Kunio Sato

Collision Vibration Characteristics with Interspace in Knife Driving System of Combine Harvester

Abstract It is necessary to develop a design theory of the knife driving system of combine harvesters in order to derive the control parameters of the balance weights used for vibration reduction. A collision vibration model of the knife driving system that is equipped with a slider-crank mechanism was constructed in order to examine the influence of the interspace that arises at the joint of the drive knife and the end of the link arm. The simulation result revealed that the harmonic frequency components varied with an increase in the width of the interspace although the highest harmonic frequency in the simulation without the interspace was three times the crank wheel rotation frequency. However, the vibration reduction by the balance weight was not dependent on the width of the interspace.

Measuring Turning Trajectory of 4WD-4WS Vehicle using Single Camera View

Abstract In order to understand the driving performance of a vehicle, accurate measurements of its position and posture are required. In this study, a method was proposed for measuring the position of a turning vehicle using a camera at an arbitrary position, along with 6 markers on the vehicle. The trajectory of a 4-wheel drive and 4-wheel-steering vehicle during steady-state circular turning was then measured using the proposed method. Although it was confirmed that there was an error in the depth direction from the camera, the turning trajectory of the vehicle could be measured with high precision. However, a variation in the measurement of the vehicle posture was recognized.

Bending Characteristics of Cabbage Plug Seedling due to Its Own Weight with a Large-Deflection Simulation

Abstract Bent cabbage seedlings unfit for transplanters and they are often grown in culture. The reason for this bending of the seedlings has not yet been clarified. We focused on the hypocotyl during the seedling stage because the hypocotyl being relatively soft may be bent due to the seedlings own weight. We constructed a bending simulation model, which expresses bending as a function of seedling weight based on the large-deflection curve theory with measurements of morphological and mechanical parameters. Simulation results demonstrated that the cause of seedling bending is the effect of the first true leaf. In the middle of the seedling stage, the hypocotyl showed maximum bending.

Cerebral blood flow dynamics while playing a string instrument: fNIRS study

P3-r19 Changes in cerebral blood flow during singing: preliminary fNIRS study Mone Tsukimoto 1 , Yasunori Shiono 1, Tsuyoshi Matsumoto 1, Yasuhiro Kawano 1, Yasushi Fuchigami 1, Kunio Sato 2, Yoko Hoki 1 1 Dept. of Neurophysiol, Division of Neuroscience, Mie Univ Grad School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan 2 Dept. of System Engineering, Division of Environmental Science & Technology, Mie Univ Grad School of Bioresources, Tsu, Japan

Lodging of Cabbage Seedling Due to Its Own Weight

The machinery used to harvest cabbages has a preprocessing unit that holds the stem and cuts it off under the cabbage head. Mechanical harvesting damages the cabbage head because the stem often bends. However, why the bending occurs is not known. The stem sometimes bends due to the cabbage’s weight and environmental factors. This study aimed to clarify the mechanical characteristics of the cabbage hypocotyl and understand pliability of the cabbage stem. We investigated pliability of the cabbage stem, particularly the hypocotyl segment under the cotyledonary node, during the seedling stage. Flexural rigidity of the cabbage hypocotyl, a mechanical characteristic of pliability, was measured. It was found that flexural rigidity increased exponentially in proportion to the number of days elapsed. A simple model of the cabbage stem was constructed to examine whether the hypocotyl can bend due to weight and the deflection of the hypocotyl was simulated based on the data obtained. The hypocotyl showed maximum bending on the 16th day from the day of sowing.