System and method for controlling a product distribution circuit for the treatment of an area containing plants; distribution device comprising such a system

Abstract

A control system for a product distribution circuit for treating an area containing vegetation. The distribution circuit supplies a plurality of spray nozzles mounted on a spray boom moving through the area. Each spray nozzle is configured to spray a product under pressure. The system comprises: * a detection module acquiring data about the area, * a treatment module identifying at least one area to be treated within the area, * a determination module determining a treatment index for vegetation located in said at least one area to be treated, * a control module determining a target dose of product to be sprayed on the area to be treated. This target dose corresponds to a quantity of product to be sprayed, gradually adjusted by said control module according to said treatment index. Figure 1 (for the abstract)

Description

Title of the invention: System and method for controlling a product distribution circuit for treating an area containing plants; distribution device comprising such a system. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a system, a method of controlling a distribution circuit of a product for the treatment of an area comprising plants and to a distribution device comprising such a system and to a device equipped with such a system.

[0002] More specifically, such systems, processes, and equipment find application in agriculture or in the treatment of uncultivated areas. Such distribution systems are particularly suitable for distributing plant protection products intended to control plant growth. technological BACKGROUND

[0003] Agricultural crops and certain uncultivated areas require regular maintenance to optimize their production or to control weed pressure. In particular, treatments such as fertilization, weed control, treatment for deficiencies, or control of diseases or pests are necessary to optimize the production yield of these crops.

[0004] Modern cultivation techniques tend to reduce inputs and treatments; to this end, they offer different methods to address these issues.

[0005] Prophylactic measures—aimed at minimizing the number of weeds present on an agricultural plot that compete with the crop—are widely used in the technical guidelines for field crops and vegetable crops. The following methods are recommended for this purpose:

[0006] - crop rotation was one of the first methods theorized from the beginning of the 20th century, described in the document “Clyde E. Leighty, “Soils and Men”, USDA Yearbook of Agriculture (1938)”, consisting of an alternation of autumn and spring crops, in order to break certain biological cycles of weeds;

[0007] - tilling makes it possible to reduce the number of weeds in the crop by burying the seeds of these;

[0008] - the false sowing, as described in the document "Sieglinde S. Snapp et al., “Evaluating Cover Crops for Benefits, Costs and Performance within Cropping System”, Agronomy Journal 97 (2005): 322-332”, allows the number of weeds in the crop to be reduced by encouraging the emergence of fast-emerging weeds, then destroying them before sowing the crop.

[0009] The following curative measures — the objective of which is to prevent the emergence of weeds in the crop and to have an impact on its yield — are recommended for this purpose:

[0010] - chemical weed control, as described in the document “Arvalis, “Spraying "In large-scale farming: the keys to success" (2013), helps prevent weed emergence in the crop. Plant protection products dedicated to chemical weed control are adapted either for pre-emergence treatment, preventing the germination of weeds present as seeds, or for post-emergence treatment, destroying weeds that have emerged in the crop. Chemical weed control is either selective, treating a specific type of weed, or non-selective, destroying all plants present in the field at the time of treatment. Repeated use of the same chemical group of herbicides leads to the development of weed resistance, as well as phytotoxicity, which impacts crop yield. Chemical herbicides are applied to the field using a sprayer;

[0011] - Mechanical weeding in pre-emergence or post-emergence allows the destruction of either the weed seedlings, or weeds at a more advanced stage. This weeding process improves soil structure and also disrupts the life cycle of certain pests. The tools used for mechanical weeding are tine harrows or rotary hoes for complete weeding or tine cultivators for inter-row or under-row treatment;

[0012] - alternative methods are developed, as described in the document " Pesticide Action Network Europe, “Alternative methods in weed management to the use of glyphosate and other herbicide”, 2018 » with, in particular, the treatment of weeds by injection of an electric current — consisting of destroying each emerged weed by bursting the biological cells by causing an evaporation of the water contained in them — or the treatment of weeds by laser or hot water under high pressure — consisting of destroying each emerged weed by a calorific input (heating) sufficient to destroy the biological cells of the weed.

[0013] The recommended methods for treating deficiencies and diseases or for controlling pests are essentially based on chemical treatments.

