Dynamic depth control for precision destoning in fields for vegetables

任何参观正在种植马铃薯的田地的人都会对在脱石操作期间筛过的土壤数量（通常为3,000吨/公顷）、非常缓慢的工作速度以及对土壤的破坏和暴露于碳氧化的可能性感到担忧。该项目旨在开发一种动态深度控制系统，以确保最佳床层深度，避免在最坏的情况下（即高石或高土含量的区域）进行过度深耕。可以预料的是，许多人之前已经考虑过深度测量问题，但却几乎没有提供解决方案，这可能是因为复杂性、成本或种植者缺乏需求，也可能是因为缺乏对作物生长的最佳条件的了解，以及如果在不正确的深度或次优条件下工作，操作员可能对土壤造成的损害。目前的深度控制机制位于进气部分的前面，从而降低了精度，因为通过机器的土壤流失是可变的。通过对成品床深度的测量，可以提高精度。许多技术可用于测量床层本身的松散土壤与目标共享层下的土壤之间强度或密度的巨大变化（例如物理，声波和电磁），但对比层之间土壤含水量的差异可能使某些技术难以检测变化。在某些土壤上，机器也可以移动得非常快（例如4公里/小时），这使得快速检测深度对改变机器进气份额深度设置至关重要。参与的财团有a)传感器技术和控制机制方面的专家；B)了解植物生长和可耕性的最佳土壤条件的土壤科学家和c)需要实用和强大系统的农民。任何成功的新传感器都需要有一个控制系统，可以轻松集成到现有的定位器控制器机制中，但市场和目标区域都很大（\>2000个定位器，\>100K ha）。

Any visitor to a field being planted with potatoes would be concerned at the amount of soil sieved during the destoning operation (typically 3,000 t/ha), the very slow work rates and the potential for damage to soils and exposure to oxidation of carbon. This project aims to develop a dynamic depth control system for destoners to ensure optimal bed depth and avoid excessively deep cultivation which occurs when destoning to the worst possible scenario, i.e. areas of the field with high stone or clod content.It is to be expected that many people will have considered the depth measurement problem before, yet have done little to provide a solution, perhaps because of the complexity, cost or lack of demand from growers or perhaps because of the lack of understanding of optimal conditions for crop growth and the damage that destoners can do to soil if worked at the incorrect depth or sub-optimal conditions. Current mechanisms for depth control are positioned in front of the intake share, thereby reducing the accuracy since soil loss through the machine is variable. By measuring the finished bed depth, accuracy will be improved. A number of techniques can be used to measure the large change in strength or density between the loose soil in the bed itself and the layer beneath the destoner share (e.g. physical, sonic and electromagnetic), but the differences in soil water content between contrasting layers can make it difficult to detect changes with some techniques. Machines can also move quite quickly (e.g. 4 km/h) on some soils, making rapid detection of depth paramount to effect a change in machine intake share depth settings.The consortium involved has a) experts in sensor technology and control mechanisms; b) soil scientists with understanding of optimal soil conditions for plant growth and cultivatability and c) farmers who require a practical and robust system. Any new sensor that proves successful will also need to have a control system that can integrate easily into existing destoner controller mechanisms, but the market and target area are both large (\>2000 destoners, \>100K ha).