ROBOTIC WEED TREATMENT PROCESSING EQUIPMENT AND AGRICULTURE ROBOTIC SYSTEM THEREWITH

Abstract

The invention relates to a robotic weeding equipment (10) for agriculture robotic weeding system (100), comprising: a plant squeezer (12) for squeezing cultivated plants (80), comprising a narrowing end portion (16) and two longitudinal sides (14a, 14b), said two longitudinal sides extending backwards from the narrowing end portion (16) when mounted on the agriculture robotic weeding system (100); a plant squeezer actuator (20) operably connected to the plant squeezer (12) for vertical displacement of the plant squeezer (12) when mounted on the agriculture robotic weeding system (10); an image recognition device (30) for identification of weeds; and a weed treatment processing device (35). The plant squeezer (12) is configured to squeeze two parallel rows of cultivated plants (80) to increase the weeding surface between said two parallel rows of cultivated plants (80). The invention also relates to an agriculture robotic weeding system comprising at least one weeding equipment, preferably three weeding equipment arranged next to each other along a direction perpendicular to the direction of the agriculture robotic weeding system when operating.

Claims

1. Robotic weed treatment processing equipment for agriculture robotic system comprising: a plant squeezer for squeezing cultivated plants, comprising a narrowing end portion and two longitudinal sides, said two longitudinal sides extending backwards from the narrowing end portion when the robotic weed treatment processing equipment is mounted on the agriculture robotic system; a plant squeezer actuator operably connected to the plant squeezer for vertical displacement of the plant squeezer when the robotic weed treatment processing equipment is mounted on the agriculture robotic system; an image recognition device for identification of weeds, and a weed treatment processing device, wherein the pant squeezer is configured to squeeze two parallel rows of cultivated plants to increase the weed treatment surface between said two parallel rows of cultivated plants.

2. The robotic weed treatment processing equipment according to claim 1, wherein the weed treatment processing equipment comprises a weed non-spraying device, a weed spraying device or both of said weed non-spaying and weed spraying devices.

3. The robotic weed treatment processing equipment according to claim 2, wherein the weed spraying device comprises a plurality of group of sprayers and a corresponding plurality of distribution circuits comprising each an herbicide reservoir in fluid communication with a group of sprayers, wherein each of said plurality distribution circuits is configured to be individually controlled such that each group of sprayer may dispense a different class of herbicide.

4. The robotic weed treatment processing equipment according to claim 3, wherein each sprayer is connected to a linear actuator for selective vertical displacement of each sprayer when the robotic weed treatment processing equipment is mounted on the agriculture robotic system.

5. The robotic weed treatment processing equipment according to claim 2, wherein the weed non-spraying device comprises weeding elements, each weeding element being connected to a three-dimensional positioning actuator for selective 3D positioning of the weeding elements when the robotic weed treatment processing equipment is mounted on the agriculture robotic system.

6. The robotic weed treatment processing equipment according to claim 5, wherein each of said weeding elements is selected from the group comprising a mechanical tool, a thermal tool, an electrical tool, a laser emitting device, a radiation emitting device and an electromagnetic wave emitting device.

7. The robotic weed treatment processing equipment according to claim 5, wherein the weeding elements of said weed non-spraying device are arranged next to each other along a direction perpendicular to the direction of the agriculture robotic system when the robotic weed treatment processing equipment is mounted on the agriculture robotic system and said robotic system is operating.

8. The robotic weed treatment processing equipment according to claim 5, wherein the weeding elements are configured to be selectively actuated for 3D positioning depending on a specific location of action detected by the image recognition device.

9. The robotic weed treatment processing equipment according to claim 1, wherein the plant squeezer comprises a front wheel mounted on the narrowing end portion of the plant squeezer in order to maintain said squeezer at a constant distance from the ground.

10. The robotic weed treatment processing equipment according to claim 1, wherein the plant squeezer comprises a linear actuator configured to move the two longitudinal sides of the plant squeezer away from each other or closer to each other in order to vary the distance between said two longitudinal sides to adapt the configuration of the plant squeezer according to the distance between two parallel rows of cultivated plants.

