Target Activated Offset Sprayer

Dave Slaughter, Ken Giles, Chris Tauzer
Biological & Ag. Engineering, UC Davis
Sponsored by Caltrans AHMCT Program

Objective:

• To reduce the amount of herbicide applied to non-weeded areas.
• To meet current offset sprayer performance which travels at 13 km/hr and has a 900 L/ha application rate.
• The special allowance for feasible study are calm conditions and flat and level terrain.

System Overview Subsystems:

• Machine vision detects weeds
  • process
    • Scan Landscape
    • Digitize Image
    • Map Target Regions
    • Analyze Regions for plant color
    • Store weed location information in memory
  • Valve array sprays weed targets
    • process
      • Determine weed data for each valve
        • Current location adjusted for speed
      • Adjust Control for defined offsets
      •  
      • Fixed Offsets - Extends spraying into neighboring regions
      • Variable offsets - Speed dependent
    • Output valve control signal
  • Radar sensor measures travel distance
    • process
      • Get current count
        • Record of radar pulses
      • Compare to distance variable of interest
        • Frame Grab, Frame completion, Valve Control
      • Update Value of Distance Variable

< UC Davis Baesil

last modified 12/17/2003