage and red flower petal fall-off) when grasping flexible crops, resulting in a serious decline in the economic value of the crops. At the same time, the mechanical claw cannot effectively adjust the range of its individual grippers, that is, the gripper angle adjustment range is limited, and it cannot effectively adapt to crops with different growth angles and different growth postures (such as tilted tomatoes and drooping cotton bolls), which leads to further damage to the crops during the harvesting process and even harvesting failure. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of the problems existing in the prior art, the purpose of this utility model is to provide an end effector for harvesting flexible crops. The end effector effectively reduces damage to flexible crops and improves harvesting quality through flexible grippers. At the same time, the end effector can also adjust the angle of each gripper finger to adapt to flexible crops with different growth environments and shapes.

[0004] The objective of this utility model is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0005] An end effector for harvesting flexible crops includes an actuator body, a positioning sleeve, a fixed base plate, a drive mechanism, a gripper mechanism, and a rotating mechanism. The positioning sleeve is fixedly disposed in the middle of the bottom surface of the actuator body, and a fixed base plate is coaxially disposed at the bottom of the positioning sleeve. The drive mechanism is disposed in the inner cavity of the positioning sleeve and includes a drive screw, a conical block, and a connecting rod. The drive screw is rotatably disposed in the inner cavity of the positioning sleeve (i.e., the upper and lower ends of the drive screw are rotatably connected to the bottom surface of the actuator body and the top surface of the fixed base plate, respectively), and the drive screw is coaxially disposed with the positioning sleeve. The conical block is threaded onto the outer wall of the drive screw, and the outer wall of the conical block is slidably connected to the inner wall of the positioning sleeve. The bottom of the conical block is configured as a conical structure with a larger upper diameter and a smaller lower diameter. One end of the connecting rod is slidably engaged with the inclined surface of the conical block, and the other end passes through the outer wall of the positioning sleeve and is connected to the gripper mechanism. There are multiple gripper mechanisms, which are evenly distributed around the central axis of the positioning sleeve. The rotating mechanism is disposed on the outer wall of the fixed base plate and is connected to the corresponding gripper mechanism.

[0006] Based on further optimization of the above scheme, a mounting flange is provided on one side of the execution body for installation and positioning with the harvesting robotic arm.

[0007] Based on further optimization of the above scheme, the gripper mechanism consists of 3 to 5 groups, which can be set according to the actual situation.

[0008] Based on further optimization of the above scheme, the gripper mechanism includes a sliding seat, a first rotating connecting rod, a first clamping rod, a second clamping rod, and clamping claw fingers. The end of the sliding seat near the positioning sleeve is fixedly connected to the connecting rod. A rotating groove is formed at the end of the sliding seat away from the positioning sleeve. One end of the first rotating connecting rod is rotatably disposed in the rotating groove. The upper end of the first clamping rod is rotatably connected to the end of the first rotating connecting rod away from the sliding seat (the first clamping rod is located on the axis of rotation of the first rotating connecting rod and is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the first rotating connecting rod). The second clamping rod is fixedly sleeved on the bottom end of the first clamping rod, and clamping claw fingers are provided at the bottom end of the second clamping rod.

[0009] Based on further optimization of the above scheme, the positioning sleeve sidewall is provided with sliding lugs on the upper and lower sides of the sliding seat (two sliding lugs are arranged in parallel), and the top and bottom surfaces of the sliding seat are slidably connected to the corresponding sliding lugs, thereby providing support and positioning for the sliding seat.

[0010] Based on further optimization of the above scheme, the rotating mechanism includes a positioning bracket and a second rotating link. The positioning bracket is fixedly installed on the side wall of the fixed base plate and is provided corresponding to the sliding seat. One end of the second rotating link is rotatably installed on the bottom surface of the positioning bracket, and the end of the second rotating link away from the positioning bracket is rotatably connected to the bottom of the first clamping rod (the first clamping rod is located on the rotation axis of the second rotating link and the rotation axis of the second rotating link are perpendicular to each other).

[0011] Based on further optimization of the above scheme, a rotating motor is fixedly installed on the end face of the positioning support, and the bottom end of the rotating motor is connected to the positioning shaft of the second rotating link through a coupling.

[0012] Based on further optimization of the above scheme, a limiting block is set at the lower end (i.e., the bottom end) of the positioning shaft of the second rotating link.

[0013] The following are the technical effects of this utility model:

[0014] This invention utilizes a drive mechanism composed of a drive screw, a conical block, and a connecting rod. The rotation of the drive screw causes the conical block to move downwards, which in turn drives the gripper mechanism via the connecting rod, enabling the harvesting and clamping of flexible crops. The flexible crops are gripped using a first gripping rod, a second gripping rod, and gripping claws. The slender gripping claws effectively hold the flexible crops, avoiding interference or contact between the end effector and the flexible crops, effectively avoiding branches and leaves, improving harvesting accuracy, and preventing damage to the crops during clamping. Furthermore, this invention incorporates a rotating mechanism to adjust the angle of each gripping mechanism, thus adapting to harvesting flexible crops with different growth angles and postures. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the end effector of this utility model.

