Development and evaluation of drone mounted sprayer for pesticide applications to crops
Application of crop protection materials is one of the crucial operations in agriculture to meet ever demanding food production. The drone mounted sprayer mainly consists of BLDC motors, LiPo (Lithium polymer) batteries, peticide tank, pump, and supporting frame. Six BLDC motors were mounted to hexa-copter frame to lift of 5 kg payload capacity. Two LiPo batteries of 6 cells — 8000mAh were used to supply the necessary current required for the propulsion system. A 5 liter capacity conical-square shaped fluid tank was used to hold the pesticide solution. A 12 V DC motor coupled with pump was used to pressurize spray liquid and then to atomize in to fine spray droplets by means of four nozzles. A suitable aluminium supporting frame was used to mount the spray liquid tank, sprayer motor, spray and supporting legs (landing gears) for safe take-off and landing. The entire drone mounted sprayer operation controlling with the help of transmitter at ground level, HD FPV camera also provide at front down side of drone sprayer unit to monitoring the live spaying operation. 1.08 ha h−1, respectively at a forward speed of 3.6 km h−1 and 1m height of spray. The cost of operation for groundnut and paddy crops using drone mounted sprayer has been worked out 345 and Rs. 367 Rs ha−1 respectively. The spray uniformity was increased with increase in height of spray and operating pressure. A VMD and NMD of spray droplet size were measured and it was found to be 345 and 270 μm, respectively in lab condition. This sprayer is very useful where human interventions are not possible for spraying of chemicals on crops including rice fields and orchard crops as well as crops under terrain lands. This technology greatly helpful for small farming community in reducing cost of pesticide application and environmental pollution but also biological efficacy of application technology.
Agriculture Drone for Spraying Fertilizer and Pesticides
The application of pesticides and fertilizers in agricultural areas is of prime importance for crop yields. The use of aircraftsis becoming increasingly common in carrying out this taskmainly because of its speed and effectiveness in the sprayingoperation. However, some factors may reduce the yield, oreven cause damage (e.g. crop areas not covered in the sprayingprocess, overlapping spraying of crop areas, applying pesticideson the outer edge of the crop). Climatic condition,such as the intensity and direction of the wind while sprayingadd further complexity to the control problem. In this paper,we describe an architecture based on unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs) which can be employed to implement a controlloop for agricultural applications where UAVs are responsiblefor spraying chemicals on crops. The process of applyingthe chemicals is controlled by means of the feedback obtainedfrom the wireless sensor network (WSN) deployed onthe crop field. The aim of this solution is to support short delaysin the control loop so that the spraying UAV can processthe information from the sensors. We evaluate an algorithmto adjust the UAV route under changes in wind intensity anddirection. Moreover, we evaluate the impact of the numberof communication messages between the UAV and minimize the waste of pesticides.
The RMAX Helicopter UAV
Abstract : In Japan, chemical spraying by manned helicopter was started in 1958, nowadays it has spread throughout Japan. But residents who live near paddy rice field have began to complain of using 'manned helicopter', because the agricultural chemical drifts to their houses. Looking at the Japanese farming industry, because of the aging of the work force and lack of a younger generation of successors, it has been more and more difficult for farm workers to engage in heavy labor for pest control. In light of this situation, Yamaha Motor Co. LTD began developing industrial-use, unmanned helicopters in the 1980s. In 1990 we delivered the first unmanned helicopter for crop dusting. Among a total of 1,565 unmanned helicopters, 1,220 units of Yamaha unmanned helicopter have been sold and are in use as of October 2001, in Japan. There are two reasons why unmanned helicopters have become popular in Japan. First, the unmanned helicopter has such performance that farmers can control it easily and spray paddy fields effectively. Second, the unmanned helicopters are safely operated in Japan. The Japanese government has made numerous standards and an operator licensing system. In adding to this, Yamaha provides its own training system for operators and servicemen. Based on this unmanned helicopter, we have developed an autonomous flight control system. Because our autonomous, unmanned helicopter has succeeded in observation roles at erupting volcanoes, the Japanese government and other industries have began to be attracted to the operation of unmanned helicopters.