This report shows the process of the development of a sensor module for the seed drills of Väderstad Verken AB. The module is supposed to replace existing solutions, provided that it is better from both a constructional- and an economical aspect. The purpose of the sensor is to continuously give the driver information about the level of height of the front- and drilling tools and the main purpose of the sensor is to allow the seeds to be placed at the desired depth. The sensors which have been taken into consideration have all been of an analogue type and have a protection class of minimum IP67. The methods applied have been taken from the book “The Mechanical Design Process” by David G. Ullman and every step has been described and explained. To get a deeper insight of the task at hand, the process started with studies of the theories behind sensor techniques as well as interviews with persons at the company who have good knowledge about the problem in question. The work then continued with a review of the market for sensors who could possibly meet the requirements of the solution. Many of the sensors were then excluded until there were only six left. The next step was the concept development which led to the generation of six concepts, one for each sensor. Then a weighting took place using a Basic Decision Matrix, and the four most suitable concepts were left. Simple drawings for the four concepts were made and prototypes of these were produced. The prototypes were then mounted on a machine to be tested. Finally, after another weighting, the best concept was presented to the company. The result shows that the best solution was a concept based on the Blade Sensor. The next step for the company is to do further testing on the concept out on the fields and then to decide whether this solution is suitable or not.

<p> <p>This report shows the process of the development of a sensor module for the seed drills of Väderstad Verken AB. The module is supposed to replace existing solutions, provided that it is better from both a constructional- and an economical aspect. The purpose of the sensor is to continuously give the driver information about the level of height of the front- and drilling tools and the main purpose of the sensor is to allow the seeds to be placed at the desired depth. The sensors which have been taken into consideration have all been of an analogue type and have a protection class of minimum IP67.</p><p> </p><p>The methods applied have been taken from the book “The Mechanical Design Process” by David G. Ullman and every step has been described and explained. To get a deeper insight of the task at hand, the process started with studies of the theories behind sensor techniques as well as interviews with persons at the company who have good knowledge about the problem in question. The work then continued with a review of the market for sensors who could possibly meet the requirements of the solution. Many of the sensors were then excluded until there were only six left. The next step was the concept development which led to the generation of six concepts, one for each sensor. Then a weighting took place using a Basic Decision Matrix, and the four most suitable concepts were left. Simple drawings for the four concepts were made and prototypes of these were produced. The prototypes were then mounted on a machine to be tested. Finally, after another weighting, the best concept was presented to the company.</p><p> </p><p>The result shows that the best solution was a concept based on the Blade Sensor. The next step for the company is to do further testing on the concept out on the fields and then to decide whether this solution is suitable or not.</p></p>

Under våren 2023 utfördes detta examensarbete på Väderstad AB, ett företag som tillverkar högpresterande jordbruksmaskiner, däribland såmaskiner, precisionssåmaskiner och jordbearbetningsmaskiner. En av dessa är tallrikskultivatorn Carrier XL, vilken kan utrustas med den monterbara såmaskinen BioDrill 360 för att kunna så frön samtidigt som jorden bearbetas. På senare tid har det uppstått ett behov att även kunna montera en större sålåda, BioDrill 500, på Carrier XL. Målet med detta arbete blev därför att ta fram ett konstruktionsförslag på hur BioDrill 500 kan implementeras på Carrier XL 425-725, med hänsyn till Väderstads produktion, fungerande frötransport, utrymmeskrav samt krav på hållfasthet. Arbetet har bestått av teoriundersökning, konceptgenerering och utveckling i flera iterationer samt CAD-modellering i Creo. Dimensionerande beräkningar har utförts i form av FEM-analyser och andra hållfasthetsberäkningar på maskinens drag och hjulaxel. Dessutom har en undersökning av produktarkitektur utförts för att se till vilken grad modularitet och funktionsdelning kan implementeras på infästningen för att göra den fördelaktig ur ett tekniskt och ekonomisk perspektiv.  Arbetets resultat består av en ställning som monteras på hjulstället till Carrier XL som gör att toppen av sålådan konstant hålls parallell med marken tack vare ett parallellänkage. En plattform utvecklas och placeras vid sidan av BioDrill 500 för att tillgodose tillgänglighet för användaren och två fördelarhuvuden monteras i parallellänkaget framför BioDrill 500 för att möjliggöra en fungerande frötransport. Produktariktekturen anpassas genom att implementera en kombination av modulära och integrerade lösningar samt funktionsdelning. För att passa i produktionen på Väderstad används mestadels plåtar och rör av stål som främst bearbetas genom laserskärning och bockning samt mindre inslag av svets. Dessutom anpassas infästningen med hjälp av Design for Manufacturing och Design for Assembly för att underlätta tillverkning och montering.