Agricultural Positioning Wheel for Repeatable Material Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current agricultural positioning systems lack the ability to achieve precise and repetitive positioning of agricultural apparatuses, leading to sub-optimal growth and lower yields in plants and crops due to inaccuracies in sowing, culturing, and nurturing processes.
Innovation Solution
A positioning device with a wheel featuring positioning elements and dispensers that create depressions and tracks on a surface, allowing for the exact release of solid and/or liquid materials in the same positions during multiple passes, ensuring precise and repetitive application of agricultural matter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS-based positioning systems are used to determine the position of farming equipment, then positioning capability is provided, but positioning precision is insufficient due to satellite data availability issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces mechanical positioning elements (protrusions on the wheel) as an intermediary system between the GPS satellite data and the actual positioning function. These physical markers create tangible references in the field that supplement electronic GPS data, providing a reliable backup when satellite signals are insufficient or unavailable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent partially replaces the electronic GPS-based positioning system with a mechanical positioning system using physical protrusions and markers. This mechanical approach creates positioning references through direct physical interaction with the ground, eliminating dependence on satellite signal availability and improving reliability in areas with poor GPS coverage.
2Measurement precision
If mechanical positioning devices are used to create marks in the soil, then positioning capability is provided, but the ability to achieve repetitive positioning across multiple passes is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by creating physical markers and depressions in the ground during the first pass that serve as pre-established references for subsequent passes. These pre-created mechanical references enable the equipment to return to the exact same positions in later passes, achieving repetitive positioning without requiring complex electronic memory or navigation systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by creating physical replicas of position references through wheel protrusions that press markers into the ground or create depressions. These copied physical references are then used in subsequent passes to replicate the exact positioning pattern, ensuring consistency across multiple operations on the same field area.
3Measurement precision
If photorecognition systems are used to guide agricultural devices, then positioning capability is provided, but the system fails to work before plants have grown enough to be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by establishing physical positioning markers in the ground before planting or at the start of the growing season. These pre-created mechanical references (depressions, markers) remain valid throughout the entire growing season, providing continuous positioning guidance from the earliest stages when plants are too small for photorecognition to detect.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the optical photorecognition system with a mechanical positioning system that uses physical ground markers. This mechanical approach works independently of plant size, color, or optical properties, providing versatile positioning capability across all growth stages from seedling to mature crop.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1c
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3a~3d
AI summary
The invention describes a positioning device (1) for agricultural use for releasing agricultural matter into/onto a surface (18) in a repetitive manner. The positioning device (1) comprises a wheel (2) with positioning element/s 4, 5), creating depressions/s, track/s or depression/s (9, 10) in the surface (18) when the wheel (2) passes over said surface (18). The wheel (2) also comprises container/s (11) and dispenser/s (3) for the exact release of solid and/or liquid material into the surface (18). By aligning the positioning element/s (4, 5) with the depressions (9, 10), the track/s or the depressions and track/s (9, 10) made in a previous run, the device (1) can be precisely positioned and run over the same surface (18) repetitively to release the same or a different solid and/or liquid in the exact same position in every run.