A laser weeding machine

Abstract

This utility model relates to the field of agricultural technology, specifically to a laser weeding machine, including a power supply, a mechanical mounting structure, a system main control unit, functional modules, a motor and its drive module. The functional modules are characterized by comprising a sub-control module, a characteristic spectrum storage chip, a spectrometer, a spectrometer light source, an optical path coupling module, and a laser. This utility model utilizes a right-angle prism to reflect the light emitted from the spectrometer light source and the laser from opposite directions, respectively. A stepper motor can precisely adjust the angle of the right-angle prism, ensuring that the two beams of light from the spectrometer light source and the laser can be focused on almost identical small areas. This improves the accuracy of beam positioning, enhances the reliability and efficiency of the system, and avoids the complex and expensive dichroic mirrors required in traditional laser weeding equipment, thus greatly simplifying the structure of the optical system and reducing production costs and technical implementation difficulties.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of agricultural technology, and in particular to a laser weeding machine. Background Technology

[0002] While herbicides remove weeds, they also cause irreversible and serious damage to the land, which is a real problem that plagues agricultural development in various countries. By using image recognition or spectral recognition technology to identify plants and weeds and to accurately locate the leaves of weeds, weeds can be controlled by burning their stems and leaves with lasers, destroying their survival basis, thus achieving weed control without herbicides or human labor.

[0003] Patent application number CN202411068350 discloses a method and system for automatically identifying weeds. It uses a deep learning model to accurately identify weed types and growth stages, and precisely locates the weeds. By controlling a laser galvanometer to precisely control the laser's optical path, the weeder can automatically adjust its power and operating speed according to the weed type and growth stage, achieving different laser dwell times on the weeds. This results in optimal laser dosage, high efficiency, and environmentally friendly weed control. Its focus is on precisely controlling the laser power. (Note: The last sentence about CN202411068350 appears to be unrelated and likely a separate patent application.) Patent 1117591 discloses a laser weeding device and a laser weeding vehicle, which uses multiple sets of image recognition to locate the coordinates of weeds and perform laser ablation of the leaf surface to achieve the purpose of laser weeding. However, it uses a dichroic mirror, which has high requirements for high transmission of working laser and high reflectivity of visible light in imaging, making it difficult to achieve. Patent application number CN202411070662.6 discloses an intelligent laser-targeted pepper field weeding system, which provides an intelligent laser-targeted pepper field weeding system based on image recognition technology. However, its application target is pepper fields, which has a narrow application scope.

[0004] However, current laser weeding equipment generally requires the use of dichroic mirrors, which have high requirements for high transmittance of the working laser and high reflectivity of the visible light in the imaging, making them difficult to achieve. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of this, the purpose of this utility model is to propose a laser weeding machine to solve the problem that current laser weeding equipment generally requires the use of dichroic mirrors and has high requirements for high transmittance of working laser and high reflectivity of visible light for imaging, which are not easy to achieve.

[0006] Based on the above objectives, this utility model provides a laser weeding machine, including a power supply 1, a mechanical mounting structure 2, a system main control 3, a functional module 4, a motor and its drive module 5. The functional module 4 consists of a sub-control module 41, a characteristic spectrum storage chip 42, a spectrometer 431, a spectrometer light source 432, an optical path coupling module 44, and a laser 45.

[0007] The optical path coupling module 44 consists of a stepper motor 441 and a right-angle prism 442. The rotation axis of the stepper motor 441 coincides with the right-angle edge 4421 of the right-angle prism 442. Under the control of the sub-control module 41, the right-angle prism 442 is precisely driven to rotate at any angle.

[0008] Furthermore, the mechanical mounting structure 2 includes a top plate 21, a side plate 22, a support frame 23, wheels and their support rods 23, and also includes two support beams 25 placed below the top plate 21 and inside the side plate 22. The functional module 4 can be mounted on the support beams 25 of the mechanical mounting structure 2, or it can be disassembled.

[0009] Furthermore, the mechanical mounting structure 2 adjusts the number of mounting functional modules 4 from 2 to 6 according to the planting width, with all functional modules 4 mounted in the same row at equal intervals.

[0010] Furthermore, the mechanical mounting structure 2 has four wheels 22, which are controlled to stop or move forward by the main control system 3.

[0011] Furthermore, the characteristic spectral storage chip 42 stores characteristic peak information in the visible-infrared reflectance spectrum of field weeds for the sub-control module 41 to retrieve and compare.

