• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
• /
• v.37 no.6
• /
• pp.335-341
• /
• 2012

Purpose: While an unmanned helicopter has been extensively used for spraying chemicals on agricultural crops, its low utilization (two months per year from July to August) has recently become an issue. This study aimed to increase the utilization of the unmanned helicopter. The centrifugal rice seeder, a mounting device for rice seeding for unmanned helicopter was developed and assessed its performance. Methods: The concept of the centrifugal spraying device was to obtain design criteria for centrifugal distribution. Four types of blade shapes namely straight, curved, straight wing and curved wing were developed and used. The rotational speed of the blades was tested at 1,000, 1,200 and 1,400 rpm. Results: The blade shapes, rotational blade speed and angle of trajectory were theoretically analyzed and results were validated with a series of laboratory experiments. Conclusions: The curved wing blades provided the distribution uniformity (DU) at 1,200rpm of rotational speed and 60 degree of seed drop point. The spray uniformity of 4.2% was also achieved.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Agricultural Machinery Conference
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.82-87
• /
• 2006

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Agricultural Machinery Conference
• /
• 2000.11c
• /
• pp.722-728
• /
• 2000

This study of field control machine in the recycled vinyl rail is gantry crane type and promoting agricultural automatization through self-controlled spraying, harvesting and conveyance. In addition to, that control machine could get a cost and labor reduction effect through automatization and make better environment by preventing farmers from agrichemical damage, accidents and recycling wasted vinyl. That machine is able to be divided as traveling, spraying, harvesting and conveyance sections. In driving section consists of girder frame, carrier, rail, control system, driving system, working machine, rail and loading device for working machine. This machine has following advantages to be able to bring a big innovation in the agricultural industry. I) Accurate performance is able to be done by proper positioning due to based on the rails. 2) The soil is not made hard like heavy tractor 3) The wheel is not sank into the soil and slipped well under rain like heavy tractor. Therefore, weather and soil situation could not affect working condition. 4) Complete unmanned control and 24hours-working are available due to traveling on the rails. 5) It could use various energy resources like not only liquid fuel but also solar, common electronic power due to traveling on the rails.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
• /
• v.36 no.6
• /
• pp.476-483
• /
• 2011

The aerial application using an unmanned helicopter has been already utilized and an attitude controller would be developed to enhance the operational convenience and safety of the operator. For a preliminary study of designing flight controller, a state space model for an RC helicopter would be identified. Frequency sweep flight tests were performed and time history data were acquired in the previous study. In this study, frequency response of the flight test data of a small unmanned helicopter was analyzed by using the CIFER software. The time history flight data consisted of three replications each for collective pitch, aileron, elevator and rudder sweep inputs. A total of 36 frequency responses were obtained for the four control stick inputs and nine outputs including linear velocities and accelerations and angular velocities in 3-axis. The results showed coherence values higher than 0.6 for every primary control inputs and corresponding on-axis outputs for the frequency range from 0.07 to 4 Hz. Also the analysis of conditioned frequency response showed its effectiveness in evaluating cross coupling effects. Based on the results, the dynamic characteristics of the model helicopter can further be analyzed in terms of transfer functions and the undamped natural frequency and damping ratio of each critical mode.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
• /
• v.32 no.4
• /
• pp.230-236
• /
• 2007

In this study, a tail rotor system for an agricultural RF controlled helicopter was developed and tested. This study concluded the mechanical development of the 'Agro-heli' by completing the tail rotor system and its radio console. The RF control system was closely related with the tail system for the control of flying attitude. The thrust of the tail system balance off the reaction torque, created by the main rotor. Lifting tests with and without the tail system were compared for estimating the consumption of power. The tail system would use $4{\sim}5%$ of the total power which was in an acceptable range. Flying performance and attitude was visually inspected. It showed reliable and safe control during the distance flying trials and could be adapted for utilization in aerial applications. Aerial application using an RF controlled agricultural helicopter may make precise and timely spraying possible.

• Journal of Practical Agriculture & Fisheries Research
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.99-111
• /
• 2021

The connected farm that agricultural land, agricultural machinery and farmer are connected with an IoT gateway is in the commercialization stage. That has increased productivity, efficiency and profitability by intimate information exchange among those. In order to develop the educational program of intelligent agricultural machinery and the agricultural machinery safety education performance indicator, this study analyzed patent trends of agricultural machine with unmanned technology used in agriculture and efficiency technology applied advanced technologies such as ICT, robots and artificial intelligence. We investigated and analyzed patent trends in agricultural machinery of Korea, the USA and Japan as well as the countries in Europe. The United States is an advanced country in the field of unmanned technology and efficiency technology used in agriculture. Agricultural automation technology in Korea is insufficient compared to developed countries, which means rapid technological development is needed. In the sub-fields of field automation technology, path generation and following technology and working machine control technology through environmental awareness have activated.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
• /
• v.36 no.6
• /
• pp.467-475
• /
• 2011

