Seed guide path planning and parameter optimization for air-suction carrot seed-metering device

To meet the requirement of“zero speed”for precision sowing,the instantaneous speed of seed falling into the seed bed should be equal to the opposite direction of the forward speed of the machine.Through analyzing the principle of seed guiding process,the main influencing factors affecting the contour curve of the seed tube were determined to plan the seed guiding path and realize zero speed seed delivery.With the help of EDEM simulation software,taking the inclination angle of seed tube end,operating speed of the metering disc,and machine’s forward speed as the experimental factors,a single-factor simulation test was conducted with the pass rate,replay rate,and missing seeding rate as experimental indexes.The results of the simulation test showed that the range of inclination angle of the seed tube end was 23°-40°,the range of machine forward speed was 5-9 km/h,and the range of operating speed of the metering disc was 15-40 r/min.The quadratic orthogonal rotation combination test method was carried out using the bench test,and a mathematical regression model was established between experimental factors and experimental indexes to determine the priority order of factors,and the best combination of factors.The test results showed that the pass rate was 93.25%,the replay rate was 2.97%and the missing seeding rate was 3.78%under the condition with the inclination angle of seed tube end of 32.28°,the forward speed of the machine of 6.89 km/h and the operating speed of the metering disc of 28.67 r/min,which can meet the requirements of relevant national standards.

Parameter optimization and experiment of the negative pressure precision seed-metering device for wheat

In order to ensure the most reasonable distribution of wheat seeds in the field to improve seeding quality and uniformity,a set of negative pressure precision seed-metering device was designed,which shares a hollow shaft.Every seed-metering device can sow two rows of wheat.By the STAR-CCM+,the analysis of nephogram,vectogram and streamline graph showed that more ideal structural parameters of the seed-metering device are 0.5 mm width of the slit sucking seed(WSS),150-200 mm diameter of the seed-metering disc(DSD),2.0 mm axial depth of air chamber in the seed-metering disc(ADS),and arc-shaped cross-section shape of the ring groove sucking seed(CSGS).Single-factor test on the JPS-12 test-bed analyzed the influence of the CSGS,WSS,DSD,and ADS on the qualified index(Iq),multiple index(Imul),miss index(Imiss)and coefficient of variation of qualified seed spacing(CV).Through the orthogonal on the JPS-12 test-bed,it is found that the influence of vacuum negative pressure and seed-metering device shaft speed is significant on the Iq,Imiss and Imul.Based on these,the structural parameters of the seed-metering device were optimized.The DSD is 180 mm,the WSS is 0.7 mm,the ADS is 2.5 mm,and the CSGS is arc-shaped.The optimization seed-metering device was tested on the JPS-12 test-bed.The Iq is 86.66%,the Imiss is 5.09%,the Imul is 8.25%,and the CV is 24.50%.These testing results fully coincide with the standard JB/T 10293-2013 Specifications of single seed drill(precision drill).The seed-metering device meets fully the requirements for wheat precision seeding.

Design and parameter optimization of air-suction wheel type of seedmetering device with elastic pad for maize

Due to the maize growing agronomy requires ground covered by mulch film in the arid zones of the China Northwest region,the seed-metering device must roll over,break the film,and then throw seeds into soil.However,the uneven ground can cause the seed-metering device to shake,reducing seed-metering performance.To improve the adaptability for different shapes of maize seeds,a air suction wheel type seed-metering device with elastic pad was developed for better seed extraction and bump resistance.Firstly,the advantages and influencing factors of the elastic pad were analyzed through four processes of metering seeds.Secondly,the velocity distributions of six diameters of the suction hole are compared to determine the range with FLUENT.Then,a one-factor experiment was conducted to analyze the pattern of the factors(the seed layer height,the critical vacuum,the rotational speed of the seed disk,and the suction hole diameter)influencing the metering seed performance.Finally,a five-level quadratic rotation orthogonal design was used to optimize the parameters.Results show that the optimal values are that the seed layer height is 40 mm,and the critical vacuum is 2.85 kPa,and the rotational speed of the seed disk is 20.1 r/min.The validation experiment resulted in a 93.79%qualified index,with a 4.02%missing index and a 2.19%multiple index.

Design and test of an inside-filling pneumatic precision centralized seed-metering device for rapeseed

The pneumatic precision seed-metering devices used in combination with negative air pressure to suck seed and positive air flow to drop seed could overcome the problem of rapeseed precision planting.However,these devices can only plant a single row at a time or need high airflow pressure,which complicates the seed-metering system and the seeder structure,deteriorate the working reliability and have high power consumption.To overcome above shortcomings,a novel prototype of pneumatic precision centralized seed-metering device with seed inside-filling,sowing six rows at a time,was developed.The main structure and working principle of the prototype were described and the technical parameters were given.Experiments were conducted to investigate the influences of positive pressure,negative pressure,and rotating speed on the seeding performance.The stability of each row and the consistency between all rows associated with the seeding precision were analyzed to evaluate the performance of the prototype.The results indicated that the prototype can meet the requirements of precision seeding and the seed keep intact without any obvious damage.The performance of the prototype was no significant difference when the positive pressure was fluctuated from 200 Pa to 1200 Pa.The best seeding precision parameters in one row of the prototype was 92.48%of the qualified seeding index(Iqs)and 2.55%of the miss-seeding index(Imiss),when the rotating speed was 16 r/min,the positive pressure was 200 Pa and the negative pressure was–1600 Pa.When the rotating speed was 16 r/min,the positive pressure was 200 Pa,and the negative pressure was–1400 Pa or–1600 Pa,the Iqs of six rows were above 86.5%,the stability coefficient of variation(CV)of each row were below 4.6%,and the consistency CV were below 0.9%.Further field experiment showed that the rapeseed sowed by the prototype had acceptable seeding precision.The CV of the numbers of rapeseed seedlings in the field of the total and each row were 6.17%and 6.32%respectively.The research confirmed that the inside-filling pneumatic precision centralized seed-metering device satisfied the agronomic requirements of rapeseed planting and can be a reference for the development of precision seed metering devices.

Design and experimental study of the control system for precision seed-metering device

The precision seeding technique has been developed at full speed along with the continuous development of new agricultural technologies,especially those concerning cultivated patterns.The seed-metering device is the key component of a precision seeder.A ground wheel is used to drive the seed-metering device of the conventional direct seeder.However,the wheel bears high resistance and easily slips.Moreover,the adjustment of the precision seeder’s seeding rate is more difficult.In order to solve these problems,a control system which could keep the rotational speed of the seed-metering device consistent with the seeder’s working speed for the precision seed-metering device was designed.The control system includes a Hall sensor,a single chip microcomputer system,a motor control module,a stepper motor and a display.The control system used a Hall sensor to measure the seeder’s working speed and employed a single chip microcomputer system to predict the rotational speed of seed-metering device.It would then determine the relationship between the seeder’s working speed and the rotational speed of the seed metering-device according to the seeder’s working state,distance between seeds and the requirement of sowing rate.The system could effectively reduce the influence of inhomogeneous sowing caused by the ground wheel’s slipping.The system was found to be reliable by the experiment.The seeding control system could also make the speed of the seed-metering device and seeder’s uniform,improving the uniformity of the amount of seeding,and achieving the goal of design.This new design provides a platform to solve problems of the seed-metering device and the seeder.

Study on multi-size seed-metering device for vertical plate soybean precision planter

Aiming to solve the problem of small range of the appropriately sowing seeds existing in a vertical disc seed-metering device,the planter plate series with four sizes were developed according to the variety and size distribution of all soybeans in China.The structure and working principle of the vertical disc soybean seed-metering device were detailed,and the influence of the diameter of soybean on the working performance of the seed-metering device was analyzed through the software EDEM virtual simulation,so as to achieve the goal of covering the soybean seeds with all sizes by the minimum planter plate series as well as to obtain the most appropriate operating speed of each planter plate by optimization.For the planter plates with the hole diameter of 7,9,12,16 mm,the appropriate size ranges of sowing seeds are 4.5-6.0,6.0-8.0,8.0-10.5,10.5-13.0 mm,respectively,and the appropriate operating speeds are 9,8,7,6 km/h,respectively.The results show that this planter plate series can meet the requirements of seeding with all sizes of soybeans at the range of the most appropriate operating speed.The study method can provide a reference for design and optimization of precision planters.

Design and experiment of an air-suction potato seed metering device

An air-suction potato seed metering device was designed to improve the performance of the large-size seed crops planting equipment and provide a solution for problems on the mechanical potato seeder,such as high multiple-seeding index,high missing-seeding index,low qualified index,and limited versatility.The main structure and operation parameters in terms of rotating speed of the device,seeds height and pickup vacuum pressure were determined by theoretical analysis.Two orthogonal tests,conventional tuber(the triaxial average diameter is about 38-57 mm)test and mini-tuber(the triaxial average diameter is about 12-36 mm)test,were conducted to analyze the influences of these factors on the quality of seeding.The multiple-seeding index,missing-seeding index and qualified index were chosen for evaluating the working performance.The results of conventional tuber test showed that,the multiple-seeding index was 1.1%,the missing-seeding index was 0.8%and the qualified index was 98.1%under conditions of the 30 r/min rotating speed,25 cm seeds height and 10 kPa pickup vacuum pressure.The results of mini-tuber test showed that the multiple-seeding index was 0.5%,the missing-seeding index was 0.6%and the qualified index was 98.9%under conditions of 35 r/min rotating speed,17 cm seeds height and 3.5 kPa pickup vacuum.The working performances of the device can meet the requirements of precision seeding.