[0012] Furthermore, the spectrometer light source 432 emits directional visible-infrared broadband light.

[0013] Furthermore, the optical system 433 of the spectrometer 431 is oriented directly downwards to receive scattered light from the lower region.

[0014] Furthermore, the right right-angled facet 4422 and the left right-angled facet 4423 of the right-angled prism 442 are both reflective surfaces.

[0015] Furthermore, the spectrometer light source 432 and laser 45 are located on both sides of the right-angle prism 442, with their emission ports facing each other and coaxial, respectively facing the right right-angle face 4422 and the left right-angle face 4423 of the right-angle prism 442.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: As can be seen from the above description, the laser weeding machine provided by this utility model utilizes the two right-angled facets of a right-angled prism to reflect the light emitted by the spectrometer light source and the laser light from opposite directions, respectively. The stepper motor can precisely adjust the angle of the right-angled prism, ensuring that the two beams of light from the spectrometer light source and the laser can be focused on almost the same tiny area, improving the accuracy of beam positioning, improving the reliability and efficiency of the system, and avoiding the complex and expensive dichroic mirrors that must be used in traditional laser weeding equipment, thereby greatly simplifying the structure of the optical system and reducing production costs and technical implementation difficulties. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only for this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the mechanical mounting mechanism according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the functional modules of an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of the spectrometer light source, laser, and optical path coupling module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the right-angle prism according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of the two right-angled facets of the right-angled prism reflecting the emitted light of the spectrometer light source and the emitted light of the laser in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the control section structure of an embodiment of the present utility model.

[0024] The diagram is marked as follows:

[0025] 1. Power supply; 2. Mechanical mounting structure; 3. System main control; 4. Functional modules; 5. Motor and its drive module; 41. Sub-control module; 42. Characteristic spectrum storage chip; 44. Optical path coupling module; 45. Laser; 431. Spectrometer; 432. Spectrometer light source; 4421. Right-angled edge of right-angled prism; 4422. Right-angled facet of right-angled prism reflecting spectrometer light source; 4423. Right-angled facet of right-angled prism reflecting laser light. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this utility model clearer, the present utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0027] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this utility model should have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this utility model pertains. The terms "first," "second," and similar terms used in this utility model do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Terms such as "comprising" or "including" mean that the element or object preceding the word encompasses the elements or objects listed following the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Terms such as "connected" or "linked" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. Terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" are used only to indicate relative positional relationships; when the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0028] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, a laser weeding machine includes a power supply 1, a mechanical mounting structure 2, a system main control 3, a functional module 4, a motor and its drive module 5. The functional module 4 consists of a sub-control module 41, a characteristic spectrum storage chip 42, a spectrometer 431, a spectrometer light source 432, an optical path coupling module 44, and a laser 45.

[0029] The optical path coupling module 44 consists of a stepper motor 441 and a right-angle prism 442. The rotation axis of the stepper motor 441 coincides with the right-angle edge 4421 of the right-angle prism 442. Under the control of the sub-control module 41, the right-angle prism 442 is precisely driven to rotate at any angle.

[0030] In this embodiment, the device utilizes the two right-angled faces of a right-angled prism to reflect the light emitted by the spectrometer light source and the laser light from opposite directions. As long as the laser and the spectrometer light source are emitted in opposite directions, the two beams of light will be parallel after reflection by the two right-angled faces of the right-angled prism. Furthermore, since the laser and the spectrometer light source are close to the right-angled edges of the right-angled prism, the two reflected beams are very close and can illuminate the same tiny area. At the same time, for every 1° rotation of the stepper motor, the direction of the two reflected beams will deflect by 2°, i.e., θ = 2α in the figure. Therefore, controlling the rotation of the stepper motor can detect areas within a large angular range. Thus, the angle of the right-angled prism can be precisely adjusted by the stepper motor to ensure that the two beams of light from the spectrometer light source and the laser can be focused on almost the same tiny area, improving the accuracy of beam positioning, the reliability and efficiency of the system, and avoiding the complex and expensive dichroic mirrors that must be used in traditional laser weeding equipment. This greatly simplifies the structure of the optical system and reduces production costs and technical implementation difficulties.