[0014] The treatments, whether chemical, mechanical or alternative, are carried out by a machine, generally attached to a motorized vehicle which moves in the crop.

[0015] These treatments are traditionally broad and do not take into account the presence or absence of weeds, pests, deficiencies, or diseases, and treat the entire agricultural plot uniformly. This imprecise method of control leads to overuse of plant protection products when the treatment is chemical, or a reduced work rate when the treatment is mechanical or alternative.

[0016] In this context, the localized application of plant protection products seems an interesting alternative allowing the area actually treated to be reduced to the useful area.

[0017] The doctoral thesis "Image segmentation for weed localization. Application to the realization of a vision system for specific real-time spraying", Jérémie Bossu, University of Burgundy / CNRS 5158, December 4, 2007, describes an experimental spreading control device comprising a camera mounted on an agricultural machine, a central unit for detecting and calculating the optimal spraying time, taking into account the position of the plants in the images acquired by the camera.

[0018] Document WO2012 / 032245, "Control system for agricultural spreading", describes a spreading control system comprising a set of spreading nozzles, means for mapping plants to be treated using, in one embodiment, cameras, and means for controlling the spreading based on the mapping data produced. This control system requires an initial pass of the system through the agricultural plot to produce a map of that plot, which is then used in a second pass for applying the treatment.

[0019] Document WO2012 / 122988, “Spraying boom for selectively spraying a herbicide composition on dicotyledonous weeds,” describes a method for distinguishing a category of weeds from other weeds in order to selectively treat the weeds targeted by the detection. This method uses a stereoscopic camera to distinguish weeds and does not allow for the distinction of weeds of the same family, for example, dicotyledonous weeds, at early stages. Similarly, this method is not suitable for detecting foliar symptoms of deficiencies or diseases.

[0020] US patent 2018 / 0240228, "Selective plant detection and treatment using green luminance photometric machine vision scan with real-time chromaticity operations and image parameter floors for low processing load," describes a method for detecting plants in an image and targeting them with a treatment. This method is not suitable for the selective detection of weed families, nor for detecting foliar symptoms of deficiencies or diseases, nor for modulating treatment products based on plant health status.

[0021] Furthermore, document FR1873313, "Hyperspectral Acquisition Detection Module," describes a direct detection hyperspectral acquisition device capable of detecting the shape, texture, and spectral reflectance signature of a weed, or of foliar symptoms of deficiencies or diseases, in a crop. This device is suitable for distinguishing weeds at early stages, including weeds of the same family. Similarly, this device is suitable for detecting foliar symptoms of deficiencies or diseases. Document FR1901202, "Hyperspectral Detection Module by Sensor Fusion," describes an alternative direct detection method capable of detecting the presence of weeds, or of foliar symptoms of deficiencies or diseases, in a crop image. Document FR1905916 incorporates and expands upon the two preceding documents.

[0022] Documents WO2018142371A1, WO2018141995A1, and WO2018154490A1 describe methods and systems for selectively treating plants in cultivated or railway areas. Such systems include a tractor-mounted spray boom equipped with a series of spray nozzles, several cameras capturing images of the plot while the tractor is moving, and one or more processing units capable of controlling the nozzles in real time based on detections in the captured images. The treatment applied, however, remains an all-or-nothing treatment.

[0023] By "all or nothing" processing, it is understood that the commands applied to the nozzles are binary, between a minimum dose (equal to zero, i.e., the nozzle does not open) and a maximum dose (i.e., the nozzle opens fully). These minimum and maximum doses are predefined and are not adjusted during processing. There is no modulation of the quantity of product applied between these two alternatives.

[0024] Document FR3121013 describes a similar system integrating the application of a background dose on one treatment circuit and an all-or-nothing treatment on the plants targeted by a second treatment circuit.

[0025] Document FR1908086, on behalf of the applicant, "Agricultural treatment control device", describes a spray control system comprising a set of weed or foliar symptom detectors of deficiencies or diseases collaboratively deciding which treatment device to activate when the target plant is within range of the treatment device.

[0026] Localized spraying, varying the spray rate as the agricultural machine moves forward, makes it possible to drastically reduce, between 30% and 90%, the quantity of plant protection products applied to the crop. In this type of plant protection product application principle, the spray nozzles are fully open above the plant to be treated, or the weed to be destroyed in the case of a herbicide. — selective or not — is used, from the diseased plant during the use of a curative treatment molecule, but completely closed off from the rest of the culture.

