Crop Sensor-Based Spray Nozzle Positioning for Corn Silk Targeting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current agricultural sprayer systems are inefficient in applying pesticides to corn crops, often missing the silks and applying incorrect quantities, leading to wasted pesticides and reduced crop yields due to inaccurate targeting of pests.
Innovation Solution
Agricultural sprayer equipped with crop characteristic sensors and a control system that identifies the location of corn silks and adjusts the position of spray nozzles for precise application, using sensors to generate control signals for optimal pesticide distribution based on real-time crop and pest data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If blanket coverage of pesticide is applied to the entire crop field, then the coverage area is increased, but the precision of pesticide application to target locations is reduced and pesticide waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different spray rates to different locations within the field based on real-time sensor detection. Sensors identify specific crop locations requiring pesticide application, and the sprayer system adjusts spray quantity and timing for each detected location, ensuring precise targeted application rather than uniform blanket coverage across the entire field.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor system detects and identifies crop locations and pest presence before pesticide application occurs. This preliminary detection allows the control system to pre-calculate and prepare the exact spray parameters needed for each detected target location, ensuring precise application before the sprayer reaches those positions.
2Reliability
If blanket coverage of pesticide is applied to ensure all crops are covered, then the reliability of pest protection is improved, but the loss of substance (pesticide waste) increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses sensors to continuously detect crop locations, silk emergence status, and pest presence, providing real-time feedback to the control system. Based on this feedback, the system dynamically adjusts spray application to match actual field conditions, applying pesticide only where and when needed. This ensures reliable pest protection for detected targets while eliminating waste from applying pesticide to areas without pests or missed targets.
3Device complexity
If the sprayer uses a fixed spray pattern, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability to varying crop positions and silk locations is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The sprayer system transitions from fixed spray patterns to dynamic, adjustable spray patterns that respond to real-time sensor data. The system modifies spray timing, quantity, and targeting based on detected crop positions, growth stages, and silk emergence locations. This dynamic adaptability allows the relatively simple sprayer hardware to effectively handle varying field conditions without requiring complex mechanical reconfiguration.
Data Source
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AI summary
An agricultural sprayer includes a spraying system that sprays a substance on an agricultural surface and a crop characteristic sensor that senses a crop characteristic of a crop on the agricultural surface and generates a crop characteristic signal indicative of the crop characteristic. The agricultural sprayer further includes a sprayer control system that identifies a position of a component of a crop plant based on the crop characteristic sensor signal and an action signal generator that generates an action signal based on the identified position of the component of the crop plant.