Method for calibrating an agricultural sprayer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12588671-B2
Application number	US-202318488703-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2023
Priority date	Oct 19, 2022
Publication date	Mar 31, 2026
Grant date	Mar 31, 2026

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for calibrating an agricultural spraying machine comprising a plurality of spray nozzles arranged on the spray boom, at least one optical sensor and a control system, each optical sensor of said at least one optical sensor having a field of view comprising sectors, each of the sectors being associated with a spray nozzle, the control system being configured to control the plurality of spray nozzles as a function of images acquired by the optical sensors, the calibration method comprising, for an optical sensor, an automatic association implemented by the control system of each sector of the field of view of the corresponding optical sensor with a spray nozzle of the plurality of spray nozzles.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A calibration method of an agricultural spraying machine comprising a spraying system comprising a spray boom, a plurality of spray nozzles arranged on the spray boom one or more optical sensors, and a control system, each of the one or more optical sensors having a field of view comprising sectors forming a grid, each cell of the grid of each sector being associated with a spray nozzle of the plurality of spray nozzles, each of the spray nozzles associated with one or more cells of the grid, the control system being configured to process acquired images of the field of view of each of said one or more optical sensors and to control the plurality of spray nozzles as a function of said images, the calibration method comprising, for each optical sensor, using the control system to automatically associate each sector of the field of view with at least one of the plurality of spray nozzles.

2 . The calibration method according to claim 1 , wherein for each of the one or more optical sensors, performing the following successive steps:
placing a ground reference system in the field of view of the optical sensor, the ground reference system having a plurality of patterns, each of the patterns being associated with at least one of said plurality of spray nozzles and correspond to an offset position of the at least one spray nozzle; integrating said plurality of patterns with at least one of the images of the field of view acquired by said at least one optical sensor; wherein the automatic association implemented by the control system comprising the detection of said plurality of patterns in said image, followed by the association of each of the sectors of the field of view with one of the spray nozzles of said plurality of spray nozzles when the corresponding sector at least partially integrates the plurality of patterns.

3 . The calibration method according to claim 2 , the ground reference system being a physical system, characterized in that the placing of the ground reference system comprises the placing of the physical system at a given distance from the spray boom by an operator.

4 . The calibration method according to claim 3 , the physical system being a tarpaulin, characterized in that the automatic association implemented by the control system for a corresponding optical sensor comprises the detection of a contour of the tarpaulin prior to the detection of said plurality of patterns of the ground reference system on said image of the field of view of the corresponding optical sensor.

5 . The calibration method according to claim 2 , the agricultural spraying machine comprising at least one light source, characterized in that the implementation of the ground reference system comprises the projection of the plurality of patterns by said at least one light source onto the ground, said plurality of patterns corresponding to light patterns.

6 . The calibration method according to claim 1 , wherein the association step is performed for each of the one or more optical sensors.

7 . The calibration method according to claim 1 , wherein the association step is performed for only one optical sensor of the one or more optical sensors, notably following an identification of an incorrect adjustment associated with the corresponding optical sensor.

8 . The calibration method according to claim 1 , comprising the automatic identification by the control system of an incorrect adjustment associated with an optical sensor of the plurality of optical sensors, prior to the automatic association implemented by the control system for the corresponding optical sensor.

9 . The calibration method according to claim 1 , comprising the verification of the overlap of fields of view of two consecutive optical sensors of the plurality of optical sensors, prior to the automatic association implemented by the control system for the corresponding optical sensor.

10 . The calibration method according to claim 9 , wherein a pattern associated with a spray nozzle extends at least partially into the field of view of at least two adjacent optical sensors.

11 . An agricultural spraying machine comprising a spraying system comprising a spray boom, a plurality of spray nozzles arranged on the spray boom, a plurality of optical sensors, and a control system, each optical sensor of said plurality of optical sensors having a field of view comprising sectors forming a grid, each cell of the grid of each sector being associated with a spray nozzle of the plurality of spray nozzles, each of the spray nozzles being associated with one or more cells of the grid, the control system being configured to process acquired images of the field of view of each of said optical sensors and to control the plurality of spray nozzles as a function of said images, the control system being configured to carry out, for each optical sensor of said plurality of optical sensors, an automatic association between each sector of the field of view of the optical sensor with at least one of the plurality of spray nozzles.

12 . The agricultural spraying machine according to claim 11 , comprising at least one light source configured to project light patterns onto the ground.

13 . The agricultural spraying machine according to claim 12 , said at least one light source comprising a concentration device configured to focus the light emitted by the light source.

14 . An agricultural spraying machine comprising:
a spraying system comprising a spray boom comprising a frame having a length; a plurality of spray nozzles arranged along the length of the spray boom, a plurality of optical sensors arranged on the length of the spray boom; and a control system spaced from the spray boom; each optical sensor of said plurality of optical sensors having a field of view comprising sectors and cells forming a grid; each of the spray nozzles associated with one or more cells of the grid; wherein the control system is configured to process acquired images of the field of view of each of said optical sensors and to control the plurality of spray nozzles as a function of said images; and wherein the control system is configured to carry out, for each optical sensor of said plurality of optical sensors, an automatic association between each sector of the field of view of the optical sensor with at least one of the plurality of spray nozzles.

15 . The agricultural spraying machine according to claim 14 , further comprising at least one light source arranged along the spray boom configured to project light patterns onto the ground.

16 . The agricultural spraying machine according to claim 15 , wherein said at least one light source comprising a concentration device configured to focus the light emitted by the light source.

17 . The agricultural spraying machine according to claim 14 , wherein each of the plurality of optical sensors is associated with at least one sector of the field of view of at least one optical sensor and at least one spray nozzle.

18 . The agricultural spraying machine according to claim 14 , wherein the association follows after an identification of an incorrect adjustment associated with the corresponding optical sensor is performed by the control system.

Assignees

• Exel Ind

Inventors

• Hemmerle Matthieu
• Dias Jérôme

Classifications

• B05B12/122

  responsive to presence or shape of target (B05B12/124 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A01M7/0089 Primary

  Regulating or controlling systems (the delivery being related to the movement of a vehicle B05B9/06) · CPC title