Research and test of the measurement sensing device for the downforce of no-till planter row unit gauge wheels

To effectively obtain the downforce of the gauge wheels in real time,mechanical models of the interaction among the ground,gauge wheels,gauge wheel arms,and depth adjustment lever were constructed.A measuring method was proposed for monitoring the downforce through a two-dimensional radial sensing device,and a corresponding prototype was designed.Through simulation analysis of the sensing device with ANSYS,a 45°angle was determined to exist between the strain gauge axis and the sensing device axis,and the Wheatstone bridging circuit of R1+R3−R5−R7(R stands for resistance strain gauge,different figures represent the strain gauge number)and R2+R4−R6−R8 was adopted.According to performance and calibration tests for the sensing device,the maximum interaction effect between the X and Y axes was 2.52%,and the output signal was stable and consistent.The standard error of the slope of the fitting equation of the downforce calculation model is 0.008.According to the field test,the average downforce of the gauge wheels was 1148,1017,843,and 713 N,at different sowing speeds of 6,8,10,and 12 km/h,respectively.The coefficients of variation were 0.40,0.41,0.62,and 0.71,respectively.The results indicate that the downforce fluctuation of the gauge wheels became more severe with increasing planting speed.Both the strain simulation analysis and field test verified that the measurement method is accurate and reliable,the performance of the sensing device is stable,the measurement method and sensing device meet the application requirements and lay a foundation for the research of accurate and stable control of downforce of no-till planter.

Design and experiment of the pneumatic pressure control device for no-till planter

An adequate and uniform press wheel pressure is crucial for the homogeneous development of a crop,as it affects actual seeding depth and germination rate.The problems of uneven compaction of seed furrow and consistency of seeding depth can be caused by the pressure fluctuation of the coil-spring pressure control device(CPCD)when the no-till planter is working on the unplowed ground.In this study,a pneumatic pressure control device(PPCD)was designed for the no-till planter,the key structural parameters of air spring for press wheel pressure(PWP)stability were determined by theoretical analysis and parameter calculation.Using the gas-structure coupling finite element simulation method(FESM),the piston radius,piston angle,and cord angle of the air spring are selected as the test factors,and the vertical stiffness was used as the test index to carry out the quadratic rotation orthogonal combination test to establish the regression model of test index and factor.The bench test of the PPCD was carried out under the optimal parameter combination,piston radius of 27.2 mm,piston angle of 11.7°,and cord angle of 30.0°.The vertical stiffness verification test showed that the simulation test was consistent with the bench test result,the vertical stiffness simulation error was 7.1%,and the internal air pressure simulation error was 3.0%;The control response test showed that the average response time of the air spring inflating and deflating was 0.80 s,the maximum overshoot was 4.33%during inflation,and no pressure overshoot during deflation;Under the condition of-40-40 mm surface relief height,the PPCD could effectively reduce the pressure fluctuation compared with the CPCD,and the average reduction of the pressure fluctuation was about 25.1%.

仿生分拨草防堵装置的设计与试验

针对我国西南地区小麦秸秆覆盖地玉米免耕播种机内被动式清秸防堵装置作业时存在的易缠绕堵塞、种沟清秸率低、作业不稳定等问题,基于仿生学原理,以白星花金龟前后肢轮廓曲线及后肢运动轨迹曲线为仿生原型,设计了一种高清秸率、不易堵塞的仿生分拨草防堵装置。通过运动学分析,研究了关键结构参数对清秸防堵效果的影响规律,并得出最优参数组合:拨草轮运动偏角δ为30°,轮盘直径D为204 mm,拨草轮爪数量N为13个;利用Design-Expert软件和Box-Behnken试验优化设计方法,建立了拨草轮入土深度(A)、机具前进速度(B)、分草挡板偏角(C)与清秸率Y的回归数学模型,分析表明三因素对清秸率均有显著影响,且显著性C>B>A,经过优化求解获得了最优作业参数组合:拨草轮入土深度T为11 mm、机具前进速度v为4 km·h^(-1),分草挡板偏角α为35°。田间验证试验表明,整机的通过性良好,土壤扰动量及其变异系数分别为20.00%和5.30%,实际秸秆清除率及其变异系数分别为90.58%和1.20%,作业质量稳定,符合免耕播种机作业的农艺和技术要求。

