Agricultural Processing Timing for Animal Species Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agricultural practices negatively impact certain animal species, particularly during specific life stages, due to the application of chemical products like fertilizers and plant protection products, necessitating methods to protect these species while allowing agricultural processing.
Innovation Solution
An agricultural system that simulates the life-cycle of the animal species to determine a safe time window for agricultural processing, avoiding overlap with periods that could harm the animals, and uses this information to control agricultural devices for precise and efficient farming.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If chemical products are applied in agricultural zones to support crop growth and yield, then agricultural productivity is improved, but animal species in protection zones are negatively affected
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of animals in the field before agricultural processing activities. Detection devices scan the agricultural zone in advance to identify animal locations, and this information is used to plan and execute agricultural operations that avoid harming detected animals, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining productivity and protecting animal species
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different operational approaches to different spatial locations within the agricultural zone. Areas where animals are detected receive restricted or modified agricultural processing, while areas without animals proceed with normal processing. This localized differentiation allows chemical products to be applied where safe, maintaining productivity while protecting animals in specific locations
2Object-affected harmful factors
If agricultural processing is restricted in animal protection zones to protect animal species, then animal protection is improved, but agricultural productivity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
By detecting animals beforehand and knowing their precise locations, the system can plan agricultural operations to proceed in animal-free areas during critical periods, rather than imposing blanket restrictions. This preliminary knowledge enables selective processing that maintains overall productivity while providing targeted protection where needed
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements partial restrictions on agricultural processing - only in specific locations and time periods where animals are present. The remainder of the agricultural zone continues normal processing activities, thus achieving adequate animal protection without excessive restriction that would unduly harm productivity
3Object-affected harmful factors
If animals are detected and removed from fields before agricultural processing, then animal safety is improved, but the complexity and cost of agricultural operations increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of physically relocating animals, the system creates a digital representation or map of animal locations within the field. This informational copy is then used by agricultural processing equipment to navigate around animals, avoiding the complex logistics of animal capture, transport, and release while achieving the same protective effect
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to protecting an animal species present in an animal protection zone (202). A life stage of the animal species is determined based on an animal life-cycle model, which is configured for simulating a life-cycle of the animal species. An animal protection time window is determined based on the life stage of the animal species during which no agricultural processing, which may negatively affect the animal species is to be performed in the animal protection zone (202) in order to protect the animal species. Furthermore, an overlap zone (210) is determined based on a spatial overlap between an agricultural zone (200) and the animal protection zone (202), and a safe time window for an agricultural processing in the overlap zone (210) is determined. The safe time window has no temporal overlap with the animal protection time window. This allows providing a safe time window in which the animal species is protected in the overlap zone (210).