Integration of Agronomy with Engineering

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Integration of Agronomy with Engineering

• Development of In-season sensor-based application
  technologies

OSU precision Sensing Team OSU precision Sensing Team OSU precision Sensing Team OSU precision Sensing Team
Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Plant and Soil Science Plant and Soil Science
Marvin Stone, John Solie Bill Raun, Gordon Johnson
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First Generation Sensor-BasedNitrogen Management
Systems
Where next?
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Optical Sensing

• View
• Absorption from plant leaves only ? Chlorophyll
  content
• Sensor with narrow view laser, spot
  measurements
• Strategy to filter measurements from leaves only
• Plant projected area ? Biomass
• Vision based sensing for N independence
• Processing to select plant proportion of view /
  eliminate soil background
• Plant projected area Absorption from plant
  leaves ? N uptake
• Sensor with wide view /nadir orientation
• Need minimal soil background effect
• Side-looking sensors
• Need background?
• Leaning plant issues
• Selective viewing of parts of plants
• Upper and lower leaves

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Other Optical Techniques

• Spectral bands
• Red/NIR, Green/NIR, NIR/short-IR
• Auxillary pigments / xanthophyll
• Water
• Fluorescence
• Chlorophyll fluorescence now have Ultra-bright
  Blue LEDs
• stress detection
• UV excitation now have UV LEDs!
• GMO markers / indicators

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Other parameters?

• Height top of crop canopy
• Ultrasound
• RADAR
• Low cost FMCW devices
• Soil moisture content
• Dielectric
• Neutron scattering
• Electrical conductivity
• Plant population
• vision / optical / mechanical
• Dielectric based plant biomass

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Potential exploitable technologies

• Faster / better micro-controllers
• better data processing more calculations per
  sec.
• Different algorithms, SD on the fly, signal
  filtering/smoothing
• Digital signal processors
• better compensation for interferences
  temperature, noise
• more on-board interfaces
• self-diagnostics
• multiple parameters (eg. shaft encoder
  temperature etc.)
• Flash technology
• Sensors etc. can be readily re-programmable
• New functions as time progresses by downloading
  program
• Multi-function devices
• EEPROM
• Large on-board non-volatile memory remembers
  history

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Potential exploitable technologies cont-

• Communications Networks
• Types
• CAN ISO 11783 / J1939
• Standardized messaging compatible with Ag.
  equipment
• VTs becoming available
• RF Bluetooth and other spread spectrum
• POF
• Advantages - Flexible distribution of tasks on
  machines
• Sensors can talk with central box
• Downloadable configuration / code
• Sensor to sensor coordination
• Economical reliable wiring
• Centralized diagnostics

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Potential exploitable technologies cont-

• MEMS
• Better accelerometers / pressure transducers
• Better guidance / Boom leveling
• Cheaper pressure measurement / nozzle level?
• New sensing technologies
• Micro-pulse RADAR
• IR detectors
• Optical switches

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Greenseeker Optical Geometry
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Greenseeker system layout
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Greenseeker handheld layout