Aerial spraying technology using a small unmanned helicopter is an efficient and practical tool to achieve stable agricultural production to improve the working condition. An attitude controller for the agricultural helicopter would be helpful to aerial application operator. In order to construct the flight controller, a state space model of the helicopter should be identified using a dynamic analysis program, such as CIFER$^{(R)}$. To obtain the state space a model of the helicopter, frequency-sweep flight tests were performed and time history data were acquired using a custom-built stick position transmitter. Four elements of stick commands were accessed for the collective pitch (heave), aileron (roll), elevator (pitch), rudder (yaw) maneuvers. The test results showed that rudder stick position signal was highly linear with rudder input channel signal of the receiver; however, collective pitch stick position signal was exponentially manipulated for the convenience of control stick handling. The acquired stick position and flight dynamic data during sweep tests would be analyzed in the followed study.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Agricultural Machinery Conference
• /
• 1996.06c
• /
• pp.591-597
• /
• 1996

To straighten the path that farm machinery follows in paddy fields, it is necessary to measure and evaluate the tracks that these machines leave behind. However, there are no known methods for making such measurements and evaluations since it is difficult to accurately trace the paths that the machine make in paddy fields. Therefore, a measuring system has been developed which can accurately recored the path of a farm machinery in a field by measuring the horizontal straight-line distance from the side of the field to the machine. This system consists of a track subsystem on the machine and a range finder system. A measuring appraratus is installed on a flatcar which runs on rails over 50 m long at the side of the filed. The track subsystem uses a CCD camera to track the movement of the machine in the field which is following a lengthwise path. The range finder subsystem measures the distance that the measuring apparatus has traveled on the rails and the distance from the app ratus to the machine in the field. This system makes it possible to record the path that the machine travels. Even though differences in traveling distance arise between the measuring apparatus and the farm machine, these differences are detected by image processing , which allows the machine in the field to be located accurately. The short(0.05 second) time required for image processing is enough to follow an object . In the present study, this system was able to measure the path that a moving tractor makes. Even though a lag of up to 0.4 meters occurred, this system did not miss its target during operation of the track subsystem. Thus the path measuring system developed here is able to record vehicle paths automatically by following the movement of vehicles in the field and measuring the distance to them. It is expected to come into use in such applications as unmanned moving vehicle tests.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
• /
• v.37 no.6
• /
• pp.342-351
• /
• 2012

Purpose: Aerial spraying with an agricultural unmanned helicopter became a new paradigm in the agricultural practice. Laterally tilting behavior of a conventional agricultural helicopter, resulting in the biased down-wash and uneven spray deposit is a physically intrinsic phenomenon while hovering and cruise flights. Authors studied and developed a roll-balanced agricultural helicopter with a raised pylon tail rotor system. In this study, the attitude of the roll-balanced helicopter was determined using the Kalman filter algorithm, and the quality of roll balancing of a bare-airframe helicopter was evaluated. Methods: Instantaneous attitudes were estimated using the advantage of gyroscope, followed by the long term correction and prediction using accelerometer data for the advantage of convergence. The attitudes of the fuselage were calculated by applying the Kalman filter algorithm. The spraying maneuver of the helicopter was performed at a field of 50 m long, and the attitude data were acquired and evaluated. Results: The determination of attitude using the inertial measurement unit(IMU) and Kalman filter was reliable and practical. The intrinsic attitude of the developed helicopter was stable and roll-balanced. The deviation of roll angle was ${\pm}6.3^{\circ}$ with an average of $0^{\circ}$, referring to roll-balanced. Conclusions: Handling quality of the roll attitude determined to be steadily balanced. The balancing behavior of the developed helicopter would result in an even spray pattern during aerial application.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.192-200
• /
• 2012

Purpose: Aerial application of chemicals with an agricultural helicopter allows for precise and timely spraying and reduces working labor and pollution. An attitude controller for an agricultural helicopter would be helpful to aerial application operator. The objectives of this paper are to determine the transfer function models and to estimate the handling qualities of a bare-airframe model helicopter. Methods: Transfer functions of a model unmanned helicopter were estimated by using NAVFIT and DERIVID modules of the $CIFER^{(R)}$ program to the time history data of frequency sweep flight tests. Control inputs of the transfer functions were elevator, aileron, rudder and collective pitch stick positions and the outputs were resulting on-axis movements of the fuselage. Results: Minimum realization of the transfer functions for pitch rate output to elevator control input and roll rate output to aileron control input produced second order transfer functions with undamped natural frequencies around 3.0 Hz and damping ratios of 0.139 and 0.530, respectively. The equivalent time delays of the transfer functions ranged from 0.16 to 0.44 second. Sensitivity analysis of the proposed parameters allowed derivation of minimal realization of the transfer functions. Conclusions: Handling quality of the model helicopter was addressed based on the eigenvalues of the transfer functions, corresponding undamped natural frequencies with damping ratios. The equivalent time delays of the lateral-directional motion ranged from 0.16 to 0.44 second, longer than the 0.1 to 0.15 second requirement for well-controlled typical manned aerial vehicles.