Spraying control method and spraying machine

Abstract

The invention relates to a spraying control method and a spraying machine. The method comprises the steps that S1, target crop image information in a target area in front of a spraying rod is obtained in real time; s2, determining a target nozzle and a corresponding periodic working time parameter according to the target crop image information; and S3, when the spraying rod reaches the target area, the target spraying head performs spraying according to the corresponding periodic working time parameters. According to the invention, the information of the crops to be sprayed in front is acquired in real time, the spray rod is adjusted according to the growth height of the crops, and the target spray head and the working parameters are determined according to the crop distribution, so that the pesticide spraying efficiency and accuracy are greatly improved, and the problem of low pesticide utilization rate is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of agricultural machinery, and in particular to a spray control method and a sprayer. Background Art

[0002] Boom sprayers are one of the main products of plant protection machinery in my country. They are mainly used for spraying insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and liquid fertilizers. They have good spraying performance and high operating efficiency. In order to solve the problem of being applicable to the height of various crops, existing boom sprayers are equipped with a height adjustment mechanism for adjusting the height of the boom. The specific height adjustment method is that people manually control the height of the boom according to the height of the crops seen by the human eye. This manual adjustment of the boom height has the problem of being too high or too low. When the boom is too high, the droplets drift and the droplets are dispersed in the air, resulting in low effectiveness; when the boom is too low, the spray nozzle disperses downward in a fan or cone shape, and the cross-section of the spray liquid becomes larger and larger from top to bottom, resulting in the upper crop leaves may not be completely covered by the liquid, resulting in missed spraying. In addition, due to the wide variety of crops, planting methods and spacing are also different. For example, when spraying crops with large spacing such as cotton planted in ridges, the existing traditional sprayers (the nozzles collectively control the operation) often cover all operating areas with liquid medicine, and when hydraulic spraying is carried out between ridges, it is easy to cause waste.

[0003] In summary, it is necessary to design a sprayer and a spray control method with intelligent and precise adjustment of the spray boom height and precise spray coverage. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a spray control method and a spray system to solve the above-mentioned shortcomings.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: In a first aspect, a spray control method is provided, comprising: S1: Real-time acquisition of target crop image information in the target area in front of the spray boom; S2: determining the target sprinkler and its corresponding cycle working time parameter according to the target crop image information; S3: When the spray bar reaches the target area, the target nozzle performs spraying according to the corresponding cycle working time parameters.

[0006] Furthermore, before S1, the step further includes: Before the sprayer starts spraying, it obtains image information of several crops in the target field; Predict and calculate the average growth height of the current crops according to the crop image information; Determine the spray overlap line formed by the spray of each nozzle according to the pre-stored historical spray picture, and calculate the vertical distance between the spray overlap line and the spray rod; the height of the spray overlap line of adjacent nozzles is the same; Determine the target height of the spray boom according to the vertical distance, the average growth height of the crop, and a preset difference; wherein the preset difference is the value at which the spray overlap line is higher than the average growth height of the crop; Adjust the sprayer boom to the determined target height.

[0007] Furthermore, the S1 specifically includes: a camera captures and obtains image information in a corresponding target area in front, and the image information includes target crop image information.

[0008] Furthermore, there are multiple cameras, and each camera is corresponding to photographing a target area; Furthermore, the S2 specifically includes: S201: Divide the target area into a plurality of sub-target areas according to the lateral spray coverage width of each nozzle, wherein the sub-target areas correspond to each nozzle; S202: generating a lateral distribution projection of the target crop in the target area according to the image information of the target crop, and matching the lateral distribution projection to each sub-target area to obtain a distribution image of the target crop in each sub-target area; S203: determining the area of ​​each distribution image in each sub-target area, and when the area of ​​the distribution image is greater than a preset value, it is recorded as a target spray image; S204: Obtain the distribution position and length of the target spray image in the forward direction in each of the sub-target areas, and determine the periodic working time parameters of the corresponding nozzle in the sub-target area according to the distribution position and length and the pre-stored sprayer travel speed, wherein the periodic working time parameters include the opening time and the closing time.

[0009] Furthermore, the S203 further includes: when the area of ​​the distribution image is less than or equal to a preset value, it is recorded as an invalid spray image, and the nozzle does not work within the time corresponding to the invalid spray image in the sub-target area.