11. The robotic weed treatment processing equipment according to claim 1, wherein said two longitudinal sides of the plant squeezer are inclined, the inclination varying progressively outwardly along a longitudinal direction of the plant squeezer and away from said narrowing end portion.

12. The robotic weed treatment processing equipment according to claim 1, wherein the image recognition device for identification of weeds is mounted above the plant squeezer.

13. The robotic weed treatment processing equipment according to claim 1, wherein each of the two longitudinal sides of the plant squeezer comprises a rotatable belt and pulleys to drive the rotatable belt, each rotatable belt being configured to become in contact against the corresponding row of the cultivated plants, and wherein the pulleys are configured to be driven at a speed dependent to the speed of the agriculture robotic system to ensure no relative movement between the cultivated plants and the belts when the agriculture robotic system is operating.

14. Agriculture robotic system comprising at least one robotic weed treatment processing equipment according to claim 1.

15. The agriculture robotic system according to claim 14, comprising three robotic weed treatment processing equipment according to claim 1, wherein said three robotic weed processing equipment are arranged next to each other along a direction perpendicular to the direction of the agriculture robotic system when operating.

16. The agriculture robotic system according to claim 14, wherein the weed treatment processing equipment or each weed treatment processing equipment is positioned for treating a surface extending perpendicular to two parallel rows of cultivated plants up to or near to the base of said cultivated plants.

17. The agriculture robotic system according to any of claim 14, further comprising a cultivated plant spraying device comprising plant spraying tools, each or some of the plant spraying tools being connected to a linear actuator for selective vertical displacement of each or some spraying tools.

18. The agriculture robotic system according to claim 17, wherein the cultivated plant spraying device is arranged rearward the weed treatment processing equipment relative to the driving direction of said agriculture robotic system when operating.

19. The agriculture robotic system according to claim 14, comprising a first and a second set of wheels located on respective lateral side of the agriculture robotic system, each wheel of said robotic system is mounted on an axially vertical rotatable shaft to move each wheel from an outward position to an inward position through a rotation of 180 degrees of each rotatable shaft in order to adapt the distance between the two paths followed by respective first and second set of wheels of said robotic system when operating.

20. Method of weed treatment of an agriculture crop, the agriculture crop comprising several parallel rows of cultivated plants which have grown from the grown to a certain size, the method comprising: freeing simultaneously the hidden base of both cultivated plants arranged in parallel rows using a plant squeezer to increase the weed treatment surface between said two parallel rows of cultivated plants, wherein the plant squeezer comprises two longitudinal sides configured to move a portion of the cultivated plants of respective row in order to free their respective base so as to clear the ground to detect weeds on an increased ground surface using an image recognition device, and treating the increased weed treatment surface.

21. Method according to claim 20, wherein the increased weed treatment surface is selectively treated on one or more specific weed locations detected by the image recognition device.

22. Method according to claim 20, wherein the increased weed treatment surface extents up to or near to the base of the cultivated plants of each row.

23. Method according to claim 20, wherein the cultivated plants of two parallel rows which are facing each other are treated simultaneously or quasi-simultaneously with the weeds.

24. Method according to claim 20, wherein the increased weed treatment surface is treated with one of the group of treatments comprising weeding, herbicide treatment or insecticide treatment.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] The invention will be better understood with the aid of the description of several embodiments given by way of examples and illustrated by the figures, in which:

[0048] FIG. 1 shows a perspective schematic view of a robotic weed treatment processing equipment when operating according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0049] FIG. 2 shows a rear view of FIG. 1

[0050] FIG. 3a shows a schematic partial cross-section view of an agriculture robotic system comprising three robotic weed treatment processing equipment of FIG. 1 when the plant squeezers are in a non-operating configuration;

[0051] FIG. 3b shows another schematic partial cross-section view of the agriculture robotic system of FIG. 3a when both the weed and cultivated plant spraying devices are operating according to an embodiment;

[0052] FIG. 3c shows a schematic partial side view of the agriculture robotic system of FIG. 3a;

[0053] FIG. 4a shows a schematic partial cross-section view of an agriculture robotic system comprising three robotic weed treatment processing equipment of FIG. 1 when the plant squeezers are in an operating configuration;

[0054] FIG. 4b shows another schematic partial cross-section view of the agriculture robotic system of FIG. 4a when only the weed spraying device of each robotic weed treatment processing equipment is operating according to an embodiment;

[0055] FIG. 4c shows a schematic partial side view of the agriculture robotic system of FIG. 4b;

[0056] FIG. 5 shows a schematic top view of the plant squeezer according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0057] FIG. 6 shows a schematic top view of the plant squeezer according to another embodiment of the invention;

[0058] FIG. 7a shows a schematic partial front view of the agriculture robotic system of FIG. 3a when the wheels of said robotic system are oriented outwardly;

[0059] FIG. 7b shows a similar view of FIG. 7a when the wheels of said robotic system are oriented inwardly;

[0060] FIG. 8a shows a schematic bottom view of FIG. 7a without the robotic weed treatment processing equipment, and

[0061] FIG. 8b shows a schematic bottom view of FIG. 7b without the robotic weed treatment processing equipment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0062] The agriculture robotic system 100 as shown for example in FIG. 7a may comprise for example three robotic weed treatment processing equipment 10 as illustrated in FIG. 1. Each robotic weed treatment processing equipment 10 is arranged next to each other along a direction perpendicular to the direction of the agriculture robotic system 100 when driving along alleys of a crop.

[0063] The agriculture robotic system 100 may however be adapted to comprise any number of robotic weed treatment processing equipment 10 according to the configuration of the crop to be treated and to the desired working width. The agriculture robotic system 100 may for example comprise two or three weed treatment processing equipment 10 for small to medium-sized robotic systems 100 or, four, five, six or even more weed treatment processing equipment 10 for large-sized robotic systems 100.

[0064] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7a, each robotic weed treatment processing equipment 10 comprises a plant squeezer 12, a plant squeezer actuator 20 (FIGS. 3c and 4c), an image recognition device 30 and a weed processing equipment 35. The plant squeezer 12 may for example comprise a frame structure and a front wheel 18. The frame structure comprises a narrowing end portion 16 and two parallel longitudinal sides 14a, 14b extending backwards from the narrowing end portion 18 when the robotic weed treatment processing equipment 10 is mounted on the agriculture robotic system 100.

[0065] As shown for example in FIGS. 4c and 5, the front wheel 18 is connected to the narrowing end portion 16 of the plant squeezer 12 in order to allow a passive fine height adjustment of the plant squeezer according to the profile of the ground surface along which the wheel 18 rolls when the agriculture robotic system is operating.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 5, the plant squeezer 12 may further comprise a linear actuator 15 operatively connected to the two longitudinal sides 14a, 14b and extending therebetween to move the two longitudinal sides 14a, 14b away from each other or closer to each other in order to vary the distance between said two longitudinal sides to adapt the configuration of the plant squeezer 12 according to the distance between two parallel rows of cultivated plants. In this respect, the narrowing end portion 16 of the plant squeezer 12 comprises on both sides of the front wheel 18 an articulated parallelogram structure pivotally connected to respective longitudinal sides 14a, 14b. In variant, an actuator (not shown) may be arranged to cooperate with both articulated parallelogram structures of the plant squeezer.

[0067] In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, each of the two longitudinal sides 14a, 14b of the plant squeezer 12 comprises a rotatable belt 13a and pulleys 13b to drive the rotatable belt 13a. Each rotatable belt 13a is configured to become in contact against the corresponding row of two parallel rows of cultivated plants. The pulleys 13b may advantageously be driven at a speed dependent of the speed of the agriculture robotic system 100 to ensure no relative movement between the cultivated plants 80 and the belts when the agriculture robotic system is operating to avoid possible damage to the plants.

[0068] With reference to FIGS. 3c and 7a, the plant squeezer actuator 20 comprises a supporting structure 22 and several linear actuators 24a, 24b connected to a platform 102 of the robotic agriculture system 100 and to the supporting structure 22 in order to adapt the robotic agriculture system 100 either for the treatment of crops of young shoots or for the treatment of crops of plants which have grown to a certain size. These linear actuators may be for example hydraulic actuators, pneumatic actuators or electric actuators.