[0031] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, preferably, the mechanical mounting structure 2 of the equipment includes a top plate 21, side plates 22, a support frame 23, wheels and their support rods 23, and two support beams 25 placed below the top plate 21 and inside the side plates 22. Through the combined design of the top plate 21, side plates 22 and support frame 23, a robust frame structure is formed, ensuring that the laser weeder can maintain good stability and shock resistance when operating in the field. The two support beams 25 are set below the top plate and inside the side plates, effectively distributing the weight of the functional module 4, avoiding local overload, and improving the safety and reliability of the overall structure. The functional module 4 can be mounted on the support beams 25 of the mechanical mounting structure 2 or it can be disassembled, so that the functional module 4 can be flexibly installed or removed according to actual needs, which not only facilitates the transportation and storage of the equipment, but also adapts to the rapid configuration under different application scenarios.

[0032] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, preferably, the mechanical mounting structure 2 of the equipment can be equipped with 2 to 6 functional modules 4, which can be adjusted according to the planting width. All functional modules 4 are mounted in the same row with equal spacing, supporting flexible configuration of the number of functional modules. This allows the laser weeder to be optimized according to the crop row spacing and planting pattern of the specific farmland, enhancing the equipment's adaptability to diverse agricultural environments. Since the linear area covered by a single functional module 4 is limited, the side-by-side installation of multiple functional modules 4 can achieve coverage of a certain linear area. Then, by moving the weeder forward, the surface area can be covered. A larger area of ​​land can be treated in a single operation, significantly improving work efficiency. All sub-control modules 41 only receive the start-up control signal from the main control 3 of the system and do not communicate with each other, simplifying the overall control system architecture, reducing complexity, reducing potential failure points, and facilitating maintenance and upgrades.

[0033] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, preferably, the mechanical mounting structure 2 of the equipment has four wheels 22, which are controlled to stop or move forward by the main control system 3, thereby realizing the forward and stop of the weeding machine under the control of the main control system, improving the operating accuracy of the equipment, and enabling it to drive autonomously on a preset path by control, reducing the need for manual intervention.

[0034] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, preferably, the characteristic spectral storage chip 42 of the device stores the characteristic peak information of the visible-infrared reflectance spectrum of field weeds, which can be retrieved and compared by the sub-control module 41. Thus, the characteristic spectral storage chip 42 can save the characteristic peak information of the reflectance spectrum of various common field weeds in the visible to near-infrared band. This data can be obtained through a large number of sample collections, laboratory analysis and field verification. Based on the rich characteristic spectral database, the sub-control module 41 can more accurately compare the data collected on site, thereby greatly improving the accuracy of weed identification. At the same time, the spectrometer light source 432 is designed to emit a broad spectrum of light covering the visible to near-infrared band, ensuring that it can excite and detect the reflectance characteristics of the target plant in this wide wavelength range, thereby providing sufficient spectral information for subsequent analysis.

[0035] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, preferably, the optical system 433 of the spectrometer 431 in the device faces directly downwards to receive scattered light from the area below. It is specifically used to receive light signals reflected or scattered by plants in the area below, ensuring that the spectrometer can directly acquire spectral information of the target weed surface and provide raw data for subsequent analysis.

[0036] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, preferably, the right right-angled facet 4422 and the left right-angled facet 4423 of the right-angled prism 442 of the device are both reflective surfaces, reflecting the light emitted by the spectrometer light source 432 and the laser 45 respectively. This avoids the use of a complex dichroic mirror, simplifies the optical path structure, and ensures that the two beams of light can be precisely focused in the same tiny area.

[0037] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6As shown, preferably, the spectrometer light source 432 and the laser 45 are located on both sides of the right-angle prism 442, with their emission ports facing each other and coaxial, respectively facing the right right-angle face 4422 and the left right-angle face 4423 of the right-angle prism 442. This ensures that the light emitted by the spectrometer light source and the laser can be accurately reflected to the same target point through the right-angle prism, achieving highly overlapping spot positioning.

[0038] When in use, the equipment mainly operates according to the following workflow:

[0039] S1: The main control unit 3 sends a start-up control signal to each sub-control module 41, and each sub-control module 41 marks the scanning angle θ = -30°;

[0040] S2: The sub-control module 41 sends a control signal to the spectrometer 431 under its control to start working. The spectrometer 431 controls the spectrometer light source 432 to turn on the light source. After being reflected by the right-angled facet 4422 of the right-angled prism 442, the light is directed toward the plants below and scattered by the stems and leaves of the plants or weeds.

[0041] S3: The optical system of the spectrometer 431 receives the light scattered by the stems and leaves of plants or weeds, performs spectral analysis, and transmits the spectral information to the sub-control module 41 in the form of data signals.

