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Development of a novel mechatronic system for mechanical weed ...

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5.2 Virtual prototype <strong>of</strong> the rotary hoe <strong>for</strong> intra-row<br />

<strong>weed</strong>ing<br />

Results and discussion<br />

The design <strong>of</strong> uncommon <strong>system</strong>s such as the rotary hoeing tool entails a lot <strong>of</strong><br />

trials and contains many errors, which need to be fixed be<strong>for</strong>e the first real<br />

prototype can be built.<br />

The optimisation <strong>of</strong> the hoeing tool design was done with Pro/Mechanca, which<br />

allows simulation <strong>of</strong> the trajectories, accelerations, velocities and <strong>for</strong>ces acting<br />

with the prototype. A variety <strong>of</strong> objects can be assembled together to resemble<br />

more closely the real conditions, including springs, motors, friction, and gravity.<br />

All the input variables such as speed and initial position can be altered at any<br />

time, providing testing and analysis flexibility. Constraints can also be placed on<br />

the prototype’s range <strong>of</strong> motion to more closely emulate a physical prototype.<br />

During a simulation, the motion behaviour <strong>of</strong> the parts <strong>of</strong> the prototype can be<br />

activated at different positions in the time domain, because their movement<br />

corresponds to a particular motion controller known as motor. Motors can be<br />

independently programmed to start and end at any point in the simulation, so if<br />

only certain parts <strong>of</strong> the assembly are <strong>of</strong> interest <strong>for</strong> a certain simulation, all the<br />

other parts can be simply turned <strong>of</strong>f and left idle.<br />

Taking into account demands and constrains, a virtual prototype <strong>of</strong> the rotary<br />

hoeing tool <strong>for</strong> intra-row <strong>weed</strong> control was designed. Several concepts were<br />

brainstormed and the idea <strong>of</strong> the <strong>system</strong> emulating the manual hoeing motions<br />

under the soil surface was chosen. The hoeing tool consists <strong>of</strong> an arm carrier<br />

and three or more integrated arms rotating around a horizontal axis above the<br />

crop row. The axis is attached to the motor shaft whose rotational speed is<br />

calculated and tuned according to the <strong>for</strong>ward speed <strong>of</strong> the carrier vehicle, the<br />

intra-row distance between plants and the observed position <strong>of</strong> the arms. The<br />

working height <strong>of</strong> the whole assembly is adjustable in accordance to keep the<br />

hoeing depth within optimal limits, which should be between 10 mm and 30 mm.<br />

The concept <strong>of</strong> the rotary hoeing tool <strong>for</strong> intra-row <strong>weed</strong>ing is presented in<br />

Figure 5.5.<br />

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