Development and Experimental Analysis of a Fuzzy Grey Control System on Rapeseed Cleaning Loss

• Main Authors: Xiaoyu Chai, Lizhang Xu, Yang Li, Jie Qiu, Yaoming Li, Liya Lv, Yahui Zhu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-10-01
• Series: Electronics
• Subjects: rapeseed; combine harvester; grey prediction; fuzzy control; cleaning loss
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9292/9/11/1764

One of the most important means of improving the mechanization of rapeseed harvests and increasing farmers’ income is to reduce the cleaning loss of rapeseed. In this study, a fuzzy grey control system was developed using an assembled cleaning loss sensor. Based on experimental data, the relationship between the cleaning loss and the opening of the louver sieve in the cleaning device was obtained. The fuzzy control scheme was established by combining grey prediction and the fuzzy control principle. Secondly, a microcontroller unit (MCU) was used as the controller, and the opening of the louver sieve was automatically regulated by detecting the signal of the cleaning loss. Finally, the performance and robustness of the control system was evaluated in field tests. Different experiments were conducted under different speed conditions to reflect the variable throughput. Results showed that using the grey prediction control system can realize the adjustment of the louver sieve opening in real time. The cleaning loss could be maintained within the ideal setpoint interval, compared with the operation with the control system switched off. These findings indicate that the application of the grey fuzzy control system reduces cleaning loss, and the nonlinear, time-variable and time delay problems in cleaning devices can be solved effectively.