Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01C—PLANTING; SOWING; FERTILISING
  • A01C21/00—Methods of fertilising, sowing or planting
  • A01C21/007—Determining fertilization requirements
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01W—METEOROLOGY
  • G01W1/00—Meteorology
  • G01W1/02—Instruments for indicating weather conditions by measuring two or more variables, e.g. humidity, pressure, temperature, cloud cover or wind speed
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01B—SOIL WORKING IN AGRICULTURE OR FORESTRY; PARTS, DETAILS, OR ACCESSORIES OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINES OR IMPLEMENTS, IN GENERAL
  • A01B79/00—Methods for working soil
  • A01B79/005—Precision agriculture

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the technical field of agriculture, and more particularly to the field relating to the application of agricultural inputs, and in particular Products for the Protection of Plants (or PPP), on an agricultural surface.
• agricultural inputs or inputs within the meaning of the present invention, is meant throughout the following description the various products brought to land and crops; generally, the inputs do not come from the farm or its proximity. Such inputs are not naturally present in the soil; they are added to it to improve crop yields. They can be PPP, phytosanitary products, biocontrol products, additives, fertilizers, amendments (elements improving the physical and chemical properties of the soil, such as for example sand, peat or even lime), growth promoters or retarders.
• One of the objects of the present invention is to improve the efficiency of inputs to promote the yield of crops obtained on an agricultural area.
• One of the other objects of the present invention is to provide a solution aimed at optimizing the application of inputs, in particular PPP, on an agricultural surface, taking into account the very local and specific context during the application, and in particular the contextual data. spray.
• contextual spray parameters or contextual spray data. These different contextual parameters can vary significantly from one plot to another, even if they are neighboring. On actual and local micro-meteorological conditions, for example, the Applicant observes that a plot located on a slope exposed to the South does not experience the same ambient conditions as a neighboring plot located on a slope exposed to the North.
• the present invention will thus find many advantageous applications in the field of agriculture, including in particular viticulture, arboriculture or even field crops, by providing farmers with a predictive recommendation before preparing the application of the input, by real time during the application of the input and after the application on the optimal dosages to be applied on an agricultural surface according to the very local and specific context of the farm.
• Mobile weather stations are in the form of one or more sensors on board agricultural machinery of the sprayer type; Such devices may for example correspond to a tractor towing a spray boom comprising several spray nozzles.
• Such stations measure spraying conditions in real time. They are known for example from documents CA2631237A1 and AU2018205113A1.
• the measurements are recorded in the memory of the sensor (s) by means of a connected electronic box such as "data logger” for example; they may also not be recorded.
• Such stations are necessarily connected to the electronic systems of the tractor or to the spraying means of the latter and display the measurements on the console of the tractor or on a control screen.
• Fixed weather stations are anchored in the ground on or near the agricultural surface to be treated.
• Such stations are thus configured to measure the spraying conditions at a fixed location on the farm with a measurement frequency of between 15 minutes and 1 hour.
• These weather stations typically measure humidity, temperature, wind speed, wind gusts and wind direction.
• the connected meteorological stations do not take into account the other parameters of the very local and specific context of the operation and they do not give any recommendations on the dose of input to be applied.
• the present invention aims to improve the situation described above
• the present invention aims in particular to remedy at least one of the various technical problems mentioned above by proposing an intelligent solution for managing and optimizing the doses of inputs by taking into account the contextual parameters of the spraying.
• the object of the present invention relates according to a first aspect to a method for managing the dosage of inputs, in particular the PPP to be applied to a surface by an agricultural machine comprising means for applying the inputs.
• the method is implemented by computer means and comprises the following steps: at least one measurement of a micro-meteorological condition in the ambient environment of the machine by at least one meteorological sensor on board the machine. agricultural machinery; a collection by a central unit of at least one meteorological datum containing at least one item of information relating to at least one measured micro-meteorological condition; a first transmission of at least one meteorological datum collected to a remote management server; remote processing of at least one meteorological datum by the management server to generate a recommendation for the dosage of the inputs to be applied to the surface according to a predetermined dosage model; and a second transmission of the generated recommendation to a communication terminal.
• the dosage model takes into consideration at least one spraying contextual datum independent of said at least one meteorological datum measured to generate a dosage recommendation taking into account the actual spraying conditions.
