Multi-degree-of-freedom mushroom picking gripper

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of multi-degree-of-freedom mushroom picking gripper, including lifting base, the lifting end of lifting base is equipped with cantilever assembly, the cantilever assembly includes at least two sections of rotationally connected cantilever, the free end of the cantilever assembly is equipped with gripper mechanism, the gripper mechanism includes the first mounting plate that is rotationally connected in the free end of the cantilever assembly by first driving element, the first mounting plate has horizontal extension and the first inclined portion that is inclined to horizontal extension arrangement, the first inclined portion is rotationally connected with second mounting plate by second driving element, and the second mounting plate is equipped with gripper assembly for grabbing mushroom. The utility model makes that gripper assembly can flexibly adjust its space posture, to adapt the actual growth posture of mushroom handle, reduce the cap collision damage due to angle mismatch, effectively improve picking undamaged rate and mushroom appearance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of mushroom harvesting technology, specifically to a multi-degree-of-freedom mushroom harvesting gripper. Background Technology

[0002] The industrialized and large-scale cultivation of mushrooms is an important direction for the development of modern agriculture, creating an urgent need for efficient and non-destructive automated harvesting technology. Currently, the industry widely adopts highly mature visual guidance systems. These systems can accurately identify the position, size, and growth posture (including tilt angle) of mushrooms on the substrate, providing a reliable positioning and control foundation for automated harvesting. However, despite the maturity of visual recognition technology, the end effectors that perform the harvesting action often employ simple linear telescopic structures or single joints with only horizontal rotation capabilities, resulting in significant shortcomings in posture adaptation.

[0003] Mushrooms (such as button mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms) exhibit significant irregularities in their growth morphology on the substrate, often displaying a tilted posture at various directions and angles, rather than always growing vertically upwards. Existing grippers lack the ability to flexibly adjust their spatial orientation, particularly struggling to adapt to the actual tilt direction of the mushroom stem. When faced with obliquely growing mushrooms, existing grippers cannot flexibly adjust their gripping axis to match the actual tilt direction of the mushroom stem, forcing them to harvest in a straight-up-down motion. This forced approach and gripping of obliquely growing mushrooms at an incompatible angle easily leads to collisions and scratches between the gripper's claws and the delicate mushroom cap, causing damage and affecting the mushroom's appearance and commercial value. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a multi-degree-of-freedom mushroom picking gripper, which allows the gripper components to flexibly adjust their spatial posture to adapt to the actual growth posture of the mushroom stem, reduce cap collision damage caused by mismatched angles, and effectively improve the harvesting damage-free rate and mushroom quality.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is as follows: a multi-degree-of-freedom mushroom picking gripper, comprising a lifting base, a cantilever assembly at the lifting end of the lifting base, the cantilever assembly comprising at least two rotatably connected cantilever sections, a gripper mechanism at the free end of the cantilever assembly, the gripper mechanism comprising a first mounting plate rotatably connected to the free end of the cantilever assembly via a first driving member, the first mounting plate having a horizontal extension and a first inclined portion inclined relative to the horizontal extension, the first inclined portion being rotatably connected to a second mounting plate via a second driving member, and a gripper assembly for picking mushrooms being provided on the second mounting plate.

[0006] A further improvement of this utility model is that the second mounting plate includes a second inclined plate rotatably connected to the first inclined portion, and a gripper mounting plate fixed to one side of the second inclined plate, wherein the gripper assembly is mounted on the gripper mounting plate.

[0007] A further improvement of this utility model is that the gripper assembly includes a finger clamping seat, an adjusting ring, and three fingers disposed below the gripper mounting plate. The finger clamping seat has three finger clamping hinge seats evenly distributed around its circumference. The finger clamping hinge seats are hinged to the upper ends of the fingers. Each finger clamping finger is provided with an adjusting section. The adjusting ring has a guide opening that slides with the adjusting section of each finger clamping finger. The lifting and lowering movement of the adjusting ring drives each finger clamping finger to open and close synchronously through the guide opening and the adjusting section.

[0008] A further improvement of this utility model is that the gripper mounting plate is provided with a telescopic rod for driving the adjustment ring to rise and fall, and the gripper mounting plate and the finger holder are coaxially provided with a through hole for the telescopic rod to pass through. When the telescopic rod is in the vertical state, the gripper mounting plate and the horizontal extension are parallel to each other.

[0009] A further improvement of this utility model is that the gripper finger includes, along its length direction, a connecting segment hinged to the gripper finger hinge seat, an adjustment segment extending outward from the end of the connecting segment, and a gripping segment extending inward from the end of the adjustment segment. The contours of the connecting segment, the adjustment segment, and the gripping segment together form a continuous and smooth transition curve in the main view section of the gripper finger.

[0010] A further improvement of this invention is that the gripping segment is covered with an elastic layer.

[0011] A further improvement of this utility model is that the cantilever assembly includes a first cantilever fixedly mounted on the lifting end of the lifting base, a second cantilever rotatably connected to the first cantilever by a first motor, one end of the second cantilever being connected to the first cantilever, and the other end being rotatably connected to a third cantilever rotatably driven by a second motor, and the gripper mechanism being located at the end of the third cantilever away from the second cantilever.

[0012] A further improvement of this utility model is that both the first driving component and the second driving component are motors.

[0013] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: This invention uses a first driving component to drive a first mounting plate to rotate relative to the free end of the cantilever, and a second driving component to drive a second mounting plate to rotate relative to the inclined portion of the first mounting plate. This allows the gripper assembly to flexibly adjust its spatial posture, especially the tilt angle and direction of the gripping axis, thereby adapting to the actual growth posture of the mushroom stem. This effectively reduces cap collision damage caused by angle mismatch, and improves the harvesting damage-free rate and mushroom quality.

[0014] This invention uses a telescopic rod to drive the adjusting ring to rise and fall, thus synchronously controlling the opening and closing of the three gripping fingers. This reduces cost and complexity while ensuring the synchronicity of the gripping finger movements, allowing the gripping force to be applied evenly to the mushroom and avoiding damage or instability caused by uneven gripping force.

[0015] This invention utilizes a first motor to drive a second cantilever to rotate relative to the first cantilever, and a second motor to drive a third cantilever to rotate relative to the second cantilever. This enables the gripper to have a wide range of positioning capabilities in the horizontal plane. Combined with the lifting and lowering of the lifting base, the cantilever assembly provides the end-effector gripper mechanism with the basic ability to move mushrooms to different positions on the mushroom bed. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the gripper assembly structure of this utility model.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the finger-clamping hinge seat structure of this utility model.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a front view cross-sectional schematic diagram of the finger clamping structure of this utility model.

[0020] In the figure, 1-lifting base, 2-cantilever assembly, 3-grip mechanism, 4-first drive component, 5-horizontal extension, 6-first inclined part, 7-second drive component, 8-second inclined plate, 9-grip mounting plate, 10-finger gripper seat, 11-adjusting ring, 12-finger gripper, 13-adjusting section, 14-guide port, 15-telescopic rod, 16-through hole, 17-connecting section, 18-grip section, 19-first cantilever, 20-second cantilever, 21-third cantilever, 22-finger gripper hinge seat. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The present invention will be further explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0022] Example 1: Combination Figures 1-4It is known that a multi-degree-of-freedom mushroom-picking gripper includes a lifting base 1. The lifting end of the lifting base 1 is provided with a cantilever assembly 2, which includes at least two rotatably connected cantilever sections. The free end of the cantilever assembly 2 is provided with a gripper mechanism 3. The gripper mechanism 3 includes a first mounting plate rotatably connected to the free end of the cantilever assembly via a first driving member 4. The first mounting plate has a horizontal extension 5 and a first inclined portion 6 inclined relative to the horizontal extension 5. The first inclined portion 6 is rotatably connected to a second mounting plate via a second driving member 7. The second mounting plate is provided with a gripper assembly for grasping mushrooms. The included angle between the first inclined portion 6 and the horizontal extension 5 is 110°~150°, preferably 135°.

[0023] The second mounting plate includes a second inclined plate 8 rotatably connected to the first inclined part 6, and a gripper mounting plate 9 fixed to one side of the second inclined plate 8, with the gripper assembly mounted on the gripper mounting plate 9.

[0024] Preferably, when the angle between the first inclined portion 6 and the horizontal extension portion 5 is 135°, the angle between the second inclined plate 8 and the gripper mounting plate 9 is set to 45° accordingly, so as to ensure that when the gripper mounting plate 9 is adjusted to a specific posture, the gripper assembly on it can obtain the desired working angle.

[0025] Preferably, both the first driving component 4 and the second driving component 7 are motors.

[0026] The gripper assembly includes a finger holder 10, an adjusting ring 11, and three fingers 12 disposed below the gripper mounting plate 9. The finger holder 10 has three finger hinge seats 22 evenly distributed circumferentially. Each finger hinge seat 22 is hinged to the upper end of each finger 12. Each finger 12 has an adjusting section 13. The adjusting ring 11 has guide openings 14 that slide with the adjusting sections 13 of each finger 12. The lifting and lowering movement of the adjusting ring 11 engages with the adjusting sections 13 through the guide openings 14, driving each finger 12 to open and close synchronously. The upper end of each finger 12 is hinged to the corresponding finger hinge seat 22 via a pin.

[0027] The gripper mounting plate 9 is provided with a telescopic rod 15 (such as an electric push rod or cylinder) that drives the adjustment ring 11 to rise and fall. The gripper mounting plate 9 and the gripper finger seat 10 are coaxially provided with a through hole 16 for the telescopic rod 15 to pass through. When the telescopic rod 15 is in the vertical state, the gripper mounting plate 9 and the horizontal extension 5 are parallel to each other, and the push rod axis of the telescopic rod 15 is perpendicular to the horizontal extension 5.

[0028] During harvesting, the push rod of the telescopic rod 15 extends downward, pushing the adjusting ring 11 downward. As the adjusting ring 11 moves downward, the inner wall of its guide port 14 contacts the outwardly expanding adjusting section 13 of the gripper finger 12 and a sliding interaction occurs. Due to the outwardly expanding design of the adjusting section 13, the force of the guide port 14 moving downward forces the adjusting section 13 (along with the entire gripper finger 12) to rotate inward (i.e., in the direction of the central axis) around its top hinge point, thereby causing the gripping sections 18 at the lower ends of the three gripper fingers 12 to synchronously retract towards the center, achieving a closing action.

[0029] The finger clamp 12, along its length, sequentially includes a connecting section 17 hinged to the finger clamp hinge seat 22, an adjusting section 13 extending outward from the end of the connecting section 17 (with the central axis of the finger clamp seat 10 as a reference, the side closer to the axis is the inner side, and the side farther away is the outer side), and a gripping section 18 extending inward from the end of the adjusting section 13. The outlines of the connecting section 17, the adjusting section 13, and the gripping section 18, when viewed from the finger clamp's main view section (e.g., ...), are... Figure 4 (As shown) together form a coherent, smooth transition curve.

[0030] Preferably, the gripping section 18 is covered with an elastic layer. This layer is preferably food-grade silicone, which provides a flexible contact interface to cushion and increase friction when gripping the mushroom stem, preventing pinching or slippage.

[0031] Preferably, the cantilever assembly 2 includes a first cantilever 19 fixedly mounted on the lifting end of the lifting base 1, a second cantilever 20 rotatably connected to the first cantilever 19 and driven by a first motor, one end of the second cantilever 20 being connected to the first cantilever 19, and the other end being rotatably connected to a third cantilever 21 driven by a second motor, with a gripper mechanism located at the end of the third cantilever 21 away from the second cantilever 20. The coordinated operation of the first and second motors enables the gripper mechanism 3 to perform a wide range of position adjustments in the horizontal plane.

[0032] The lifting base 1 (e.g., using existing lifting devices such as standard linear modules, electric push rods, or scissor lift platforms) is fixedly installed on the mobile platform or frame. Its lifting end is used to support and drive the cantilever assembly 2 to move vertically, providing the gripper with vertical movement capability. It should be noted that the lifting base 1 itself and its control method are well-known technologies in the field, and this application does not substantially improve its structure.

[0033] The working principle of the multi-degree-of-freedom mushroom picking gripper provided by the utility model is as follows: During operation, the lifting base 1 drives the entire cantilever assembly 2 and gripper mechanism 3 to rise and fall to a suitable height range. A vision system (typically located in the main body of the harvesting robot, not the gripper component) identifies the position and orientation of the target mushroom (including the tilt angle and direction of its stem). Based on the positioning information from the vision system, a first motor drives the second cantilever 20 to rotate relative to the first cantilever 19 in the horizontal plane, and a second motor drives the third cantilever 21 to rotate relative to the second cantilever 20 in the horizontal plane, thereby initially positioning the gripper mechanism 3 in the area above and near the target mushroom. The lifting base 1 is height-adjustable. The stem of the target mushroom may be tilted. Therefore, it is necessary to match the gripping axis of the gripper assembly with the actual growth direction of the mushroom stem. The first driving component 4 drives the first mounting plate (along with its first tilting part 6, second mounting plate, and the entire gripper assembly) to rotate around the axis connected to the end of the third cantilever 21. This rotation adjusts the orientation of the gripping axis in the horizontal plane (i.e., adjusts the direction of tilt). Next, the second drive unit 7 drives the second mounting plate (i.e., the second inclined plate 8 together with the fixed gripper mounting plate 9 and the entire gripper assembly) to rotate around the axis of the first inclined part 6. This rotation adjusts the tilt angle of the gripping axis relative to the horizontal plane. Through the coordinated action of the first drive unit 4 and the second drive unit 7, the spatial posture of the gripper assembly can be flexibly adjusted, ultimately matching the expected gripping axis with the actual tilt direction of the target mushroom stem.

[0034] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made using the content of this utility model specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A multi-degree-of-freedom mushroom picking gripper, comprising a lifting base (1), wherein the lifting end of the lifting base (1) is provided with a cantilever assembly (2), the cantilever assembly (2) comprising at least two rotatably connected cantilever sections, and the free end of the cantilever assembly (2) is provided with a gripper mechanism (3), characterized in that: The gripper mechanism (3) includes a first mounting plate rotatably connected to the free end of the cantilever assembly via a first driving member (4). The first mounting plate has a horizontal extension (5) and a first inclined portion (6) inclined relative to the horizontal extension (5). The first inclined portion (6) is rotatably connected to a second mounting plate via a second driving member (7). The second mounting plate is provided with a gripper assembly for gripping mushrooms.

2. The multi-degree-of-freedom mushroom picking gripper according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second mounting plate includes a second inclined plate (8) rotatably connected to the first inclined portion (6), and a gripper mounting plate (9) fixed to one side of the second inclined plate (8), wherein the gripper assembly is mounted on the gripper mounting plate (9).

3. The multi-degree-of-freedom mushroom picking gripper according to claim 2, characterized in that: The gripper assembly includes a finger holder (10), an adjusting ring (11), and three fingers (12) disposed below the gripper mounting plate (9). The finger holder (10) has three finger hinge seats (22) evenly distributed around its circumference. The finger hinge seats (22) are hinged to the upper ends of the fingers (12). The fingers (12) are provided with adjusting sections (13). The adjusting ring (11) has a guide port (14) that slides with the adjusting sections (13) of each finger (12). The lifting and lowering movement of the adjusting ring (11) is coordinated with the adjusting sections (13) through the guide port (14) and drives each finger (12) to open and close synchronously.

4. A multi-degree-of-freedom mushroom picking gripper according to claim 3, characterized in that: The gripper mounting plate (9) is provided with a telescopic rod (15) for driving the adjustment ring (11) to rise and fall. The gripper mounting plate (9) and the finger clamp seat (10) are coaxially provided with a through hole (16) for the telescopic rod (15) to pass through. When the telescopic rod (15) is in the vertical state, the gripper mounting plate (9) and the horizontal extension (5) are parallel to each other.

5. A multi-degree-of-freedom mushroom picking gripper according to claim 3, characterized in that: The finger clamp (12) includes, along its length direction, a connecting segment (17) hinged to the finger clamp hinge seat (22), an adjustment segment (13) extending outward from the end of the connecting segment (17), and a gripping segment (18) extending inward from the end of the adjustment segment (13). The contours of the connecting segment (17), the adjustment segment (13), and the gripping segment (18) together form a continuous and smooth transition curve in the main view section of the finger clamp.

6. A multi-degree-of-freedom mushroom picking gripper according to claim 5, characterized in that: The gripping segment (18) is covered with an elastic layer.

7. The multi-degree-of-freedom mushroom picking gripper according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cantilever assembly (2) includes a first cantilever (19) fixedly mounted on the lifting end of the lifting base (1), a second cantilever (20) driven by a first motor is rotatably connected to the first cantilever (19), one end of the second cantilever (20) is connected to the first cantilever (19), and the other end is rotatably connected to a third cantilever (21) driven by a second motor. The gripper mechanism is located at the end of the third cantilever (21) away from the second cantilever (20).

8. A multi-degree-of-freedom mushroom picking gripper according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both the first driving component (4) and the second driving component (7) are motors.

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