Design and experiment of a six-row air-blowing centralized precision seed-metering device for Panax notoginseng

Panax notoginseng is grown mainly in Yunnan Province.Under the present high-density planting patterns for the plant,to solve the problems of a high rate of seed damage and the inability to use a traditional single air-blowing metering device,this paper designs a six-row air-blowing centralized precision seed-metering device for P.notoginseng to realize mechanized precision seeding of this species.This paper describes the working principle of the seed-metering device,and the main structural parameters are determined by combining theoretical calculations with simulation analysis.A mechanics model of the seed filling,cleaning and pressing processes of the seed-metering device was constructed.The seeds of P.notoginseng in Yunnan Province were selected as experimental subjects.An experimental study on the seed-metering performance of the seed-metering device was carried out using the quadratic rotation orthogonal combination test method.The outlet pressure of the air nozzle,forward velocity and cone angle of the hole were selected as test factors.Mathematical models of the grain spacing qualified index,miss index,multiple index and the coefficient of variation of the row displacement consistency were established to analyze the order of factors affecting indicators.Through parameter optimization,the optimum combination of parameters was determined as follows:the cone angle of the hole is 50°,the forward velocity is less than 0.73 m/s,and the outlet pressure of the air nozzle is 0.32-0.52 kPa.The qualified index of grain spacing is higher than 94%,the miss index is less than 3%,the multiple index is less than 5%,and the coefficient of variation of the row displacement consistency is less than 5%.The test results are essentially consistent with the optimization results.The metering device meets the requirements of precision seeding of P.notoginseng.This study provides a basis for the design of a six-row air-blowing centralized precision seed-metering device for P.notoginseng.

Optimized design of the pneumatic precision seed-metering device for carrots

The small size, light weight, irregular shape, and impurities that characterize seed groups increase clogging tendencies in the traditional seed-metering device thereby making it difficult to achieve high-speed precision seeding. A pneumatic seed-metering device with good seed-filling performance for carrot was designed in this study. By analyzing the movement state of seeds in the device under the theoretical condition, it was concluded that the minimum critical negative pressure value of air chamber was 0.32 kPa, which provided a theoretical basis for simulation and testing. ANSYS 17.0 Software was used to simulate the shape of the seeding plate hole. By comparing the pressure, air flow stability between the suction surface and the plug removal surface of the convection field, it was concluded that the conical hole was optimal. A bench verification test was conducted on the device. The average qualified rate, missing rate, and replaying rate were 81.48%, 4.07%, and 14.45%, respectively, which provided a strong reference for the design of carrot precision seed-metering device.

Magnetic field distribution simulation and performance experiment of a magnetic seed-metering device based on the combined magnetic system

The magnetic seed-metering method is one of the universal approaches for plug tray seeding.Conventional electromagnetic and permanent-magnetic seed-metering devices either cannot supply a desirable magnitude of magnetic force or need a seed-clearing mechanism.Thus the objective of this research was to develop a combined magnetic system(CMS)seed-metering device for generating higher magnetic forces than the electromagnetic ones without using any auxiliary seed-clearing mechanisms.Firstly,the CMS component was designed and its magnetic field distributions in both attractive and clearing states were obtained by finite element method simulations.Secondly,based on the CMS components,a magnetic seed-metering device was developed and validated by a prototype experiment.The simulation results displayed that along the axial direction of the magnetic head,the maximum magnetic flux density in the clearing state was 21.03%of that in the attractive state.In addition,along the radial direction,the proportion was 24.16%.Concerning the spatial magnetic flux density distribution,the magnetic flux density on the seeding planes of CMS components(approximately 60 mT)was higher than that of transitional space between two CMS components(nearly 0 mT).As for the seeding performance experiment,when the rotational speed of the roller was 21 r/min and the exciting current was 0.15 A,the highest single rate was acquired(90.20%).In the same condition,the reseeding rate was 5.88%and the miss-seeding rate was 3.92%.The results suggest that the magnetic field distribution and seeding performance of the developed magnetic seed-metering device are acceptable.Therefore,the developed magnetic seed-metering device can be used in practical plug tray seeding processes.