[0016] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A sectional view along the AA direction.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the usage status of the end effector of this utility model.

[0018] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A magnified view of part B in the image.

[0019] Among them, 10 is the executing body; 11 is the mounting flange; 20 is the positioning sleeve; 21 is the sliding lug; 30 is the fixed base plate; 41 is the driving screw; 42 is the conical block; 43 is the connecting rod; 51 is the sliding seat; 510 is the limiting slider; 52 is the first rotating connecting rod; 520 is the rotating shaft; 53 is the first clamping rod; 54 is the second clamping rod; 55 is the clamping claw finger; 61 is the positioning lug; 610 is the limiting block; and 62 is the second rotating connecting rod. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments.

[0021] Example 1:

[0022] An end effector for harvesting flexible crops includes an actuator body 10, a positioning sleeve 20, a fixed base plate 30, a drive mechanism, a gripper mechanism, and a rotating mechanism (e.g., Figure 1 As shown), a mounting flange 11 is provided on one side of the actuator 10 for installation and positioning with the harvesting robotic arm (the structure and installation method of the mounting flange 11 adopt conventional methods in the art, which can be understood by those skilled in the art); the positioning sleeve 20 is fixedly installed in the middle of the bottom surface of the actuator 10, and a coaxial fixing base plate 30 is provided at the bottom of the positioning sleeve 20 (as shown). Figure 1 (As shown).

[0023] The drive mechanism is located inside the positioning sleeve 20 and includes a drive screw 41, a conical block 42, and a connecting rod 43. The drive screw 41 is rotatably mounted inside the positioning sleeve 20 (i.e., the upper and lower ends of the drive screw 41 are rotatably connected to the bottom surface of the actuator 10 and the top surface of the fixed base plate 30, respectively). Figure 1 As shown, the drive screw 41 can be controlled to rotate by a drive motor located inside the actuator 10. The drive screw 41 is coaxially arranged with the positioning sleeve 20. The tapered block 42 is threaded onto the outer wall of the drive screw 41, and the outer wall of the tapered block 42 is slidably connected to the inner wall of the positioning sleeve 20 (e.g., ...). Figure 2 As shown, protrusions evenly distributed around the central axis can be provided on the outer wall of the largest diameter end of the conical block 42, and vertical grooves can be opened on the inner wall of the positioning sleeve 20 corresponding to the protrusions. The protrusions slide and engage in the corresponding vertical grooves, thereby achieving a sliding connection between the conical block 42 and the positioning sleeve 20, and simultaneously achieving rotational limitation of the conical block 42. The bottom of the conical block 42 is set as a conical structure with a large upper diameter and a small lower diameter (e.g., Figure 1 As shown), one end of the connecting rod 43 is slidably engaged with the inclined surface of the conical block 42, and the other end passes through the outer wall of the positioning sleeve 20 (the connecting rod 43 is slidably connected to the corresponding side wall of the positioning sleeve 20) and is connected to the gripper mechanism.

[0024] The gripper mechanism consists of multiple grippers evenly distributed around the central axis of the positioning sleeve 20. There are 3 to 5 groups of grippers (the specific number can be adjusted based on actual conditions). Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, the gripper mechanism uses 3 sets, and the corresponding connecting rods 43 are also 3. The gripper mechanism includes a sliding seat 51, a first rotating connecting rod 52, a first clamping rod 53, a second clamping rod 54, and clamping claw fingers 55. The end of the sliding seat 51 near the positioning sleeve 20 is fixedly connected to the connecting rod 43 (the end away from the conical block 42); a rotating groove is opened at the end of the sliding seat 51 away from the positioning sleeve 20, and one end of the first rotating connecting rod 52 is rotatably disposed in the rotating groove (e.g., Figure 4As shown, one end of the first rotating connecting rod 52 is fixedly sleeved on the outer wall of the rotating shaft 520, and the upper and lower ends of the rotating shaft 520 are rotatably connected to the upper and lower side walls of the rotating groove, respectively. The upper end of the first clamping rod 53 is rotatably connected to the end of the first rotating connecting rod 52 away from the sliding seat 51 (the first clamping rod 53 is located on the axis of rotation of the first rotating connecting rod 52 and is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the first rotating connecting rod 52, the axis of rotation being the central axis of rotation, the same below; as Figure 1 As shown: the first rotating link 52 is in the vertical direction, and the axis of rotation of the first clamping rod 53 is perpendicular to the paper surface; the second clamping rod 54 is fixedly sleeved on the bottom end of the first clamping rod 53, and the bottom end of the second clamping rod 54 is provided with clamping claw fingers 55 (e.g., Figure 1 (As shown). Sliding lugs 21 are respectively provided on the side wall of the positioning sleeve 20 and on the upper and lower sides of the sliding seat 51 (the two sliding lugs 21 are arranged in parallel, as shown). Figure 1 As shown, the top and bottom surfaces of the sliding seat 51 are slidably connected to the corresponding sliding lugs 21, thereby providing support and positioning for the sliding seat 51 (while avoiding limiting the rotation of the first rotating link 52).

