SPOT SPRAYING METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR HIGH PRECISION APPLICATION OF AGROCHEMICALS

• Main Author: Tanner, Steve
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 09.05.2024
• Subjects: AGRICULTURE; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; APPARATUS FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF NOXIOUS ANIMALS OR NOXIOUSPLANTS; CATCHING, TRAPPING OR SCARING OF ANIMALS; FISHING; FORESTRY; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HUNTING; TRAPPING

The present invention relates to a method of selectively spraying an area of a cultivated field (10) with an agriculture spraying vehicle. The vehicle comprises a spraying equipment (200) having at least one imaging system (210), and at least one trailing spray bar (300) comprising a plurality of electromechanical nozzles (310) spaced apart from each other by a constant pitch distance. The plurality of electromechanical nozzles (310) includes a corresponding plurality of nozzles (314) and of electromechanical valves (312). The agriculture spraying equipment (200) further comprises a control unit (220) including a processing unit to control the electromechanical valve (312) of each electromechanical nozzle (310). The method comprises: i) acquiring, by the at least one imaging system (210), an image of an area of the cultivated field (10) and differentiating on the image, by the processing unit, a plant (14) to be sprayed from a plant (12) which shall not be sprayed; ii) determining at least one nozzle (350) which is about to be substantially vertically positioned above a plant (14) to be sprayed; iii) computing a spraying pattern on the area based on the divergence angle of said at least one nozzle (350) and the vertical distance between said nozzle (350) and said area to be selectively sprayed, said spraying pattern covering the plant (14) to be sprayed and possibly touching a plant (12) which shall not be sprayed; iv) computing a distance called the jet shift distance (354) to laterally shift the spraying pattern such that the shifted pattern covers the plant (14) to be sprayed without covering the plant (12) which shall not be sprayed, and express said jet shift distance (354) as a multiple of said nozzle-to-nozzle pitch, and v) laterally shifting said spraying pattern by shifting the at least one nozzle (350) vertically positioned above a plant to be sprayed (14) by said jet shift distance (354) so that the spraying pattern from the at least one newly selected nozzle (352) does not spray the plant that shall not be sprayed (12).