Smart Sensor System for Agricultural Implement Depth Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Soil property variations such as moisture, temperature, and organic matter content affect seed emergence and growth during planting, as existing seeding implements do not effectively adjust seed deposition depth in response to these conditions.
Innovation Solution
An agricultural planting or seeding implement equipped with a soil sensor system that detects soil properties and adjusts the trench depth for seed deposition using a depth control system, ensuring optimal planting conditions across varying soil properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If seed deposition depth is kept constant, then planting operation is simple and fast, but seed emergence and growth are affected by soil property variations
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the seed deposition depth based on real-time sensor feedback about soil properties. The depth control system modifies the position of the ground engaging tool and seed delivery mechanism to plant seeds at optimal depths varying across different soil conditions, resolving the contradiction between maintaining constant simple operation and adapting to variable soil conditions for reliable seed emergence.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates sensors that continuously monitor soil properties and feed this information back to the depth control system. This feedback loop enables automatic adjustment of planting depth in response to detected soil variations, allowing the system to maintain high productivity while ensuring reliable seed emergence through data-driven depth optimization.
2Reliability
If seed deposition depth is adjusted to adapt to soil conditions, then seed emergence and growth are enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the field's own soil property variations as input signals to automatically control the planting depth. The sensors detect soil conditions and the control system self-adjusts the ground engaging tool position and seed delivery mechanism without external intervention, enabling the system to enhance seed emergence while managing complexity through autonomous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The depth control system serves multiple functions: it controls the ground engaging tool depth, positions the seed delivery mechanism, and responds to various soil properties (moisture, temperature, organic matter). This multi-functionality allows a single integrated system to handle diverse planting requirements across varying soil conditions, enhancing seed emergence without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple sensors are used to detect various soil properties, then planting precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the soil property detection function into multiple specialized sensors, each measuring a specific property (moisture, temperature, organic matter). This segmentation allows the system to gather comprehensive soil data for precise planting decisions while keeping each sensor component relatively simple and manageable, improving planting precision without overwhelming system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An agricultural planting or seeding implement having a ground engaging tool that forms an opening along an axis in the soil, a sensor disposed aft of the ground engaging tool, and a row unit disposed aft of both the ground engaging tool and the sensor relative to a direction of travel of the agricultural planting or seeding implement. The sensor engages with the ground at a depth within the opening and generates a signal indicative of a soil property of the ground.