Work Vehicle Seed Sowing Control via Plant Growth Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing work vehicles equipped with imaging devices for detecting divots in turf surfaces only perform sand filling based on imaging results, lacking efficiency in overall field management.
Innovation Solution
A work vehicle integrated with an imaging device, a sowing device, and a control device that determines plant growth states and instructs seed sowing operations based on imaging data, including a vehicle speed sensor, expected passage time calculation, and growth density analysis, to optimize seed distribution and field management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If only sand filling work is performed based on imaging results, then divot repair is achieved, but overall field management efficiency remains insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The work vehicle integrates multiple functions including imaging, growth state determination, and sowing operations into a single system. The imaging device captures plant growth data, the control device analyzes growth states, and the sowing device performs targeted seed distribution, allowing one vehicle to perform multiple field management tasks that previously required separate equipment and operations.
2Manufacturing precision
If seeds are sown immediately after imaging, then timely intervention is achieved, but the sowing device may not be in position to sow accurately
Solution Approach 1:
The control device calculates the expected passage time for the sowing device to reach the imaged location in advance. Based on current vehicle speed and distance calculations, the system determines the optimal moment to activate sowing, ensuring seeds are released precisely when the sowing device passes over the target area with poor plant growth.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors vehicle speed via the vehicle speed sensor and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust the sowing timing calculation. The expected passage time is recalculated based on real-time speed data, allowing the control device to maintain accurate sowing position timing even as operating conditions change during field work.
3Manufacturing precision
If uniform seed distribution is applied across the field, then coverage is simple to manage, but areas with poor plant growth receive insufficient seeds
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from uniform seed distribution to location-specific sowing based on actual plant growth conditions. The imaging device captures spatial variations in plant growth, the control device determines growth states for different field locations, and the sowing device applies seeds selectively to areas with poor growth, ensuring each location receives appropriate seed treatment rather than uniform coverage.
Data Source
AI summary
A work vehicle includes an imaging device for imaging a plant growing in a field and a control device for controlling a sowing device. The control device includes a growth state determination section for determining a growth state of the plant in the field based on result of imaging by the imaging device and a sowing instruction section for instructing the sowing device to carry out a seed sowing operation based on result of determination of the growth state determination section.