• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.38-45
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• 1988

This study was intended to develop the system automatically controlling travel direction of combine by means of sensing paddy rows. The control system was composed of three detecting levers having different length, micro-switch, microcomputer and electro-hydraulic control system. Sensor and control system developed was tested to estimate optimum design values and its actual performance as installed in combine. The computer simulation and performance test at simulated and actual field were conducted to test for possibility of practical use. The results of the study arc summarized. as follows: 1. The travel traces of combine hiving the conventional sensor with 2 levers and the new sensor detecting the slope of paddy rows were compared through computer simulation. Turning frequency of combine having new sensor was fewer than that of conventional sensor, but the rate of turning for the combine with new sensor was much greater than that of conventional sensor. 2. As sensor was established behind the tip of divider, the sensor itself well followed paddy rows but the tip of divider did not, resulting in divider being deviated from paddy rows. It was analyzed that the sensor should be attached closer to the tip of divider to have a better performance of the control system. 3. The greater the length of sensor lever for given location of sensor attachment and combine forward speed, the higher sensitivity of turning in control system. Moreover, increasing combine speed resulted in a worse performance of control system following paddy rows. Consequently, it was necessary that an optimum length of sensor attachment and for the range of combine operational speed. 4. Field test of combine installed with the sensor and electro-hydraulic system developed in this study showed that it may be operated smoothly and well behaved to paddy rows to 4th gear of combine speed which was 59cm/s. Consequently. it was concluded that the combine with the guidance control system developed in this study may be successfully used for paddy combining.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.21-29
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• 2009

A rapeseed reaping equipment attachable to a conventional combine was developed in order to harvest rapeseed for bio-diesel materials. This study was carried out to measure the harvest feasibility of a prototype combine in rapeseed fields. Grain, stem and pod flow rate, grain qualities (whole kernel, damaged kernel, unhulled kernel, material-other-than-grain) and grain loss rates (header, threshing, separation) were investigated in each field test. As the result of the fold test, the average grain flow rates of SUNMANG and MS varieties showed 1,430 kg/h and 2,038 kg/h, respectively. The average stem and pod flow rates showed 3,443 kg/h and 6,596 kg/h, respectively. In each working speed, the average whole kernel rate and the material-other-than-grain showed 99.9% and below 0.08%, respectively. In the average grain loss, the rates showed 5.66% in case of SUNMANG and 5.94% in MS. Header loss was higher than other parts for SUNMANG. However, threshing loss was relatively higher than other parts for MS. Header loss rate due to side cutter knifes, however, was not so high when compared with a grain loss due to the cutter bar. Effective field capacity and field efficiency of the prototype combine showed 0.389 ha/h and 44%, respectively. Comparison of customary combine with the prototype combine through field test demonstrated that the header loss was reduced by 69.3% when the prototype combine was used.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.48-59
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• 1981

The major limiting factor on the determination of combine capacity is the frequent occurence of clogging over the some parts of machine when the crop is wet in the case of Japanese self-feeding type combine. And in the case of American conventional combine having big separating parts, the great grain loss and damage occur when the machine is used for rice harvesting. This experiment was carried out to develop the new type threshing and separating equipment. Proto-type thresher which consist of a conical threshing drum and a conical separating sieve rotating around the threshing cone was constructed and tested. In the case of 800 rpm of threshing cone speed, average threshing loss was below 1 percent, separating loss was about 1 percent, grain damage was about 0.4 percent, and average total power required was about 2.6 PS. This design has some problems such as higher power required or wrapping problems under the conditions of feeding long damp straw. But, compared with the conventional combine or thresher, this machine certainly has some potentials for this approach to combine development. The crop feed rate must be increased through improvement of the feeding portion of the threshing cone. And it is required to investigate further about some parameters causing wrapping phenomena.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.371-378
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• 2008

