Numerical Simulation of Protective Spraying by Helicopter-Type Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Abstract

The paper outlines the potential applications of unmanned aerial vehicles for the delivery of pesticides and agrochemicals. It addresses key challenges in implementing UAV technology, particularly the development and use of accurate modeling tools for predicting application processes and indicators. Additionally, the paper discusses the unique aspects of research conducted in this field. (Research purpose) The study aims to develop and test application software for numerical modeling of the processes and indicators involved in protective spraying of agricultural targets using multicopters. (Materials and methods) The paper integrates scientific and technical information, experimental data, system analysis methods, applied statistics, mathematical modeling of physical objects and processes, and solutions to differential and integral equations. These tools are used to describe the processes, building on previously developed methodological approaches for studying the aerial distribution of substances. (Results and discussion) A software package for modeling the processes and parameters of spraying by multicopters has been developed, with its detailed functional block diagram provided. The paper illustrates the implementation features of the system’s main blocks and modules, including modeling the inductive wave of a multicopter, droplet deposition, working fluid application indicators and fullarea coverage. The adequacy, reliability, and acceptable accuracy of the modeling results are validated through comparison with experimental data. The paper presents the results of correlation and multiple regression analyses obtained through multivariate numerical modeling, using the DJI Agras T20 hexacopter as an example for protective spraying. (Conclusions) The paper confirms the functionality and potential of the developed and tested computational and software system for numerical modeling of protective spraying. This system is designed to address both scientific and practical challenges related to the implementation of multicopters in agricultural production. The study identifies qualitative and quantitative relationships between individual parameters and target indicators of protective spraying from multicopters. Additionally, significant multi-parameter power regressions are determined for assessing the target indicators of spraying.

Keywords

• unmanned aerial vehicle
• agricultural production
• protective spraying
• process modeling
• application rate
• application quality
• processing effi ciency