Seedling counter
AssigneeWeyerhaeuser NR Company
InventorsJimmy Lee Stokes, Edward Joseph Kelleher, JR.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for counting seedlings. A seedling moves through a seedling counter, which comprises a spectral energy emitter and a spectral energy detector. When the spectral energy detector detects a sufficient attenuation of the spectral energy for a sufficient amount of time, the spectral energy detector indicates the presence of a seedling. The spectral energy detector detects irregularities in the received spectral energy to indicate faults in the apparatus. In one embodiment, the seedling counter is adapted to use X-ray energy.
Claims20
A method for counting seedlings, comprising:
- directing energy for impingement on a detector;
- sensing a reduction in detected energy indicating that an object is passing in front of the detector;
- analyzing the reduction in detected energy to determine a size of the object;
- and
- incrementing a seedling count when the size of the object meets one or more size thresholds.
A method for counting seedlings, comprising:
- obtaining a first sample of X-ray radiation received from an X-ray source by a detector, the first sample comprising a count of received X-ray radiation;
- comparing the count of the first sample to a count threshold;
- and
- when the count is less than the count threshold:
- obtaining at least one additional sample of X-ray radiation received from the X-ray source by the detector;
- incrementing a width counter for each consecutive additional sample following the first sample for which a count of the additional sample remains less than the threshold, until an additional sample comprising a count that is not less than the threshold is obtained;
- and
- incrementing a seedling count if the width counter is greater than or equal to a width threshold.
A device for counting seedlings, comprising:
- an X-ray emitter;
- an X-ray detector arranged to detect X-ray radiation emitted by the X-ray emitter;
- and
- a detection processor coupled to the X-ray detector and configured to increment a seedling count upon sufficient attenuation of X-ray radiation detected by the detector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.