Bio-diesel applications seem to be extended due to bio-diesel policies and changes of agricultural environment. This study was conducted to develop a rapeseed reaping equipment attachable to the conventional combine. This paper was intended to report concept design, process and manufacturing of the prototype rapeseed reaping equipment. For concept design, physical properties of "SUNMANG", which is a typical rapeseed as bio-diesel materials, were considered. The designed prototype rapeseed reaping equipment consisted of wide-width plates, finger type knifes, side cutter knifes and drive equipments. The wide-width plate is 2.1 m wide, 0.7 m long, and 0.002 m thick. The finger type cutter knifes have 14.5 fingers, 30 knifes, and the specification was 7.6 cm of pitch, 8.3 cm of length and $21^{\circ}$ of cutting angle. The side cutter knifes consisted of a hydraulic pump, a hydraulic motor, a flow control and a relief valve, a hydraulic hose, a driving equipment and a reciprocating cutter knife. The 18 reciprocating cutter knifes were 137 cm long and knife pitch, knife length and cutting angle were 7.7 cm, 10.5 cm, and $18^{\circ}$. Prototype weight of the rapeseed reaping equipment was heavier by 272 kg when compared with the manual reaping equipments. Load distributions of left and right side showed 50% and 49%, and those of front and rear side showed 64% and 36%. Static turn-over angles in left and right of the prototype were $38.1^{\circ}$ and $38.7^{\circ}$, respectively. The designed prototype rapeseed reaping equipment was properly mounted at the front of a conventional combine.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.311-319
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• 2018

Purpose: The aim of this study is to develop a small combine for harvesting miscellaneous cereal crops. Methods: A prototype small combine was designed and constructed. Its specifications and basic performance were investigated. Results: The prototype small combine for harvesting miscellaneous cereal crops was designed and constructed to reflect similar specifications as those of the conventional combine. The prototype small combine comprises a diesel engine with the rated power/speed of 22.0 kW/2,600 rpm, three-stage primary and two-stage speed range transmission shifts, and a double acting threshing part. The maximum travel speeds of the prototype combine are approximately 0.72 m/s, 2.50 m/s, 0.30 m/s at the low, high speed range shifts in the forward direction, and while traversing in the reverse direction, respectively. The minimum radius of turning was approximately 1.50 m. In a static lateral overturning test, the prototype combine overturned neither to the right nor to left on a $30^{\circ}$ slope. The results of an oilseed rape harvesting test included the maximum operating speed of 0.32 m/s, the grain loss ratio of approximately 9.0%, and the effective field capacity of approximately 10.3 a/h. Additionally, among the outputs in grain outlet, the whole grains, damage grains, and materials other than grain (MOG) ratios accounted for 97.4%, 0.0%, and 2.6%, respectively. Conclusions: The prototype small combine for harvesting miscellaneous cereal crops indicates good driving ability and stability. The results of the oilseed rape harvesting test reveal that the harvesting performance must be enhanced such that the separating and cleaning parts are more suitable for each type of crop, thus reducing grain loss and foreign substances among the outputs in grain outlet. An improved small prototype combine could be used effectively to mechanize the harvesting of miscellaneous cereal crops in small family farms or semi-mountainous areas.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Agricultural Machinery Conference
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• 1993.10a
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• pp.752-760
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• 1993

We research ed on the noise control of a head feeding type combine harvester. It is a kind of combine harvester developed in Japan. And at present, it is used by most Japanese farmer. For a head-feeding type combine harvester it is very difficult to determine the sources of noise because it is a combination of reapers and automatic , threshers and several running parts. However we succeeded in finding out the sound sources of combine harvesters and analyzing their sound by the using sound intensity method. The sound intensity Method is a very up-to-date method to measure and analyze Sound Intensity Levels and sound directions at several measuring point sin a specified area. In this research, first a conventional sound level measurement method is used and secondly the sound intensity method. The first method shows a rather great limitation in allowed exposure duration. The second method shows pin-points the engine itself as being the main source of noise, causing sound flows a ross the operator's seat.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.94-103
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• 1989

This study was intended to develop the automatic feeding depth control system of the head-feed combine which could feed the rice head into threshing unit at the optimal depth regardless of plant height and uneven ground surface. In the control system, one-board microcomputer was used for the controller instead of conventional electric circuits. Field test of the combine equipped with the control system was conducted to evaluate its overall performance. It was also investigated how the location and time delay of rice head sensor affect the system performance.

