Novel Accelerometer-Based Sensor Design for Distribution Pattern Characterization in Dry Application

• Published in: Applied engineering in agriculture Vol. 30; no. 6; pp. 973 - 985
• Main Authors: Amirani, Maziar, Barbosa, Roberto N, Hall, Steven G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Society of Agricultural Engineers 2015
• Subjects: agricultural machinery and equipment; automation; grasses; human resources; methodology; rice; seeds; urea
• ISSN: 0883-8542; 1943-7838

Calibration of spreading equipment for agricultural materials is critically important but is limited by time and costs. Lack of personnel and environmental constraints, as well as equipment features present challenges in both the calibration process and application results. In this article, a novel set of sensing plates based on accelerometer technology were introduced to enhance or replace the traditional collector-based dry-calibration process. The practicality of the sensors was compared with the standard technique for measurement of spreading patterns for urea, rice, and grass seeds. Comparison between the outputs of a set of identical accelerometer plates showed a correlation with deposition using the traditional calibration process. Moreover, the introduced sensor was highly flexible and could be adjusted in various ways in order to better match application demands. For urea and rice seeds, the proposed sensor was also tested at 10° and 20° angles with respect to the horizon and the results indicated almost twofold improvement in resolution from 595 to 955 mV/g with R2 of 0.92 and 0.98 at 10° and 20° angles, respectively. Arrays of similar sensors could extend this work, and this novel accelerometer based technique may be practical for improved automation of calibration techniques, saving time and money while improving safety and effectiveness for solid material application.