[0027] As an extension of this principle of applying plant protection products, the spray nozzles can be modulated to apply only a portion of the prescribed dose. Applications of this localized and modulated spraying allow for treatment precisely tailored to the specific problem. For example, the application of nitrogen produced can be modulated according to the plant's nitrogen stress level.

[0028] In this latter case, a device for modulating the dose according to a given command is fitted to the spray nozzles. For example, the "PWM" nozzles of TeeJet's Dynajet and Raven's Hawkeye modulation systems can be used. These systems can be controlled by means of a setpoint ranging from 0% to 100%, in order to modulate the dose applied to the target plant. The duty cycle of the nozzle solenoid is controlled by the controller to take into account the requested setpoint.

[0029] The document “Caroline Desbourdes and Benjamin Perriot, “Pulse-controlled nozzles, another approach to precision spraying”, Perspectives agricoles, No. 445 (2017)”, describes the main advances in controlling nozzle solenoids in pulse width modulation mode (often referred to by the English acronym “PWM” for “Pulse Width Modulation”) on all nozzles of the spray boom in order to modulate the dose applied by the entire boom to the crop. The conclusions of this document indicate that the application rate is not yet fully controlled.

[0030] The present invention thus aims to enable the treatment of the agricultural plot, which is sized on the scale of the portions of the plot actually needing to be treated, ensuring that the correct dose of treatment product is applied to the targeted area according to an estimate of the crop's need correlated to the health status of the targeted area. Summary of the invention

[0031] Thus, the invention relates to a computerized control system for a product distribution circuit for the treatment of an area containing plants, the distribution circuit being adapted to supply a plurality of spray nozzles mounted on a spray boom moving in the area, each spray nozzle being configured to spray a product under pressure, the system comprising:

[0032] * at least one detection module configured to acquire data about space,

[0033] * a digital processing module configured to analyze the acquired data by the detection module, the analysis includes the identification of at least one area to be treated located in the space,

[0034] * a determination module configured to determine a processing index of plants located in said at least one area to be treated,

[0035] * a control module configured to determine a dose setpoint of product to be sprayed on the area to be treated, said product dose instruction corresponding to a quantity of product to be sprayed gradually adjusted by said control module according to said treatment index, and to send said product dose instruction to at least one controllable valve of a spray nozzle of the plurality of spray nozzles, * said at least one controllable valve configured to control at least one spray nozzle of the plurality of spray nozzles according to said product dose instruction.

[0036] The present invention also relates to a computerized method for controlling a product distribution circuit for treating an area containing plants, the distribution circuit being adapted to supply a plurality of spray nozzles mounted on a spray boom moving in the area, each spray nozzle being configured to spray a product under pressure, the method comprising:

[0037] * the acquisition, by a detection module, of data on space,

[0038] * the implementation, by a digital processing module, of data analysis acquired by the detection module, the analysis includes the identification of at least one area to be treated located in the space,

[0039] * the determination, by a determination module, of a processing index of plants located in said at least one area to be treated,

[0040] * the determination, by a control module, of a product dose setpoint to be sprayed onto the area to be treated, said dosage instruction for the product to be sprayed corresponding to a quantity of product to be sprayed gradually adjusted by said control module according to said treatment index,

[0041] * the transmission, by said control module, of said dose setpoint product with at least one controllable valve of a spray nozzle of the plurality of spray nozzles, * the control, by said at least one controllable valve, of at least one spray nozzle of the plurality of spray nozzles according to said product dose setting.

[0042] The present invention also relates to a computer program comprising program code instructions for carrying out the process according to the invention.

[0043] The present invention also relates to a spraying device comprising a plurality of spray nozzles mounted on a spray boom, the plurality of spray nozzles being supplied by a distribution circuit for a product for the treatment of a space comprising plants, in which the machine moves in said space, and in which the machine is equipped with a system according to the invention.