• the farmer has a meteorological station solution which is autonomous and connected to a remote server of the “cloud” type (server in the clouds) capable of processing the meteorological data collected and enrich them with one or more additional parameters (or contextual spraying data) on the very local and specific context of the farm (actual local conditions of the agricultural surface) according to a dosage recommendation model to provide the 'farmer on a communication terminal of the “Smartphone” type or equivalent an advisory service to optimize his dosage of inputs in order to increase crop yield while limiting the potential risks associated with inputs (overdose, application on plots neighbors or living quarters, etc.).
• a meteorological station solution which is autonomous and connected to a remote server of the “cloud” type (server in the clouds) capable of processing the meteorological data collected and enrich them with one or more additional parameters (or contextual spraying data) on the very local and specific context of the farm (actual local conditions of the agricultural surface) according to a dosage recommendation model to provide the 'farmer on a communication terminal of the “Smartphone” type or equivalent an advisory service to optimize his dosage of
• modulation of the input dose is provided in real time via a connection to ISOBUS or Modbus, in order to optimize the dosage of inputs in real time.
• the method comprises a learning step.
• the dosage recommendation can be made at the start of the treatment process with the inputs and afterwards optionally adjusted according to the actual conditions.
• the recommendation can be generated from a modulation algorithm that is based on micro-meteorological data that is collected in the agricultural plots by an agricultural machine and other types of data (contextual spray data) that characterize the very local and specific context of the farm, such as one or more satellite images, at least one of the farmer's equipment (type of nozzles, pressure, forward speed) or the type of soil or a weather forecast .
• At least one measurement is performed dynamically when the machine is in motion.
• the at least one measurement is implemented by a movement sensor connected to the weather sensor, the movement sensor supplying information relating to the movement of the agricultural machine so as to control the at least one.
• a weather sensor connected to the weather sensor, the movement sensor supplying information relating to the movement of the agricultural machine so as to control the at least one.
• the motion sensor is of the accelerometer type and captures the vibrations generated by the vehicle during movement.
• provision can be made for, during the first transmission step, at least one meteorological data item to be transmitted to the management server in the form of data packets at a determined periodicity.
• the periodicity is between 30 seconds and 15 minutes, preferably 2 minutes.
• At least one meteorological datum also contains geolocation information relating to a position of the machine on the surface.
• Such information can be provided for example by a module of GPS (for “Global Positioning System”) type electronically connected to said meteorological sensor.
• GPS for “Global Positioning System”
• At least one measured weather condition contains at least one of the following information:
• micro-meteorological data are recorded and historized by the management server on a dedicated storage space.
• the recorded and historized meteorological data feeds a “Machine learning” type prediction algorithm aimed at enriching the dosage model.
• This historization therefore makes it possible to enrich the algorithm and to evaluate the differences between the predictions and the measurements of the sensor in order to learn by means of an algorithm learning about the microclimate of the plot and thus to make more reliable weather predictions.
• contextual spraying data can also be recorded and historized to feed the prediction algorithm and thus enrich the dosage model.
• the input application means provide the central unit with information relating to the actual application of the inputs in real time, this input application information then being fed back to the management server which implements an algorithm.
• detection device capable of detecting by comparison a bias between the input dosage recommendations and the actual application of the inputs to the surface.
• the means of application can also feed back to the server via the same channel some of the data relating to the spraying context.
• the dosage model takes into consideration several additional parameters of the very local and specific context of the farm to generate a dosage recommendation including the type of input to be applied and / or the type of application (by spraying for example) and / or the presence of biomass and / or the characteristics and performance of the application means (type of nozzles, colors of the nozzle, spray pressure, etc.) and / or the type of soil.
• the dosage recommendation comprises information relating to a quantity and / or a flow rate of inputs to be applied to said surface.
• the dosage model generates other recommendations such as the type of inputs to be applied to the surface and / or the application means to be used, the possibility of add adjuvants to alleviate bad weather conditions and limit losses of mixture
• the inputs to be applied are selected from the following: fertilizers, APPs, phytosanitary products, biocontrol products or even biosimulation products.
• the communication terminal provides the dosage recommendation to the input application means via wireless communication means to control the application means in order to automatically dose the inputs to be applied.
