Vision system for automated harvester and method for operating a vision system for an automated harvester
AssigneeMycionics Inc.
InventorsStefan Glibetic, Scott Hayden
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Provided are a system, method(s), and apparatus for automatically harvesting mushrooms from a mushroom bed. The system, in one implementation, may be referred to herein as an “automated harvester”, having at least an apparatus/frame/body/structure for supporting and positioning the harvester on a mushroom bed, a vision system for scanning and identifying mushrooms in the mushroom bed, a picking system for harvesting the mushrooms from the bed, and a control system for directing the picking system according to data acquired by the vision system. Various other components, sub-systems, and connected systems may also be integrated into or coupled to the automated harvester.
Claims21
A vision system for an automated harvester, the vision system comprising:
- a rail sized to extend across a first dimension of a growing bed and be supported above the growing bed by a frame of the automated harvester;
- a plurality of 3D scanners spaced along the rail to span across the first dimension of the growing bed that lies beneath the rail, each 3D scanner comprising:
- a laser;
- a slot to permit an output from the laser to be directed by the laser towards the growing bed below the rail;
- at least one camera to capture images of items in the growing bed that intersect the output from the laser emitted from the slot;
- and
- a processing unit to process the captured images from the plurality of 3D scanners.
A method for operating a vision system for an automated harvester, the vision system comprising a rail sized to extend across a first dimension of a growing bed and be supported above the growing bed by a frame of the automated harvester, and a processing unit, the method comprising:
- providing a plurality of 3D scanners spaced along the rail to span across the first dimension of the growing bed that lies beneath the rail;
- directing an output emitted by a laser of at least one of the 3D scanners, through a slot of the at least one 3D scanner, towards the growing bed below the rail;
- using at least one camera to capture images of items in the growing bed that intersect from the output from the laser emitted from the slot;
- and
- processing the captured images from the plurality of 3D scanners, using the processing unit.
A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for operating a vision system for an automated harvester, the vision system comprising a rail sized to extend across a first dimension of a growing bed and be supported above the growing bed by a frame of the automated harvester, and a processing unit, the instructions comprising instructions for:
- providing a plurality of 3D scanners spaced along the rail to span across the first dimension of the growing bed that lies beneath the rail;
- directing an output emitted by a laser of at least one of the 3D scanners, through a slot of the at least one 3D scanner, towards the growing bed below the rail;
- using at least one camera to capture images of items in the growing bed that intersect the output from the laser emitted from the slot;
- and
- processing the captured images from the plurality of 3D scanners, using the processing unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.