[0044] Advantageously, a treatment area is a zone of space containing plants requiring product spraying. For example, such a treatment area may include plants whose growth is to be controlled by product spraying. In particular, a growth-promoting product may be sprayed on underdeveloped plants, or conversely, a growth-stopping product, or even an eradicating product, may be sprayed.

[0045] By "gradually," it is meant that the quantity of product to be sprayed is within a range defined by a minimum and a maximum dose of product and can take any value within this range, the quantity of product being determined to be sufficient and necessary for the expected result. Thus, if it is determined that a quantity less than the maximum dose is necessary and sufficient to obtain the desired result on the area to be treated, this quantity will be transmitted to the control valves of the spray nozzles, and not the maximum quantity.

[0046] Thus, unlike the prior art, which only allows sending an open (maximum dose) / close (minimum dose equal to zero) command to the spray nozzles, the system according to the invention allows for the gradual adjustment of the quantity of product to be sprayed based on the treatment index determined by analyzing data from the space in which the boom moves. This allows, on the one hand, for precise modulation of the quantity of product to be sprayed so that the expected effects are achieved, while also saving the total quantity of product, since if the area to be treated does not require spraying the maximum dose, the nozzle will be controlled to inject only the necessary and sufficient dose.

[0047] Depending on different aspects, it is possible to foresee one and / or the other of the characteristics below taken alone or in combination.

[0048] According to one embodiment, the control module is further configured to gradually adjust the dose setpoint according to a movement of each spray nozzle in the space comprising the area to be treated.

[0049] By "movement," we mean the speed and direction in which the spray nozzles advance, as well as possibly their orientation. This configuration is particularly advantageous because it allows for consideration of the different speeds of the spray nozzles when they make a turn. Indeed, the spray boom can be quite large, so the difference in speed between the nozzles at the smallest curve of the turn and those at the largest curve can be significant.

[0050] According to one embodiment, the position of the spray nozzles can also be taken into account in order to apply the product to the targeted area to be treated.

[0051] According to one embodiment, the detection module is configured to repeatedly acquire data on the space as the spray boom moves through the space, and wherein the digital processing module is configured to repeatedly analyze said data repeatedly acquired by the detection module, and wherein the determination module is configured to repeatedly determine the treatment index, so that the control module is configured to repeatedly determine the product dose setpoint and to repeatedly transmit said product dose setpoint to said at least one controllable valve.

[0052] Advantageously, data acquisition, analysis, and the determination of a treatment index are performed in real time or with a latency period that still allows the dose instruction to be sent to the spray nozzles before or at the moment when said spray nozzles are within range of the dose to be treated. This allows the system to determine the areas to be treated and to spray the dose of product as the boom moves, so that it is not necessary for the boom to pass through the area a second time to apply the product. This results in savings of time and resources.

[0053] According to one embodiment, the digital processing module is configured to determine a treatment index per spray nozzle and in which the control module is configured to gradually adjust said quantity of product to be sprayed for each of the spray nozzles, independently.

[0054] In particular, the application rate for the product to be sprayed is adjusted according to the position of each spray nozzle relative to the area to be treated. Thus, if some nozzles are positioned relative to an area requiring more or less product than another area, each spray nozzle on the spray boom can receive a different application rate than the other spray nozzles. This therefore allows for greater savings in the amount of product to be sprayed.

[0055] According to one embodiment, the digital processing module is configured to determine a treatment index per nozzle section and in which the control module is configured to gradually adjust said quantity of product for each spray nozzle section, independently.

[0056] The term "spray nozzle section" refers to assemblies of adjacent spray nozzles, comprising at least two adjacent spray nozzles. Each spray nozzle section receives the same dose command. This configuration is particularly advantageous when nozzle-by-nozzle control is required. is not possible. This can occur when the configuration does not allow nozzle-to-nozzle control.

[0057] According to one embodiment, the treatment index is chosen from one and / or the other of:

[0058] - an estimate of the plant biomass in the area to be treated,

[0059] - an estimate of nitrogen stress on plants in the area to be treated,

[0060] - an estimate of the rate of infestation by weedy plants in the area to be treated.

[0061] Several types of treatment indentations can therefore be determined. These different Treatment indices are chosen to optimize the yield associated with product spraying. Indeed, these treatment indices are sufficient to accurately determine the recommended dose of product to be sprayed, which will achieve the desired result in the area to be treated (growth or eradication of plants, for example).