Performance of no-till corn precision planter equipped with row cleaners

In the continuous annual wheat-corn cropping area of North China Plain,no-till planting that promotes soil conservation and crop yield while reducing operation cost has been gradually accepted by local farmers.However,previous wheat residue is the main limiting factor affecting the performance of existing planters in placing seeds at uniform spacing and optimum depth in residue covered fields.In order to solve this problem,a kind of ground-wheel-driven row cleaner was designed,developed and mounted on row units of a four-row pneumatic precision planter.The planter has two adjacent row units equipped with the newly designed row cleaners and the other two adjacent row units equipped with the commonly used inactive row cleaners.This was used for planting at three forward speeds(4 km/h,6 km/h and 8 km/h)into half residue(HR)and whole residue(WR)plots.The amount of residue removal,seeding depth,emergence rate and indices of uniformity in seed spacing(missing-seeding index,quality of feeding index and precision index)were measured.The newly designed row cleaner performed better with regard to residue removal,with the average percentage of residue cleared as 63.0%compared to 40.3%for the inactive row cleaner.For the HR and WR plots,percentage of residue cleared of the newly designed row cleaner reached 57.1%and 68.9%respectively,suggesting that the newly designed row cleaner can work more effectively at high residue level.By contrast,with the percentage of residue cleared of the inactive row cleaner as 43.1%and 37.5%in HR and WR plots,suggesting that the inactive row cleaner just can work effectively under low residue condition.Values of missing-seeding index,QFI,precision index,coefficient of variation of depth and percent emergence for the newly designed row cleaner under whole residue level are comparable to those for the inactive row cleaner under half residue level.The result indicates that the effect of using the newly designed row cleaner is equal to that of reducing surface residue,and can help to maintain the uniformity of seed spacing and seeding depth.The newly designed row cleaner generally performed better at forward speed of 6 km/h,based on the distribution of seeds along rows and seeding depth uniformity.

Design of depth-control planting unit with single-side gauge wheel for no-till maize precision planter

No-till planters are very popular for maize seeding in fields covered with residue in annual wheat-maize double cropping system in North China Plain.However,there is no suitable depth control mechanism for existing no-till maize planters,and as a result,it is hard to obtain consistent planting depth,uniform emergence,and good passing ability at the same time.For the above reasons,a proper planting unit with a new type of depth-control mechanism was developed in this study.The mechanism consists of a single-side gauge wheel,a parallel four-bar linkage,a pair of double-disc opener,a V-shape press wheel and a depth regulator,which can adjust the planting depth from 30 mm to 90 mm to satisfy the agronomic requirement under different field conditions.Based on analysis and calculation,the width of gauge wheel was set to 50 mm while the length of parallel four-bar linkage was set to 350 mm.Field experiment was conducted and the results indicated that the newly designed planting unit with single-side gauge wheel performed well with regard to planting depth uniformity and anti-blocking ability.The planting depth uniformity and seed spacing quality were 95.45%and 91.90%,respectively,when the average height of stubble was 22.5 cm and residue amount was 0.64 kg/m^(2)in the field.It can satisfy the requirement of no-till maize planting on the cropland with residue and stubble in North China Plain.

Intelligent sowing depth regulation system based on Flex sensor and Mamdani fuzzy model for a no-till planter

Sowing depth has an important impact on the performance of no-tillage planters,it is one of the key factors to ensure rapid germination.However,the consistency of sowing depth is easily affected by the complex environment of no-tillage operation.In order to improve the performance of no-tillage planters and improve the control precision of sowing depth,an intelligent depth regulation system was designed.Three Flex sensors installed on the inner surface of the gauge wheel at 120°intervals were used to monitor the downward force exerted by the seeding row unit against ground.The peak value of the output voltage of the sensor increased linearly with the increase of the downward force.In addition,the pneumatic spring was used as a downforce generator,and its intelligent regulation model was established by the Mamdani fuzzy algorithm,which can realize the control of the downward force exerted by the seeding row unit against ground and ensure the proper seeding depth.The working process was simulated based on MATLAB-Simulink,and the results showed that the Mamdani fuzzy model performed well in changing the pressure against ground.Field results showed that when the operating speed was 6 km/h,8 km/h and 10 km/h,the error of the system’s control of sowing depth was±9 mm,±12 mm,and±22 mm,respectively,and its sowing performance was significantly higher than that of the unadjusted passive operation.

