AU2021103745A4

AU2021103745A4 - Apple picking manipulator and apple picking mechanical equipment

Info

Publication number: AU2021103745A4
Application number: AU2021103745A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Xinjie Zhang
Original assignee: Qingdao Agricultural University
Current assignee: Qingdao Agricultural University
Priority date: 2021-06-30
Filing date: 2021-06-30
Publication date: 2021-08-26
Anticipated expiration: 2029-06-30

Abstract

The present application disclosed an apple picking manipulator and an apple picking mechanical equipment. The apple pick manipulator includes a gripper assembly, a supporting assembly, a stepping motor, a lead screw and a base; the gripper assembly comprises a plurality of clamping jaws, inner surfaces of the clamping jaws are provided with soft rubber; the supporting assembly comprises a plurality of connecting rods, a plurality of supporting rods, a plurality of connecting arms, a first mounting base and a screw nut; the lead screw is driven to rotate by the stepping motor, and the gripper assembly contracts and clamps the apple to allow the inner surfaces of the three clamping jaws to be completely attached to the apple, the apple is rotated under the action of the stepping motor to separate the apple from a fruit stem. The apple picking manipulator can realize fruits picking without easily damaging fruits and branches, thus save manpower and improve efficiency. 1 206 104 101 102 103 204 4\ 207 20:5 201 202 203 3 2 Fig.1 1/2

Description

206 104 101 102 103 204 4\ 207

20:5

201 202 203 3

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Fig.1

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APPLE PICKING MANIPULATOR AND APPLE PICKING MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates to the technical field of agricultural machinery, and, in particular to, an apple picking manipulator and an apple picking mechanical equipment.

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

At present, most orchards use manual picking when picking apples, because it can ensure the completeness of apples and little harm to fruit trees. However, manual picking has low efficiency, and people cannot directly touch the apples at higher positions, and thus need a herringbone ladder or a ladder with handrails.

In addition, there are also some fruit pickers which are convenient for apple picking in the market. For example, patent application CN109379984A discloses an apple picker with a mechanical separation structure, which has four clamping bars arranged in double layers and is controlled by a handle through a steel wire with a casing outside. By pinching the handle at one time, it can realize continuous actions of holding an apple stem by the two inner clamping bars, resisting branches by the two outer clamping bars and pulling down the apple stem by the two inner clamping bars. That is to say, with the cooperation between a picking head and the handle, when the separating handle is pinched to pull down the steel wire, a separating device at the front end of the picking head is closed first to clamp the apple stem, and when the handle is pinched continuously, an inner clamping arm slides down along an outer arm, so that the apple stem is disconnected from the branches. This fruit picker can save manpower to a certain extent, but such pulling may cause damage to fruits and branches, thus affecting the yield of fruit trees in the coming year.

Therefore, we need to simulate the action of manual picking, and design an automatic fruit picking device, so as to improve the fruit picking efficiency and reduce the physical consumption of workers and save manpower on the premise of protecting the fruit trees and the fruits.

Reference to any prior art in the specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that this prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia or any other jurisdiction or that this prior art could reasonably be expected to be understood and regarded as relevant by a person skilled in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The problem to be solved by the present application is to provide an apple picking manipulator and an apple picking mechanical equipment, which can realize automatically fruits picking without easily damaging fruits and branches, thus save manpower and improve efficiency.

The technical solution of the present application is as following.

An apple picking manipulator, comprising a gripper assembly, a supporting assembly, a stepping motor, a lead screw and a base; the gripper assembly comprises a plurality of clamping jaws, inner surfaces of the clamping jaws are provided with soft rubber; the supporting assembly comprises a plurality of connecting rods, a plurality of supporting rods, a plurality of connecting arms, a first mounting base and a screw nut, one ends of the supporting rods are fixed to the base, the other ends of the supporting rods are hinged with the clamping jaws, the first mounting base is fixed among the plurality of the supporting rods, the connecting arms are fixed to the screw nut and distributed around the axis of the screw nut, the connecting rods are hinged between the corresponding connecting arms and the clamping jaws, the stepping motor is fixed to the first mounting base, a rotating shaft of the stepping motor is connected with the lead screw, and the lead screw is threadedly connected in the screw nut.