[0010] In a second aspect, a sprayer is provided for executing the above-mentioned spray control method, comprising a sprayer main body frame, a collection system, and a spray system, wherein the collection system comprises a camera for acquiring image information of target crops in a target area in front of a spray boom; the spray system comprises a spray boom, a liquid medicine tank, and a liquid supply pump, the spray boom is provided with a nozzle, and each nozzle is independently connected to a nozzle solenoid valve; the spray boom is mounted on a spray boom bracket, and the spray boom bracket is provided with a height adjustment device, and the nozzle solenoid valve, the height adjustment device, and the camera are all connected to a control system.

[0011] Furthermore, the nozzle solenoid valve is a pulse solenoid valve.

[0012] Furthermore, the camera is arranged on a transverse bracket which is parallel to the spray rod and located in front of the spray rod.

[0013] Furthermore, the control system includes a determination module and a command unit; the determination module is used to determine the target nozzle and the target nozzle working parameters according to the target crop image information; the command unit is connected to the nozzle solenoid valve, and is used to command the target nozzle to perform spraying according to the corresponding cycle working time parameters.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. The spray control method of the present invention obtains the information of the crops to be sprayed in front in real time, and adjusts the height of the spray boom according to the growth height of the crops, so that the crops themselves are basically distributed below the spray overlap line formed by the spray of the nozzle, and the spray droplets can basically cover all the crops, thereby improving the spray efficiency. The present invention determines the target nozzle and its cycle working time parameters according to the distribution of crops, controls the target nozzle to work when there are crops, and does not work when there are no crops, which greatly improves the efficiency and accuracy of pesticide spraying and basically solves the problem of missed spraying and repeated spraying of pesticides; 2. The sprayer of the present invention is suitable for spraying crops of various spacings, especially for spraying crops such as cotton and sweet potatoes planted in ridges. It can accurately control whether the nozzle is working according to the distribution of crop leaves. It effectively prevents the liquid medicine from being sprayed in the area without crops between ridges, avoids the waste of liquid medicine, and ensures the efficient and accurate spraying of crop leaves. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 is a control flow chart of the spray control method of the present invention; Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the control principle of the spray system of the present invention. Implementation

[0016] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0017] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside" and "outside" etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention. Example

[0018] The present invention provides a spray control method, such as Figure 1 As shown, including: S1: Real-time acquisition of target crop image information in the target area in front of the spray boom; specifically, including: using a camera to capture image information in the corresponding target area in front, wherein the image information includes target crop image information. In the embodiment of the present invention, there are multiple cameras, and the multiple cameras are arranged on a horizontal bracket in front of the spray boom, and each of the cameras captures a target area; of course, multiple cameras can also capture multiple images and synthesize them into a target area, which is not limited in the present invention.

[0019] In the embodiment of the present invention, before S1, it also includes: before the sprayer starts spraying, obtaining image information of several crops in the target field; similarly obtaining image information of several crops through the camera, assuming that there are 10 cameras in the embodiment of the present invention, each camera obtains 1 crop image, and a total of 10 crop image information are obtained. The average growth height of the current crop is estimated and calculated according to the crop image information; continuing according to the above embodiment, the average growth height of 10 crops can be calculated (the growth height is the maximum height of the crop), that is, the average growth height of the crop is obtained. The spray overlap line formed by the spray of each nozzle is determined according to the pre-stored historical spray picture, and the vertical distance between the spray overlap line and the spray rod is calculated; the height of the spray overlap line of adjacent nozzles is the same; in the embodiment of the present invention, the pre-stored historical spray picture can be obtained by the camera during the previous spraying process of the sprayer and stored in the control system, and the historical spray picture contains the spray rod, and the picture of the cross-overlapping of the liquid droplets when the adjacent nozzles spray, and the spray parameters of the previous sprayer nozzle in the embodiment of the present invention are the same as the spray parameters of the current sprayer nozzle. The target height of the spray boom is determined according to the vertical distance, the average growth height of the crop, and the preset difference; wherein the preset difference is the value of the spray overlap line being higher than the average growth height of the crop; and the spray boom of the sprayer is adjusted according to the determined target height. It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present invention, the relative position between the spray boom and the nozzle is fixed, and the relative height difference is also fixed.

