Sensor-Guided Multirow Hoeing for Selective In-Row Weed Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mechanical weed and pest control technologies face limitations in stability, area performance, and precision, particularly in selective weed control within crop rows, and lack the ability to perform pre-emergence hoeing, with chemical alternatives posing environmental and health risks.
Innovation Solution
A multi-row machine with integrated sensor units and individually controlled tool actuators, capable of synchronized vertical movements, enables precise post-emergence and pre-emergence weed control, and pest management, using imaging and 3D sensors to navigate and actuate tools for selective weed and pest removal within and between crop rows.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional tillage or chemical herbicides are used for weed control, then weed and pest management is achieved, but environmental pollution, water quality degradation, and loss of beneficial insects occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces chemical herbicides with a mechanical system consisting of rotating tines that physically engage and uproot weeds. The mechanical action of the tines penetrating the soil and contacting weed stems provides effective weed control without introducing chemical pollutants into the environment, thus substituting a mechanical system for a chemical one.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of mechanical soil disturbance into a benefit by using the tines' penetration and agitation to both control weeds and aerate the soil. The mechanical action that could potentially damage crops is instead used productively to uproot weeds while simultaneously improving soil structure and water infiltration.
2Loss of substance
If mechanical weed control devices are used, then chemical usage is reduced, but device complexity and operational challenges increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical weed control device is divided into multiple independent tines that can rotate independently on individual axes. Each tine is a separate, simple component that can be manufactured and replaced independently, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining effective weed control across the full width of the planter.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotating tines serve multiple functions: they penetrate the soil to uproot weeds, agitate the soil surface to prevent crust formation, and can be adjusted to different depths and angles to handle various weed sizes and soil conditions. This multi-functionality reduces the need for multiple separate devices.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate planter units are used to accommodate different row configurations, then versatility is improved, but device complexity and inter-row competition increase
Solution Approach 1:
The planter frame incorporates adjustable components that allow the spacing between planter units and the configuration of rows to be dynamically changed in the field. This dynamic adjustability enables a single planter to accommodate various crop patterns including conventional rows, narrow rows, and no-till configurations without requiring multiple separate devices.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple planter units are merged into a single integrated planter frame that can accommodate different row configurations. By combining the functionality of what would traditionally require separate planters into one unified device with adjustable components, the system achieves versatility while reducing the number of separate units needed.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to an effective multirow machine for mechanically regulating weeds and pests in gardens or agricultural fields, said machine being inexpensive to implement with few redundant components and overcoming different bottlenecks of known technologies. This is achieved by the generic device according to the invention which is designed as a multirow machine for mechanically regulating weeds and pests, comprising: a) a carrier vehicle, b) multiple selectively operational mechanical processing units consisting of at least one sensor unit for detecting weeds and/or pests and at least one assembly of multiple tool actuator units which are individually actuated, are connected to the frame of the carrier vehicle, and are moved over the area to be processed by means of said carrier vehicle and the actuators of which move at least one respective tool from a rest position into a working position by means of at least partial vertical strokes that are controlled in synchronization with the sensor unit and the travel path of the carrier vehicle, said tool being brought into the working position at least when the sensor unit has identified the field location where the tool is located as a field location to be processed, and c) multiple processing units which operate over a surface, wherein the processing units which operate over a surface operate between the rows of crops, the selectively operational processing units operate in the region of the rows of the crops, and the sensor unit of one or more of the selectively operational processing units is configured so as to ascertain signals for actuating each coupled assembly of multiple individually actuated tool actuator units as well as tracking signals on the basis of detected raw sensor data.