• Proceedings of the IEEK Conference
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• 1999.06a
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• pp.809-812
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• 1999

The pendulum is a SIMO(Single-input multi-output) system that both angle of pendulum and position of cart controlled simultaneously by one actuator. In this paper, propose a hybrid neuro-controller to apply to pendulum system. We design the conventional optimal controller and the neural network as a identifier, which can identify the uncertainty of plant not modeled, respectively. Then we combine them into a novel controller, with a structure that the error between plant and identifier is added in conventional optimal control input Finally, the paper shows the validity of the proposed controller through computer simulations and experiments.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.95-104
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• 1976

This study was conducted to test the harvesting operation of two kinds of rice varieties such as Milyang #15 and Tong-il with a imported two furrow Japanese combine and was performed to find out the operational accuracy of it, the adaptability of this machine, and the feasibility of supplying this machine to rural area in Korea. The results obtained in this study are summarized as follows; 1. The harvesting test of the Milyang #15 was carried out 5 times from the optimum harvesting operation was good regardless of its maturity. The field grain loss ratio and the rate of unthreshed paddy were all about 1 percent. 2. The field grain loss of Tong-il harvested was increased from 5.13% to 10.34% along its maturity as shown in Fig 1. In considering this, it was needed that the combine mechanism should be improved mechanically for harvesting of Tong-il rice variety. 3. The rate of unthreshed paddy of Tong-il rice variety of which stem was short was average 1.6 percent, because the sample combine used in this study was developed on basisof the long stem variety in Japan, therefore some ears owing to the uneven stem of Tong-il rice could nat reach the teeth of the threshing drum. 4. The cracking rates of brown rice depending mostly upon the revolution speed of the threshing drum(240-350 rpm) in harvesting of Tong-il and Milyang #15 were all below 1 percent, and there was no significance between two varieties. 5. Since the ears of Tong-il rice variety covered with its leaves, a lots of trashes was produced, especially when threshed in raw materials, and the cleaning and the trashout mechanisms were clogged with those trashes very often, and so these two mechanisms were needed for being improved. 6. The sample combine of which track pressure was $0.19kg/cm^2$ could drive on the soft ground of which sinking was even 25cm as shown in Fig 3. But in considering the reaping height adjustment, 5cm sinking may be afford to drive the combine on the irregular sinking level ground without any readjustment of the resaping height. 7. The harvesting expenses per ha. by the sample combine of which annual coverage area is 4.7 ha. under conditions that the yearly workable days is 40, percentage of days being good for harvesting operation is 60%, field efficiency is 56%, working speed is 0.273m/sec, and daily workable hours is 8 hrs is reasonable to spread this combine to rural area in Korea, comparing to the expenses by the conventional harvesting expenses, if mechanical improvement is supplemented so as to harvest Tong-il rice. 8. In order to harvest Tong-il rice, the two furrow combine should be needed some mechanical improvements that divider can control not to touch ears of paddy, the space between the feeding chain and the thrshing drum is reduced, trash treatment apparatus must be improved, fore and rear adjust-interval is enlarged, and width of track must be enlarged so as to drive on the soft ground.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.175-184
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• 1994

This study was conducted to investigate experimentally the basic characteristics of the torque of the cutterbar driving shaft as the double-knife was used instead of the conventional standard single-knife type. A new design for inclined setting of the cutterbar relative to the direction perpendicular to combine harvester movement was investigated to test a possible reduction of concentrated load caused by the simultaneous cutting of many rows. It was evaluated that the maximum torque and mean total power of the driving shaft due to the cutting resistance of the rice straw were largely depended upon the rotational shaft-speed and straw feeding rate, but were resepectively 1.1~2.3 and 1.15~1.34 times higher compared to those while idling. It was also proved that the inclined setting of the cutterbar could save a considerable amount of energy required for its driving shaft.