Dual-Nozzle Crop Spraying for Missed Plant Coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plant treatment systems face inefficiencies in spot spraying due to small or hidden plants being undetected, leading to incomplete treatment and reduced effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A plant treatment system with dual nozzle rows, one for uniform application and one for complementary spot treatment, controlled by image analysis to ensure complete coverage, applying a generally uniform dose with a complementary dose to identified plants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If spot spraying is used based on image recognition, then treatment product usage is reduced, but treatment completeness deteriorates due to undetected small or hidden plants
Solution Approach 1:
The treatment system is segmented into two independent nozzle groups: a first group for spot spraying detected plants and a second group for uniform area-wide application. This segmentation allows the system to simultaneously achieve the benefits of reduced product usage through targeted spot spraying while ensuring treatment completeness through comprehensive area coverage, resolving the contradiction between these two objectives.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial action through spot spraying only where plants are detected, while the second nozzle group applies excessive action by treating the entire area uniformly. This combination ensures that even if some plants are missed by the detection system, they will still receive treatment from the uniform application, thereby maintaining treatment completeness while minimizing overall product usage.
2Reliability
If uniform dose is applied to the entire area, then treatment completeness is improved, but treatment efficiency deteriorates due to unnecessary product application
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements local quality by applying different dosing strategies to different spatial zones: the first nozzle group applies localized complementary doses only where plants are detected, while the second nozzle group applies a reduced uniform dose across the entire area. This spatial differentiation of treatment quality optimizes both completeness and efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the dosage parameter spatially and temporally: the first nozzle group varies the dose locally based on detection results, while the second nozzle group maintains a constant reduced dose uniformly. This parameter variation allows the system to achieve complete treatment coverage while reducing overall product consumption and improving efficiency.
3Loss of substance
If spot spraying is used, then product usage is reduced, but treatment effectiveness worsens due to missed small or hidden plants
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies beforehand cushioning by using the second nozzle group to provide a baseline uniform treatment across the entire area before the first nozzle group adds complementary spot treatments. This preparatory uniform application acts as a cushion that ensures even undetected small or hidden plants receive adequate treatment, thereby maintaining effectiveness while allowing the spot spraying to minimize overall product usage.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for treating plants includes a spray boom provided with a plurality of spray nozzles distributed over the boom and fed by a spray control device, a set of cameras capable of taking images of an area to be treated, and a digital processing device capable of analyzing the images taken by the camera, identifying plants to be treated, and applying instructions to the spray control device in view of spraying at least one product onto plants to be treated,According to the invention, the spray nozzles and the spray control device are configured to apply a generally uniform dose of a product to the area to be treated, independently of the identification of the plants to be treated in the images, and to apply locally a complementary dose of a product to plants to be treated identified by the digital processing device.To be used in particular in agriculture or in the treatment of non-cultivated spaces.