[0069] For the treatment of crops of plants which have grown to a size, whereby the base of the plants is hidden by their leaves, the linear actuators 24a, 24b move the supporting structure 22 downwards in order to bring the plant squeezers 12 in an operating configuration, whereby their respective front wheel 18 are in contact with the ground (cf. FIGS. 4a and 4c).

[0070] For the treatment of crops of young shoots, the linear actuators 24a, 24b move the supporting structure 22 upwards to lift the plant squeezers 12 from an operating configuration to a non-operating configuration (cf. FIGS. 3a, 3b and 3c).

[0071] With reference to FIG. 7a, the image recognition device 30 of each weed treatment processing equipment 10 are mounted on the lower side of the platform 102 of the robotic agriculture system 100 such that their respective visual angle covers at least the distance between the base of a first and a second cultivated plant which are part respectively of a first and a second row of cultivated plants 80 which are parallel as shown in particular in FIG. 2.

[0072] The robotic agriculture system 100 therefore comprises one image recognition device 30 per robotic weed treatment processing equipment 10. Three image recognition devices 30 may for example be used together to cover three parallel alleys of a crop, wherein each alley comprises two rows of cultivated plants 80 bordering each side of the corresponding alley as shown for example in FIGS. 3a and 3b.

[0073] Each image recognition device 30 may comprise an image capturing device 32 such as a monocular camera, a stereo camera, a 3D camera, a 3D scanning device or any device able to produce 2D or 3D images of a scene in any spectral band covering the ultra-violet, visible and infra-red spectrum. The image recognition device may also include a lighting equipment (not shown) which is configured to illuminate the area covered by the image capturing device 32.

[0074] Each image recognition device 30 further comprise a processing unit configured to run an image recognition software so as to identify weeds within an area extending across an alley up to the base of the cultivated plants located on each side of the alley for selective weeding or weed treatment.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 1, the plant squeezer 12 is configured to lift the leaves of cultivated plants 80 disposed along two parallel rows in order to increase the surface for weed treatment up to the base of each cultivated plant such that said increased surface matches the visual angle of the image recognition device 30.

[0076] Accordingly, the image recognition device 30 is capable of identifying weeds which may be located near the base of each rows of cultivated plants since their leaves are moved away from the field of vision of the image recognition device 30 by respective longitudinal sides 14a, 14, of the plant squeezer 12 and weed treatment may be selected to eradicate these weeds.

[0077] In the context of the present invention, weed treatment must be understood as comprising weeding as well as using chemical treatment such as herbicide to eradicate weeds. The agriculture robotic system therefore comprises for each robotic weed treatment processing equipment 10 a weed processing device 35 comprising a weed non-spraying device (not shown) and/or a weed spraying device 50.

[0078] The weed non-spaying device may comprise one or more mechanical tools selecting among the group comprising fixed or rotating blades, rotating lashes, thermal tools such as heating tools or firing nozzles, radiation emitting devices, laser emitting devices, electromagnetic waves emitting devices or electrical tools such as electrodes.

[0079] The weed spraying device 50 preferably comprises an herbicide reservoir and sprayers in fluid communication with the reservoir and configured to dispense herbicide on weeds which have been identified by the image recognition device 30. Use of selective herbicide is preferable in order to eradicate weeds without significant damage to nearby cultivated plants 80.

[0080] As particularly shown in FIG. 4b, the weed spraying device 50 may comprise a plurality of herbicide sprayers. Each or some of the herbicide sprayers may be mounted on a sprayer holder (not shown) connected to a linear actuator for selective vertical positioning of each sprayer or some sprayers. Particular sprayers may be pivotally actuable in order to dispense herbicide near the base of the cultivated plants 80.

[0081] The herbicide sprayers may be grouped into two or more spraying circuits in fluid communication with a reservoir. Each spraying circuit comprises an herbicide distribution circuit that may be individually controlled. This allows each group of sprayers to dispense different herbicide mixture contained in the reservoirs of the spraying circuits. Each spraying nozzles of each group may be positioned differently so as to allow for instance a first group of spraying nozzles to spray a first herbicide mixture only on the top of the cultivated plant, and a second group of spraying nozzles to spray a second herbicide mixture only on the base of the cultivated plants, or only on the ground surface extending between two parallel rows of cultivated plants.