Further, the clamping jaws of the gripper assembly are triangular cones with inner sides being arc-shaped.

Further, the gripper assembly comprises a first clamping jaw, a second clamping jaw and a third clamping jaw.

Further, the connecting arms are provided with sockets, and the supporting rods are inserted into the corresponding sockets.

Further, the base is provided with a through hole, and the free end of the lead screw is rotatably arranged in the through hole.

The present application also provides an apple picking mechanical equipment comprising a mechanical arm, further comprising the apple picking manipulator described above, wherein the base of the apple picking mechanical arm is fixed to the mechanical arm.

Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following advantages and positive effects.

1. The inner parts of clamping jaws of the present application are made of soft rubber imitating fingers of human hands and the outer parts thereof are made of hard rubber to provide support, and the fitting surfaces are of apple-shape arc, which makes it easier to realize fitting.

2. The clamping jaws of the present application are arranged in a hollow trapezoid, so that inner soft rubber materials are easier to be stressed and the fitting is more compact.

3. The ends of the clamping jaws of the present application are rounded, which is not prone to damage apples.

4. The present application adopts lead screw transmission, so that a moving connection part is simpler and the fruit branches are not easily damaged.

5. The present application can meet the needs of the operator for picking fruits at low and high positions on the ground, the manpower is saved and the efficiency is improved.

As used herein, except where the context clearly requires otherwise, the term "comprise" and variations of the term, such as "comprising", "comprises" and "comprised", are not intended to exclude further features, components, integers or steps.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to explain the embodiments of the present application or the technical solution in the prior art more clearly, the drawings used in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. It is obvious for a person skilled in the art that the drawings in the following description are some of the embodiments of the present application, and that other drawings can be obtained according to these drawings without paying creative work.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an apple picking manipulator according to an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 2 is a reference diagram of a use state of the apple picking manipulator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

in which, 1, gripper assembly; 101. first clamping jaw; 102, second clamping jaw; 103, third clamping jaw; 104, second mounting base; 2, supporting assembly; 201, first connecting rod; 202, second connecting rod; 203, third connecting rod; 204, first mounting base; 205, connecting arm; 206, supporting rod; 207, screw nut; 3, stepping motor; 4, lead screw; 5, base.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In order to make the purpose, the technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the following will clearly and completely describe the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application in combination with drawings; obviously, the embodiments described is merely some of the embodiments of the present application, not the whole embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present application, all other embodiments acquired by the person skilled in the art without making creative work belongs to the protection scope of the present application.

As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, an apple picking manipulator of this embodiment comprises: a gripper assembly 1, a supporting assembly 2, a stepping motor 3, a lead screw 4 and a base 5. The gripper assembly comprises a plurality of clamping jaws, inner surfaces of the clamping jaws are provided with soft rubber; the supporting assembly comprises a plurality of connecting rods, a plurality of supporting rods 206, a plurality of connecting arms 205, a first mounting base 204 and a screw nut 207, one ends of the supporting rods 206 are fixed to the base 5, the other ends of the supporting rods 206 are hinged with the clamping jaws, the first mounting base 204 is fixed among the plurality of the supporting rods 206, the connecting arms 205 are fixed to the screw nut 207 and distributed around the axis of the screw nut 207, the connecting rods are hinged between the corresponding connecting arms 205 and the clamping jaws, the stepping motor 3 is fixed to the first mounting base 204, a rotating shaft of the stepping motor 3 is connected with the lead screw 4, and the lead screw 4 is threadedly connected in the screw nut 207.

Specifically, the gripper assembly 1 comprises a first clamping jaw 101, a second clamping jaw 102 and a third clamping jaw 103, each of the clamping jaws is equipped with a second mounting base 104, and the three clamping jaws are fixed to the three second mounting bases 104, an outer side of the second mounting base 104 of the first clamping jaw 101 is connected with the supporting rods 206 and an inner side of the second mounting base of the first clamping jaw 101 is connected with the connecting rod, and the second mounting bases 104 of the second clamping jaw 102 and the third clamping jaw 103 are connected with two of the connecting rods. The three clamping jaws of the gripper assembly are triangular cones with inner sides being arc-shaped, the cones are arranged in a hollow trapezium, and ends of the clamping jaws are rounded.