Design and experiment of the key components of the seeding monomer for high-speed corn no-till seeders

Aiming at the problems of uneven plant spacing,row spacing and sowing depth due to the collision of seeds with the tube wall or bouncing on the floor of the seed guide tube with the increase of operation speed of the current corn no-till planter,in this study,the high-speed seed belt technology was combined with the finger clip seed discharge device,a kind of high-speed no-till planter monomer was designed and installed in high-speed seed tube.At the same time,simulation analysis was made on the movement law of seeds in the seed guide tube when they fell from the finger clip seeder and the main structural parameters and the range of key parameters of the high-speed seed tube were determined.Through the prototype,the single-factor and quadratic orthogonal rotational combination test method,and the machine operating speed,the height of the high-speed seed tube and the seed guide angle were selected as the test factors in the seeding performance test.After parameter optimization,the optimal working parameters were determined:the machine forward speed was 12.18 km/h,the height of the high-speed seed tube from the ground was 42.22 mm,and the seed guide angle of the high-speed seed tube was 8.82°.The field test verified that under this parameter combination,the qualified-seeding index was 94.95%,the multiple-seeding index was 2.37%,and the missing-seeding index was 2.48%,showing stable working performance and satisfied the sowing and agronomic requirements of the no-till seeding operation.

Development and evaluation of power consumption model for no-till planter based on working parameters

In order to fully understand the relationships of power consumption of no-till planter among tractor,soil properties and working parameters which affect the field operation,the power consumption model for no-till planter applied to overcome the coupling difficulties was developed in the study.Based on operation depth of no-till planter and soil properties as constraints in accordance with a certain distribution,the relationship data among traction force,forward speed and power output shaft by field test were collected and analyzed.The results showed that the relationship between traction power and power-take-off(PTO)power was negatively correlated.Under the same power consumption condition,the relationship between traction force and the PTO torque was linearly correlated,and the slope was basically consistent.Different power consumptions corresponded to different intercepts.When the forward speed was 6-7 km/h and PTO shaft rotational speed was 370-450 r/min,lower power consumption with higher working efficiency can be achieved.There was a direct correlation between total power consumption and the square of rotational speed multiplied by forward speed.The maximum correlation coefficient was found around 0.82.The findings set up a foundation for designing control system of no-till planter.

Effects of key design parameters of tine furrow opener on soil seedbed properties

The structural parameters of tine furrow openers have significant effects on soil property of seed furrow in no-till planting,thereby affecting crop growth and yields.In order to analyze the effects of key parameters of tine furrow openers on soil properties(soil bulk density,soil water-stable aggregates(WSA),and soil disturbance)of the surface soil layer of 0-10 cm and surface straw disturbance,the tine furrow openers with different structural parameters,including cutting edge thickness,cutting edge curve,penetration clearance angle and rake angle,were designed and tested under no-till conditions.Orthogonal test and single factor test were performed to analyze the effects of different parameters.Results showed that the rake angle,cutting edge thickness and cutting edge curve had significant effects on cross-sectional area of furrow(Af)and disturbance of surface straw;the rake angle had a significant effect on soil bulk density.Soil types and operating depth had significant effects on soil disturbance caused by tine furrow openers.The concave type tine furrow opener produced the lowest soil disturbance and soil bulk density of seed furrow,the highest surface straw disturbance and the greatest content of WSA(>0.5 mm).With increasing rake angles of tine furrow opener,the width of seedbed(Wsb)and the Af decreased first and then increased,respectively,while the width of soil throw(Wst)and the height of ridge(Hr)increased.The Wsb and Af created by tine furrow opener with 60°rake angle were significantly lower than that with others,respectively.The tine furrow opener with rake angle ranged from 45°to 60°created the lowest soil bulk density.As the penetration clearance angle increased,the content of WSA(>0.5 mm)decreased,but the effect of penetration clearance angle on the content of WSA(<0.5 mm)was not significant.The cutting edge thickness(<2 mm)had no significant effects on soil properties of seedbed.This study could provide a reference for optimal design of the tine furrow opener to create more suitable seedbed environment,and promote the application of the light no-till planters.