[0082] With reference to FIGS. 3b-3c and 4b-4c, the agriculture robotic system 100 comprises a cultivated plant spraying device 60 comprising plant spraying tools configured to dispense herbicide, insecticide and/or fungicides. Each or some of the spraying tools may be mounted on a tool holder (not shown) connected to a linear actuator for selective vertical positioning of each plant spraying tool or some plant spraying tools. The weed processing equipment 35 may be arranged just ahead of the cultivated plant spraying device 60 to ensure that the cultivated plants of two parallel rows which are facing each other are treated quasi-simultaneously with the weeds.

[0083] As shown in FIGS. 8a and 8b, the agriculture robotic system 100 comprises a first and a second set of wheels 70 located on respective lateral side of the agriculture robotic system 100. Each wheel 70 of the robotic system 100 is mounted on an axially vertical rotatable shaft 72. The agriculture robotic system comprises actuating means configured to move each wheel 70a, 70b from an outward position to an inward position through a rotation of 180 degrees of each rotatable shaft 72 in order to adapt the distance between the two paths followed by respective first and second set of wheels of the robotic system when operating. The distance between the lateral wheels of the agriculture robotic system 100 may therefore be adapted according to the configuration of the alleys of the crop to be treated.

[0084] In operation, the agriculture robotic system 100 travels along alleys of an agriculture crop comprising several parallel rows of cultivated plants. The plant squeezer 12 of each weed treatment processing equipment 10 are positioned near the platform 102 of the robotic system 100 in an non-operating configuration, as shown in FIGS. 3a to 3c and FIGS. 7a and 7b when the cultivated plants 80 to be treated are small enough so that their respective base can be seen by the image recognition devices for potential identification of weeds to be treated.

[0085] For treatment of crops of plants which have grown to a size, whereby the base of the plants is hidden by their leaves, the wheel 18 of the plant squeezer 12 of each robotic weed treatment processing equipment 10 is brought into contact to the ground before the agriculture robotic system 100 engages several alleys of the crop to be treated. The narrowing-end portion 16 of each plant squeezer 12 ensures smooth spreading of the leaves of the cultivated plants 80 when the agriculture robotic system 100 engages several alleys of the crop.

REFERENCE LIST

[0086] Robotic weed treatment processing equipment 10 [0087] Plant squeezer 12 [0088] Frame structure [0089] Rotatable belts 13a (one embodiment) [0090] Pulleys 13b [0091] Longitudinal sides 14a, 14b [0092] Parallel flanks [0093] Inclined flanks [0094] Linear actuator 15 [0095] Narrowing end portion 16 [0096] Front wheel 18 [0097] Plant squeezer actuator 20 [0098] Supporting structure 22 [0099] Linear actuators 24a, 24b [0100] Hydraulic actuator [0101] Pneumatic actuator [0102] Electric actuator [0103] Image recognition device 30 [0104] Image capturing device [0105] Camera [0106] Lighting equipment [0107] Processing unit [0108] Weed treatment processing device 35 [0109] Weed non-spraying device [0110] Three-dimensional positional actuators [0111] Weeding elements [0112] Mechanical tools Fixed or rotating blades Rotating lashes [0113] Thermal tools Heating tools Firing nozzles [0114] Radiation emitting devices [0115] Laser emitting devices [0116] Electromagnetic waves emitting devices [0117] Electrical tools Electrodes [0118] Weed spraying device 50 [0119] Herbicide sprayers [0120] Selective linear actuators for vertical positioning Supporting structure

[0121] Agriculture robotic system 100 [0122] Platform 102 [0123] Robotic weed treatment processing equipment [0124] three robotic weed treatment processing equipment (one embodiment) [0125] Cultivated plant spraying device 60 [0126] Plant spraying tools (fungicide/insecticide sprayer) [0127] (linear tool holders [0128] Selective linear actuators for vertical positioning [0129] Wheels 70a, 70b [0130] Vertical support 72 [0131] Axially rotatable shaft

[0132] Cultivated plants 80