Vehicles and methods for treating an agricultural field
AssigneeAGCO International GmbH
InventorEerke Lauwen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vehicle for treating an agricultural field includes a weeding-injection unit and a control unit. The weeding-injection unit includes a valve, at least one weeding knife, at least one actuator configured to move the at least one weeding knife, an injection line carried by the at least one weeding knife, and a valve configured to regulate flow of a substance through the injection line. The control unit is configured to identify a plant and control the at least one actuator and the valve to treat the identified plant. Related methods are also disclosed.
Claims20
A vehicle for treating an agricultural field, comprising:
- a weeding-injection unit comprising:
- a valve;
- at least one weeding knife;
- at least one actuator configured to move the at least one weeding knife;
- an injection line carried by the at least one weeding knife;
- and
- a valve configured to regulate flow of a substance through the injection line;
- and
- a control unit configured to identify a plant and control the at least one actuator and the valve to treat the identified plant.
A method of treating an agricultural field with a vehicle traversing the agricultural field, the method comprising:
- detecting a plant in a crop row;
- determining whether the plant is a crop or a weed;
- if the plant is a crop, moving at least one weeding knife to prevent the at least one weeding knife from contacting the plant as the vehicle traverses the agricultural field, and injecting a substance through an injection line carried by the at least one weeding knife;
- and
- if the plant is a weed, moving the at least one weeding knife to cause the at least one weeding knife to disturb the plant as the vehicle traverses the agricultural field.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.