• the object according to the present invention is a computer program which comprises instructions adapted for the execution of the steps of the method according to the first aspect of the invention, this in particular when the computer program is executed. by at least one processor.
• Such a computer program can use any programming language, and be in the form of a source code, an object code, or an intermediate code between a source code and an object code, such as in a partially compiled form, or in any other desirable form.
• the object of the present invention relates to a recording medium readable by a computer on which is recorded a computer program comprising instructions for the execution of the steps of the method according to the first aspect of the invention.
• the recording medium can be any entity or device capable of storing the program.
• the medium may comprise a storage means, such as a ROM memory, a CD-ROM or a ROM memory of the microelectronic circuit type, or else a magnetic recording means or a hard disk.
• this recording medium can also be a transmissible medium such as an electrical or optical signal, such a signal being able to be conveyed via an electrical or optical cable, by conventional or hertzian radio or by self-directed laser beam or by other ways.
• the computer program according to the invention can in particular be downloaded from an Internet type network.
• the recording medium can be an integrated circuit in which the computer program is incorporated, the integrated circuit being adapted to execute or to be used in the execution of the method in question.
• the object of the present invention relates to a use of the method as described above in the agricultural or wine-growing field.
• the object of the present invention relates to a system for managing the dosage of inputs to be applied to a surface by an agricultural machine comprising means for applying inputs,
• the system comprises a device on board said agricultural machine and a remote management server,
• said device comprises:
• At least one weather sensor configured to measure at least one weather condition in the ambient environment of the machine
• a central unit configured to collect at least one meteorological datum containing at least one piece of information relating to at least one measured meteorological condition
• the first means of communication configured to transmit at least one meteorological datum collected to the management server.
• the management server comprises:
• a processor implementing a predetermined dosage model configured to process said at least one meteorological datum with at least one sputtering contextual datum independent of said at least one meteorological datum measured to generate a dosage recommendation of said inputs to be applied to said surface taking into consideration the actual spraying conditions.
• - second transmission means configured to transmit the generated recommendation to a communication terminal.
• system further comprises means configured for implementing the steps of the method as described above.
• the device is on board an agricultural machine of the self-propelled type, non-towed spraying machine or even a tractor towing a spray boom.
• the system comprises “back-end” type backup means for storing and processing large volumes of data coming from the onboard weather station and from external sources.
• FIG. 1 represents a schematic view of an input metering management system for agricultural machinery according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention
• Figure 2 shows a schematic view of an agricultural machine according to an example in accordance with Figure 1;
• Figure 3 shows a schematic view of an electronic device on board a machine according to Figure 2;
• FIG. 4 represents a flowchart representing the different steps of a method for managing the dosage of inputs according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
• one of the objectives of this document is to provide a recommendation for the dosage of inputs, in particular the PPPs to be applied on an agricultural surface, such a recommendation having to be precise and reliable while taking into account the actual meteorological conditions on said surface and the others. parameters relating to actual local conditions.
• One of the other objectives of the present invention is to avoid the intervention of a specialized technician to establish a connection of a module on the data bus of the electronic system of the machine as is the case today in the state of the art mentioned in the preamble.
• Yet one of the other objectives of the present invention is to be able to enrich the micro-meteorological data with external data representative of the actual local conditions of the surface to be treated (contextual spraying data). Also, the objective is to introduce intelligent algorithms which can, from micro-meteorological data and contextual spraying data, calculate the optimal dose of input and in particular the PPP to be used.
• Such a device 200 will be designated in the remainder of the description by the general term “sprayer”.
• such a sprayer 200 comprises input application means 210 configured to apply the inputs by spraying; this may be, for example, means comprising a tank for storing inputs and a spray boom along which are arranged spray nozzles electronically controllable by a central unit via a data bus (not shown here).
• One of the concepts underlying the present invention is to manage the dosage of inputs according to actual weather conditions and other parameters of the very local and specific context of the farm (contextual spraying data) on the agricultural area to be treated.
• the device 100 more particularly comprises a sensor module 110 illustrated in FIG. 3 comprising a plurality of meteorological sensors 111, 112, 113, 114, each of the sensors 111, 112, 113, 114 being capable of measuring at least one condition meteorological in the ambient environment of the sprayer 200.
• ambient environment it is understood here that it refers to the environment in the immediate vicinity of the sprayer.