The supporting assembly 2 comprises a first connecting rod 201, a second connecting rod 202, a third connecting rod 203, the first mounting base 204 and the connecting arms 205. The supporting rods 206 and the three connecting rods described above are connected to the connecting arms 205, and the connecting arms 205 are connected to the base 5. The connecting arm 205 is of a trident star shape, and three sides of the connecting arm 205 are longer than the outer edge ofthe base 5.

The stepping motor 3 is connected to one end of the lead screw 4, and the other end of the lead screw 4 is connected to the connecting arm 205 through a lead screw sleeve.

The base 5 is a circular sheet with three notches.

In order to facilitate installation, the connecting arms 205 are provided with sockets (not marked), and the supporting rods 206 are inserted into the corresponding sockets. Specifically, during assembly, in order to save space, the supporting rods 206 are inserted into the connecting arms 205 arranged at corresponding positions; at the same time, while the screw nut 207 drives the connecting arms 205 to move, the supporting rods 206 can be used to guide the connecting arms 205 to ensure smooth synchronous movement of the multiple clamping jaws.

In addition, in order to effectively support the lead screw 4 to rotate, the base 5 is provided with a through hole (not marked), and the free end of the lead screw 4 is rotatably arranged in the through hole. In order to reduce the wear of the lead screw, a bearing can be further arranged on the lead screw, and the bearing is mounted in the through hole.

The present application also provides an apple picking mechanical equipment comprising a mechanical arm 1000 and the apple picking manipulator, wherein the base 5 of the apple picking mechanical arm is fixed to the mechanical arm 1000.

The use method of the apple picking manipulator of the present application is as follows.

The apple picking manipulator of the present application may be connected to the mechanical arm through the base 5, and the mechanical arm may be mounted on a picking car. The mechanical arm drives the mechanical arm to the vicinity of an apple, under the observation of an operator, the gripper assembly 1 is operated to wrap around the apple, the lead screw 4 is driven to rotate by the stepping motor 3, and the gripper assembly 1 contracts and clamps the apple by leverage to allow the inner surfaces of the three clamping jaws to be completely attached to the apple, the apple is rotated under the action of the stepping motor 3, at the same time a manual picking process is simulated with the contraction of the mechanical arm to separate the apple from a fruit stem, and the mechanical arm is adjusted to place the apple at the corresponding position, thereby completing the whole picking process. The present application can meet the needs of the operator for picking fruits at low and high positions on the ground, the manpower is saved and the efficiency is improved.

Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, and should not be regarded as limitation to it; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the above-mentioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that it can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the above-mentioned embodiments, or replace some of the technical features equally; and these modifications or substitutions do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions separate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An apple picking manipulator, comprising a gripper assembly, a supporting assembly, a stepping motor, a lead screw and a base; the gripper assembly comprises a plurality of clamping jaws, inner surfaces of the clamping jaws are provided with soft rubber; the supporting assembly comprises a plurality of connecting rods, a plurality of supporting rods, a plurality of connecting arms, a first mounting base and a screw nut, one ends of the supporting rods are fixed to the base, the other ends of the supporting rods are hinged with the clamping jaws, the first mounting base is fixed among the plurality of the supporting rods, the connecting arms are fixed to the screw nut and distributed around the axis of the screw nut, the connecting rods are hinged between the corresponding connecting arms and the clamping jaws, the stepping motor is fixed to the first mounting base, a rotating shaft of the stepping motor is connected with the lead screw, and the lead screw is threadedly connected in the screw nut.

2. The apple picking manipulator of claim 1, wherein the clamping jaws of the gripper assembly are triangular cones with inner sides being arc-shaped.

3. The apple picking manipulator of claim 2, wherein the gripper assembly comprises a first clamping jaw, a second clamping jaw and a third clamping jaw.

4. The apple picking manipulator of claim 3, wherein the connecting arms are provided with sockets, and the supporting rods are inserted into the corresponding sockets.

5. The apple picking manipulator of claim 4, wherein the base is provided with a through hole, and the free end of the lead screw is rotatably arranged in the through hole.

6. An apple picking mechanical equipment comprising a mechanical arm, further comprising the apple picking manipulator of any one of claims 1-5, wherein the base of the apple picking mechanical arm is fixed to the mechanical arm.