[0062] According to one embodiment, the control module is configured to determine said dose setpoint to be sprayed as a function of the treatment index and is within a range defined by a minimum dose and a maximum dose.

[0063] According to one embodiment, the control module is configured to determine said dose setpoint of product to be sprayed by discretizing said quantity of product into at least two values ​​as a function of the treatment index and a minimum dose and a maximum dose.

[0064] Several configurations are therefore possible to determine the dose setpoint as a function of the treatment index. Brief description of the drawings

[0065] Embodiments of the invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, briefly described below:

[0066] [Fig.1] schematically represents a control system for a product distribution circuit mounted on a machine comprising a spraying tool,

[0067] [Fig.2] schematically represents the structural elements of the system in [Fig.1].

[0068] In the drawings, identical reference numerals designate identical or similar objects. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0069] Fig. 1 illustrates a spraying tool 1 on a machine 1. The spraying tool 1 comprises a spray boom and a plurality of spray nozzles 3 mounted on the spray boom.

[0070] In a configuration, the spray nozzles can be adapted to be controlled independently by dose modulation. Thus, each nozzle in the plurality can be controlled independently of all the others.

[0071] In another configuration, nozzle sections, i.e. sets of several adjacent spray nozzles, are adapted to be controlled independently of other nozzle sections and / or other spray nozzles.

[0072] The plurality of spray nozzles 3 is installed on the spraying tool 1 which is supplied with a product to be sprayed under pressure.

[0073] The spraying tool 1 is either integrated into a machine (E), towed by a machine, or carried by a machine. The latter may be, in particular, an agricultural tractor, a self-propelled agricultural vehicle, a quad bike, or a robot for treating agricultural plots, or even a road vehicle, or a rail vehicle, particularly for treating uncultivated areas.

[0074] At the level of the plurality of spray nozzles 3, the spraying of the product to be sprayed is controlled by a plurality of control valves 6 mounted between the pressurized product supply line and the respective nozzle, so as to be able to selectively open each control valve 6 independently of the others, at any time desired, and thus allow the corresponding nozzle to spray the product to be sprayed under pressure.

[0075] According to one embodiment, each of the control valves 6 installed between the pressurized product supply line and the spray nozzles 3 is controlled by pulse width modulation (PWM), available on the market, which allows control of the flow rate applied by the spray nozzle, and therefore of the dose applied per unit area on the area to be sprayed 5. This embodiment finds an advantageous application by allowing adjustment of the dose applied per unit area on the area to be sprayed 5.

[0076] According to another variant, the control valves 6 are installed between the pressurized product supply line and a spray nozzle section 3, allowing control of the spraying of all the spray nozzles 3 of a nozzle section simultaneously.

[0077] This variant finds an advantageous application in order to reduce the cost of installing the complete system by reducing the number of valves.

[0078] The boom (R) carrying the spraying tool 1, or alternatively the machine (E), is equipped with at least one computerized system including a detection module 2 whose orientation is adapted to the acquisition of data from the space in which the spraying tool moves.

[0079] Advantageously, the data are acquired in the direction of advancement of the spraying tool.

[0080] Advantageously, data acquisition is carried out repeatedly during the advancement of the spraying tool.

[0081] In one configuration, the acquired data are images and the detection module is a camera. According to alternative embodiments, the data can be point clouds, acquired by a Lidar, or radio waves acquired by a Radar.

[0082] These examples are not exhaustive.

[0083] The system further comprises a digital processing module 8 capable of analyzing the data acquired by the detection module 2, a determination module 7 capable of determining a treatment index on the basis of the analysis carried out by the digital processing module and a control module 9 capable of determining a dose setpoint from the treatment index determined by the determination module 7.

[0084] More specifically, the digital processing module 8 is capable of identifying areas to be treated in space from the data acquired by at least one detection module 2.

[0085] A treatment area can, for example, be defined as comprising target plants whose growth is to be controlled. Growth can be controlled by promoting their growth, by spraying with a growth-promoting product, such as a nitrogen fertilizer, or by inhibiting their growth, or even eradicating them, by spraying with a suitable product, such as a herbicide. The treatment area can also be a crop on which the product application is ideally related to the biomass of the crop in the treatment area. For example, foliar protection products, such as fungicides, can be advantageously applied depending on the biomass of the crop to be protected.

