Design and Experiment on Automatic Compensation System of Spoon-chain Potato Metering Device

Niu Kang, Zhou Liming, Yuan Yanwei, Liu Yangchun, Fang Xianfa

Abstract

Spoon chain metering is the most widely used metering device in small and medium sized potato planter at present because of its high reliability, low cost and adjustable plant spacing. Its performance is closely related with the planting quality. However, spoon chain metering still encounters loss sowing problem, which can be reduced by optimizing structure and parameters of metering device. Nevertheless, the rate of loss sowing is still around 7%. Artificial assistance metering can resolve these problems effectively but with increased labor intensity and hidden danger. In order to solve this problem, a loss sowing detection method based on capacitance value precision measurement technology was proposed in this paper, and an automatic re seeding system was designed which was mainly composed of control system, capacitance sensor and reseed metering device. In order to test performance of the automatic compensation system, a performance test was carried out using self made device. Spoon chain was driven by a servo motor and its speed was adjusted by servo driver. Reseeding chain was driven by a servo motor and its speed was controlled by PLC controller. Micro potatoes, with diameter of 25~30mm, were used in main metering system and re seeding system. The metering speed was set as 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7m/s, and the number of theoretical seed metering was 600 at different speeds. By mounting a laser sensor on seed discharge hole, the number of normal seeding and re seeding were recorded by PLC automatically. Total seeding, loss sowing, normal seeding, theoretical seeding, re seeding rate, original rate and final rate of loss sowing can be calculated. The tests showed that, with the metering speed increasing from 0.3m/s to 0.7m/s, the original rate of loss sowing, the final rate of loss sowing, the metering row spacing error and the reseeding row spacing error were increased from 7% to 11.3%, 1.1% to 1.75%, 3.3% to 9.1% and 7.6% to 16.9%; with the increasing of chain speed, changes of reseeding rate were relatively small, and the final rate of loss sowing was less than 1.75%, and rate of reseeding was around 84.6%. The performance of the designed compensation system is stable, and the loss sowing problem of potato spoon-chain metering device can be solved well.


Keywords: Spoon-chain metering device, potato, loss sowing detection, automatic compensation, capacitance sensor

 

Download Full Text:

PDF


References


LI Jinqing, TIAN Zhongen,YANG Ying,et al. The development situation, existing problems and development trend of potato machinery [J]. Journal of Agricultural Mechanization Research, 2015, 37( 12); 258 -263. (in Chinese)

BUITENWERF H, H00GM0ED W B, LERINK P, et al. Assessment of the behavior of potatoes in a cup-belt planter [ J ]. Biosystems Engineering, 2006, 95( 1) : 35 -41.

EBRAHEM I Z, AYMAN A E, GUIDETTI R. New small potato planter for Egyptian agriculture LJJ- Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 2011 , 42(3) ; 7-13.

SZCZEPANIAK J, PAWLOWSKI K, GRZECHOWIAK R, et al. Experimental tests and computer simulations of a combination tractor/potato planter: the identification and optimization of parameters[ J]. Applied Engineering in Agriculture, 2015, 31(5) : 126 - 136.

LIU Quanwei,WU Jianmin, WANG Di,et al. Current status and progress of the potato seeder [J]. Journal of Agricultural Mechanization Research, 2013, 35(6) : 238 -241. (in Chinese)

ILYES S, POPESCU S, VOICU E. Experimental device for the researches on the precision of the tubers planting distance within the row for different potato planters [ С ] //Research People and Actual Tasks on Multidisciplinary Sciences, Proceedings of the Third International Conference, 2011 ; 153 - 158.

XIA Junfang, ZHOU Yong, ZHANG Pinghua. Testing technique of precise seed-metering device based on virtual instrument [J ]. Transactions of the Chinese Society for Agricultural Machinery, 2009, 40( 1 ) ; 87 -90. (in Chinese)

FENG Quan, LI Zhenxiao, WU Jianmin, et al. Development of dustproof annunciator system for no-tillage planter [J ]. Transactions of the Chinese Society for Agricultural Machinery, 2006, 37(9) : 68 -70. (in Chinese)

SONG Peng, ZHANG Junxiong, LI Wei, et al. Real-time monitoring system for accuracy of precision seeder [J ]. Transactions of the Chinese Society for Agricultural Machinery, 2011 , 42(2) ; 71 -74. (in Chinese)

ZHAO Liye, JIAN Xingdong. Study on optoelectronic sensor for performance detection of a seedmeter [ J ]. Transactions of the Chinese Society for Agricultural Machinery, 2005, 36(7) : 41 -43. (in Chinese)

ZHU Ruixiang, GE Shiqiang, ZHAI Changyuan, et al. Design and experiment of automatic reseeding device for miss-seeding of crops with large grain[J]. Transactions of the CSAE, 2014, 30(21) ; 1-8. (in Chinese)

GONG Linong, DAI Yuhua, JIANG Jinlin. Experimental investigation of a new mechanical precision metering device with automatic compensative seeding[J]. Transactions of the Chinese Society for Agricultural Machinery, 2008, 39(7) : 60 -63. (in Chinese)

LI Shijun, GONG He, GU Hongjun, et al. Research on precision seeding system with automatic reseeding [J ]. Journal of Jilin Agricultural University, 2011 , 33( 1) : 106 - 109. (in Chinese)

ZHOU Liming, WANG Shumao, ZHANG Xiaochao, et al. Seed monitoring system for com planter based on capacitance signal [J]. Transactions of the CSAE, 2012, 28(13): 16 -21. (in Chinese)

ZHANG Xizhi, LI Min, MENG Chen. Research and development of precision seeding intelligent monitor[J]. Transactions of the CSAE, 2004, 20(2) : 136 - 139. (in Chinese)

ZHANG Xiaodong, WU Jianmin, SUN Wei, et al. Design of automatic compensation system for potato planter[J]. Journal of Gansu Agricultural University, 2013, 48( 1) : 145 - 149. (in Chinese)

LIU Quanwei, WU Jianmin, WANG Di, et al. Design and test of a microcomputer-controlled loss sowing compensation system for 2CM -2 potato seeder[J]. Agricultural Research in the Arid Areas, 2013, 31(3) ; 260 -266. (in Chinese)

SUN Wei, W ANG Guanping,WU Jianmin. Design and experiment on loss sowing testing and compensation system of spoon-chain potato metering device [ J]. Transactions of the CSAE, 2016, 32 (11):8 — 15. (in Chinese)

19 MCPHEE J E, BEATTIE В M, CORKREY R, et al. Spacing uniformity-yield effects and in-field measurement [ J ]. American Potato Journal, 1996, 73(4) : 167 - 171.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.