Drift correction during the application of crop protection agents

An unmanned aerial vehicle for applying a crop protection product to a field on which crop plants are grown, comprising:

• a tank to store the crop protection product;
• at least one nozzle to convey the crop protection product from the tank and apply the crop protection product to the field;
• a storage unit for storing a digital application map in which amounts of crop protection product to be applied are recorded for individual partial areas of the field;
• and
• a control unit configured to maneuver the aerial vehicle along a route above the field and apply the crop protection product to the field via the at least one nozzle according to the digital application map while the unmanned aerial vehicle passes over the field,
• wherein the control unit is configured to determine, based on a plurality of parameters measured during the application of the crop protection product, amounts of the crop protection product that reach partial areas of the field that, according to the route and/or the digital application map, should not and/or not yet be treated with crop protection product, and wherein the plurality of parameters comprises at least:
• the spatial distribution of the crop protection product, a plurality of wind parameters, and a plurality of application parameters,
• wherein the control unit is configured to compute or update drift parameters to compensate for drift phenomena, wherein the drift parameters are computed or updated such that, during application, no amounts of the crop protection product reach the partial areas that, according to the digital application map, should not and/or not yet be treated with the crop protection product, and wherein the computing or updating is based on the determined amounts of the crop protection product that reach the partial areas of the field that, according to the route and/or the digital application map, should not and/or not yet be treated with crop protection product.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions encoded thereon that, when executed by a control unit, cause the control unit to:

• provide a digital application map for a field comprising indications of amounts of a crop protection product to be applied for individual partial areas of the field;
• cause the autonomous aerial vehicle to pass over the field along a route and apply the crop protection product via at least one nozzle;
• determine, based on a plurality of parameters measured during the application of the crop protection product, amounts of the crop protection product that reach partial areas of the field that, according to the route and/or the digital application map, should not and/or not yet be treated with crop protection product, and wherein the plurality of parameters comprises at least:
• the spatial distribution of the crop protection product, a plurality of wind parameters, and a plurality of application parameters;
• and
• compute or update drift parameters to compensate for drift phenomena, wherein the drift parameters are computed or updated such that, during further application, no amounts of the crop protection product reach the partial areas that, according to the digital application map, should not and/or not yet be treated with the crop protection product, and wherein the computing or updating is based on the determined amounts of the crop protection product that reach the partial areas of the field that, according to the route and/or the digital application map, should not and/or not yet be treated with crop protection product.