[0086] The determination of the treatment index by the determination module 7 can be carried out, for example, by vignetted an image and applying a set of convolution functions, non-linear functions, or matrix calculations to each of the vignettes using weight matrices determined by a machine learning process, thus determining a treatment index for each vignette. In this example, the vignette operation is applied in such a way as to obtain at least one treatment index for each spray nozzle 3.

[0087] In the event that several treatment indices are obtained for a treatment area covered by a single spray nozzle 3, a moving average function applied to all the treatment indices obtained for the area covered by said spray nozzle 3 would yield a single treatment index for determining the dose setpoint to be applied by said spray nozzle 3. Alternatively, any other mathematical function other than the moving average could be used to obtain a single treatment index by spray nozzle from the set of treatment indices corresponding to the area to be treated of said nozzle.

[0088] Similarly, in the case where several treatment indices are obtained for a treatment area covered by a spray nozzle section 3, a moving average function applied to all the treatment indices obtained for the area covered by said spray nozzle section 3 would make it possible to obtain a single treatment index allowing the determination of the dose setpoint to be applied by said spray nozzle section 3. Alternatively, any other mathematical function other than the average could be used to obtain a single treatment index per spray nozzle section from all the treatment indices corresponding to the treatment area of ​​said spray nozzle section.

[0089] Document FR1908086, on behalf of the applicant, describes such a technique.

[0090] In the case where the acquired data are images, said images are defined here in the broadest sense of their definition and can be obtained by various means, including the following means:

[0091] - The image used by the detection module 2 can be obtained by a sensor CMOS RGB;

[0092] - The image used by the detection module 2 can be obtained by a sensor infrared, particularly in the wavelength range of 600 nm to 1000 nm;

[0093] - The image and its associated processing by the detection module 2 can be obtained by a CTIS (Computed Tomography Imaging System) optical setup, as described in particular in document WO2020127422A1;

[0094] - The image and its associated processing by the detection module 2 can be obtained by sensor fusion, for example, RGB and / or infrared, particularly in the wavelength range of 600 nm to 1000 nm, and / or CTIS (Computed Tomography Imaging System), as described in particular in documents FR3091380A1, and WO2020182840A1 on behalf of the applicant.

[0095] Alternatively, the detection module 2 can use several images obtained from several acquisition means, as described in one of the documents FR3093614A1, FR3110743A1 and WO2020182840A1 on behalf of the applicant. For example, the detection module 2 can use an image obtained by an RGB sensor and another image obtained by an infrared sensor; in this example, the processing applied by said digital processing module will be applied to both images so that the determination module 7 determines a processing index.

[0096] The treatment index can also be calculated repeatedly by the determination module 7, as the data is acquired by the detection module 2 and data analysis by the digital processing module 8.

[0097] The treatment index determined by the determination module 7 is used by the spray control module 9 to send a dose command to at least one controllable valve associated with at least one spray nozzle. The doses applied per unit area of ​​the spray nozzles 3 can therefore be controlled independently of each other.

[0098] More specifically, the dose to be sprayed onto the area to be treated is determined by taking into account the kinematics of the spraying tool, and more particularly its movement, i.e., its speed and direction. To this end, the determination module 7 sends the spray control device 9 the data enabling the latter to determine the dose setpoint to be applied, including in particular the treatment index, to each of the spray nozzles 2, as well as the time of application of these doses, as a function of the movement of the spraying tool. Document FRI873313, on behalf of the applicant, describes such a configuration.

[0099] According to one embodiment, the dose command is transmitted and applied by nozzle sections, where a nozzle section comprises at least two adjacent nozzles controlled together. In this embodiment, the dose to be applied to the plurality of spray nozzles 3 in the nozzle section is an average or a mathematical function of the doses to be applied to each of the spray nozzles in the set formed by the plurality of spray nozzles. This embodiment finds advantageous application when the spraying tool 1 is not suitable for control on a nozzle-by-nozzle basis, but rather by nozzle section.

[0100] The treatment index is determined proportionally to the biomass of the target plants. For example, the treatment index is a normalized value per unit area proportional to the estimated biomass of one or more plant families or species. This embodiment finds advantageous application in the application of plant protection products with a foliar effect, for example, a contact herbicide or a fungicide, which will be dosed proportionally to the leaf volume present.

[0101] According to one variant, the treatment index is a normalized value per unit area proportional to the nitrogen stress of the target plants. This variant finds advantageous application in the application of nitrogen produced in an agricultural plot, in particular.

[0102] According to another embodiment, the treatment index is a normalized value per unit area proportional to an infestation rate of target plants. For example, the treatment index is a value proportional to the biomass rate of a or several plant families influence the total biomass in the area concerned. This development has advantageous applications, particularly in the herbicide treatment of grassy weeds in a grass crop, for example.

[0103] According to one embodiment, the dose of plant protection product calculated and to be applied to each nozzle is a dose that is a function of the treatment index between a minimum dose and a maximum dose calculated according to the formula:

[0104] dose = f(idx * (Dmax - Dmin)) + Dmin,

[0105] where dose is the dose to be applied to the nozzle per unit area, idx corresponds to The treatment index, Dmax, corresponds to the maximum dose to be applied per unit area, Dmin to the minimum dose, potentially equal to 0, to be applied per unit area, and f is a recommendation function that transforms a treatment index into an application dose, this function taking into account the effects of the product to be sprayed on the target plants. This embodiment finds advantageous application in applying a dose of plant protection product that takes into account the biochemical threshold effects that the product to be sprayed may have on the target plants.

[0106] The function f, is potentially a linear function, allowing to apply a dose proportional to the treatment index between the minimum dose Dmin and the maximum dose Dmax.

[0107] According to one embodiment, the calculated dose of product to be applied to each of the spray nozzles 3 is discretized into at least two dose levels according to the formula:

[0108] discretized_dose = nblevels * rounded(dose / nblevels ),

[0109] where dose_discretized is the dose used for nozzle control, nblevels is the number of dose levels, greater than 1, that one wishes to use, and dose is the dose calculated by one of the two preceding variants.

[0110] The calculated dose, discretized or not depending on the chosen implementation variant, is transmitted to the spray control device 9 in order to be applied to the control valve 6 of the spray nozzle 3 concerned by the treatment index used for the calculation of the calculated dose.

[0111] In the configurations described above, the dose setting is gradually adjusted. Thus, the dose setting for the product to be sprayed is not binary, i.e., "all" (the maximum dose) or "nothing" (the minimum dose equal to zero), but can instead take any value within the range defined by the maximum and minimum doses. The dose setting is calculated to be necessary and sufficient for the desired result, i.e., the growth or cessation of growth, or even the eradication, of the target plants in the area to be treated.

[0112] The present invention is in no way limited to the embodiments described and illustrated in this document, and a person skilled in the art will be able to make numerous variations and modifications to it. In particular:

[0113] - The spray nozzles 3 can operate in different directions and / or with different spray geometries;

[0114] - The spray nozzles 3 located near the ends of the boom (R) may be specific to meet current standards, and may be automatically switched off by one of the machine's devices, particularly when the machine (E) is operating in the vicinity of watercourses.

[0115] - The proportionally controlled control valves 6 can be made with any appropriate technology, either integrated into the spray nozzles 3, or separate from them;

[0116] - The determination of the treatment index can be carried out with any technology appropriate allowing it to be determined for at least each of the nozzles or plurality of nozzles;

[0117] - The configuration of the invention can be adapted to vertical spraying, to spraying tool means 1 arranged vertically to apply a product to be sprayed onto a trellised canopy, particularly in the cultivation of vines or trellised arboriculture.

[0118] The present invention is applicable in agriculture as well as in any field where it may be necessary to treat plants, in particular in the treatment of urban areas, in the field of transport, urban development or the treatment of sports turf.

[0119] The processes described above can be implemented by one or more processors of a computer or programmable machine that executes a computer program.

[0120] The present invention also relates to a machine, in particular an agricultural spraying machine, equipped with a device according to one of the preceding variants.

[0121] LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS: machine E, boom R, agricultural spraying tool 1, detection module 2, spray nozzle 3, target plants 4, spray area 5, spray nozzle 6, determination module 7, digital processing module 8, control module 9.

