# US 12,213,478 B2 · Method and system for treating plants for use in agriculture, analyzing images captured by camera, and identifying the plants to be treated > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,213,478 B2 - Document ID: US12213478B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/627,381 - Filed: 2020-07-16 - Published: 2022-08-18 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2019-07-16 - Assignees: Bilberry SAS - Applicants: Bilberry SAS - Inventors: Hugo Serrat; Jules Beguerie; Pierre Rouchaud; Loïc Steunou - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12213478B2 ## CPC - A01B 79/005: {Precision agriculture} - A01M 7/0089: {Regulating or controlling systems (the delivery being related to the movement of a vehicle B05B9/06)} - A01C 23/007: {Metering or regulating systems} - B05B 12/16: for controlling the spray area (B05B3/00 takes precedence) - G03B 15/02: Illuminating scene - G06V 10/145: Illumination specially adapted for pattern recognition, e.g. using gratings - A01B: SOIL WORKING IN AGRICULTURE OR FORESTRY; PARTS, DETAILS, OR ACCESSORIES OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINES OR IMPLEMENTS, IN GENERAL (making or covering furrows or holes for sowing, planting or manuring A01C5/00; mowers convertible to soil working apparatus or capable of soil working A01D42/04; mowers combined with soil working implements A01D43/12; soil working for engineering purposes E01, E02, E21) - A01M: CATCHING, TRAPPING OR SCARING OF ANIMALS (appliances for catching swarms or drone-catching A01K57/00; fishing A01K69/00 - {A01K99/00}; biocides, pest repellants or attractants A01N); APPARATUS FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF NOXIOUS ANIMALS OR NOXIOUS PLANTS - A01C: PLANTING; SOWING; FERTILISING (parts, details or accessories of agricultural machines or implements, in general A01B51/00 - A01B75/00) - B05B: SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES (spray-mixers with nozzles B01F25/72; processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces by spraying B05D) - G03B: APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FOR PROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR (optical parts of such apparatus G02B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; apparatus for processing exposed photographic materials G03D) - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING ## Abstract A system for treating plants for use in agriculture, comprising a spray boom provided with a plurality of spray nozzles supplied by a spray control device, the apparatus comprising a set of cameras capable of capturing images of a crop area, a digital processing device capable of analyzing the images captured by the camera, identifying plants to be treated and sending commands to the spray control device with a view to selectively spraying a product on plants to be treated, the apparatus also comprising an arrangement for lighting the crop area captured by the cameras. According to the invention, the lighting arrangement comprises a plurality of projectors distributed along the boom and having fields of illumination such that each point of a scene captured by a camera receives light from at least two projectors in at least two different orientations in a plane passing through the point and the projectors in question. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for treating plants for use in agriculture, comprising a spray boom provided with a plurality of spray nozzles supplied by a spray control device, the system further comprising a set of cameras capable of capturing images of a crop area, a digital processing device capable of analyzing the images captured by the camera, identifying plants to be treated and sending commands to the spray control device with a view to selectively spraying a product on plants to be treated, the system further comprising an arrangement for lighting the crop area captured by the cameras, the lighting arrangement comprising plurality of projectors distributed along the boom and having fields of illumination such that each point of a scene captured by a camera receives light from at least two projectors in at least two different orientations in a plane passing through said point and the projectors in question. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, characterized in that each projector is capable of generating a beam which is generally rectangular and the angular width of which is greater than its angular height. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system according to claim 2, characterized in that the horizontal angular amplitude of the beam is between approximately 35 and 1500°. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The system according to claim 2, characterized in that the angular amplitude of the beam, in a vertical plane, is between approximately 3 and 60°. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the emission characteristics of the projectors in the horizontal direction, the orientation, and their main axes, are such that, passing through a work zone captured by the cameras in a direction transverse to the movement direction, the variation in the quantity of light received does not exceed approximately 30%, preferably approximately 20%. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the projectors are arranged in lighting groups capable of creating light fluxes according to main axes of different orientations. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system according to claim 6, characterized in that the lighting groups are located in the vicinity of respective cameras. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system according to claim 7, characterized in that a light flux has a main axis neighboring the axis of the camera in the vicinity of which the group is located, and at least one other light flux has a main axis that is oblique with respect to the axis of said camera. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system according to claim 8, characterized in that two other light fluxes have two main axes which are oblique with respect to the axis of said camera. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The system according to claim 6, characterized in that said at least one lighting group comprises a set of light sources and a set of associated optics, forming just as many projectors. ### Claim 11 (depends on 6) The system according to claim 6, characterized in that at least one lighting group comprises at least one light source that is common to two fluxes, and at least two optics capable of generating at least two corresponding fluxes according to two different main axes. ### Claim 12 (depends on 6) The system according to claim 6, characterized in that it comprises differentiated control means for light fluxes having different main axes. ### Claim 13 (depends on 6) The system according to claim 6, characterized in that the light fluxes have a higher emission power the more their main axis is inclined with respect to the viewing axes of the cameras. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the light sources are light-emitting diodes of a color temperature of between approximately 5000 and 6500° K, and more particularly close to 6000° K. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system according to claim 14, characterized in that the light-emitting diodes have a Color Rendering Index (CRI) of at least equal to 70, and preferably at least equal to 80. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a light polarizer in front of at least some of the projectors, and a light polarizer in front of at least some cameras. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system according to claim 16, characterized in that the polarizers associated with the projectors and the polarizers associated with the cameras are orthogonal linear polarizers.