Harvesting Machine Weed Seed Detection for Pre-Emergence Treatment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing weed management techniques, particularly herbicide applications, face challenges due to herbicide-resistant weeds, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs, and existing weed maps for pre-emergence herbicide application are often inaccurate, resulting in incorrect dosages and areas of application.

Innovation Solution

An agricultural harvesting machine equipped with a control system that identifies weed seed locations using image capture and spectral analysis, generating weed maps, and performs pre-emergence weed mitigation operations, including selective harvesting and post-harvest treatments to prevent weed germination.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If herbicide applications are used for weed management, then weed growth is suppressed, but herbicide-resistant weeds develop leading to treatment failure

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveweed management effectivenessVSAvoidherbicide resistance

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary identification of weed seed locations using image capture and spectral analysis before herbicide application. This allows for targeted pre-emergence treatment of specific areas where weeds are detected, preventing weed growth before it occurs rather than relying solely on broad-spectrum herbicide applications that lead to resistance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system transitions from uniform field-wide herbicide application to localized treatment based on detected weed seed areas. By applying herbicides only to specific zones where weed seeds are identified, the system maintains effective weed suppression while reducing overall herbicide exposure that drives resistance development.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If broad-spectrum herbicide application is used, then weed growth is suppressed across the field, but crop damage and reduced yield occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveweed suppression coverageVSAvoidcrop damage

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies herbicides locally only to areas where weed seeds are detected through image capture and spectral analysis, rather than broadcasting herbicides across the entire field. This localized approach maintains weed suppression effectiveness in targeted zones while eliminating unnecessary herbicide exposure to crops in untreated areas, thereby preventing crop damage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system identifies weed seed locations and treats them with herbicides before the crops emerge and can be damaged. This pre-emergence treatment timing ensures that weeds are suppressed before they compete with crops, eliminating the need for post-emergence herbicide applications that risk crop damage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If inaccurate weed maps are used for pre-emergence herbicide application, then treatment efficiency is reduced, but incorrect dosages and areas are applied

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetreatment efficiencyVSAvoidweed seed location accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces inaccurate mechanical or manual weed mapping methods with advanced image capture systems and spectral analysis. These technologies provide precise identification of weed seed locations by detecting specific spectral signatures, enabling accurate mapping for targeted herbicide application with correct dosages applied only where needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses real-time image capture and spectral analysis to continuously update weed seed location information during field operations. This feedback mechanism ensures that herbicide application is based on current, accurate weed presence data, allowing for precise dosage control and preventing application in areas where weeds are absent.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Effectively mitigates herbicide-resistant weeds by accurately identifying and treating weed seeds before emergence, reducing herbicide use and minimizing adverse effects on crops.

Implementation Method 1

identifies weed seed locations using image capture and spectral analysis

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSpectral analysis: Absorption Spectroscopy

Data Source

PatentUS12382945B2Agricultural harvesting machine with pre-emergence weed detection and mitigation system

Publication Date: 2025.08.12 DEERE & CO

AI summary

An agricultural harvesting machine includes crop processing functionality configured to engage crop in a field, perform a crop processing operation on the crop, and move the processed crop to a harvested crop repository, and a control system configured to identify a weed seed area indicating presence of weed seeds, and generate a control signal associated with a pre-emergence weed seed treatment operation based on the identified weed seed area.