Browsing by Person "Zhang, Yang"

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Development of multifunctional unmanned aerial vehicles versus ground seeding and outplanting: What is more effective for improving the growth and quality of rice culture?
(2022) Qi, Peng; Wang, Zhichong; Wang, Changling; Xu, Lin; Jia, Xiaoming; Zhang, Yang; Wang, Shubo; Han, Leng; Li, Tian; Chen, Bo; Li, Chunyu; Mei, Changjun; Pan, Yayun; Zhang, Wei; Müller, Joachim; Liu, Yajia; He, Xiongkui
The agronomic processes are complex in rice production. The mechanization efficiency is low in seeding, fertilization, and pesticide application, which is labor-intensive and time-consuming. Currently, many kinds of research focus on the single operation of UAVs on rice, but there is a paucity of comprehensive applications for the whole process of seeding, fertilization, and pesticide application. Based on the previous research synthetically, a multifunctional unmanned aerial vehicle (mUAV) was designed for rice planting management based on the intelligent operation platform, which realized three functions of seeding, fertilizer spreading, and pesticide application on the same flight platform. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were used for machine design. Field trials were used to measure operating parameters. Finally, a comparative experimental analysis of the whole process was conducted by comparing the cultivation patterns of mUAV seeding (T1) with mechanical rice direct seeder (T2), and mechanical rice transplanter (T3). The comprehensive benefit of different rice management processes was evaluated. The results showed that the downwash wind field of the mUAV fluctuated widely from 0 to 1.5 m, with the spreading height of 2.5 m, and the pesticide application height of 3 m, which meet the operational requirements. There was no significant difference in yield between T1, T2, and T3 test areas, while the differences in operational efficiency and input labor costs were large. In the sowing stage, T1 had obvious advantages since the working efficiency was 2.2 times higher than T2, and the labor cost was reduced by 68.5%. The advantages were more obvious compared to T3, the working efficiency was 4 times higher than in T3, and the labor cost was reduced by 82.5%. During the pesticide application, T1 still had an advantage, but it was not a significant increase in advantage relative to the seeding stage, in which operating efficiency increased by 1.3 times and labor costs were reduced by 25%. However, the fertilization of T1 was not advantageous due to load and other limitations. Compared to T2 and T3, operational efficiency was reduced by 80% and labor costs increased by 14.3%. It is hoped that this research will provide new equipment for rice cultivation patterns in different environments, while improving rice mechanization, reducing labor inputs, and lowering costs.
Visualization of lidar-based 3D droplet distribution detection for air-assisted spraying
(2023) Wang, Zhichong; Zhang, Yang; Li, Tian; Müller, Joachim; He, Xiongkui
Air-assisted spraying is a commonly used spraying method for orchard plant protection operations. However, its spraying parameters have complex effects on droplet distribution. The lack of large-scale 3D droplet density distribution measurement methods of equipment has limited the optimization of spraying parameters. Therefore, there is a need to develop a method that can quickly obtain 3D droplet distribution. In this study, a 2D LiDAR was used to quickly scan moving droplets in the air, and a test method that can obtain the visualization of 3D droplet distribution was constructed by using the traveling mode of the machine perpendicular to the scanning plane. The 3D droplet distribution at different positions of the nozzle installed in the air-assisted system was tested at different fan rotation speeds, and the methods for signal processing, point cloud noise reduction, and point cloud division for 2D LiDAR were developed. The results showed that the LiDAR-based method for detecting 3D droplet distribution is feasible, fast, and environmentally friendly.