An end effector for picking mushrooms

Abstract

This utility model relates to an end effector for harvesting mushrooms, which solves the technical problem of how to harvest tilted button mushrooms more effectively and reliably. It includes an upper support plate, a lower support plate, a vertically fixed plate, a rotation drive mechanism, a flexible tube, a lower rigid air tube, a spherical joint bearing, a suction cup, an upper hollow shaft, a first bearing, a conical spring, and a flanged outer ring deep groove ball bearing. The flanged outer ring deep groove ball bearing is fitted onto the lower rigid air tube, and the inner ring of the flanged outer ring deep groove ball bearing is connected to the lower rigid air tube. The conical spring is fitted onto the lower rigid air tube, with its small end fitted onto the flanged outer ring of the flanged outer ring deep groove ball bearing, and its large end connected to the lower support plate. This utility model is widely used for harvesting button mushrooms and other mushrooms.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of mushroom harvesting technology, and more specifically, to an end effector that can be used for harvesting mushrooms. Background Technology

[0002] Button mushroom (scientific name: Agaricus bisporus) is a common edible fungus. Button mushroom has extremely high nutritional and medicinal value and can be processed into various foods, health products, and even medicines, making it very economically valuable.

[0003] Button mushroom cultivation has achieved large-scale factory production. Factory-style mushroom houses allow for production without seasonal limitations, enabling daily fruiting and year-round production with high yields and good economic benefits. Factory-style mushroom houses are typically 20-30 meters long, 6-10 meters wide, and 5-6 meters high. Inside, 2-4 rows of multi-tiered mushroom beds can be installed along the length of the house. The beds are mostly made of metal structural profiles, with a bed width of 1-1.6 meters, 5-6 tiers, and a tier spacing of 50-70 centimeters. The bottom tier is approximately 30 centimeters from the ground, and the top tier is more than 1 meter from the ceiling. The aisles between the beds are 80-100 centimeters wide, and the aisles between the beds and the walls are 40-80 centimeters wide.

[0004] The growth of button mushroom colonies exhibits significant randomness and unique growth characteristics. Firstly, it grows in colonies, existing as mycelium that can interconnect to form large communities. Under suitable conditions, the mycelium rapidly multiplies and spreads, forming a dense mycelial network. The mycelium intertwines and adheres tightly together, creating a staggered and overlapping growth pattern. Secondly, it produces spores; under appropriate conditions, button mushrooms can rapidly generate a large number of fruiting bodies, thus achieving rapid population dispersal. These growth characteristics determine that button mushroom communities form a compact, clustered growth pattern. The size, shape, and density of these communities vary greatly, and adjacent mushrooms often overlap.

[0005] Button mushroom cultivation is a labor-intensive industry. In recent years, labor costs have been rising, and the uneven size and 24-hour growth characteristics of button mushrooms place high demands on the harvesting skills and working hours of laborers. This has exacerbated the problem of high labor costs faced by button mushroom cultivation factories. Automated harvesting robots can save manpower, improve efficiency, and reduce costs. For information on the structure and operation of automated harvesting robots, please refer to the invention patent applications CN 113940239 A ("Intelligent Harvesting System") and CN113079954A ("Harvesting Device with Adaptive Suction Cup and Adaptive Suction Cup").

[0006] The growth of button mushroom colonies exhibits significant randomness and unique growth characteristics. Firstly, it grows in colonies, existing as mycelium that can interconnect to form large colonies. Under suitable conditions, the mycelium rapidly multiplies and spreads, forming a dense mycelial network. The mycelium intertwines and adheres tightly together, creating a staggered and overlapping growth pattern. Secondly, it produces spores; under suitable conditions, button mushrooms can rapidly produce a large number of fruiting bodies, thus achieving rapid population dispersal. These growth characteristics determine that button mushroom colonies form a dense, clustered growth pattern. The size, shape, and density of these colonies vary greatly, with adjacent mushrooms overlapping each other. It is evident that button mushrooms can grow vertically upwards or at an angle. Harvesting angled button mushrooms is particularly difficult.

[0007] Patent application CN114847091A, entitled "A Control System and Control Method for a Button Mushroom Harvesting Device," discloses a method for harvesting mushrooms growing at an angle. This method uses a vision module to obtain the mushroom's tilt angle and then adjusts the position of the suction cup harvesting module before the harvesting action, ensuring that the tilt angle of the suction cup harvesting module matches the mushroom's tilt angle. However, this method is complex, unreliable, and inefficient, making it unsatisfactory in practical applications.

[0008] Patent application CN119769360A discloses an end effector for harvesting mushrooms. However, how to harvest tilted button mushrooms more effectively and reliably is a technical problem that needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0009] This application aims to solve the technical problem of how to harvest tilted button mushrooms more effectively and reliably, and provides an end effector for harvesting mushrooms that makes it easier to harvest tilted button mushrooms.

[0010] This utility model provides an end effector for picking mushrooms, including an upper support plate, a lower support plate, a vertical fixed plate, a rotation drive mechanism, a flexible tube, a lower rigid air tube, a spherical joint bearing, a suction cup, an upper hollow shaft, a first bearing, a conical spring, and a flange outer ring deep groove ball bearing. The upper part of the vertical fixed plate is fixedly connected to the upper support plate, and the lower part of the vertical fixed plate is fixedly connected to the lower support plate.

[0011] The upper hollow shaft is rotatably connected to the upper support plate via a first bearing. A rotation drive mechanism is connected to the upper support plate and is used to drive the upper hollow shaft to rotate. The upper end of the flexible tube is connected to the lower end of the upper hollow shaft, and the lower end of the flexible tube is connected to the upper end of the lower rigid air tube. A spherical plain bearing is connected to the lower support plate. The spherical plain bearing has an inner ring. The lower rigid air tube is connected to the inner ring of the spherical plain bearing and passes through the spherical plain bearing. A suction cup is connected to the lower end of the lower rigid air tube. A flange outer ring deep groove ball bearing is fitted onto the lower rigid air tube. The inner ring of the flange outer ring deep groove ball bearing is connected to the lower rigid air tube. A conical spring is fitted onto the lower rigid air tube. The small end of the conical spring is fitted onto the flange outer ring of the flange outer ring deep groove ball bearing, and the large end of the conical spring is connected to the lower support plate.

[0012] Preferably, the suction cup is an adaptive suction cup.

[0013] Preferably, the larger end of the conical spring is fixedly connected to the lower support plate.

[0014] Preferably, the lower support plate has a circular groove, and the large end of the conical spring is embedded in the circular groove.

[0015] Preferably, the flexible pipe is a corrugated pipe.

[0016] Preferably, the end effector for picking mushrooms further includes a connector and a second bearing. The upper end of the upper hollow shaft is rotatably connected to the connector via the second bearing, and a sealing ring is connected between the upper end of the upper hollow shaft and the inner wall of the connector.

[0017] Preferably, the rotation drive mechanism includes a servo motor, a drive gear, and a driven gear. The servo motor is connected to the upper support plate, the drive gear is connected to the output shaft of the servo motor, the driven gear is fixedly connected to the middle part of the upper hollow shaft, and the driven gear meshes with the drive gear.

[0018] The beneficial effects of this disclosure are that it enables rapid, effective, and reliable harvesting of tilted Agaricus bisporus, and the harvesting process is simple. The lower rigid trachea tilts at a certain angle, causing the conical spring to deform. Under the rebound force of the conical spring, the lower rigid trachea can more easily return to a vertical position. Furthermore, it also facilitates the return of the bent flexible trachea to a vertical position more easily.

[0019] It's not limited to picking button mushrooms; you can also pick other mushrooms and other products that need to be picked.

[0020] Further features and aspects of this disclosure will be clearly described in the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1This is an isometric drawing of an end effector that can be used for picking mushrooms;

[0022] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The front view of the end effector is shown.

[0023] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A cross-sectional view along the AA direction;

[0024] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 The side view of the end effector shown;

[0025] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 Cross-sectional view along the BB direction;

[0026] Figure 6 This is an isometric view from another perspective of an end effector that can be used to pick mushrooms;

[0027] Figure 7 yes Figure 2 The diagram shows the structure after removing the conical spring.

[0028] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 The isometric view of the structure shown.

[0029] Explanation of symbols in the diagram:

[0030] 1. Upper support plate, 2. Lower support plate, 2-1. Circular groove, 3. Vertical fixing plate, 6. Servo motor, 7. Drive gear, 8. Driven gear, 9. Connector, 10. Flexible tube, 11. Lower rigid air tube, 12. Spherical plain bearing, 13. Adaptive suction cup, 14. Upper hollow shaft, 15. First bearing, 16. Second bearing, 17. Sealing ring, 18. Conical spring, 19. Flange outer ring deep groove ball bearing. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0032] The specific embodiments described below are merely preferred embodiments of this application, and the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art can make modifications or variations based on the principles, concepts, and spirit of this application, and the resulting technical solutions should all be covered within the scope of protection of this application.

[0033] like Figure 1-8As shown, the end effector for mushroom harvesting includes an upper support plate 1, a lower support plate 2, a vertical fixing plate 3, a servo motor 6, a drive gear 7, a driven gear 8, a connector 9, a flexible tube 10, a lower rigid air tube 11, a spherical plain bearing 12, an adaptive suction cup 13, an upper hollow shaft 14, a first bearing 15, a second bearing 16, a sealing ring 17, a conical spring 18, and a flanged outer ring deep groove ball bearing 19. The upper part of the vertical fixing plate 3 is fixedly connected to the upper support plate 1, and the lower part of the vertical fixing plate 3 is fixedly connected to the lower support plate 2. The servo motor 6 is fixedly mounted on the upper support plate 1, and the drive gear 7 is connected to the output shaft of the servo motor 6. The upper hollow shaft 14 is rotatably connected to the upper support plate 1 through the first bearing 15, and the driven gear 8 is fixedly connected to the middle of the upper hollow shaft 14. The driven gear 8 meshes with the drive gear 7, and the rotation of the drive gear 7 can drive the upper hollow shaft 14 to rotate. The upper end of the flexible tube 10 is connected to the lower end of the upper hollow shaft 14, and the lower end of the flexible tube 10 is connected to the upper end of the lower rigid air tube 11. A spherical plain bearing 12 is mounted on the lower support plate 2. The spherical plain bearing 12 has an inner ring, and the lower rigid air tube 11 is connected to the inner ring of the spherical plain bearing 12, passing through the spherical plain bearing 12. Supported by the spherical plain bearing 12, the lower rigid air tube 11 can rotate and also oscillate in all directions.

[0034] The adaptive suction cup 13 is connected to the lower end of the lower rigid air tube 11. The structure of the adaptive suction cup 13 can adopt the adaptive suction cup structure disclosed in application publication number CN113940239A, entitled "Intelligent Harvesting System".

[0035] The upper end of the upper hollow shaft 14 is rotatably connected to the connector 9 via the second bearing 16, and a sealing ring 17 is connected between the upper end of the upper hollow shaft 14 and the inner wall of the connector 9. The specific shape of the connector 9 can be L-shaped.

[0036] A flanged outer ring deep groove ball bearing 19 is fitted onto the lower rigid air pipe 11, and the inner ring of the flanged outer ring deep groove ball bearing 19 is connected to the lower rigid air pipe 11. A conical spring 18 is fitted onto the lower rigid air pipe 11, with its small end fitted onto the flanged outer ring of the flanged outer ring deep groove ball bearing 19, and its large end connected to the lower support plate 2. When the lower rigid air pipe 11 rotates, the inner ring of the flanged outer ring deep groove ball bearing 19 rotates relative to the flanged outer ring, while the flanged outer ring of the flanged outer ring deep groove ball bearing 19 remains stationary.

[0037] Regarding the specific method of connecting the large end of the conical spring 18 to the lower support plate 2, it can be either a fixed connection between the large end and the lower support plate 2, or: refer to... Figure 5 and 8 The lower support plate 2 is provided with a circular groove 2-1, and the large end of the conical spring 18 is embedded in the circular groove 2-1.

[0038] It should be noted that the flexible pipe 10 can be a corrugated pipe.

[0039] The process of harvesting button mushrooms using the aforementioned end effector is as follows:

[0040] The vertical fixing plate 3 is fixed on the positioning mechanism of the mushroom automatic harvesting robot, and the connector 9 is connected to the vacuum generator system.

[0041] (a) In the first case, pick button mushrooms that grow vertically.

[0042] like Figure 1 , 2 In the initial state shown, the conical spring 18 is in its initial state, and the entire end effector moves downward in the vertical direction. The adaptive suction cup 13 presses down on the cap of the vertically growing button mushroom. At this time, the lower rigid air tube 11 is in the vertical direction, and the flexible tube 10 is also in the vertical direction (without bending). Then, the vacuum generator is turned on to allow the adaptive suction cup 13 to adsorb the cap of the button mushroom (the adaptive suction cup 13 is in the vertical direction adsorbing the cap). Then, the servo motor 6 is started, and the upper hollow shaft 14 is rotated through gear transmission. This causes the flexible tube 10 and the lower rigid air tube 11 to rotate at a certain angle, thereby driving the adaptive suction cup 13 to rotate at a certain angle to perform a twisting operation. Finally, the entire end effector rises, and the adaptive suction cup 13 rises with the harvested button mushroom.

[0043] (ii) The second situation is to pick the tilted button mushrooms.

[0044] like Figure 1 , 2 In the initial state shown, the entire end effector moves downwards vertically, and the adaptive suction cup 13 presses down on the cap of the tilted button mushroom. At this time, since the button mushroom is tilted, the lower rigid air tube 11 will sway at a certain angle, the flexible tube 10 will bend accordingly, the adaptive suction cup 13 will tilt, and the conical spring 18 will deform. Then, the vacuum generator is turned on to allow the adaptive suction cup 13 to adsorb the cap of the tilted button mushroom. Then, the servo motor 6 is started, and the upper hollow shaft 14 is rotated through gear transmission. This causes the flexible tube 10 and the lower rigid air tube 11 to rotate at a certain angle, thereby driving the adaptive suction cup 13 to rotate at a certain angle to perform a twisting operation. Finally, the entire end effector rises, and the adaptive suction cup 13 rises with the harvested button mushroom. Under the action of the rebound force of the conical spring 18, the lower rigid air tube 11 is more likely to return to the vertical direction (the conical spring 18 returns to its initial state), and the flexible tube 10 returns to the vertical direction. After the harvested button mushroom rises to the designated position, the pressure on the adaptive suction cup 13 is released, and the button mushroom is released and falls down automatically.

[0045] It is evident that the harvesting process is simple, enabling rapid, effective, and reliable harvesting of tilted button mushrooms. The lower rigid air tube 11 deflects at a certain angle, causing the conical spring 18 to deform. Under the rebound force of the conical spring 18, it returns to its initial state, making it easier for the lower rigid air tube 11 to return to a vertical position. Furthermore, it also facilitates the return of the bent flexible tube 10 to a vertical position more easily.

[0046] It should be noted that a regular suction cup can be used instead of the adaptive suction cup 13. A regular suction cup could be the one disclosed in the invention patent application CN114847091A, entitled "A Control System and Control Method for a Button Mushroom Harvesting Device." Any suction cup capable of adsorbing the mushroom cap can replace the adaptive suction cup 13.

[0047] It should be noted that the mechanism consisting of servo 6, drive gear 7 and driven gear 8 is only one specific implementation of the rotation drive mechanism. Other specific rotation drive mechanisms can also be used to rotate the upper hollow shaft 14.

Claims

1. An end effector capable of being used for picking mushrooms, characterized in that, It includes an upper support plate, a lower support plate, a vertical fixing plate, a rotation drive mechanism, a flexible tube, a lower rigid air tube, a spherical joint bearing, a suction cup, an upper hollow shaft, a first bearing, a conical spring, and a flange outer ring deep groove ball bearing. The upper part of the vertical fixing plate is fixedly connected to the upper support plate, and the lower part of the vertical fixing plate is fixedly connected to the lower support plate. The upper hollow shaft is rotatably connected to the upper support plate via a first bearing. A rotation drive mechanism is connected to the upper support plate and is used to drive the upper hollow shaft to rotate. The upper end of the flexible tube is connected to the lower end of the upper hollow shaft, and the lower end of the flexible tube is connected to the upper end of the lower rigid air tube. The spherical plain bearing is connected to the lower support plate. The spherical plain bearing has an inner ring. The lower rigid air tube is connected to the inner ring of the spherical plain bearing and passes through the spherical plain bearing. The suction cup is connected to the lower end of the lower rigid air tube. The flange outer ring deep groove ball bearing is sleeved on the lower rigid air tube, and the inner ring of the flange outer ring deep groove ball bearing is connected to the lower rigid air tube. The conical spring is sleeved on the lower rigid air tube. The small end of the conical spring is sleeved on the flange outer ring deep groove ball bearing, and the large end of the conical spring is connected to the lower support plate.

2. The end effector capable of picking mushrooms according to claim 1, characterized in that, The suction cup is an adaptive suction cup.

3. The end effector able to be used for picking mushrooms according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The large end of the conical spring is fixedly connected to the lower support plate.

4. The end effector able to be used for picking mushrooms according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The lower support plate is provided with a circular groove, and the large end of the conical spring is embedded in the circular groove.

5. The end effector capable of picking mushrooms according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The flexible pipe is a corrugated pipe.

6. The end effector capable of picking mushrooms according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The end effector for picking mushrooms also includes a connector and a second bearing. The upper end of the upper hollow shaft is rotatably connected to the connector via the second bearing, and a sealing ring is connected between the upper end of the upper hollow shaft and the inner wall of the connector.

7. The end effector capable of picking mushrooms according to claim 1, characterized by, The rotation drive mechanism includes a servo motor, a drive gear, and a driven gear. The servo motor is connected to the upper support plate, the drive gear is connected to the output shaft of the servo motor, the driven gear is fixedly connected to the middle part of the upper hollow shaft, and the driven gear meshes with the drive gear.

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