[0025] The rotating mechanism is mounted on the outer wall of the fixed base plate 30 and connected to the corresponding gripper mechanism (i.e., in this embodiment, the number of rotating mechanisms is also 3 sets); the rotating mechanism includes a positioning lug 61 and a second rotating link 62. The positioning lug 61 is fixedly mounted on the side wall of the fixed base plate 30 and is correspondingly mounted on the sliding seat 51. One end of the second rotating link 62 is rotatably mounted on the bottom surface of the positioning lug 51, and the end of the second rotating link 62 away from the positioning lug 61 is rotatably connected to the bottom of the first clamping rod 53 (the first clamping rod 53 is located at the axis of rotation of the second rotating link 62, which is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the second rotating link 62; the axis of rotation of the second rotating link 62 and the axis of rotation of the first rotating link 52 are in the same direction, both being vertical). Figure 1 As shown; simultaneously, when not in use, i.e., when the conical block 42 is located at the uppermost end of the positioning sleeve 20, the rotation axis of the second rotating connecting rod 62 is collinear with the rotation axis of the corresponding first rotating connecting rod 52). A rotating motor is fixedly installed on the end face of the positioning lug 61, and the bottom end of the rotating motor is connected to the positioning shaft of the second rotating connecting rod 62 through a coupling, thereby controlling the rotation of the second rotating connecting rod 62 (the second rotating connecting rod 62 is fixedly sleeved on the outer wall of the positioning shaft and the positioning shaft is rotatably connected to the bottom of the positioning lug 61); a limiting block 610 is provided at the lower end (i.e., the bottom end) of the positioning shaft of the second rotating connecting rod 62 (as shown). Figure 1 (As shown).

[0026] Working principle:

[0027] In use, the rotation of the drive screw 41 causes the conical block 42 to move downwards. During the downward movement of the conical block 42, the connecting rod 43 slides and engages on the inclined surface of the conical block 42. Therefore, the conical block 42 pushes the connecting rod 43 to slide away from the drive screw 41. The connecting rod 43, through the sliding seat 51, pushes the first rotating connecting rod 52 to move away from the positioning sleeve 20. Since the first clamping rod 53 is rotatably connected to the first rotating connecting rod 52 and the second rotating connecting rod 62 respectively, during the movement of the first rotating connecting rod 52, the first clamping rod 53 rotates around the second rotating connecting rod 62. Thus, the rotation of the first clamping rod 53 drives the second clamping rod 54 and the clamping claw fingers 55 to achieve the clamping of flexible crops (such as...). Figure 3 (As shown). When it is necessary to adjust the envelope range according to the growth posture and angle of the flexible crop, under the premise that the rotation axis of the second rotating link 62 is collinear with the rotation axis of the corresponding first rotating link 52 (i.e., in the initial state), the rotation motor of the corresponding second rotating link 62 is started. The rotation of the second rotating link 62 drives the first clamping rod 53 to rotate, and the first rotating link 52 rotates synchronously with the first clamping rod 53 (at this time, the rotation hard limit of the first rotating link 52 is released), thereby realizing the angle adjustment of the first clamping rod 53, the second clamping rod 54 and the clamping claw finger 55 to adapt to the growth conditions of different flexible crops.

[0028] Example 2:

[0029] As another preferred embodiment of this utility model, based on the above embodiment 1, a flexible protective sleeve (such as a protective sleeve made of rubber or silicone material) is sleeved on the outside of the gripping claw 55, and multiple anti-slip protrusions are evenly arranged on the flexible protective sleeve.

[0030] Example 3:

[0031] As another preferred embodiment of this utility model, to avoid the rotation of the first rotating link 52 during clamping, based on the above embodiment 1, the sliding seat 51 has a limiting through hole on the upper side wall corresponding to the rotating shaft 520. The diameter of the limiting through hole is smaller than the outer diameter of the rotating shaft 520, and the limiting through hole is coaxially arranged with the rotating shaft 520 (e.g., Figure 4 As shown), a spline groove is opened on the end face of the rotating shaft 520, and the maximum diameter of the spline groove is the same as the diameter of the limiting through hole; a limiting slider 510 is slidably set in the limiting through hole, and the bottom of the limiting slider 510 is set corresponding to the spline groove (as shown). Figure 4 As shown, the longitudinal section of the limiting slider 510 is an inverted "convex" shaped structure, with its large diameter section corresponding to the limiting through hole and its small diameter section corresponding to the spline groove; the lower part of the limiting slider 510 is engaged in the spline groove to achieve the hard limiting of the rotation of the first rotating connecting rod 52.

