Development of a flexible electronic control unit for seamless integration of machine vision to CAN-enabled boom sprayers for spot application technology

This research work aimed to develop an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) to establish a flexible bridge between machine vision and boom sprayer to control nozzles individually for pesticide spot application based on the Controller Area Network (CAN). The ECU consisted of two electronic entities. The fir...

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Main Authors: Mozammel Bin Motalab, Ahmad Al-Mallahi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-12-01
Series:Smart Agricultural Technology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772375524002235
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author Mozammel Bin Motalab
Ahmad Al-Mallahi
author_facet Mozammel Bin Motalab
Ahmad Al-Mallahi
author_sort Mozammel Bin Motalab
collection DOAJ
description This research work aimed to develop an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) to establish a flexible bridge between machine vision and boom sprayer to control nozzles individually for pesticide spot application based on the Controller Area Network (CAN). The ECU consisted of two electronic entities. The first used UART protocol to parse machine vision messages, detect pest areas, and convert them into binary arrays for nozzle activation. The second received these arrays and generated nozzle controller CAN frames which were broadcast to control the sprayer nozzles on the implement bus. The ECU was tested in four scenarios involving combinations of three machine vision systems and two nozzle systems. The lab tests confirmed, assuming accurate detections, the ECU successfully sent spray commands to all targets across various camera-nozzle ratios. However, at specific ratios (1:3 and 1:6), some nozzles opened in unintended patterns. In the fourth scenario conducted in the field at a 1:2 ratio, all targets were sprayed regardless of their dimensions and distribution in the field. In this scenario, the sprayer operated at speeds of 3.22 km/h, 6.44 km/h, and 9.66 km/h, demonstrating real-time spraying with 55° angled nozzles, where the ECU sent CAN messages every 10ms and issued 400 ms spray commands upon detection, achieving a minimum spray length of 345 mm per detection.
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publishDate 2024-12-01
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spelling doaj-art-8c131535257c44b4a8dba51d9f76a3182024-12-13T11:08:04ZengElsevierSmart Agricultural Technology2772-37552024-12-019100618Development of a flexible electronic control unit for seamless integration of machine vision to CAN-enabled boom sprayers for spot application technologyMozammel Bin Motalab0Ahmad Al-Mallahi1Department of Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro (Nova Scotia) B2N 5E3, CanadaCorresponding author.; Department of Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro (Nova Scotia) B2N 5E3, CanadaThis research work aimed to develop an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) to establish a flexible bridge between machine vision and boom sprayer to control nozzles individually for pesticide spot application based on the Controller Area Network (CAN). The ECU consisted of two electronic entities. The first used UART protocol to parse machine vision messages, detect pest areas, and convert them into binary arrays for nozzle activation. The second received these arrays and generated nozzle controller CAN frames which were broadcast to control the sprayer nozzles on the implement bus. The ECU was tested in four scenarios involving combinations of three machine vision systems and two nozzle systems. The lab tests confirmed, assuming accurate detections, the ECU successfully sent spray commands to all targets across various camera-nozzle ratios. However, at specific ratios (1:3 and 1:6), some nozzles opened in unintended patterns. In the fourth scenario conducted in the field at a 1:2 ratio, all targets were sprayed regardless of their dimensions and distribution in the field. In this scenario, the sprayer operated at speeds of 3.22 km/h, 6.44 km/h, and 9.66 km/h, demonstrating real-time spraying with 55° angled nozzles, where the ECU sent CAN messages every 10ms and issued 400 ms spray commands upon detection, achieving a minimum spray length of 345 mm per detection.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772375524002235Precision agriculture,Spot applicationImplement busISOBUSController area network
spellingShingle Mozammel Bin Motalab
Ahmad Al-Mallahi
Development of a flexible electronic control unit for seamless integration of machine vision to CAN-enabled boom sprayers for spot application technology
Smart Agricultural Technology
Precision agriculture,
Spot application
Implement bus
ISOBUS
Controller area network
title Development of a flexible electronic control unit for seamless integration of machine vision to CAN-enabled boom sprayers for spot application technology
title_full Development of a flexible electronic control unit for seamless integration of machine vision to CAN-enabled boom sprayers for spot application technology
title_fullStr Development of a flexible electronic control unit for seamless integration of machine vision to CAN-enabled boom sprayers for spot application technology
title_full_unstemmed Development of a flexible electronic control unit for seamless integration of machine vision to CAN-enabled boom sprayers for spot application technology
title_short Development of a flexible electronic control unit for seamless integration of machine vision to CAN-enabled boom sprayers for spot application technology
title_sort development of a flexible electronic control unit for seamless integration of machine vision to can enabled boom sprayers for spot application technology
topic Precision agriculture,
Spot application
Implement bus
ISOBUS
Controller area network
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772375524002235
work_keys_str_mv AT mozammelbinmotalab developmentofaflexibleelectroniccontrolunitforseamlessintegrationofmachinevisiontocanenabledboomsprayersforspotapplicationtechnology
AT ahmadalmallahi developmentofaflexibleelectroniccontrolunitforseamlessintegrationofmachinevisiontocanenabledboomsprayersforspotapplicationtechnology