FUZZY SLIDING-MODE TEMPERATURE-CONTROL SYSTEM FOR SOAKING AND GERMINATION OF RICE SEEDS

ABSTRACT The soaking and germination process of rice seeds is the starting point in rice cultivation in cold regions and has a significant effect on grain yield. Efficient techniques for controlling the water temperature in the seed tank are required to enhance germination quality. This paper introduces a fuzzy theory for designing a fuzzy logic-based sliding mode controller (SMC) system for a rice seed soaking and germination device. The proposed system was theoretically and experimentally investigated to determine the efficiency of the soaking temperature-control system. A modified fuzzy SMC based on exponent approaching law is also presented for optimizing the proposed controller. A proportional integral derivative (PID) controller was designed to identify and compare the advantages of the proposed controllers. A comparative study of the computer simulation demonstrates that the performance of fuzzy SMC and modified fuzzy SMC are acceptable, and that both SMCs are superior to the PID controller. Furthermore, compared with the fuzzy SMC system, a reduction in electric energy consumption was observed for the modified fuzzy SMC. Moreover, both SMCs yielded similar soaking qualities.