[0020] S2: Determine the target sprinkler and its corresponding cycle working time parameter according to the target crop image information; specifically including: S201: Divide the target area into several sub-target areas according to the lateral spray coverage width of each nozzle, and the sub-target areas correspond to each nozzle; in the embodiment of the present invention, multiple target areas may be included, and the target area is rectangular, each target area is obtained by a camera, and each target area is connected to each other without overlapping. Each camera may correspond to a group of nozzles, and the camera obtains the image information of the crops in the corresponding target area, that is, the target area is associated with the group of nozzles. Assuming that the group has 3 nozzles, the target area can be divided into 3 sub-target areas according to the lateral spray range of the 3 nozzles. Preferably, in the embodiment of the present invention, all nozzles are evenly distributed, the lateral spray range of the nozzles is the same, and the width of the sub-target areas is the same.

[0021] S202: Generate a lateral distribution projection of the target crop in the target area according to the target crop image information, and match the lateral distribution projection to each sub-target area to obtain a distribution image of the target crop in each sub-target area. In an embodiment of the present invention, a three-dimensional model of the crop can be constructed according to the target crop image information, and the three-dimensional model of the crop can be projected to the target area to generate a lateral distribution projection. Continuing with the above embodiment, each target area includes three sub-target areas, and the lateral distribution projections are distributed in the three sub-target areas to obtain a plurality of distribution images.

[0022] S203: Determine the area of ​​each distribution image in each sub-target area. When the area of ​​the distribution image is greater than a preset value, it is recorded as a target spray image; when the area of ​​the distribution image is less than or equal to the preset value, it is recorded as an invalid spray image, and the nozzle does not work during the time corresponding to the invalid spray image in the sub-target area. In the embodiment of the present invention, it is assumed that the preset value of the distribution image area in the sub-target area is 10dm 2 , calculate the area distribution of the distribution image in the three sub-target areas of one target area is 260dm 2 、380dm 2 and 7dm 2 , then the area is 7dm 2 The distribution image of is an invalid spray image, and the nozzle corresponding to the sub-target area where it is located does not work when passing through this area. Similarly, the area of ​​260dm 2 、380dm 2 The distribution image is the target spray image, and the cycle working time parameter of the nozzle corresponding to the sub-target area where it is located is calculated. Of course, there can be more than two distribution images in a sub-target area, and of course there can be more than two target spray images.

[0023] S204: Obtain the distribution position and length of the target spray image in the forward direction in each of the sub-target areas, and determine the periodic working time parameters of the corresponding nozzle in the sub-target area according to the distribution position and length, and the pre-stored spray machine travel speed, wherein the periodic working time parameters include the opening time and the closing time. In the embodiment of the present invention, the target area and the sub-target area are both rectangular, and it is assumed that there is only one target spray image in the sub-target area. The front edge of the sub-target area is used as the baseline, and the image processing is used to obtain the distance between the front end and the rear end of the target spray image and the baseline, and then the length of the target spray image is calculated. Since the pre-stored spray machine travel speed is known, the time points when the nozzle passes through the front edge of the sub-target area, the front end of the target spray image, the rear end of the target spray image, and the rear edge of the sub-target area are calculated in sequence. Preferably, the time point when the nozzle passes through the front edge of the sub-target area is recorded as the starting point, and the time to pass through the entire sub-target area is a periodic time T. For example, if the cycle time T is 5s, the time point of the front edge is the starting point 0s, the time point of passing the front end of the target spray image is 1s, the time point of passing the rear end of the target spray image is 4s, and the time point of passing the rear edge of the sub-target area is 5s; thus, it can be calculated that the nozzle does not work in the time period between 0s and 1s, works in the time period between 1s and 4s, and does not work in the time period between 4s and 5s. The working state of the nozzle is controlled by the nozzle solenoid valve.

[0024] S3: When the spray rod reaches the target area, the target nozzle performs spraying according to the corresponding cycle working time parameters. When the target nozzle completes spraying according to the target nozzle working parameters, the spray rod simultaneously leaves the target area and enters the next target area. The target areas are connected to each other and do not overlap. Each target area corresponds to a spray time cycle. In the embodiment of the present invention, the target nozzle is controlled to open and close by an independent nozzle solenoid valve, and the nozzle solenoid valve is connected to the control system. The control system controls the power on and off of the nozzle solenoid valve according to the target nozzle working parameters, thereby controlling the working time of the nozzle.

