Abstract
Automatic Section Control (ASC) is a long-standing trend for spraying in agriculture. It promises to minimise spray overlap areas. The core idea is to (i) switch off spray nozzles on areas that have already been sprayed, and (ii) to dynamically adjust nozzle flow rates along the boom bar that holds the spray nozzles when velocities of boom sections vary during turn maneuvers. ASC is not possible without sensors, in particular for accurate positioning data. Spraying and the movement of modern wide boom bars are highly dynamic processes. In addition, many uncertainty factors have an effect such as cross wind drift, boom height, nozzle clogging in open-field conditions, and so forth. In view of this complexity, the natural question arises if a simpler alternative exist. Therefore, an Automatic Multi-Sections Control method is compared to a proposed simpler one- or two-sections alternative that uses predictive spray switching. The comparison is provided under nominal conditions. Agricultural spraying is intrinsically linked to area coverage path planning and spray switching logic. Combinations of two area coverage path planning and switching logics as well as three sections-setups are compared. The three sections-setups differ by controlling 48 sections, 2 sections or controlling all nozzles uniformly with the same control signal as one single section. Methods are evaluated on 10 diverse real-world field examples, including non-convex field contours, freeform mainfield lanes and multiple obstacle areas. A preferred method is suggested that (i) minimises area coverage pathlength, (ii) offers intermediate overlap, (iii) is suitable for manual driving by following a pre-planned predictive spray switching logic for an area coverage path plan, and (iv) and in contrast to ASC can be implemented sensor-free and therefore at low cost.
Abstract (translated)
自动分区控制（ASC）在农业喷洒中是一个长期的趋势，它承诺能够最小化喷洒重叠区域。核心理念是：(i) 关闭已经完成喷洒的区域上的喷嘴，并(ii) 在转向操作过程中动态调整喷杆上各喷嘴流速以应对不同部分速度的变化。没有传感器，特别是精准定位数据的情况下，ASC是不可能实现的。现代农业中宽幅喷杆的喷洒过程和移动是高度动态化的，此外还有许多不确定性因素会影响其效果，比如侧风漂移、喷杆高度、开放环境下的喷头堵塞等问题。鉴于这种复杂性，一个自然的问题便产生了：是否有一种更简单的替代方法存在。 因此，自动多分区控制法与一种使用预测式喷洒切换的单区或双区简化方案进行了比较，其中比较是在标准条件下进行的。农业喷洒本质上与覆盖路径规划和喷洒切换逻辑密切相关。两种面积覆盖路径规划及三种不同分区设置（分别控制48个部分、2个部分或者所有喷嘴使用相同的单一信号统一控制）的组合被加以对比。 这种方法在10种不同的实际田地情况中进行了评估，包括非凸轮廓、自由形状的主要农田道路以及多个障碍区域。推荐的方法是：(i) 最小化覆盖路径长度；(ii) 提供适度重叠；(iii) 适合手动驾驶，并遵循预规划的预测式喷洒切换逻辑进行覆盖路径计划；(iv) 并且与ASC不同，这种方法可以无传感器实现，因此成本较低。
URL
https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.11573
