Unmanned aerial vehicle for cutting fruit stems

Abstract

The utility model relates to an unmanned aerial vehicle for cutting fruit stems. The unmanned aerial vehicle takes a four-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle body as a main framework, propeller protection covers are arranged at four corners, and propeller motors and propellers are arranged in the unmanned aerial vehicle. A telescopic electric control shear head is installed at the central axis of the front end of the machine body and composed of a rotating motor, an electric telescopic rod and an electric shear head, and flexible operation can be achieved. The front end is further provided with a visual system comprising a TOF camera and a structured light camera, and the visual system is used for accurate positioning. A plurality of chips and interfaces are integrated on a control circuit board in the machine body, control and data transmission of all parts are achieved, and interaction with a mushroom-shaped antenna and a remote control terminal is achieved through a wireless communication chip. In addition, the unmanned aerial vehicle can achieve intelligent and unmanned fruit picking, the picking efficiency is improved, potential safety hazards of high-altitude operation are eliminated, and an effective solution is provided for intelligent agriculture.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to drones, specifically to a drone used for cutting fruit stems. Background Technology

[0002] In the fruit picking industry, especially for picking fruits at greater heights, traditional methods have many drawbacks. For a long time, people have generally relied on manual climbing of trees or using mechanical lifting equipment to pick the fruit. This traditional model not only consumes a lot of manpower and time but is also inefficient. For example, in large orchards, manually picking fruits one by one from higher branches takes several times longer to complete the picking of an entire area.

[0003] More importantly, these traditional harvesting methods pose serious safety hazards. When picking fruit manually, workers may fall and get injured due to broken branches or slipping. When using mechanical lifting equipment, there is also the risk of accidents caused by equipment malfunction or improper operation. These safety issues not only threaten the lives and health of the pickers but also bring potential economic losses to orchard operations.

[0004] With the development of technology, drones, with their advantages of flexibility, maneuverability, and intelligence, are gradually being widely used in various fields. In fruit harvesting, drones offer new ideas and methods for solving the challenges of high-altitude harvesting. This design is based on this background, aiming to realize intelligent and unmanned fruit harvesting, effectively improving the efficiency and safety of harvesting operations, and creating a more efficient, intelligent, and safe harvesting solution for fruit farmers. Utility Model Content

[0005] This invention provides a drone for cutting fruit stems, aiming to solve the problems of low efficiency and high safety hazards in traditional fruit harvesting methods. This drone significantly improves harvesting efficiency by identifying and cutting the fruit stem in mid-air. The specific solution is as follows:

[0006] A drone for cutting fruit stems, the drone comprising a quadcopter fuselage.

[0007] The quadcopter drone fuselage includes a main body and propeller guards installed at the four corners of the main body. Propeller motors and propellers are installed inside the propeller guards.

[0008] A telescopic, electrically controlled scissor head is installed at the front of the quadcopter's fuselage, located on the drone's central axis. The telescopic, electrically controlled scissor head is equipped with a rotary motor, an electric telescopic rod, an electric scissor head, and a scissor head signal control cable. The rotary motor, electric telescopic rod, and electric scissor head are all connected to the scissor head signal control cable. The rotary motor is fixedly installed at the front of the quadcopter's fuselage. The tail end of the electric telescopic rod is installed on the rotary motor's rotating shaft, and the electric scissor head is installed at the front end of the electric telescopic rod.

[0009] A vision system is installed at the front of the quadcopter drone's fuselage, which includes a TOF camera and a structured light camera.

[0010] The quadcopter drone has a control circuit board inside its fuselage. The control circuit board has a TOF camera cable interface, a structured light camera cable interface, an image processing chip, an attitude sensor, a flight control chip, a scissor head control chip, and a wireless communication chip. The TOF camera cable interface and the structured light camera cable interface are both connected to the image processing chip. The scissor head signal control cable is connected to the scissor head control chip. The attitude sensor and propeller motor are both connected to the flight control chip. The image processing chip, the flight control chip, and the scissor head control chip are all connected to the wireless communication chip. The wireless communication chip is connected to a mushroom-shaped antenna mounted on the top of the quadcopter drone fuselage.

[0011] Furthermore, the main body includes a flight control housing, which is composed of multiple perforated plates connected by screws. A pair of arms are connected to the perforated plates on both sides, and propeller protective covers are fixedly installed at the ends of the arms.

[0012] Furthermore, a lithium battery is installed inside the flight controller housing via a snap-fit ​​mechanism, and the lithium battery is connected to the control circuit board via a battery cable.

[0013] The bottom of the lithium battery has a Type-C charging port for charging, and the bottom of the flight controller housing has an oblong hole for exposing the Type-C charging port.

[0014] Furthermore, the electric telescopic rod is equipped with an electric push rod and a push rod controller, and the rear end base of the electric push rod is fixed on the rotating shaft of the rotary motor;

[0015] The electric shear head includes a fixed blade and a movable blade that are rotatably connected. The fixed blade is fixed to the front end of the electric actuator. A blade drive motor is installed on the fixed blade. A blade rotation gear is fixed on the shaft of the blade drive motor. The tail of the movable blade is provided with a toothed piece that meshes with the blade rotation gear.

[0016] Furthermore, the blade is fixed with a sleeve, which is inserted into the front end of the electric actuator and secured with screws.

[0017] Furthermore, a counterweight is detachably installed inside the flight controller housing.

[0018] Furthermore, the image processing chip includes a TOF camera data processing chip, a structured light camera data processing chip, and an image fusion chip. The TOF camera data processing chip and the structured light camera data processing chip are respectively connected to the TOF camera ribbon cable interface and the structured light camera ribbon cable interface. Both the TOF camera data processing chip and the structured light camera data processing chip are connected to the image fusion chip.

[0019] The drone for cutting fruit stems provided by this utility model has the following technical advantages:

[0020] 1) Highly efficient and precise operation: Equipped with a vision system consisting of a TOF camera and a structured light camera, it can perform long-distance and short-distance positioning respectively. The TOF camera guides the drone to approach the fruit, and when it gets close to 5 meters, it switches to the structured light camera to continue guiding it to the operable distance. Combined with the telescopic electronically controlled scissor head, it can achieve precise picking and effectively improve picking efficiency.

[0021] 2) Safe and convenient operation: It changes the traditional method of manually climbing trees or using mechanical lifting equipment for harvesting, eliminating the risks of working at height. Drone operators can remotely control drones to complete the harvesting, overcoming terrain limitations and operating flexibly in complex orchard environments.

[0022] 3) Flexible and intelligent design: The flight control housing has a detachable counterweight that can adjust flight performance and stability according to the load weight and operating environment. Modular design of each component, such as the electric actuator and actuator controller for the electric telescopic boom, and the integrated scissor telescopic drive motor and telescopic boom, facilitates maintenance and replacement, enabling automated fruit harvesting and remote control. Attached Figure Description

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a drone for cutting fruit stems according to the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the retractable electronically controlled scissor head at the front of a drone in its retracted state.

[0026] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the modules of the UAV of this utility model;

[0027] Figure 4A 3D view of a telescopic, electrically controlled scissor head;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a front view of a telescopic, electrically controlled scissor head.

[0029] Figure 6 This is a side view of a telescopic, electrically controlled scissor head.

[0030] Figure 7 Side view of the control circuit board. Detailed Implementation

[0031] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be practiced without one or more of these details. In other instances, certain technical features well-known in the art have not been described in order to avoid confusion with the present invention.

[0032] To fully understand this utility model, detailed steps and structures will be presented in the following description to illustrate the technical solution of this utility model. Preferred embodiments of this utility model are described in detail below; however, in addition to these detailed descriptions, this utility model may have other embodiments.

[0033] Reference Figure 1-7 As shown, this utility model provides a drone for cutting fruit stems. The drone includes a quadcopter drone fuselage 100. The quadcopter drone fuselage 100 includes a main body 110 and propeller protective covers 120 installed at the four corners of the main body 110. Propeller motors and propellers 130 are installed inside the propeller protective covers 120.

[0034] A telescopic, electrically controlled scissor head 200, located on the central axis of the quadcopter drone, is installed at the front of the drone's fuselage 100. The telescopic, electrically controlled scissor head 200 includes a rotary motor 210, an electric telescopic rod 220, an electric scissor head 230, and a scissor head signal control cable. The rotary motor 210, electric telescopic rod 220, and electric scissor head 230 are all connected to the signal control cable, which provides power and control signals to these components. The rotary motor 210 is fixedly installed at the front of the quadcopter drone fuselage 100. The tail end of the electric telescopic rod 220 is mounted on the rotating shaft of the rotary motor 210, and the electric scissor head 230 is installed at the front end of the electric telescopic rod 220. Through this structure, the telescopic, electrically controlled scissor head 200 can rotate, extend, and perform cutting operations, thereby accurately and efficiently completing the task of cutting fruit stems.

[0035] A vision system 300 is installed at the front of the quadcopter drone fuselage 100. The vision system 300 includes a TOF camera 310 and a structured light camera 320, which are used to collect image signals around the drone for long-range and short-range positioning, respectively. Among them, the TOF camera 310 is used to guide the drone to approach the fruit to be picked, and the structured light camera 320 is used to measure the distance between the drone and the target after the drone approaches the target.

[0036] like Figure 7 As shown, a control circuit board 400 is provided inside the quadcopter drone fuselage 100. The control circuit board 400 is equipped with a TOF camera cable interface 401, a structured light camera cable interface 402, a scissor-shaped cable interface 407, an image processing chip 410, a pose sensor 403, a flight control chip 404, a scissor-shaped control chip 405, and a wireless communication chip 408. The wireless communication chip 408 is connected to a mushroom-shaped antenna 406 installed on the top of the quadcopter drone fuselage 100, and is used to communicate with the remote control terminal to transmit data collected by the camera and commands sent by the remote control terminal.

[0037] The TOF camera cable interface 401 and the structured light camera cable interface 402 are both connected to the image processing chip 410. The scissor head signal control cable is connected to the scissor head control chip 405 through the scissor head cable interface 407. The pose sensor 403 and the propeller motor are both connected to the flight control chip 404. The image processing chip 410, the flight control chip 404, and the scissor head control chip 405 are all connected to the wireless communication chip 408.

[0038] An attitude sensor 403 is installed on the drone control circuit board. When the retractable scissors extend or retract, the drone's balance will be disrupted. The attitude sensor 403 will detect the change in the drone's tilt angle. The flight control unit controls the rotation speed of the four rotors to dynamically compensate for the drone's attitude, thereby stabilizing the drone's flight attitude. This technology is a common technique for drone flight control and stabilization, and will not be elaborated here.

[0039] In an alternative embodiment, such as Figure 1-3 As shown, the main body 110 includes a flight control housing 111, which is composed of multiple perforated plates connected by screws. Using perforated plates as the flight control housing can enhance heat dissipation. A pair of arms 112 are connected to the perforated plates on both sides, and propeller guards 120 are fixedly installed at the ends of the arms 112.

[0040] In an optional embodiment, a lithium battery 420 is installed inside the flight controller housing via a snap-fit ​​mechanism, providing power to the entire drone. The lithium battery can be easily replaced when its power is low. The lithium battery is connected to a lithium battery cable interface 421 on the control circuit board 400 via a battery cable. A Type-C charging port is located at the bottom of the lithium battery, and an oblong hole is provided at the bottom of the flight controller housing to expose the Type-C charging port. This allows the drone to be charged directly via an external charger connected to the Type-C charging port without removing the lithium battery, simplifying the process and improving the drone's efficiency. The oblong hole is fitted with a dust plug to protect the Type-C charging port from dust and water.

[0041] In an optional embodiment, the electric telescopic rod 220 includes an electric actuator 221 and an actuator controller 222. The rear end base of the electric actuator 221 is fixed to the rotating shaft of the rotary motor 210, and the actuator controller 222 is connected to the scissor head signal control cable. The actuator controller 222 controls the electric actuator 221 to perform linear extension and retraction movements.