[0032] In addition, an electromagnet is installed on the upper sliding lug 21, and a limit sensor is installed on the lower sliding lug 21. When the sliding seat 51 retracts into the sliding lug 21, making the rotation axis of the second rotating link 62 collinear with the rotation axis of the corresponding first rotating link 52, the limit sensor activates the electromagnet to energize it. The electromagnet attracts the limit slider 510 (the limit slider 510 is made of a material that can attract, such as iron), causing the lower part of the limit slider 510 to disengage from the spline groove, thereby releasing the rotation hard limit of the first rotating link 52.

[0033] Example 4:

[0034] As another preferred embodiment of this utility model, based on the above embodiment 1, a spring can be provided between the sliding seat 51 and the outer wall of the positioning sleeve 20 and located on the outer ring of the corresponding connecting rod 43. The spring is collinear with the central axis of the corresponding connecting rod 43 (the spring force further ensures the reset of the sliding seat 51).

Claims

1. An end effector for picking flexible crops, characterized in that: The utility model provides an automatic feeding device for the automatic feeding of the workpiece, which comprises an execution body, a positioning sleeve, a fixed bottom plate, a driving mechanism, a clamping jaw mechanism and a rotating mechanism, the positioning sleeve is fixedly arranged at the middle part of the bottom surface of the execution body and a coaxial fixed bottom plate is arranged at the bottom of the positioning sleeve, the driving mechanism is arranged in the inner cavity of the positioning sleeve and comprises a driving screw, a conical block and a connecting rod, the driving screw is rotatably arranged in the inner cavity of the positioning sleeve and coaxially arranged with the positioning sleeve, the conical block is threadedly sleeved on the outer wall of the driving screw and the outer wall of the conical block is slidably connected with the inner wall of the positioning sleeve, the bottom of the conical block is arranged in a conical structure with a large diameter at the upper part and a small diameter at the lower part, the connecting rod is slidably connected at one end with the inclined surface of the conical block and connected at the other end with the clamping jaw mechanism after penetrating through the outer wall of the positioning sleeve, the clamping jaw mechanism is a plurality of mechanisms and uniformly distributed around the central axis of the positioning sleeve, and the rotating mechanism is arranged on the outer wall of the fixed bottom plate and connected with the corresponding clamping jaw mechanism.

2. The end effector for picking flexible crops according to claim 1, characterized in that: A mounting flange is arranged on one side of the execution body.

3. The end effector for picking flexible crops of claim 1, wherein: The clamping jaw mechanism is 3-5 groups.

4. The end effector for picking flexible crops of claim 3, wherein: The clamping jaw mechanism comprises a sliding seat, a first rotating connecting rod, a first clamping rod, a second clamping rod and a clamping claw, one end of the sliding seat close to the positioning sleeve is fixedly connected with the connecting rod, a rotating groove is arranged at the end of the sliding seat away from the positioning sleeve, one end of the first rotating connecting rod is rotatably arranged in the rotating groove, the upper end of the first clamping rod is rotatably connected with the end of the first rotating connecting rod away from the sliding seat, the second clamping rod is fixedly sleeved at the bottom end of the first clamping rod and the bottom end of the second clamping rod is provided with the clamping claw.

5. An end effector for picking flexible crops according to claim 4, characterized in that: The side wall of the positioning sleeve and located above and below the sliding seat is respectively provided with a sliding lug, and the top surface and the bottom surface of the sliding seat are respectively slidably connected with the corresponding sliding lugs.

6. The end effector for picking flexible crops of claim 3, wherein: The rotating mechanism comprises a positioning lug and a second rotating connecting rod, the positioning lug is fixedly arranged on the side wall of the fixed bottom plate and corresponds to the sliding seat, one end of the second rotating connecting rod is rotatably arranged on the bottom surface of the positioning lug, and the end of the second rotating connecting rod away from the positioning lug is rotatably connected with the bottom of the first clamping rod.

7. An end effector for picking flexible crops according to claim 6, characterized in that: A rotating motor is fixedly arranged on the end surface of the positioning lug, and the bottom end of the rotating motor is connected with the positioning shaft of the second rotating connecting rod through a shaft coupling.

8. An end effector for picking flexible crops according to claim 7, characterized in that: The positioning shaft of the second rotating connecting rod is provided with a limiting block at the end part located on the lower side of the second rotating connecting rod.

Images