Claims

Demands

1. A computerized system for controlling a product distribution circuit for the treatment of an area containing vegetation, the distribution circuit being adapted to supply a plurality of spray nozzles (3) mounted on a spray boom moving within the area, each spray nozzle (3) being configured to spray a product under pressure, the system comprising: * at least one detection module (2) configured to acquire data on the area, * a digital processing module (8) configured to analyze the data acquired by the detection module, the analysis including the identification of at least one area to be treated within the area, * a determination module (7) configured to determine a treatment index for vegetation located within said at least one area to be treated, * a control module (9) configured to determine a target dose of product to be sprayed on the area to be treated.said product dose setting corresponds to a quantity of product to be sprayed gradually adjusted by said control module (9) according to said treatment index, and to send said product dose setting to at least one controllable valve, * said at least one controllable valve configured to control at least one spray nozzle (3) of the plurality of spray nozzles (3) according to said product dose setting, the control module being further configured to gradually adjust the dose setting according to a movement of each spray nozzle in the space comprising the area to be treated, where the movement includes the speed and direction in which the spray nozzles advance, as well as possibly their orientation.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the detection module (2) is configured to repeatedly acquire data over space as the spray boom moves through space, wherein the digital processing module (8) is configured to repeatedly analyze said acquired data repeatedly by the detection module (2), and in which the determination module (7) is configured to repeatedly determine the treatment index, so that the control module (9) is configured to repeatedly determine the product dose setpoint and to repeatedly transmit said product dose setpoint to said at least one controllable valve.

3. System according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the determination module (7) is configured to determine a treatment index per spray nozzle (3) and wherein the control module (9) is configured to gradually adjust said quantity of product to be sprayed for each of the spray nozzles (3), independently.

4. System according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the determination module (7) is configured to determine a treatment index per spray nozzle section (3) and wherein the control module (9) is configured to gradually adjust said quantity of product for each spray nozzle section (3), independently.

5. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the treatment index is chosen from one and / or the other of: - an estimate of the biomass of plants in the area to be treated, - an estimate of nitrogen stress of plants in the area to be treated, - an estimate of the rate of infestation by weedy plants in the area to be treated.

6. System according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control module (9) is configured to determine said dose setpoint to be sprayed as a function of the treatment index, said dose setpoint being within a defined range between a minimum dose and a maximum dose, and / or wherein the control module (9) is configured to determine said dose setpoint of product to be sprayed by discretizing said dose setpoint into at least two values ​​as a function of the treatment index and a minimum dose and a maximum dose.

7. A computerized method for controlling a product distribution circuit for the treatment of an area containing plants, the distribution circuit being adapted to supply a plurality of spray nozzles (3) mounted on a spray boom moving in space, each spray nozzle (3) being configured to spray a product under pressure, the method comprising: * the acquisition, by a detection module (2), of data on the space, * the implementation, by a digital processing module (8), of the analysis of the data acquired by the detection module (2), the analysis including the identification of at least one area to be treated located in the space, * the determination, by a determination module (7), of a treatment index of vegetation located in said at least one area to be treated, * the determination, by a control module (9), of a target dose of product to be sprayed on the area to be treated, said target dose of product to be sprayed corresponding to a quantity of product to be sprayed gradually adjusted by said control module (9) according to said treatment index, * the transmission, by said control module (9),of said product dose setting to at least one controllable valve of a spray nozzle (3) of the plurality of spray nozzles, * the control, by said at least one controllable valve, of at least one spray nozzle (3) of the plurality of spray nozzles (3) according to said product dose setting in which the control module gradually adjusts the dose setting according to a movement of each spray nozzle in the space comprising the area to be treated, where the movement includes the speed and direction in which the spray nozzles advance, as well as possibly their orientation.

8. Computer program comprising program code instructions for carrying out the method according to claim 7 when the program is run on a computer.

9. Spraying device (E) comprising a plurality of spray nozzles (3) mounted on a spray boom, the plurality of spray nozzles (3) being supplied by a distribution circuit for a product for the treatment of an area containing vegetation, in which the device (E) moves within said area, and in which, the machine is equipped with a system according to one of claims 1 to 6.

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