Hybrid Sensor Controller for Agricultural Boom Orientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural sprayers face challenges in maintaining accurate boom orientation due to low-quality sensor data from conditions like inconsistent crop emergence, terraces, dust, and poor lighting, leading to inaccurate adjustments and uneven substance distribution.
Innovation Solution
A system that combines vision-based sensors with secondary sensors, using a controller to determine the field profile quality and switch to secondary data when vision data quality falls below a threshold, ensuring accurate adjustments and uniform distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If vision-based sensors are used to monitor field profiles, then measurement precision is improved, but reliability deteriorates under adverse conditions (dust, spray clouds, poor lighting)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensor types (vision-based sensors and secondary sensors) into a hybrid monitoring system. The controller integrates data from both sensor sources, using vision-based sensors for primary measurement and secondary sensors as backup or complementary data sources when vision-based sensors encounter adverse conditions, thereby maintaining both precision and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the operational parameters by switching between different sensor data sources based on environmental conditions. When vision-based sensor quality deteriorates due to dust, spray clouds, or poor lighting, the controller transitions to using secondary sensor data, effectively changing the data acquisition parameter to maintain reliable field profile monitoring.
2Device complexity
If single sensor type is used to simplify device complexity, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision and reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a multi-functional sensor system where both vision-based sensors and secondary sensors serve the common function of field profile monitoring. The controller is designed to universally process data from either sensor type, making the system adaptable to different environmental conditions while maintaining measurement precision without requiring overly complex specialized equipment.
3Ease of operation
If boom adjustments are made based on low quality sensor data, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing precision (substance distribution uniformity) deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The controller continuously monitors the quality of sensor data and provides feedback on whether to proceed with boom adjustments. When vision-based sensor data quality is poor, the system feedbacks to prevent adjustments based on inaccurate data, thereby avoiding the creation of uneven substance distribution while still allowing easy operation when data quality is sufficient.
Data Source
AI summary
In one aspect, a system for monitoring field profiles may include a vision-based sensor configured to capture vision data indicative of a profile of a field, with the profile being at least of a crop canopy profile of the field or a soil surface profile of the field. The system may also include a secondary sensor configured to capture secondary data indicative of the profile of the field. Furthermore, a controller of the disclosed system may be configured to receive the vision data from the vision-based sensor and the secondary data from the secondary sensor. Moreover, the controller may be configured to determine a quality parameter associated with the vision data. Additionally, when the quality parameter falls below a minimum threshold, the controller may be configured to determine at least a portion of the profile of the field based on the secondary data.