Agricultural Sprayer Weed Detection Using Seed Position Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for detecting and controlling harmful vegetation in crop populations using optical detection and sensory data are inefficient, costly, and prone to errors, leading to incorrect application of spray liquids and damage to crops.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing seed position information stored during sowing, combined with GPS and spectral sensors, to identify and differentiate between crop and harmful vegetation, allowing for precise application of spray liquids without the need for complex and costly sensory recording of plant rows.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If sensor-based detection of plant rows is used to distinguish between cultivated and wild plants, then the detection rate of harmful growth increases, but the device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary recording of seed position information during the sowing process using the seed drill's GPS module. This pre-recorded data is then used during spraying to identify expected crop locations, eliminating the need for complex real-time sensor-based plant row detection and reducing device complexity while maintaining high detection accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces seed position information as an intermediary data element that mediates between the simple GPS recording during sowing and the weed detection during spraying. This intermediary information layer allows accurate weed identification without requiring complex optical sensors or camera systems to detect plant rows in real-time
2Measurement precision
If optical detection devices are used to distinguish between cultivated and wild plants, then weed detection is enabled, but errors increase under changing light conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the optical detection system (cameras, spectral sensors) with a GPS-based position verification system. Instead of using light-based methods to detect plant characteristics, the system uses mechanical/electronic GPS positioning to verify whether detected vegetation matches expected seed positions, thereby eliminating reliability issues under varying light conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a digital copy of the seed position map recorded during sowing and uses this copy during spraying operations. This copied position information serves as a reference template against which actual vegetation locations are compared, providing reliable weed detection independent of optical conditions
3Device complexity
If purely optical detection is used to identify harmful vegetation, then the system is simple, but the detection rate decreases leading to incorrect spray application
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the simple optical detection system with GPS position verification. The optical sensors continue to detect vegetation, but their detections are now combined with position data from seed position information. This combination maintains system simplicity while dramatically improving detection accuracy by filtering out false positives and negatives through position-based verification
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for applying a spray liquid with an agricultural sprayer, comprising the steps of: detecting a potential weed and its position by the agricultural sprayer, identifying the actual weed by the agricultural sprayer based on seed position information and the position of the detected potential weed, and controlling the application of the spray liquid by the agricultural sprayer in such a way that the spray liquid is applied locally to the actual weed.