• module 110 integrates:
• thermo probe 111 capable of measuring the temperature
• a humidity sensor 112 capable of measuring humidity, and / or
• a wind speed sensor 113 capable of measuring the absolute average wind speed and / or the maximum absolute speed of the gusts and / or the direction of the wind and of the gusts, and / or a pressure sensor 114 capable of measuring atmospheric pressure.
• a removable attachment system (not shown here) ensuring a solid attachment of said module 110 and / or one of the sensors 111, 112, 113, 114 on said sprayer 200 while allowing removal when for example phases of cleaning the sprayer with a karcher or when recharging the battery.
• the attachment system thus ensures that real and unbiased weather measurements are taken.
• the location of said module 110 and / or one of said sensors 111, 112, 113, 114 may vary depending on the nature of the measurement performed.
• the location of the module 110 or of one of the sensors 111, 112, 113, 114 on said sprayer 200 involves several types of attachment system such as for example a system of magnets when the attachment is made on parts. of the sprayer 200 or alternatively by a system of hooks of the “Velcro®” type when the attachment is made to a plastic part of the sprayer 200.
• One of the aspects of the present invention therefore relates to the measurement SI and the collection S2 of meteorological data by these sensors 111, 112, 113, 114.
• the on-board electronic device 100 therefore comprises a plurality of sensors 111, 112, 113 and 114 which are each capable of measuring, during a step S1, at least one meteorological condition in the ambient environment of the vehicle. sprayer 200.
• each of the sensors operate autonomously or semi-autonomously and carry out a measurement according to a periodicity which is specific to it.
• provision is preferably made to carry out these measurements dynamically; that is to say when said sprayer 200 is in motion.
• provision can be made in the device for the implementation of a movement sensor 130 connected to said module 110 and / or to at least one of the sensors 11, 112, 113, 114, said movement sensor 130 of the accelerometer type. then supplies in real time information relating to the movement of the sprayer 200 in order to control at least one of the meteorological sensors 111, 112, 113, 114.
• such a motion sensor 130 is capable of picking up the vibrations generated by the sprayer 200 during movement.
• the sprayer 200 starts up, it generates vibrations: if these vibrations will be greater than a determined threshold value over a determined period, then the sensor (s) 111, 112, 113, 114 are activated and each perform the SI measurement.
• the motion sensor 130 detects the absence of vibration and the sensor or sensors 111, 112, 113, 114 deactivate.
• step SI All the meteorological measurements made during this step SI are then collected during a step S2 in the form of meteorological data DI by the central unit 120 of the device 100.
• the same storage space is used to store data on the very local and specific context of the operation (actual local conditions) which can often be external data. It may for example be a volatile and / or non-volatile memory and / or a memory storage device which may include volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as EEPROM, ROM, PROM, RAM, DRAM, SRAM, flash, magnetic or optical disc
• Another concept underlying the present invention is to intelligently and real-time process and exploit the collected meteorological data DI without having to connect the device 100 to the data bus line of the sprayer 200 (like this). is the case until now with mobile weather stations), but by connecting it by means of communication 150 to a management server 310 remote in the clouds (or "cloud") to process the DI data collected by the weather station and enrich them with external data (global weather model, satellite imagery, etc.) and data specific to farm to offer services and advice to farmers in order to improve the use of inputs in particular.
• clouds or “cloud”
• the device 100 comprises first communication means 150 which, during a step S3, transmit the collected meteorological data DI to the management server 310.
• This transmission S3 takes place in the form of data packets at a periodicity of two. minutes for example.
• such a server 310 comprises a processor 311 capable of remotely processing during a step S4 these data DI to generate a recommendation of RECO dosage of the inputs to be applied to said surface in based on a predetermined dosage pattern.
• This generated RECO recommendation can include other information such as for example a quantity and / or a flow rate of inputs to be applied to the surface.
• the dosage model can generate other recommendations such as, for example, the type of inputs to be applied to the surface and / or the means of application to be used. It is therefore understood in this example that such a processor 311 implements a processing algorithm implementing a model of recommendation of the optimal slots and of dosage capable of calculating a dosage of inputs to be applied as a function of the DI data and of providing numerous other tips.
• the meteorological data DI may be recorded and historized during a step S5 on a dedicated storage space 320 connected to said management server 310.
