• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Agricultural Machinery Conference
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• 2017.04a
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• pp.126-126
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• 2017

본 연구는 가축분뇨를 퇴비화 하는 과정에서 흔히 사용되는 수분조절제인 톱밥, 왕겨 등의 가격적 부담으로 인해 좀 더 가격이 저렴한 수분조절제들의 성분을 비교 분석하여 어떤 차이가 있는지 확인하기 위하여 실시되었다. 이를 위해 6가지 수분조절제를 토대로 유도결합플라즈마분광계 장비를 이용하여 화학적 분석, 인장시험기를 이용하여 물리적 분석을 하였다. 화학적 분석을 통해 수분조절제 내 함유되어 있는 성분들을 분석하였으며 물리적 분석을 통해 중량, 함수율, 흡수율, 인장강도 등을 측정하였다. 화학적으로 분석을 했을 시 K, Cd, Pb, Ni, Zn, Cu, Cr, As 등을 측정을 하였으며 앞서 분석했던 각각의 성분들은 농촌진흥청에 명시되어 있는 유해성분의 최대량보다 대부분 적게 측정이 되었다. 물리적으로 분석을 했을 시, 각 수분조절제의 함수율은 최소 10.29%에서 최대 16.07%까지 측정이 되었다. 전단강도는 기존 상태가 가장 높게 측정이 되었으며 다음으로 건조상태 흡수상태로 측정이 되었다. 일반적으로 사용하기에는 흡수율이 가장 높은 우드 브리켓-1이 가장 적합한 것으로 판단된다.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.368-372
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to verify the feasibility of using an infrared sensor to measure the body temperature of a sow. We first conducted experiments on three pigs by using three infrared sensors and one indoor temperature sensor. Methods: The three infrared sensors were installed inside our model house and were used to take temperature measurements per second of the backs of the pigs. While feeding, the temperatures of the backs of the pigs were measured at distances of 10 cm, 20 cm, and 30 cm from the infrared sensors. Results: We concluded that the relation between the temperature of the pigs' backs and the indoor temperature was y =0.549x + 18.459 at a measuring distance of 30 cm. The relation was y = 0.645x + 15.461 for a distance of 20 cm and y = 0.760x + 11.913 for a distance of 10 cm. We found high correlation between the indoor temperature and the temperature of the pigs' backs. Conclusions: It is possible to use an infrared thermometer to monitor the temperature of pigs' backs. This system seems to be feasible and effective in monitoring pig temperature. The use of an infrared thermometer will also make daily monitoring easy. In later experiments, the possibility of developing a system that can determine if an error can be corrected by using infrared sensor is explored by considering humidity variables.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.12-20
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• 2016

Purpose: Pepper prices have risen continuously because of a decrease in cultivation area; therefore, mechanical harvesting systems for peppers should be developed to reduce cost, time, and labor during harvest. In this study, a screw type picking head for a self-propelled pepper harvester was developed, and the optimal working conditions were evaluated considering helix types, winding directions of helix, and rotational speeds of the helix. Methods: The screw type was selected for the picking head after analyzing previous studies, and the device consisted of helices and a feed chain mechanism for conveying pepper branches. A double helix and a triple helix were manufactured, and rotational speeds of 200, 300, and 400 rpm were tested. The device was controlled by a variable speed (VS) motor and an inverter. Both the forward and reverse directions were tested for the winding and rotating directions of the helix. An experiment crop (cultivar: Longgreenmat) was cultivated in a plastic greenhouse. The test results were analyzed using the SAS program with ANOVA to examine the relationship between each factor and the performance of the picking head. Results: The results of the double and triple helix tests in the reverse direction showed gross harvest efficiency levels of 60-95%, mechanical damage rates of 8-20%, and net marketable portion rates of 50-80%. The dividing ratio was highest at a rotational speed of 400 rpm. Gross harvest efficiency was influenced by the types of helix and rotational speed. Net marketable portion was influenced by rotational speed but not influenced by the type of helix. Mechanical damage was not influenced by the type of helix or rotational speed. Conclusions: Best gross harvest efficiency was obtained at a rotational speed of 400 rpm; however, operating the device at that speed resulted in vibration, which should be reduced.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2016

Purpose: The gear strength of a new mechanical transmission designed to increase the loading weight of small 4.8 kW tracked agricultural transporters was analyzed. Design improvements to increase the gear strength and reduce the gear weight were proposed after examining the parameters. Methods: Sixteen operators from three regions were surveyed to obtain the usage profile of small 4.8 kW transporters. Gear strength was evaluated by calculating contact stress and tooth root stress using commercial software following ISO 6336. Results: From the strength calculation for each gear pair, contact stress smaller than tooth root stresses were produced in all gear pairs. The safety factors in most cases exceeded 1.0, except in the case of gear pair II in group II. The design life of the transporter using gear pair II in group II was 42% under harsh conditions-thus, this design life needs improvement. A robust design was proposed by examining the relevant parameters (face width and profile shift coefficient) to increase the design life of the transporter. In addition, a lightweight design for gear pair I in group II that was considered overdesigned was proposed by examining the face width to reduce the weight of the drive gear by 42% and that of the driven gear by 30%. Conclusions: The Safety factor for the design life was examined through a gear strength analysis. After examining the relevant parameters, conditions for strength improvement were proposed to increase design life or adjust overdesigned gear. However, load conditions differ depending on the working conditions or user's preferences; therefore, it is necessary to conduct further studies in various regions.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.235-241
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• 2017

Purpose: It is to develop an agricultural three-directional dumping vehicle that can help farmers reduce intensive labor when carrying heavy loads and for easy dumping. In addition, a novel mechanism was applied for controlling the direction of the tilting cargo box by using a single hydraulic cylinder and simple apparatus. The overturning safety was analyzed to provide safe-use ground slope region of the vehicle to be used at upland fields and orchards. Methods: The developed three-directional dumping vehicle was constructed using a cargo box, vehicle frame, driving components, lifting components, and controller. The novel mechanism of controlling the dumping direction involves the operation of two latching bars, which selectively release or collapse the connecting edge between the vehicle frame and cargo box. A multibody dynamics analysis software (RecurDynV8R5) was used to determine the safe-use ground slope area when tilting the cargo box at slopes. A computer analysis was conducted by increasing the ground slope while rotating the vehicle when the cargo box comprised loads of 300 and 500 kg and stacking heights of 40 and 80 cm, respectively. Results: The three-directional dumping vehicle was successfully manufactured, and the cargo box was tilted at $37^{\circ}$ and $35^{\circ}$ for dumping forward and sideways. The latching bars were manually and selectively collapsed with the vehicle frame to control the dumping direction. When forward dumping, the safe-use ground slope was over $20^{\circ}$ in all vehicle directions and loaded conditions. Conclusions: A three-directional dumping vehicle was developed to reduce labor-intensive work in the farming environment. The user can easily control the dumping direction by using the control panel. The vehicle was safe to be used in most of the Korean upland fields and orchards (area over 96%) for the forward dumping.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.202-210
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• 2018

Purpose: Due to the growing demand for vegetables all year round, the use of vegetable transplanters has become widespread in agricultural production. However, the type of planting device used for the transplanter affects its overall efficiency. Problems such as inaccurate planting angles and inefficiently wide transplanting hole diameters of the planting device has limited the efficient use of some vegetable transplanters. Our goal in this study was to improve the efficiency of the transplanter by analyzing and modifying the linkages of the planting device of a vegetable transplanter. Methods: Because of its widespread usage in Korea, a linkage-type planting device was used for the experiment, which was divided into three parts. In the first part, the physical trajectory of the tranplanter was extracted using a CCD (charge-coupled device) camera and analyzed. In the second part, a simulated trajectory was developed using Recurdyn 3D software. The simulated and actual trajectories were then compared and analyzed. In the third part, based on the results of the comparison, improvements were made on the linkages of the transplanter and a demonstrative exercise was conducted. Finally, in experiment B, the performance was evaluated through an exercise using both the existing and improved planting devices. Results: The results demonstrated that the average planting angle was improved by 4.96 mm, the soil intrusion diameter was improved by 11.30 mm, and the planting depth was improved by 0.68 mm. Conclusion: It was concluded that the efficiency of a vegetable transplanter can be improved by modifying the linkages through simulations and field demonstrations.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.94-100
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• 2008

Present chemical application method using a power sprayer has been labor intensive, costly and ineffective. Therefore, a small agricultural unmanned helicopter was suggested to replace the conventional spray system. In this study, conceptual design for developing the helicopter and a consequential prototype were reported. The overall conceptual design was initiated by deciding the type of agricultural helicopter, as the single rotor helicopter with a tail system. As the first step of the designing, an air-cooled, 2-stroke engine was selected and a prototype transmission was designed by determining the rotating speed of main rotor shaft. A 'pusher' type tail rotor system was adapted to balance the reaction torque and reduce the power use. The tail boom length was designed to avoid the rotating trajectory of the main rotor. The RF console consisted of the engine control, attitude control, and emergency control modules. Assembling the prototype concluded the mechanical development of the agricultural helicopter.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.31-36
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• 2010

A small unmanned helicopter was suggested to replace the conventional spray system. Aerial application using an agricultural helicopter helps precise and timely spraying, and reduces labor intensity and environmental pollution. In this research, a rotor system (SW05) was developed and its lift capability was evaluated. Lift force for the dead weight of the helicopter was obtained at the grip pitch angle of $12^{\circ}$. As the pitch angle increased to $14^{\circ}$ and $16^{\circ}$, the payload increased to 176 N and 216 N, respectively. Compared with SW04 airfoil performance in the total lift, the SW05 airfoil showed nearly the same capacity, but the payload of the SW05 was reduced because of the increased dead weight. A rated flight condition was defined as lifting mean payload of 294 N with the grip pitch angles of $16{\sim}17^{\circ}$ at the rotor rotating speed of 850~950 rpm for the adjusted engine power. The fuel consumption would be 4.8~6.0 L/hr, and the air temperature of cooling fan should be kept below $160^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.31 no.2 s.115
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• pp.95-101
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• 2006

Present chemical application system using a power sprayer has been a labor intensive, ineffective and shirking task in farming. Therefore, a small RF controlled (unmanned) helicopter was suggested to replace the conventional spray system. The aerial application using the unmanned helicopter has been already utilized in Japan, where total area applied up to 704,000 ha in 2005. In this article, the status and cost analysis on the unmanned agricultural helicopter were studied. The aerial application using the agricultural helicopter helps precise and timely spraying and reduces labor intensity and pollution. The field capacity of the helicopter was found to be 60-70 ha a day. The break even point was estimated near the operating area of 750 ha annum. The development of an agricultural helicopter was necessary for taking advantages of both technique and economy.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.31 no.2 s.115
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• pp.102-107
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• 2006

Opening agricultural market progresses radically, reducing cost of high quality agricultural products becomes urgent. Aerial application using an agricultural helicopter helps precise and timely spraying and reduces labor intensity and pollution. The development of an agricultural helicopter was necessary for taking advantages of both technique and economy. In this study, as the first stage of developing an unmanned helicopter capable of 20kg payload, an engine was selected and a prototype transmission was designed for an agricultural helicopter. Prony type dynamo-meter was constructed, the engine was tested and then performance curve was obtained. The centrifugal clutch was engaged at the rotation speed of 3,500-4,000 rpm. Maximum power was expected at the engine speed of 5,900-6,200 rpm when adjusted at the optimal output. Based on the test results, the transmission was designed for driving main rotor shaft.