A Novel Pressure and Flow Control Technique for Variable-Rate Precision Agricultural Sprayer

Abstract

In this paper, a novel pressure and flow control technique is being applied in a variable rate precision agricultural sprayer. The spraying method used is based on variable rate application (VRA) that uses the solenoid valves on the boom in a direct action mode for chemical treatment of the desire plantation only. This procedure needs the solenoid-valve nozzles (SVNs) on the boom to be operated in varying numbers and combinations depending on the available numbers of targets on the go. The control is based on rejecting the disturbance in pressure caused by varying numbers of activated SVNs. Therefore, maintaining a constant pressure on the boom to keep the flow rate and droplet size uniform at each SVN. Two control techniques, Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) and Cascaded Feedback Control are designed and assisted with the SVNs disturbance model for pressure regulation. The estimated disturbance model compensates for the fluctuations in the pressure in the sprayer's boom. The sprayer performance is evaluated with preliminary experimental results for a 6 SVNs boom sprayer. © 2022 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.