Studies on Agricultural Terrain Profiles (I)

A Measuring Apparatus for Agricultural Terrain Profiles

Abstract

A measuring apparatus for agricultural terrains which was based on the slope angle integration method was developed and evaluated. Some conclusions were as follows.
1. Predicting the accuracy of an assumed apparatus, which had two axles and two wheels and the wheelbase of 150mm, by numeric calculation, it was found that the undulation of 250mm wavelength (4c/m) could be measured, by this apparatus.
2. Investigating the influence of the roughnes and the shape of terrains on the accuracy of the apparatus by calculating the frequency response function it was recognized that the accuracy was not affected by them within the range where the gain and the coherency were large enough.
3. According to the results of the numeric calculation, an apparatus was made, which had two axles and three wheels and the wheelbase of 150mm. The apparatus was tested on the artificially shaped road and the good agreement was found between the accuracy of the apparatus and the results of the numeric calculations.
4. For the reasons mentioned above, it was found that the slope integration method and the apparatus were satisfiable for practical application