Design and experiment of conical diversion virus-free potato minituber precision seed-metering device

In order to accelerate the development of sowing mechanization of virus-free potato minituber,a conical diversion virus-free potato minituber precision seed-metering Device was designed according to the structural characteristics and agronomic requirements of virus-free potato minituber.The device is mainly composed of conical turntable,transmission shaft,outer baffle of seed-metering Device,baffle,seed outlet,seed cleaning device,type hole,etc.The working principle of conical diversion precision seed-metering device for virus-free potato minituber was expounded,and the stress analysis of virus-free potato minituber in each region was carried out.By EDEM discrete element simulation software,the structure of the type hole is optimized to determine the optimal structure of the type hole and according to the physical characteristics of virus-free potato minituber,the single factor experiments of the effects of length of type hole,cone disc speed and cone disc angle on seed filling performance were completed.The orthogonal regression test was carried out with the length of type hole,cone disc speed,and cone disc angle as the test objects,and the leakage rate and qualified rate as the response indexes.The regression models of leakage rate,replay rate,and qualified rate were established,and the parameters of the regression model were optimized.The optimal parameter combination is that the length of type hole is 33.61 mm,the cone disc speed is 6.35 r/min,and the cone disc angle is 26.59°.Bench test was carried out under the optimal conditions,the leakage rate was 3.80%,the replay rate was 0.80%,and the qualified rate was 95.40%,which was basically consistent with the prediction results of the regression model,and met the requirements of precision sowing of virus-free potato minituber.

Model construction of soybean average diameter and hole parameters of seed-metering wheel based on DEM

To satisfy the demands of soybean precision sowing,this article starts with statistics of the physical parameters of soybean seeds in Heilongjiang province,China.The filling process of soybean seeds was analyzed,and the ratio relationship between the diameter,depth,chamfer length of seed-metering wheel’s holes and the mean diameter of soybean seeds was determined.EDEM was used to simulate seeding circumstances of hole seed-metering wheel with different holes’sizes.The hole diameter ratio,hole depth ratio,and chamfer length ratio were the test factors,while the percentage of single multiple and the empty seeds were test indexes.The triple quadratic regression orthogonal rotation combination test was designed,and the mathematical model between test indexes and test factors was established.Results showed that the influence of hole diameter ratio and hole depth ratio was significant(p<0.01)in the case of single,multiple and empty seed percentage while chamfer length ratio was only significant in single seed percentage compared to multiple and empty seeds percentage(p>0.05).The chamfer length ratio was 0.15,the hole diameter ratio was 1.63-1.73,the hole depth ratio was 0.81-1.20,the quality of seeding index was more than 90,and multiple and missing indexes were less than 6%and 4%,respectively.The soybean hole wheel seeding device was produced under the optimal parameter combination,to perform a comparative verification test with non-optimized parameters.The test showed anastomotic simulation results,verified the validity of the simulation.The seeding device after optimization expressed the best operating performance,which might satisfy the demands of soybean precision sowing.The study results can provide a theoretical reference for the optimization design of soybean seeding devices.

Design and Experiment of four Lines Trailed Potato Fertilization Seeder

In order to solve the problems which are widespread in potato seeding planter, such as lower operating efficiency, unideal performance index, higher replay rate and leakage rate and uneven spacing sowing in seeding operating, a trailed potato fertilization seeder was designed. The key components of the special structure had been got through the description of the structure and working principle of the whole machine. A crossing seed-taken technology along with the vibration component was adopted to achieve precision seeding. The results showed in the feld test of the machine： all the performance indexes of the machine met the agronomic requirement of potato planting; the multiple and missing index were low; it completed the ditching, fertilizing, seeding as well as ridging in one planting process; its operation effciency was high and the stability was good. This design of the trailed potato fertilization seeder provided a reference for the development of large traction-type potato seeding machine.

Design and experiment of pneumatic seed clearing mechanism for pin-hole tube wheat plot precision sowing device

For the problem that when wheat is sucked up by the air suction method,the seeds are aligned in a small area,making it difficult for the contact seed cleaning mechanism to clean the seeds.The mechanism of seed cleaning airflow on wheat seed was studied,the flow velocity distribution relationship of the jet section was defined,the mathematical model of the jet velocity of circular and plane sections was established,and the key factors that could have a significant influence on seed cleaning effect were explored.A non-contact positive pressure air flow seed cleaning method was proposed.After theoretical calculations,it is concluded that the core section lengths of the circular section jet and the inline jet are 24.8 mm and 28.8 mm,respectively.The clearing distance is set to 20 mm.Through the single-factor test,the best air tube nozzle shape was clarified as a vertical inline nozzle.The angle of seed cleaning,the air velocity of seed cleaning,and the negative supply pressure were selected as influencing factors,and the seed leakage index,seed reabsorption index,and seed qualification index as the evaluation indicators to conduct a 3-factor 5-horizontal rotation test.A mathematical regression model of influencing factors and evaluation indexes was established to analyze the influence of these factors and indexes.The optimal operation parameters were obtained as the seed cleaning Angle of 19°,the seed cleaning air velocity of 58 m/s,and the negative pressure of 8.5 kPa.Under the optimal parameters,the seed leakage suction index is 8.23%,the seed reabsorption index is 0.33%,and the seed qualification index is 91.44%,which meets the design requirements.