UAV Disbursement Nozzle Control for Uniform Crop Coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aerial application of agricultural chemicals from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) faces challenges due to inconsistent coverage caused by fluctuations in wind speed, altitude, and vehicle movements, leading to non-uniform distribution.
Innovation Solution
A disbursement system for UAVs that includes a product reservoir, pump system, and control system with sensors to monitor flight parameters, using an extended Kalman filter for navigation state estimation and modulating the flowrate of disbursement nozzles to achieve uniform coverage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional pump and valve assembly is used for aerial chemical application, then the system structure is simple, but the coverage uniformity deteriorates due to wind speed fluctuations and UAV movement variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic flow rate adjustment by modulating the pump system based on real-time sensor feedback about UAV velocity, altitude, and attitude. This transforms the static pump-valve assembly into a dynamic system that continuously adapts to flight conditions, maintaining uniform chemical application despite movement variations
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates sensors that monitor flight parameters (velocity, altitude, attitude) and feed this information back to the control system. The controller processes this feedback and adjusts the pump flow rate accordingly, creating a closed-loop control system that compensates for flight variations and maintains consistent coverage
2Manufacturing precision
If the UAV maintains constant speed and altitude, then the flight control is simple, but the coverage uniformity deteriorates due to rolling, pitching, and yawing motions
Solution Approach 1:
Attitude sensors (accelerometers, gyroscopes) provide continuous feedback on roll, pitch, and yaw angles to the control system. The controller processes this feedback and modulates the pump flow rate to compensate for attitude-induced spray pattern variations, maintaining uniform coverage despite UAV orientation changes
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of the pump system dynamically based on detected attitude variations. By adjusting flow rate in response to attitude sensor data, the system compensates for the effects of rolling, pitching, and yawing motions on spray uniformity
3Manufacturing precision
If the flow rate is kept constant during flight, then the pump system operation is simple, but the coverage uniformity deteriorates during acceleration, cruising, and deceleration phases
Solution Approach 1:
The pump system transitions from constant flow rate operation to dynamic flow rate modulation. The controller adjusts the pump speed or displacement in real-time based on velocity sensor feedback, ensuring that chemical application rate remains proportional to ground coverage rate during acceleration, cruising, and deceleration phases
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the pump flow rate parameter in response to detected velocity changes. During acceleration, the flow rate is increased proportionally; during deceleration, it is reduced. This parameter adjustment maintains consistent chemical application density across varying flight speeds
Data Source
AI summary
A disbursement system for a UAV is provided. The disbursement system may include a plurality of disbursement nozzles operable to dispense an agricultural product at variable flowrates, a flow controller responsive to instructions and operable to regulate a volume of the agricultural product dispensed by the disbursement nozzles, and a control system. The control system may include a plurality of sensors operable to monitor a plurality of flight parameters and a processing unit configured to model an effect of the plurality of flight parameters on first flow control instructions corresponding to a prescription coverage of the agricultural product and calculate and output modulated flow control instructions to the flow controller. The control system may modulate the first control instructions to change a flowrate of one or more of the plurality of disbursement nozzles to achieve an actual coverage of the agricultural product that is closer to the prescription coverage.