• It may for example be a volatile memory and / or not.
• volatile and / or a memory storage device which may include volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as EEPROM, ROM, PROM, RAM, DRAM, SRAM, flash, magnetic or optical disk.
• the recorded and historized DI meteorological data can feed a “Machine learning” type prediction algorithm, which uses other data on the very local and specific context of the operation (actual local conditions), aimed at enriching the dosage and thus improve harvest results over time based on a history.
• the assay template may also take into consideration several additional parameters to generate the RECO assay recommendation.
• the models used are based on the data generated by the sensor which is enriched by other data sources on the very local and specific context of the farm: satellite imagery, digital surface model, level of biomass in the plots, input type, global weather predictions from several weather models, stream map, forest map, nozzle type, boom height, type of spray equipment.
• the RECO recommendation is transmitted in a step S6 to a communication terminal 330 (laptop, tablet or "SmartPhone") belonging to the farmer.
• a communication terminal 330 laptop, tablet or "SmartPhone” belonging to the farmer.
• the communication terminal 330 can be capable of providing this RECO dosage recommendation to the means for applying the inputs via an interface block on said device 100, such an interface block possibly comprising one or more of the interfaces. following:
• radiofrequency interface for example of the Bluetooth® or Wi-Fi® type, LTE (from English "Long-Term Evolution” or in French “Long-term Evolution”), LTE-Advanced (or in French LTE-advanced ) (this interface can be assimilated to wireless communication means under the reference 150 in FIG. 3);
• USB interface (standing for “Universal Serial Bus” or “Universal Serial Bus”); - HDMI interface (standing for “High Definition Multimedia Interface”, or “High Definition Multimedia Interface” in French).
• the RECO recommendation data can for example be loaded to the computer of the application means via the interface block using a Wi-Fi® network such as according to IEEE 802.11 or a mobile network such as a 4G network (or LTE Advanced according to 3GPP release 10 - version 10) or 5G.
• a Wi-Fi® network such as according to IEEE 802.11
• a mobile network such as a 4G network (or LTE Advanced according to 3GPP release 10 - version 10) or 5G.
• Such an embodiment makes it possible to automatically control the dosage of the inputs and in particular the PPPs.
• management 310 which implements a detection algorithm capable of detecting S7 by comparing a bias between the input dosage recommendations and the actual application of said inputs to the surface.
• Such an embodiment makes it possible to establish control over the application of the inputs actually applied by comparing them with the RECO recommendation provided. The detection of a bias following this comparison then makes it possible to emit a warning signal on the farmer's terminal 330, for example.
• the present invention proposes in the technical field of agriculture and the application of inputs (phytosanitary products, fertilizers, biocontrol or bio stimulation products, etc. ..) an innovative on-board solution making it possible to:
• the solution proposed here in the context of the present invention makes it possible in particular to trace the interventions carried out by the farmer on his plots (crops, vines, arboriculture or market gardening) and assess the losses and degradation of inputs, in particular. PPPs because of the conditions of application and the very local context of application.
• the on-board device measures the climatic conditions: temperature, hygrometry, wind speed and direction, optionally atmospheric pressure.
• Each measurement is associated with GPS coordinates for geolocation, then transmitted to our remote server implementing an algorithm capable of training a data model which aims to help the farmer to be more efficient in his interventions ( cost and time) and simplify certain administrative tasks with the aim of: optimizing the use of inputs, in particular PPP (reducing doses and / or improving the efficiency of inputs) reducing negative externalities linked to inputs on the environment, facilitating the relationship between farmers and the inhabitants of adjoining housing of agricultural fields, control and trace the use of inputs for the management of conflicts between farmers for cases of input drifts between two fields,
• PPP reducing doses and / or improving the efficiency of inputs

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• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Soil Sciences (AREA)
• Environmental Sciences (AREA)
• Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Atmospheric Sciences (AREA)
• Biodiversity & Conservation Biology (AREA)
• Ecology (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Management, Administration, Business Operations System, And Electronic Commerce (AREA)

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• 2021
  • 2021-02-12 WO PCT/FR2021/050257 patent/WO2021160973A1/fr unknown
  • 2021-02-12 US US17/904,034 patent/US11844298B2/en active Active
  • 2021-02-12 EP EP21708725.3A patent/EP4102951A1/de active Pending

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