Design and optimization of the seed conveying system for belt-type high-speed corn seed guiding device

To tackle the issues of low seeding accuracy and seed injury caused by the seeders utilized at a small scale and in the plot seeding of sorghum in mountainous or hilly regions, this study presents the design of an oil–electric hybrid air suction sorghum plot seeder. The main working parts of the seeder are described, and the performance of the seed-mixing device is simulated using EDEM software. An oil–electric hybrid drive mode is used to provide power for operation and to the seed-metering device and fan. Additionally, a sowing control and monitoring system is designed using a single-chip microcomputer controller to ensure uniform plant spacing at different forward speeds. A multi-factor experiment is conducted using the central synthesis method to determine the optimal operating parameters of the seed-metering device through bench tests. The results show that a profile hole diameter of 2.5 mm on the seed tray, a negative-pressure chamber vacuum of 8.0 kPa, and a seed-metering device speed of 28 r/min result in a 95.95% pass rate, 0.5% missing rate, and 3.55% reseeding rate. The deviation between the experimental and analytical results that validate the optimum parameters is kept within acceptable limits. Field tests are conducted at different forward speeds using the optimum parameter combinations, and a comparison is made with the widely used duckbill planter. The results show pass, missing, and reseeding rates of 94.41%, 2.3%, and 3.29%, respectively. The missing monitoring error is less than 7.19%. All of the indices of the oil–electric hybrid air suction sorghum plot seeder are superior to those of the duckbill planter; thus, it fulfills the agronomic requirements for seeding a sorghum plot.

To mitigate the challenges associated with labor intensity and labor expenses in the rice seedling-raising process within greenhouses located in northern China, a comprehensive solution was developed in the form of a completely automated rice seedling-raising machine. The investigation of the first procedure was carried out through the utilization of EDEM software to ascertain the most favorable range of parameters. Performance tests were conducted on the automatic lifting machine designed for rice hard disk seedling cultivation. Based on the findings of the regression model, it can be inferred that when the rake angle is set at 21.278°, the locomotive speed is 0.333 m/s, and the longitudinal conveyor speed is 0.17 m/s, the completeness rate of seed trays reaches 99.48%. Additionally, the lifting efficiency is measured at 510 trays per hour, while the disk jam rate stands at 0.4%. These results indicate that the lifting machine satisfies the specified requirements.