[0042] S4: After receiving the spectral information from the spectrometer 431, the sub-control module 41 compares it with the weed spectral information retrieved from the feature spectral storage chip 42. If the features match, proceed to step S5; otherwise, skip step S5 and proceed directly to step S6.

[0043] S5: The sub-control module 41 sends a control signal to the spectrometer 43 to stop working and a control signal to the laser 45 to emit laser. The emitted laser is reflected by the diameter facet 4423 of the right-angle prism 442 to the area near the light source 432 of the spectrometer, which can burn the stems and leaves in the area. After the laser lasts for 0.1 to 1 second, the sub-control module 41 sends a control signal to turn off the laser 45.

[0044] S6: After the sub-control module 41 increments the scanning angle θ by 5°, it determines whether θ ≤ 30° is true. If it is true, it proceeds to step S7; otherwise, it skips step S7 and proceeds directly to step S8.

[0045] S7: The sub-control module 41 controls the optical path coupling module 44 to rotate by 2.5°, which drives the reflection direction of the spectrometer light source 432 to deflect by 5°, and proceeds to step S2;

[0046] S8: The sub-control module 41 sends a data signal indicating that the work is completed to the main control of the system and enters the standby state;

[0047] S9: After receiving the work completion data signals from all sub-control modules 41, the main control module 3 sends a forward control signal to the motor drive module 5, which drives the laser weeder forward by 0.1~0.3 m through the drive wheels, then stops moving forward and proceeds to step S1.

[0048] The laser weeding machine provided by this utility model utilizes two right-angled facets of a right-angled prism to reflect the light emitted by the spectrometer light source and the laser light from opposite directions. The stepper motor can precisely adjust the angle of the right-angled prism, ensuring that the two beams of light from the spectrometer light source and the laser can be focused on almost the same tiny area. This improves the accuracy of beam positioning, enhances the reliability and efficiency of the system, and avoids the use of complex and expensive dichroic mirrors in traditional laser weeding equipment. This greatly simplifies the structure of the optical system and reduces production costs and technical implementation difficulties.

[0049] Those skilled in the art should understand that the discussion of any of the above embodiments is merely exemplary and is not intended to imply that the scope of this utility model is limited to these examples; within the framework of this utility model, the technical features of the above embodiments or different embodiments can also be combined, the steps can be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of the different aspects of this utility model as described above, which are not provided in the details for the sake of brevity. Any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A laser weeding machine comprising a power supply (1), a mechanical mounting structure (2), a system master control (3), a functional module (4), a motor and its driving module (5), characterized in that, The functional module (4) consists of a sub-control module (41), a characteristic spectrum storage chip (42), a spectrometer (431), a spectrometer light source (432), an optical path coupling module (44), and a laser (45); The optical path coupling module (44) is equipped with a right-angle prism (442) by a stepper motor (441). The rotating shaft of the stepper motor (441) coincides with the right-angle edge (4421) of the right-angle prism (442). Under the control of the sub-control module (41), the right-angle prism (442) is precisely driven to rotate at any angle.

2. The laser weeding machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mechanical mounting structure (2) includes a top plate (21), a side plate (22), a support frame, wheels and their support rods (23), and also includes two support beams (25) placed below the top plate (21) and inside the side plate (22). The functional module (4) can be mounted on the support beams (25) of the mechanical mounting structure (2) or it can be disassembled.

3. The laser weeder of claim 1, wherein, The mechanical mounting structure (2) adjusts the number of mounting functional modules (4) from 2 to 6 according to the planting width, and all functional modules (4) are mounted in the same row at equal intervals.

4. The laser weeding machine according to claim 1, wherein The mechanical mounting structure (2) has four wheels and is controlled to stop or move forward by the system master control (3).

5. The laser weeding machine according to claim 1, wherein The characteristic spectral storage chip (42) stores the characteristic peak information in the visible-infrared reflectance spectrum of field weeds, which can be retrieved and compared by the sub-control module (41).

6. A laser weeding machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The spectrometer light source (432) emits directional visible-infrared broadband light.

7. A laser weeding machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The optical system (433) of the spectrometer (431) is oriented directly downwards to receive scattered light from the area below.

8. A laser weeding machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The right right-angled facet (4422) and the left right-angled facet (4423) of the right-angled prism (442) are both reflective surfaces.

9. A laser weeding machine according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The spectrometer light source (432) and laser (45) are located on both sides of the right-angle prism (442), with their emission ports facing each other and coaxial, respectively facing the right right-angle face (4422) and the left right-angle face (4423) of the right-angle prism (442).

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