[0025] In a second aspect, a sprayer is provided for executing the spray control method described in the above embodiment 1, such as Figure 2As shown, it includes a sprayer main frame 1, a collection system 2, and a spray system 3. The collection system 2 includes a camera 201, which is arranged on a transverse bracket parallel to the spray rod and located in front of the spray rod (conventional arrangement, not shown), and is used to obtain image information of target crops in the target area in front of the spray rod; the spray system 3 includes a spray rod 301, a liquid tank 302 and a liquid supply pump 303, and a nozzle 304 is arranged on the spray rod, and each nozzle is independently connected to a nozzle solenoid valve 305; preferably, the nozzle solenoid valve is a pulse solenoid valve. The sprayer main frame 1 includes a spray rod bracket 101, and the spray rod is mounted on the spray rod bracket 101. The spray rod bracket 101 is provided with a height adjustment device 102, and the nozzle solenoid valve 305, the height adjustment device 102 and the camera 201 are all connected to the control system 4. In the embodiment of the present invention, the control system 4 includes a receiving module 401, a storage module 402, a determination module 403 and a command unit 404; the determination module 403 is used to determine the target nozzle and the target nozzle working parameters according to the target crop image information; the command unit 404 is connected to the nozzle solenoid valve 305, and is used to command the target nozzle to perform spraying according to the corresponding cycle working time parameters; the command unit 404 is also connected to the height adjustment device 102, and is used to adjust the height of the spray rod.

[0026] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A spray control method, characterized in that: include: S1: Real-time acquisition of target crop image information in the target area in front of the spray boom; S2: determining the target sprinkler and its corresponding cycle working time parameter according to the target crop image information; S3: When the spray bar reaches the target area, the target nozzle performs spraying according to the corresponding cycle working time parameters.

2. A spray control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The S1 also includes: Before the sprayer starts spraying, it obtains image information of several crops in the target field; Predict and calculate the average growth height of the current crops according to the crop image information; Determine the spray overlap line formed by the spray of each nozzle according to the pre-stored historical spray picture, and calculate the vertical distance between the spray overlap line and the spray rod; the height of the spray overlap line of adjacent nozzles is the same; Determine the target height of the spray boom according to the vertical distance, the average growth height of the crop, and a preset difference; wherein the preset difference is the value at which the spray overlap line is higher than the average growth height of the crop; Adjust the sprayer boom to the determined target height.

3. A spray control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The S1 specifically includes: a camera captures and obtains image information in a corresponding target area in front, and the image information includes target crop image information.

4. A spray control method according to claim 3, characterized in that: There are multiple cameras, and each camera is corresponding to photographing a target area.

5. A spray control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The S2 specifically includes: S201: Divide the target area into a plurality of sub-target areas according to the lateral spray coverage width of each nozzle, wherein the sub-target areas correspond to each nozzle; S202: generating a lateral distribution projection of the target crop in the target area according to the image information of the target crop, and matching the lateral distribution projection to each sub-target area to obtain a distribution image of the target crop in each sub-target area; S203: determining the area of ​​each distribution image in each sub-target area, and when the area of ​​the distribution image is greater than a preset value, it is recorded as a target spray image; S204: Obtain the distribution position and length of the target spray image in the forward direction in each of the sub-target areas, and determine the periodic working time parameters of the corresponding nozzle in the sub-target area according to the distribution position and length and the pre-stored sprayer travel speed, wherein the periodic working time parameters include the opening time and the closing time.

6. A spray control method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The S203 further includes: when the area of ​​the distribution image is less than or equal to a preset value, it is recorded as an invalid spray image, and the nozzle does not work within the time corresponding to the invalid spray image in the sub-target area.

7. A sprayer for executing the spray control method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The invention comprises a sprayer main body frame, a collection system and a spray system. The collection system comprises a camera for acquiring image information of target crops in a target area in front of a spray rod. The spray system comprises a spray rod, a liquid medicine tank and a liquid supply pump. The spray rod is provided with a nozzle, and each nozzle is independently connected to a nozzle solenoid valve. The spray rod is mounted on a spray rod bracket, and the spray rod bracket is provided with a height adjustment device. The nozzle solenoid valve, the height adjustment device and the camera are all connected to a control system.

8. A spray machine according to claim 7, characterized in that: The spray head electromagnetic valve is a pulse electromagnetic valve.

9. A spray machine according to claim 7, characterized in that: The camera is arranged on a transverse bracket which is parallel to the spray rod and located in front of the spray rod.

10. A spray machine according to claim 7, characterized in that: The control system includes a determination module and a command unit; the determination module is used to determine the target nozzle and the target nozzle working parameters according to the target crop image information; the command unit is connected to the nozzle solenoid valve, and is used to command the target nozzle to perform spraying according to the corresponding cycle working time parameters.

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