[0042] The electric shear head 230 includes a fixed blade 231 and a movable blade 232 rotatably connected. The fixed blade 231 is fixed to the front end of the electric push rod. A blade drive motor 233 is mounted on the fixed blade 231. A blade rotation gear 234 is fixed on the rotating shaft of the blade drive motor 233. The movable blade 232 has a toothed piece 235 at its tail that meshes with the blade rotation gear 234. When the blade drive motor 233 is started, it drives the blade rotation gear 234 to rotate. Through the meshing of the toothed piece 235 with the blade rotation gear 234, the movable blade 232 rotates around the connection point with the fixed blade 231, thus achieving the cutting action.

[0043] The scissor telescopic drive motor and the telescopic pole are modular products with an integrated design. This design not only reduces the number of parts and the probability of failure, but also allows the rotational motion of the scissor telescopic drive motor to be efficiently converted into the linear motion of the telescopic pole, improving the working efficiency and stability of the electric telescopic pole 220.

[0044] In an optional embodiment, the fixed blade 231 is fixed with a sleeve 236, which is inserted into the front end of the electric actuator 221 and fixed with screws, so that the connection between the fixed blade 231 and the electric actuator 221 is more secure.

[0045] In an optional embodiment, a counterweight is detachably installed within the flight controller housing. By adjusting the weight and position of the counterweight, the drone's flight performance and stability can be optimized when carrying loads of varying weights, such as harvested fruit or other equipment. The counterweight design allows users to quickly replace or adjust it to suit different operating environments and task requirements. Simultaneously, the counterweight increases the drone's weight, facilitating more stable cutting of fruit stems by the front-end blades.

[0046] In an optional embodiment, the image processing chip 410 includes a TOF camera data processing chip 411, a structured light camera data processing chip 412, and an image fusion chip 413. The TOF camera data processing chip 411 and the structured light camera data processing chip 412 are respectively connected to the TOF camera cable interface 401 and the structured light camera cable interface 402, and are used to perform preliminary processing on the data acquired by the TOF camera 310 and the structured light camera 320.

[0047] The TOF camera data processing chip 411 is primarily responsible for processing the distance information acquired by the TOF camera, converting it into digital signals, and performing filtering and noise reduction to improve data accuracy. The structured light camera data processing chip 412 analyzes and processes the image data acquired by the structured light camera, extracting the contour, texture, and other feature information of the target object. The processed data from both cameras is then sent to the image fusion chip 413 for backend processing. The image fusion chip 413 uses an algorithm to fuse the data from the TOF camera and the structured light camera, calculating the precise distance and position information from the drone to the target object.

[0048] It should be noted that the image data processing performed by the TOF camera data processing chip 411 and the structured light camera data processing chip 412 on the TOF camera 310 and the structured light camera 320 is common knowledge to those skilled in the art; and the technology by which the image fusion chip 413 performs data fusion on the TOF camera data processing chip 411 and the structured light camera data processing chip 412 is also common knowledge to those skilled in the art. Specific image processing can be easily implemented using mature algorithms in the field and is not within the scope of protection claimed in this application, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0049] This utility model discloses a drone device for fruit picking. The drone is equipped with retractable electronically controlled shears and two spatial cameras for positioning. The drone can guide itself to approach the target. First, the TOF camera guides the drone to approach the target. When the drone is 5 meters away from the target, it switches to a structured light camera to continue guiding the drone to the operable distance. The pilot can remotely control the shears on the drone to pick fruit.

[0050] This design improves the efficiency of fruit harvesting in the traditional fruit-growing industry and eliminates some of the risks and safety hazards associated with high-altitude operations. Simultaneously, it provides flexibility and intelligent capabilities, offering new application methods for fruit harvesting. This utility model provides a solution for smart agriculture, enabling drones to overcome terrain limitations and complete various complex tasks in orchards through their flexible and maneuverable flight capabilities. By combining drones with electrically controlled shears, the highly demanding task of fruit harvesting is automated and remotely controlled. The camera-equipped drone can locate and monitor fruit trees in real time, ensuring accurate harvesting, reducing waste, and improving efficiency.

[0051] The preferred embodiments of this utility model have been described above. It should be understood that this utility model is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. Devices and structures not described in detail herein should be understood as being implemented in a conventional manner within the art. Any person skilled in the art can make many possible variations and modifications to the technical solutions of this utility model using the disclosed methods and techniques, or modify them into equivalent embodiments with equivalent changes, without departing from the scope of the technical solution of this utility model. This does not affect the essential content of this utility model. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of this utility model, without departing from the content of the technical solution of this utility model, still fall within the protection scope of the technical solution of this utility model.

Claims

1. A drone for cutting fruit stems, the drone comprising a quadcopter fuselage, characterized in that, The quadcopter drone fuselage includes a main body and propeller guards installed at the four corners of the main body. Propeller motors and propellers are installed inside the propeller guards. A telescopic, electrically controlled scissor head is installed at the front of the quadcopter's fuselage, located on the drone's central axis. The telescopic, electrically controlled scissor head is equipped with a rotary motor, an electric telescopic rod, an electric scissor head, and a scissor head signal control cable. The rotary motor, electric telescopic rod, and electric scissor head are all connected to the scissor head signal control cable. The rotary motor is fixedly installed at the front of the quadcopter's fuselage. The tail end of the electric telescopic rod is installed on the rotary motor's rotating shaft, and the electric scissor head is installed at the front end of the electric telescopic rod. A vision system is installed at the front of the quadcopter drone's fuselage, which includes a TOF camera and a structured light camera. The quadcopter drone has a control circuit board inside its fuselage. The control circuit board has a TOF camera cable interface, a structured light camera cable interface, an image processing chip, an attitude sensor, a flight control chip, a scissor head control chip, and a wireless communication chip. The TOF camera cable interface and the structured light camera cable interface are both connected to the image processing chip. The scissor head signal control cable is connected to the scissor head control chip. The attitude sensor and propeller motor are both connected to the flight control chip. The image processing chip, the flight control chip, and the scissor head control chip are all connected to the wireless communication chip. The wireless communication chip is connected to a mushroom-shaped antenna mounted on the top of the quadcopter drone fuselage.

2. The drone for cutting fruit stems according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main body includes a flight control housing, which consists of multiple perforated plates connected by screws. A pair of arms are connected to the perforated plates on both sides, and propeller protective covers are fixedly installed at the ends of the arms.

3. The drone for cutting fruit stems according to claim 2, characterized in that, A lithium battery is installed inside the flight controller housing by a snap-fit ​​mechanism, and the lithium battery is connected to the control circuit board via a battery cable. The bottom of the lithium battery has a Type-C charging port for charging, and the bottom of the flight controller housing has an oblong hole for exposing the Type-C charging port.

4. The drone for cutting fruit stems according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electric telescopic rod is equipped with an electric push rod and a push rod controller. The rear base of the electric push rod is fixed on the rotating shaft of the rotary motor. The electric shear head includes a fixed blade and a movable blade that are rotatably connected. The fixed blade is fixed to the front end of the electric actuator. A blade drive motor is installed on the fixed blade. A blade rotation gear is fixed on the shaft of the blade drive motor. The tail of the movable blade is provided with a toothed piece that meshes with the blade rotation gear.

5. The drone for cutting fruit stems according to claim 4, characterized in that, The fixed blade is secured with a sleeve, which is inserted into the front end of the electric actuator and fixed with screws.

6. The drone for cutting fruit stems according to claim 2, characterized in that, The flight controller housing contains a detachable counterweight.

7. The drone for cutting fruit stems according to claim 1, characterized in that, The image processing chip includes a TOF camera data processing chip, a structured light camera data processing chip, and an image fusion chip. The TOF camera data processing chip and the structured light camera data processing chip are respectively connected to the TOF camera ribbon cable interface and the structured light camera ribbon cable interface. Both the TOF camera data processing chip and the structured light camera data processing chip are connected to the image fusion chip.

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