Sensor-Guided Applicator Height Adjustment for High-Speed Plant Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing high voltage equipment for controlling unwanted plant growth is complex, difficult to manage, limited by low travel speeds, and not suitable for areas with increasing control and signaling technology, and often results in incomplete or ineffective damage to plants and infrastructure, with chemical methods being toxic and leading to resistant plant species.
Innovation Solution
A sensor-guided height adjusting device for the applicator, which allows for automatic and rapid height adjustment during travel, combined with a rotating brush or belt applicator, and the use of high voltage, hot water, or steam to effectively control plant growth at higher speeds while minimizing wear and damage to infrastructure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If fixed current applicators or chains are used to restrict plant growth, then plant control is achieved, but travel speed is limited to very low speeds due to wear and collision risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the applicator height adjustable during operation. The applicator can be dynamically raised or lowered based on real-time sensor feedback about terrain and plant conditions, allowing the system to maintain optimal contact pressure while traveling at higher speeds without excessive wear or collision damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback through sensors that continuously monitor the distance between the applicator and the ground or plant targets. This feedback information is used to automatically adjust the applicator height, ensuring reliable operation at higher travel speeds by preventing both excessive wear from constant contact and damage from collisions with infrastructure.
2Power
If plates and chains are used as current applicators, then electrical power output is provided, but mechanical stress and vibration from constant impact with sleepers cause wear and contact with rails and infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical drag applicator system with a rotating brush applicator that can be elevated above the ground. This substitution eliminates the constant mechanical impact with sleepers and rails, reducing vibration and wear while maintaining electrical power output through the rotating brush contacts that periodically touch the ground or plants.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotating brush applicator introduces dynamic motion to the electrical contact system. The brush rotates and periodically contacts the ground or plants, providing continuous electrical power output without the sustained mechanical stress of dragged plates and chains. This dynamic contact pattern reduces cumulative mechanical wear and vibration.
3Productivity
If chemical plant eradicating agents are used, then highly effective plant control is achieved at speeds up to 50 km/h, but (eco)toxicity of active substances limits their use in nature reserves and aquatic conservation areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful electrical energy into a beneficial plant control mechanism. By using high voltage electric fields and current applicators, the system eliminates unwanted plant growth through electrical shock rather than chemical toxins, transforming a potentially harmful physical agent into an environmentally friendly solution that works effectively at high speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces chemical plant eradicating agents with an electrical/physical method using high voltage sources and current applicators. This substitution maintains productivity by operating at speeds up to 50 km/h while eliminating the eco-toxicity problem, as electrical current does not persist in the environment like chemical herbicides.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If manual, thermal or mechanical methods are used for plant control, then plant growth is controlled, but these methods are very expensive and labour-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service through automated sensor-guided height adjustment of the applicator. The system monitors terrain and plant conditions continuously and automatically adjusts its operation without human intervention, eliminating the need for expensive manual labor while maintaining effective plant growth control through electrical current application.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of plant control from mechanical/thermal to electrical. By using high voltage electric fields and current applicators, the system provides automated plant growth control that eliminates labor-intensive manual methods while reducing operational complexity through sensor-based automatic height and contact pressure regulation.
5Object-affected harmful factors
If high voltage equipment is used at low travelling speeds, then plant control is achieved, but the equipment is complicated and very difficult to manage electrically
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by enabling the high voltage equipment to operate effectively at higher travel speeds through automated height adjustment. The sensor-guided system dynamically adapts the applicator position to maintain optimal electrical contact and field strength, allowing plant control effectiveness to be maintained while reducing electrical management complexity through automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses feedback control to simplify electrical management of the high voltage equipment. Sensors continuously monitor operational conditions and automatically adjust voltage application and applicator height, eliminating the need for complex manual electrical management while maintaining effective plant control at higher travel speeds.
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
Enables efficient and effective control of plant growth at higher speeds, reducing mechanical stress and collision damage, while minimizing the use of chemical substances and extending equipment lifespan, allowing for precise adaptation to varying terrain and plant densities.
Implementation Method 1
a high voltage source and an applicator which is electrically connected to the high voltage source. By means of a high voltage between the electrode and an earth contact or the earth or plant, the plant concerned is killed or weakened by an electric shock.
Implementation Method 2
the speed-adapted applicator is provided with a sensor-guided height adjusting device
Data Source
AI summary
A device for killing or weakening plants and other organisms, has a conveying device for moving the device, a high voltage source and an applicator which is electrically connected to a high voltage source and which has a sensor-guided height-adjusting device.