US 12,757,812 B2 · Image segmentation for row following and associated training system

Abstract

Methods and systems related to computer vision for agricultural applications are disclosed herein. A disclosed method for navigating a robot along a crop row, in which each step is computer-implemented by a navigation system for the robot, includes capturing an image of at least a portion of the crop row, labeling, using a segmentation network, a portion of the image with a label, deriving a navigation path from the portion of the image and the label, generating a control signal for the autonomous navigation system to follow the navigation path, and navigating the robot along the crop row using the control signal.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A method for navigating a robot along a crop row, in which each step is computer-implemented by a navigation system for the robot, the method comprising:

training a segmentation network using a set of images of a set of crop rows and a set of synthesized training images generated using the set of images, wherein the set of images comprises 100 or fewer images and wherein the set of synthesized training images comprises 500 or more images;
capturing an image of at least a portion of a crop row of the set of crop rows;
labeling, using the segmentation network, a portion of the image with a label;
deriving a navigation path from the portion of the image and the label;
generating a control signal for the navigation system to follow the navigation path;
and
navigating the robot along the crop row using the control signal.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

18/869,592Filed 25 May 2023 · us provisional application

Priority

26 May 2022

Published

US 2025/0295050 A125 Sep 2025

Granted

13 Oct 2026

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

A01B 69/008
Steering or guiding of agricultural vehicles, e.g. steering of the tractor to keep the plough in the furrow: automatic
A01B 69/001
Steering of agricultural machines or implements; Guiding agricultural machines or implements on a desired track: steering by means of optical…
G05D 1/243
Arrangements for determining position or orientation: means capturing signals occurring naturally from the environment, e.g. ambient optical,…
G06V 20/10
Scenes; Scene-specific elements: terrestrial scenes

Image segmentation for row following and associated training system

Life of this patent

Image segmentation for row following and associated training system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims17