A hybrid side-harvesting robot

Abstract

This utility model belongs to the field of agricultural harvesting technology, and particularly relates to a hybrid side-harvesting robot. The static platform has a square frame structure, with hinge mounting platforms at the four corners. There are four identical branches, each including a guide rail and a parallel chain. The top of the guide rail is fixed to the corresponding hinge mounting platform, and the bottom of the guide rail is connected to the same fixed platform. The guide rail is connected to a slider via a P-joint. The top of the parallel chain is hinged to the corresponding slider, and the bottom of the parallel chain is rotatably connected to the same moving platform. An end effector is connected to the bottom of the moving platform. The end effector includes a clamp, a blade handle, and a gripper arm. The clamp is horizontally Z-shaped, with the blade handle and gripper arm located on both sides of the clamp and horizontally positioned. The blade is horizontally fixed to the side of the blade handle. This robot uses a planar clamp, gripper arm, and blade to achieve side gripping and cutting, resulting in high harvesting efficiency. It does not require complete fruit wrapping, and will not damage other fruits when they are densely distributed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of agricultural harvesting technology, and in particular relates to a hybrid side-harvesting robot. Background Technology

[0002] There are many types of harvesting robots, such as multi-jointed serial robots and tea-picking robots developed using DELTA-type parallel mechanisms. Multi-jointed serial robots are widely used for harvesting fruits and vegetables, such as apple, strawberry, and tomato harvesting robots, but they are slow and inefficient. Compared to serial robots, parallel robots have a faster harvesting speed, but existing parallel robots all use a top-down gripper to harvest the fruit. This top-picking method is not suitable for slender fruits, such as daylilies, because the gripper cannot completely wrap around the fruit, which would cause damage. If the gripper were to completely surround the fruit, it would require a large volume, resulting in reduced accuracy during high-speed harvesting; moreover, slender fruits are densely distributed, and with the top-picking method, an oversized gripper would damage other fruits. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a hybrid side-harvesting robot to solve the problems of low harvesting efficiency of existing serial harvesting robots and the inability of the gripper of parallel top-harvesting robots to completely wrap the fruit, resulting in damage to slender fruits during harvesting.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A hybrid side-harvesting robot includes a static platform, branches, a moving platform, and an end effector. The static platform has a square frame structure with hinge mounting platforms at the four corners. There are four branches with identical structures, arranged symmetrically around the center of the static platform. Each branch includes a guide rail and a parallel chain. The top of the guide rail is fixed to the corresponding hinge mounting platform, and the bottom of the guide rail is connected to the same fixed platform. The guide rail is connected to a slider via a P-joint (sliding joint). The top of the parallel chain is hinged to the corresponding slider, and the bottom of the parallel chain is rotatably connected to the same moving platform. The moving platform has a rotation range of ±π / 4. The bottom of the moving platform is connected to the end effector, which includes a gripper, a tool holder, and a gripping arm. The gripper is horizontally Z-shaped, and the tool holder and gripping arm are located on both sides of the gripper and are horizontally arranged. The blade is horizontally fixed to the side of the end of the tool holder. The sliders are connected to motors.

[0005] Preferably, the end effector further includes a small motor, a blade holder, a connecting frame, a rope, and a pulley. The blade holder is a hollow cylinder. One end of the blade holder is connected to the small motor, and the output end of the small motor is connected to one end of the rope. The connecting frame is fixed on the blade holder and connected to the bottom of the moving platform. A clamp is fixed on the other end of the blade holder. One end of the clamp is fixed to a shaft, and a pulley is rotatably connected to the shaft. The other end of the rope passes through the inside of the blade holder, wraps around the pulley, and is fixed to the middle of the support rod. One end of the support rod is fixedly connected to the blade handle, and the other end is fixedly connected to the clamping arm. The middle parts of the blade handle and the clamping arm are slidably connected to the clamping end away from the blade holder. Silicone is installed on the end sides of the clamping arm and the silicone is positioned opposite each other when clamping crops.

[0006] Preferably, the side of the tool holder near the support rod is fixed to one end of the spring, and the other end of the spring is fixed to one side of the clamp.

[0007] Preferably, the top ends of the parallel chains are respectively hinged to sliders via U-joints (Hooke's hinges).

[0008] Preferably, the bottom ends of the parallel chains are connected to the moving platform via U-joints (Hooke's hinges).

[0009] Preferably, the bottom ends of the parallel chains are connected to the moving platform via rotary joints.

[0010] Preferably, the static platform is made of aluminum alloy.

[0011] Preferably, the moving platform is square and has an array of mounting holes at the bottom to accommodate different types of end effectors.

[0012] Preferably, the tool holder is made of carbon fiber.

[0013] The beneficial effects achieved by this utility model are: (1) By using four identical branches, the static platform and fixed platform are balanced and the weight is evenly distributed, so that the robot remains stable during operation. The guide rail and the hinge mounting platform are fixed to ensure installation accuracy and improve the stability of the side-harvesting robot. (2) The slider is driven by the motor to move along the guide rail, thereby driving the parallel chain to move in four degrees of freedom in space, so as to realize the precise positioning and attitude adjustment of the moving platform in space; (3) Using a flat clamp combined with a clamping arm to achieve side clamping and then cutting with a horizontal blade, the clamping and cutting are integrated for side harvesting, which is efficient and does not require the fruit to be completely wrapped. The clamping arm, clamp and blade are small in size and will not damage other fruits when the fruits are densely distributed. (4) When the crops are gripped, the silicone undergoes elastic deformation to avoid damaging the crops, while increasing the friction of the contact surface and improving the anti-slip effect when gripping. (5) After the clamping and cutting is completed, the spring provides a reaction force to quickly reset the tool holder and clamping arm, ensuring the stability of the operation cycle. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the present utility model; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the branch structure in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the end effector structure in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a diagram showing the connection relationship between the clamp, tool holder, and clamping arm of the end effector in this embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This diagram shows the connection relationship between the tool holder, clamp, tool holder, and clamping arm of the end effector in this embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached diagram: 1. Static platform; 2. Support chain; 21. Slider; 22. Guide rail; 23. Parallel chain; 3. Motor; 4. Fixed platform; 5. Moving platform; 6. End effector; 601. Small motor; 602. Tool holder; 603. Connecting frame; 604. Rope; 605. Pulley; 606. Spring; 607. Clamp; 608. Silicone; 609. Blade; 610. Tool holder; 611. Support rod; 612. Clamping arm. Detailed Implementation

[0016] The technical solution of this utility model will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0017] like Figure 1-2As shown, a hybrid side-harvesting robot includes a static platform 1, branches 2, a moving platform 5, and an end effector 6. The static platform 1 is a square frame structure made of aluminum alloy, with hinge mounting platforms at the four corners on its bottom surface. There are four branches 2 with identical structures, arranged symmetrically about the center of the static platform 1. Each branch 2 includes a guide rail 22 and a parallel chain 23. The top of the guide rail 22 is fixed to the corresponding hinge mounting platform, and the bottom of each guide rail 22 is connected to the same fixed platform 4. The guide rail 22 is connected to a slider 21 via a P-joint. The top of each parallel chain 23 is hinged to the corresponding slider 21 via a U-joint. The bottom of each parallel chain 23 is rotatably connected to the same moving platform 5. The moving platform 5 has a rotation range of ±π / 4 and is square. 5. The bottom is connected to the end effector 6, which has an array of mounting holes to accommodate different types of end effectors. The end effector 6 includes a clamp 607, a tool holder 610, and a clamping arm 612. The clamp 607 is horizontally Z-shaped. The tool holder 610 and the clamping arm 612 are located on both sides of the clamp 607 and are both horizontally set. The blade 609 is horizontally fixed on the end side of the tool holder 610. The slider 21 is connected to the motor 3. The static platform and the fixed platform are balanced by the branches with identical structures, which improves the stability of the robot's operation. The parallel chain, slider, guide rail, and motor enable four degrees of freedom of movement in the parallel chain space, realizing precise positioning and attitude adjustment of the moving platform space. The horizontally set clamp, clamping arm, and blade of the end effector realize side clamping and cutting.

[0018] A further embodiment of this utility model is as follows: Figure 3-5As shown, the end effector 6 also includes a small motor 601, a tool holder 602, a connecting frame 603, a rope 604, and a pulley 605. The tool holder 602 is a hollow cylinder made of carbon fiber. One end of the tool holder 602 is connected to the small motor 601, and the output end of the small motor 601 is connected to one end of the rope 604. The connecting frame 603 is fixed on the tool holder 602 and is connected to the bottom of the moving platform 5. The other end of the tool holder 602 is fixed to a clamp 607, which is a planar Z-shaped clamp. One end of the clamp 607 is fixed to a shaft, and the pulley 605 is rotatably connected to the shaft. The other end of the rope 604 passes through the inside of the tool holder 602, wraps around the pulley 605, and is fixed to the middle of the support rod 611. One end of the support rod 611 is fixedly connected to the tool handle 610, and the other end is fixedly connected to the clamp. The middle parts of the arm 612, the handle 610, and the clamping arm 612 are slidably connected to the end of the clamp 607 away from the blade holder 602. Silicone 608 is installed on the side of the end of the clamp 607 and the clamping arm 612, and the silicone 608 are positioned opposite each other when clamping crops. The side of the handle 610 near the support rod 611 is fixed to one end of the spring 606, and the other end of the spring 606 is fixed to one side of the clamp 607. The clamping arm rotates around the clamp through the combination of rope, pulley, and motor to clamp the crops. The ends of the clamp and the clamping arm are elastically deformed by the silicone to prevent damage to the crops. After cutting, the spring provides a reaction force to make the clamping arm and the handle quickly return to their original positions to ensure cyclic operation. The horizontally set clamp, clamping arm, and blade enable side harvesting of crops.

[0019] Working Principle: The hybrid side-harvesting robot is mounted on a frame. Motor 3 drives slider 21 to move along guide rail 22. The movement of slider 21 drives parallel chain 23 to move. The four parallel chains 23 cause the moving platform 5 to rotate and adjust, achieving precise positioning. After the end effector 6 reaches the appropriate position, small motor 601 drives rope 604. Rope 604 drives clamping arm 612 and blade handle 610 to rotate along horizontal clamp 607 via support rod 611. The rotating clamping arm 612, together with the clamp 607, clamps the crop, achieving side clamping. The silicone 608 on the side of clamping arm 612 and clamp 607 contacts the crop. The silicone 608 undergoes elastic deformation, effectively absorbing vibration and preventing damage to the crop. At the same time, it increases the friction of the contact surface, improving the anti-slip effect during gripping. Blade 609 cuts the crop, achieving side harvesting. Spring 606 provides reaction force, causing blade handle 610 and clamping arm 612 to quickly return to their original positions. This cycle continues, achieving rapid side harvesting.

[0020] This side-harvesting robot is particularly suitable for slender fruits such as daylilies and Hangzhou white chrysanthemums that require rapid harvesting and must be picked without damage.

Claims

1. A hybrid parallel side-taking robot, comprising a static platform, a branch chain, a dynamic platform and an end effector, characterized in that, The static platform is a square frame structure with hinge mounting platforms at the four corners. There are four identical branches arranged symmetrically around the center of the static platform. Each branch includes a guide rail and a parallel chain. The top of the guide rail is fixed to the corresponding hinge mounting platform, and the bottom of each guide rail is connected to the same fixed platform. The guide rail is connected to a slider via a P-joint. The top of each parallel chain is hinged to the corresponding slider, and the bottom of each parallel chain is rotatably connected to the same moving platform. The moving platform has a rotation range of ±π / 4. An end effector is connected to the bottom of the moving platform. The end effector includes a clamp, a tool holder, and a clamping arm. The clamp is horizontally Z-shaped, with the tool holder and clamping arm located on both sides of the clamp and horizontally positioned. The blade is horizontally fixed to the side of the end of the tool holder. The sliders are connected to motors.

2. The hybrid side-harvesting robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The end effector also includes a small motor, a tool holder, a connecting frame, a rope, and a pulley. The tool holder is a hollow cylinder. One end of the tool holder is connected to the small motor, and the output end of the small motor is connected to one end of the rope. The connecting frame is fixed on the tool holder and is connected to the bottom of the moving platform. A clamp is fixed to the other end of the tool holder. One end of the clamp is fixed to a shaft, and a pulley is rotatably connected to the shaft. The other end of the rope passes through the inside of the tool holder, wraps around the pulley, and is fixed to the middle of the support rod. One end of the support rod is fixedly connected to the tool handle, and the other end is fixedly connected to the clamping arm. The middle parts of the tool handle and the clamping arm are slidably connected to the clamping end away from the tool holder. Silicone is installed on the end sides of the clamping arm and the silicone is positioned opposite each other when clamping crops.

3. A hybrid side-harvesting robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, The side of the tool holder closest to the support rod is fixed to one end of the spring, and the other end of the spring is fixed to one side of the clamp.

4. A hybrid side-harvesting robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top ends of the parallel chains are respectively connected to U-shaped hinged sliders.

5. A hybrid side-harvesting robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom ends of the parallel chains are connected to the moving platform via U-shaped connectors.

6. A hybrid side-harvesting robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom ends of the parallel chains are connected to the moving platform via rotary joints.

7. A hybrid side-harvesting robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The static platform is made of aluminum alloy.

8. A hybrid side-harvesting robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The moving platform is square and has an array of mounting holes at the bottom to accommodate different types of end effectors.

9. A hybrid side-harvesting robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, The tool holder is made of carbon fiber.

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