Agricultural Implement Lateral Control with Camera Orientation Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agricultural vehicle systems face challenges in maintaining precise lateral guidance of implements due to variations in camera orientation around the vertical axis, leading to errors in positioning and potential damage to plants during operations like weeding or spraying.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a vehicle, an implement with a cross beam and row units, an actuator for lateral adjustment, and a camera with an image processing system that compensates for camera orientation errors by using a sensor to determine the implement's angle and transform plant row positions for accurate control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the actuator moves the implement laterally and rotates it around the vertical axis, then the implement can be positioned accurately, but the camera orientation varies causing errors in plant row position detection
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a sensor to detect the actual orientation angle of the implement around the vertical axis and feeds this information back to the control unit. The control unit then compensates for the orientation variation when calculating the actuator position, ensuring accurate plant row position detection regardless of camera orientation changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter used for position calculation by introducing an orientation compensation factor. Instead of using raw camera coordinates, the system transforms the coordinates based on the detected implement orientation angle, effectively correcting for the camera's varying orientation during implement movement.
2Device complexity
If the camera is positioned exactly above the plant rows, then the row direction extrapolation is simplified, but the extrapolated row direction is not sufficiently exact due to plant positioning variations
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from the sensor measuring implement orientation to continuously adjust and correct the row direction calculation. This ensures that even when plants are not positioned exactly at intended locations or grow asymmetrically, the system can accurately determine the actual row direction and compensate for deviations.
3Measurement precision
If additional mechanisms are added to rotate the camera exactly in the forward direction, then camera orientation accuracy is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces the mechanical camera rotation mechanism with a computational solution. Instead of physically rotating the camera to maintain fixed orientation, the system uses software-based coordinate transformation and orientation compensation algorithms that calculate and correct for camera orientation variations, achieving the same effect without additional mechanical complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and method for controlling an agricultural implement connected to a vehicle is described. An actuator is arranged to control a lateral position of the implement with respect to the vehicle, also influencing the vertical angle of the implement. A camera mounted on the implement is connected to an image processing system which is adapted to derive the position of at least one row of plants in an image provided by the camera. An implement control unit controls the actuator to move the implement to a desired position based upon the derived position of the at least one row of plants, and a compensation arrangement compensates for the rotation of the camera around the vertical axis caused by the actuator based on the position of the actuator.