Device to measure and provide data for plant population and spacing variability
AssigneeEaston Goers, Inc.
InventorsDan T. Easton, David J. Easton
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for determining plant population, plant spacing, plant spacing variability, and other information regarding row-planted crops. The apparatus senses the presence of a plant. The sensing can be adjusted to ignore such things as leaves, weeds, or other irrelevant items. The apparatus also concurrently measures the distance between each sensed plant. The information regarding location and distance between plants is used to derive plant population and plant spacing data. The method senses the location and distance between plants for a given area to derive the population and spacing data.
Claims12
An apparatus for use with a field implement for determining plant population and other information regarding row-planted crops in a field comprising:
- a base coupled to the field implement;
- a sensor coupled to the base to sense the presence of plants in the proximity of the sensor as the field implement travels through the field of row-planted crops;
- a measuring device operatively coupled to the field implement for providing information relating to the movement of the field implement through the field of row-planted crops;
- and
- a processor electrically connected to the sensor and the measuring device for analyzing the sensed plants and the information relating to the movement of the field implement through the field of row-planted crops to create data relating to plant population and plant spacing in the field.
A method of determining plant population and other information regarding row-planted crops in a field comprising the steps of:
- providing a field implement for traveling through the field of row-planted crops;
- providing a sensor coupled to the field implement;
- sensing the presence of plants in the proximity of the sensor as the field implement travels through the field of row-planted crops;
- generating a signal relating to the sensed plants;
- and
- analyzing the generated signal and generating data relating to the sensed plants.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.