A01C23/007

AUTONOMOUS SYSTEM FOR LIGHT TREATMENT OF A PLANT
20220117218 · 2022-04-21 ·

Systems and methods for treating a plant in a geographic area are disclosed. In one aspect, an agricultural treatment system can include a vehicle having a body and one or more legs operably connected to the body. The vehicle can also include an engine control unit configured to control motion of the vehicle. The system can include one or more image capture devices including a camera configured to capture images of a ground scene or terrain. The system can include an on-board computing system configured to identify features of the images of the ground scene including a target plant. The system can include a treatment unit configured to target and emit a laser beam on at least a portion of a plant located on the terrain.

Agricultural sprayer performance control system
11832551 · 2023-12-05 · ·

An agricultural sprayer includes a spray boom supported by a frame, a spraying system comprising a set of spray nozzles spaced along the spray boom, and a control system configured to control the spraying system to spray a liquid based on a target application to an agricultural field, generate a spray performance metric indicative of performance of the spraying system relative to the target application, and generate a control signal to control the agricultural sprayer based on the spray performance metric.

WORK VEHICLE SPRAYER SYSTEM AND METHOD WITH PINCHING NOZZLE APPARATUS
20220062940 · 2022-03-03 ·

A nozzle apparatus is configured to distribute a primary fluid. The nozzle apparatus includes a support plate; a fluid manifold; a fluid nozzle element; an actuator gear assembly; and a pincher gear assembly having a first pincher gear and a second pincher gear mounted on the support plate. The actuator gear assembly is configured to drive the pincher gear assembly between a first position in which the first and second pinchers are positioned relative to each other and relative to the fluid nozzle element such that the fluid nozzle element has a first cross-sectional shape and a second position in which the first and second pinchers are positioned relative to each other and relative to the fluid nozzle element such that the fluid nozzle element has a second cross-sectional shape. The first cross-sectional shape is different than the second cross-sectional shape.

Systems and methods for a product system of an agricultural applicator

A product system for an agricultural sprayer can include a product tank configured to store a first volume of an agricultural product. A second volume of the agricultural product can be positioned within a flow assembly after the fill mode. A reclaim system can be configured to provide the agricultural product within the flow assembly to the product tank. A computing system can be communicatively coupled with the reclaim system and configured to determine an open volume of the product tank based on data captured by the tank sensor and activate a reclaim mode of the reclaim system to move the second volume of the agricultural product from the flow assembly to the product tank when the open volume can be greater than the second volume of the agricultural product.

SMART FERTILIZER DELIVERY SYSTEM

Systems, methods, apparatus and computer program code are provided deliver fertilizer to targeted areas. In some embodiments, a system includes a memory configured to store data associated with an area to be fertilized, the data including information identifying a crop and soil analysis data associated with the area and a processor configured to receive sensor data associated with the area, the sensor data including information identifying a current weather condition and a current soil condition, automatically generate a proposed recipe of a fertilizer mixture, the recipe including information identifying a combination of elements and a dosage of each element, determining whether the proposed recipe satisfies at least a first rule; and operating a delivery system to deliver the fertilizer mixture to the area.

Valve control system and method

In an example, a system for applying an agricultural product includes a valve and a solenoid. For instance, the valve includes a coil that generates a magnetic flux. The system includes a valve controller. The valve controller is configured to measure one or more electrical characteristics of at least one of the coil or a dissipation element. In some examples, the valve controller determines an actual duty cycle of a valve operator of the valve using the measured electrical characteristics. The valve controller determines a magnetic flux correction, for instance based on a difference between the actual duty cycle and a specified duty cycle. The valve controller operates the valve operator according to the specified magnetic flux and the magnetic flux correction to guide the actual duty cycle toward the specified duty cycle.

Using an accumulator to improve delivery of liquid through a valve on an agricultural machine

An accumulator is added in-line with a valve on an agricultural machine and downstream of the valve. The valve is controlled to apply liquid material to a field over which the machine is traveling.

Intelligent loading for an agricultural machine

An intelligent, automated system for loading agricultural product application equipment is provided in which a control system can determine a necessary amount of product for completing a field operation and can automatically couple with a tendering system to receive such product at an optimal time and location. The control system can determine a current amount of product, a projected amount of product necessary to complete a field operation and a refill amount of product from the current amount and the projected amount, then transmit the refill amount to the tender. The control system can further determine whether a position of the equipment relative to the tender is within a threshold, and whether an intake coupler of the equipment is connected to a supply coupler of the tender, and can control valve(s) to open and close channel(s) for loading fluid into the storage tank.

SENSING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DIRECT INJECTION SYSTEMS ON AGRICULTURAL SPRAYERS
20210321603 · 2021-10-21 ·

A method for monitoring and controlling chemical concentration in a direct injection agricultural sprayer system monitors initial chemical concentration output from a chemical tank, carrier flow from a carrier tank, and mixed chemical concentration at nozzles of the spray system downstream of individual mixing points of the nozzles. Flow from the carrier tank and/or the chemical tank are controlled to target a set concentration at each of the nozzles. The initial chemical concentration establishes maximum concentration and a calibration curve for a chemical being applied and the mixed chemical concentration establishes an applied concentration in view of the calibration curve. A system is provided for the method.

SYSTEM AND METHOD TO MONITOR NOZZLE SPRAY QUALITY

A system for monitoring spray quality of an agricultural vehicle is provided herein that includes a boom assembly and a nozzle positioned along the boom assembly. A flow regulator is operably coupled with the nozzle and is configured to control a flow of agricultural product through the nozzle. A sensor is configured to capture data indicative of a spray exhausted from the nozzle. A spray quality controller is communicatively coupled to the sensor. The controller is configured to receive flow data from the flow regulator indicative of a demanded application rate; receive the captured data from the sensor as the agricultural vehicle travels across the field; and generate a malfunction notification when the flow data from the flow regulator indicates a flow to the nozzle and the captured data from the sensor indicates a lack of spray from the nozzle.