Weed inactivation device

A weed inactivation device, comprising at least one electrode, whereby the at least one electrode is directed to the weed, wherein

• the at least one electrode is supplied with electrical energy by at least one electrical power supply,
• whereby the at least one electrical power supply is followed by at least one pre-charge unit to pre-charge the at least one capacitor,
• which at least one capacitor acts as an energy consumption buffer,
• the at least one pre-charge unit attenuating the inrush current of the at least one capacitor.

A weed inactivation device, comprising at least one electrode, whereby the at least one electrode is directed to the weed, wherein

• the at least one electrode is supplied with electrical energy by at least one electrical power supply,
• whereby the at least one power supply comprises means to limit voltage peaks on the circuit, whereby the means are selected from the group consisting of:
• Inductive Voltage Peak Control, which ensures a limit to the Voltage Peaks at the secondary by limiting the relation between the inherent inductive properties of the transformer and an external inductor,
• AC/DC Voltage Peak Control that is in parallel with the application and that rectifies a small part of the output running it through a capacitor and a resistance, limiting the voltage peaks by charging/discharging the capacitor with a small fraction of the total power of the System through a resistance, and
• a Selective Harmonic Elimination (SHE) solution to filter out problematic harmonics that may cause increase in voltage.

A weed inactivation device, comprising at least one electrode, whereby the at least one electrode is directed to the weed, wherein a detector detects individual weeds with a sensor, selected from the group consisting of:

• X-ray cameras, single sensors and sensor matrices for the detection of environmental properties and, where appropriate, material-covered structures,
• X-ray spectroscopic or light spectroscopic sensors or sensor matrices on the ground surface or near the applicator under the ground surface for correlative prediction of structures and the adaptation of the process parameters to the soil properties,
• Radar cameras, single sensors and sensor matrices for the detection of subterranean structures and above-ground spatial conditions;
• Ultrasonic sensors for recognizing and characterizing the spatial structures for selective process parameter settings,
• Active and passive camera systems, single sensors and sensor matrices in the radiation range of 250-3500 nm for the generation of two-dimensional or three-dimensional optical images of the structures or correlated surface structures or radiation emissions with specific structural features such as UV emission, color, absorption capacity for certain wavelength, water content etc. for the process-oriented characterization of the current applicators and the structures,
• Active fluorescence camera systems, single sensors and sensor matrices (chlorophyll fluorescence and other structural constituents) for the selective characterization of the structures and their process-induced change in the electrocution process for the control of the electrocution and optimization of the process parameters and documentation of the work results,
• Thermal imaging cameras, single sensors and sensor matrices for safety monitoring of the process cycle,
• Terahertz cameras, single sensors and sensor matrices for the determination of the surfaces and refraction properties of the structures for location and process monitoring,
• Mechanical transmission and laser-optic systems with triangulation or transit time measurement for locating the structures and their surface properties, or for avoiding spatial hazards of the electrochemical systems, carrier systems and the actuator control,
• Spatial imaging sensors in the surroundings of the carrier vehicle and the cur-rent applicators using ultrasound, laser systems, radar systems or other spatial scanning and imaging methods for the purpose of creating a spatial work model,
• Environmental monitoring sensors to determine properties such as humidity, dew point, water film, rain strength, temperature (soil, soil surface, air for process optimization of electrocution,
• Chemical/physical sensitivities such as ozone measurement, smoke, carbon monoxide, VOC, soil conductivity, water content, traction force of the applicators for process characterization and safety control,
• Magnetic and induction sensors for the detection of metallic materials for process control,
• Field-measuring sensors in the ground for optimized control of the electrocution parameters, and
• Electrotechnical process monitoring sensors of the electrocution system (e.g. currents, voltages, frequency).

An electronic weeding circuit, comprising at least two of the following components:

• an alternator or other AC power source,
• an inductive Current Limiting Reactor (CLR) to limit current,
• a rectifier or rectification bridge to provide DC for the DC/AC converter (usually a square-wave h-bridge inverter),
• a capacitor bank to provide and reduces the voltage ripple for the DC/AC converter (usually a square-wave h-bridge inverter), and,
• a transformer.