US 2019/0244022 A1 · Plant Stand Counter

Abstract

A method for recognizing individual plants of a selected type growing in a field, wherein the method comprises capturing color NIR image data of an entire field having plants of a selected type growing therein utilizing an automated plant counting system and calculating a ratio value between each pixel of the color image data and the corresponding pixel of the NIR image data utilizing a plant recognition algorithm executed via a data processing system of the plant counting system. The method additionally comprises generating, via execution of the plant recognition algorithm, a false color image of the field based on the calculated ratios for each pixel, and identifying, via execution of the plant recognition algorithm, all plants of the selected type in the false color image based on a plant distinguishing characteristic uniquely rendered for each individual plant of the selected type in the false color image.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A method for detecting individual plants growing in a field, said method comprising:

capturing color image data and near infrared (NIR) image data of a plurality of plants growing in a field utilizing a self-propelled mobile platform having one or more multispectral cameras suspended above a ground surface;
calculating a ratio value between each pixel of the color image data and each corresponding pixel of the NIR image data utilizing a plant recognition algorithm executed via a data processing system;
generating, via execution of the plant recognition algorithm, a false color image based on the calculated ratios;
and
identifying, via execution of the plant recognition algorithm, individual plants amongst the plurality of plants growing in the field that possess at least one characteristic utilizing the false color image.

2 more elements

A system for detecting individual plants growing in a field, said system comprising:

a mobile platform structured and operable to controllably traverse a field having plants growing therein;
at least one multispectral camera adjustably mounted to the mobile platform such that a location on the mobile platform of the at least one camera can be changed to adjust a width of a field of view of the at least one camera to encompass one or more of the plants within a desired number of plant rows in the field, the at least one camera structured and operable to capture color image data and near infrared (NIR) image data as the mobile platform traverses the field;
a global positioning system (GPS) receiver disposed on the mobile platform and structured and operable to receive satellite positioning data signals identifying the geospatial location of the plants imaged by the at least one camera as the at least one camera traverses the field, via the mobile platform, collecting the color and NIR image data;
and
a computer based data processing system communicatively connected to the at least one camera and the GPS receiver, the computer based data processing system structured and operable to execute a plant recognition algorithm to detect individual plants growing in the field.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Plant Stand Counter

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Plant Stand Counter

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims13