It is a common traffic phenomenon that side vehicles change lanes without any forewarning, which is easy to induce vehicle side collision and rear-end collision. In order to improve the active safety of cruise control in such a random traffic environment, this article proposes a connected cruise control (CCC) framework considering merging behavior probability of side vehicles. The control strategy of the framework first uses vehicle-to-vehicle communication and radar recognition algorithm to detect the surrounding vehicle targets. Then, the merging potential of the side vehicle is determined through the combination of fuzzy support vector machine and sliding window detection. Afterward, a cruise distance strategy considering the cutting-in probability of merging behavior is proposed and applied to the CCC system to realize the early braking of the main vehicle. Finally, the longitudinal control of the host vehicle is realized by the acceleration control, considering both the time delay and feedback error. The effectiveness of the proposed systematic control framework is verified through not only simulation but also field test. Results show that our method can accurately detect the lane change intent of the side vehicle, thus realizing braking of the host vehicle in advance when the side vehicle changes lane.

To address the challenges of low pesticide utilization, insufficient automation, and health risks in orchard plant protection, we developed an autonomous spraying vehicle using ArduPilot firmware and a robot operating system (ROS). The system tackles orchard navigation hurdles, including global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signal obstruction, light detection and ranging (LIDAR) simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) error accumulation, and lighting-limited visual positioning. A key innovation is the integration of an extended Kalman filter (EKF) to dynamically fuse T265 visual odometry, inertial measurement unit (IMU), and GPS data, overcoming single-sensor limitations and enhancing positioning robustness in complex environments. Additionally, the study optimizes PID controller derivative parameters for tracked chassis, improving acceleration/deceleration control smoothness. The system, composed of Pixhawk 4, Raspberry Pi 4B, Silan S2L LIDAR, T265 visual odometry, and a Quectel EC200A 4G module, enables autonomous path planning, real-time obstacle avoidance, and multi-mission navigation. Indoor/outdoor tests and field experiments in Sun Village Orchard validated its autonomous cruising and obstacle avoidance capabilities under real-world orchard conditions, demonstrating feasibility for intelligent plant protection.

To address the current issues of low intelligence and accuracy in seed-sorting devices, an intelligent seed sorter was developed in this study using machine-vision technology and the lightweight YOLOv5n. The machine consisted of a transmission system, feeding system, image acquisition system, and seed screening system. A lightweight YOLOv5n model, FS-YOLOv5n, was trained using 4756 images, incorporating FasterNet, Local Convolution (PConv), and a squeeze-and-excitation (SE) attention mechanism to improve feature extraction efficiency, detection accuracy, and reduce redundancy. Taking ‘Zhengdan 958’ corn seeds as the research object, a quality identification and seed sorting test was conducted on six test groups (each consisting of 1000 seeds) using the FS-YOLOv5n model. Following lightweight improvements, the machine showed an 81% reduction in parameters and floating-point operations compared to baseline models. The intelligent seed sorter achieved an average sorting rate of 90.76%, effectively satisfying the seed-sorting requirements.

Electronic control seed-metering system for precision seeding maize based on fuzzy PID

In order to solve the problem of poor uniformity of wheat strip sowing, this paper designs a positive-negative pressure wheat wide-seedling-strip-seeding precision seed metering device, which adopts the roller structure with the principle of combined positive-negative pressure. Through theoretical analysis and relevant data, the structure of the seed metering device and the structure of the positive-negative pressure air chamber were designed. The internal flow field conditions were simulated by Fluent software under different structural parameters. The design of the seed holes was completed by analyzing the pressure cloud diagram and the flow velocity vector diagram, and the optimal combination of parameters was obtained and the influence law of negative pressure on the flow field was obtained. The effect of rotational speed on the flow field was studied by EDEM-Fluent coupling technique. In this paper, a three-factor and three-level response surface test was conducted on a JPS-12 test bench with Liangxin-99 wheat as the research object. The experiment was conducted with the rotational speed of seed metering device, the negative pressure of seed suction and the seeding height as factors, and the qualified index, the reseeding index and the miss-seeding index as evaluation indicators. Through the test, the optimal structure and working parameters of the seed metering device were determined as follows: the diameter of the seed hole was 2 mm, and the number of seed holes per row was 28, negative pressure was −3.5 kPa, rotational speed of seed metering device was 19 r/min, and seeding height was 180 mm. Validation test was carried out on the optimized seed metering device: the qualified index was 80.62%, the reseeding index was 9.22%, and the miss-seeding index was 10.16%, which reached the parameter indicator in JB/T 10293-2013 Technical conditions of single seed (precision) seeder and met the agronomic requirements for wheat wide-seedling-strip-seeding. Keywords: wheat, precision, seed metering device, wheat wide-seedling-strip-seeding, positive-negative pressure, fluent, EDEM-Fluent coupling, response surface test DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20221506.7261 Citation: Zhao X S, Bai W J, Li J C, Yu H L, Zhao D W, Yin B Z. Study on positive-negative pressure seed metering device for wide-seedling-strip-seeding. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2022; 15(6): 124–133.

In order to improve the quality of transplanting devices and solve the problems of the poor effect on soil moisture conservation and more weeds easily growing due to the high mulching-film damage rate with an excessive number of hole openings, we developed a dibble-type transplanting device consisting of a dibble-type transplanting unit, a transplanting disc, and a dibble axis. The ADAMS software Adams2020 (64bit) was used to simulate and analyze the kinematic track of the transplanting device. The results of the analysis show that, when the hole opening of the envelope in the longitudinal dimension was the smallest, the transplanting characteristic coefficient was 1.034, the transplanting angle was 95°, and the transplanting frequency had no influence. With the help of the ANSYS WORKBENCH software Ansys19.2 (64bit), an analysis of the process of the formation of an opening in the mulching film and a mechanical simulation of this process were completed. The results indicate that, when the maximum shear stress of the mulching film was the smallest, the transplanting characteristic coefficient was 1.000, the transplanting frequency was 36 plants·min⁻¹, and the transplanting angle was 95°. In addition, the device was tested in a film-breaking experiment on a soil-tank test bench to verify the hole opening in the mulching film. The bench test showed that, when the longitudinal dimension was the smallest, the transplanting characteristic coefficient was 1.034, the transplanting frequency was 36 plants·min⁻¹, and the transplanting angle was 95°. When the lateral dimension was the smallest, the transplanting characteristic coefficient was 1.034, the transplanting frequency was 36 plants·min⁻¹, and the transplanting angle was 90°. The theoretical analysis, kinematic simulation, and soil-tank test results were consistent, verifying the validity and ensuring the feasibility of the transplanting device. This study provides a reference for the development of transplanting devices.