• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.401-410
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• 1997

Scattering of seeds is one of the problems in the hill- dropping planters with a roller-type metering device. For crops like rice, corns and beans, the hill-dropping is own better for a high yield than the drill planting. The roller type metering device has been used for the drill planters and has many advantages. However, it has a problem of scattering of seeds when they are placed on rows. In this study a method was developed to design the roller type metering device fir the precision hill-droppings. Design parameters were derived to configure completely the geometries of the roller and brush. The method was applied to the design of the metering device of the rice seeding machines. The field test showed that the metering device designed by the method made a better performance of seed placement than that made by the precvious one. The method also can be applied to the design of metering devices for the precise hill-droppings of other crops.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.30 no.5 s.112
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• pp.261-267
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• 2005

In order to save labor and cost, direct seeding has been considered as an important alternative to the machine transplanting in rice cultivation. As current seeders for direct seeding of rice seeds drill irregular amount of seeds under various operating conditions, conventional drilling should be turned to precision planting which enables accurate placement of proper amount of rice seeds at equal intervals within rows. In this study, design, construction and performance evaluation of a precision seed metering device for planting of rice seeds were carried out. As prototype, the conventional roller type seed metering device was modified for planting: increasing diameter of metering roller, setting 2 or 4 seed cells on metering roller, adding seed discharging lid and its driving cam mechanism. Through performance tests for prototype and the current seed metering device, number of seeds in a hill, planting space and its error ratio, coefficient of variation of planting space (planting accuracy), and seeding length of $90\%$ of seeds in a hill divided by planting space (planting precision) at setting planting spaces of 15, and 20cm, seeding heights of 10, and 20cm, and seeding speeds of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.5m/s were investigated. Prototype showed better seed planting performance than the current seed metering devices. When setting planting space of 15 cm and seeding height of 10cm, prototype with 2 seed cells showed that variations of planting space and seeding lengths of $90\%$ of seeds in a hill at up to seeding speed of 0.5m/s were within 0.9cm, and 3.6cm, respectively.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.303-310
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• 2018

Purpose: This research was conducted to determine the design factors of a seed-metering device for the development of a seeder. The device allows the seeder to sow precisely one to three seeds of foxtail millet and sorghum. To obtain fundamental information regarding the design of the seed-metering device, examination of the physical properties of foxtail millet and sorghum was conducted. Methods: Based on the results of an adaptability test using an existing seeder with foxtail millet and sorghum, an experimental roller-type seed-metering device was made. The seeding factors considered during the experiment were the width, length, and depth, as well as the shape of the groove in the seed-metering roller. By adapting an analysis of variance, the experimental results of the seeding factors were analyzed. Results: The measured results of the respective lengths and widths of the seeds were 2.11 and 1.64 mm for foxtail millet, and 3.68 and 3.32 mm for sorghum, respectively. The weight of 1,000 seeds was 2.43 g for foxtail millet and 17.5 g for sorghum. The seeds were of an elliptical shape, considering the length and width. A sieve analysis showed that the size distribution of foxtail millet was quite regular whereas that of sorghum was irregular. Conclusions: The seeding results showed that the rates of incorrect planting were low when the groove of the roller-type metering device is an elliptical type. To sow one to three seeds, the groove of roller-type metering devices $2.0mm{\times}4.0mm{\times}1.5mm$ ($width{\times}length{\times}depth$) for foxtail millet, and $4.0mm{\times}8.0mm{\times}3.0mm$ and $4.5mm{\times}8.0mm{\times}3.0mm$ ($width{\times}length{\times}depth$) for Sorghum.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.330-335
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• 2010

Soybean (Glycine max Merr.) and corn (Zea mays L.) transplanting has increased because soybean and corn crops cultivated by the direct seeding method were often damaged by wild birds. The purpose of this study is to develop a seeder to sow soybean (Glycine max Merr.) and corn (Zea mays L.) in a plug tray. In order to find out design factors for a metering device of the seeder, metering characteristics on metering hole size and roller speed were experimentally investigated. Soybean (cv. 'Daewon') and corn (cv. 'Mibaekchal') were used as a materials for testing the seeder in this experiment. The metering hole size of roller suitable for Daewonkong and Mibaekchal was determined. Daewonkong was suitable for hole diameter of 10 mm and hole depth of 5.5 mm, and Mibaekcal was suitable for hole diameter of 9 mm and hole depth of 5.5 mm. At a brush length of 4 mm, one grain seeding rates of Daewonkong and Mibaekchal was 99% and 93% respectively. By inducing Mibaekchal to the hole by swing, one grain seeding rate of that increased from 91.9% to 97.7%. When roller speed is 4 m per minut, seeding efficiency of prototype was 110 sheets per hour.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.395-402
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• 2003

Standard ginseng seedling, selected after one year's rearing in the seedling bed has been conventionally transplanted in Korea. Recently, the direct seeding areas have been increasing to product high quality ginsengs for red-ginseng processing. Reciprocating push-rod brush, holed-roller and vacuum suction seeders, planting with 30 ${\times}$ 30mm spacings and adjustable to the folds were designed and theirs performances were evaluated. The developed three types of seeders reliably performed at the success rate over 95% with less than 10% in slip rate, and could be used a seeder for the greater spacings by adjusting metering parts. The research concluded that the vacuum suction seeder was the most feasible and practical with the greatest metering success and the least slip among three type seeders of the reciprocating push-rod brush, holed-roller and vacuum suction seeders. The vacuum suction seeder holds a seed with each needle nozzle using the negative pressure created by a vacuum pump. The capacity was 24.5 times greater than a man power at the speed of 5 m/min.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.163-176
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• 1997

Sesame was one of the economical crops in Korea. However, cultivation area of sesame has been decreasing rapidly due to the lack of mechanization for this crop and the opening of agricultural product market. Sesame seed is so small that ordinary seeder can not seed properly. In rural practice, farmers seed sesame with hand and do thinning after shoot emerges. Seeding and thinning in sesame cultivation take more than 40% of total labor To reduce labor in seeding and thinning, a pellet seed machine for sesame has been developed. The pellet seed machine is very simple in structure. It utilizes the chemical reaction between alginate solution and $CaCl_2$. Two material forms a membrane when they meet The uniqueness of the pellet seed machine for sesame were 1) a counter rotating roller for metering the mixture of activated carbon and alginate and 2) swinging plate for submerging seed into the mixture. The prototype machine can produce 30, 000 pellets per hour and costs ￦6, 891 per 1 km sesame.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Agricultural Machinery Conference
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• 1996.06c
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• pp.519-527
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• 1996

Most operation related to the application granular agrochemicals in korea are manual and labour consuming. As a multipurpose granular applicator, a pneumatic granular applicator that can be attached to conventional ride -on machines for paddy field was designed in this study. Experiments and simulations were carried out for determine in the design factors with one fertilizer (DongBu 21-17-17) and one pesticide (SamKong Ivi). The maximum terminal velocity of granular chemicals was estimated as 14.2m/s. A better distribution pattern was obtained at the diffuser having only deflectors without dividing guides. The diffuser spacing 1.0m for the fertilizer and the diffuser spacing 0.8m for the pesticide at the boom height over 0.80m were acceptable for the uniform distribution. In the case that the forward speed of ride-on machines was 0.7m/s, the groove opening and the roller speed of the selected metering device were13mm -15mm at 2 rps for the fertilizer, and 9 mm-11mm at 0.25rps or the pesticide. This study suggested a method of developing a pneumatic applicator for granular agrochemicals.