Interior Plant Sensing for Real-Time Agricultural Machine Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional agricultural systems fail to utilize interior plant attributes, particularly for mobile agricultural machines, due to the limitations of X-rays, gamma rays, and MRI sensors in real-time control and logistics, as they are costly, large, and heavily regulated, making them unsuitable for field environments.
Innovation Solution
Employing affordable, machine-mountable non-ionizing radiation sensors to detect and process penetrating signals for interior plant attributes, enabling real-time control and logistics through machine learning and AI, using sensors like terahertz radiation to classify and generate action signals for crop care and harvest operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional sensors (X-rays, gamma rays, MRI) are used to detect interior plant attributes, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive, complex conventional sensors (X-ray, gamma ray, MRI) with affordable, simple optical sensors that can be easily mounted on mobile agricultural machinery. These cheaper sensors capture interior plant attributes through optical penetration, enabling cost-effective real-time detection without the regulatory and complexity burdens of ionizing radiation sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes mechanical/optical sensor systems with electromagnetic radiation-based detection. By using optical sensors that detect interior plant characteristics through light penetration and reflection, the system replaces the need for complex mechanical sensor assemblies, ionizing radiation sources, and associated safety infrastructure.
2Measurement precision
If conventional sensors are used for interior plant attribute detection, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to regulations and setup complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs inexpensive optical sensors that can be freely deployed in field environments without the heavy regulatory oversight required for ionizing radiation sources. This eliminates complex licensing, safety protocols, and operational restrictions, making the system easy to operate and deploy on mobile agricultural machinery.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical sensor system operates autonomously in field conditions, requiring minimal setup and maintenance. The sensors self-calibrate and continuously detect interior plant attributes without human intervention, unlike conventional systems that require specialized operators, safety monitoring, and complex operational procedures.
3Productivity
If mobile agricultural machines use interior plant attribute detection, then productivity is improved through real-time control, but device complexity increases due to sensor integration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multi-functional optical sensors that can detect various interior plant attributes (moisture, density, composition, defects) simultaneously. This universal sensor approach enables real-time control for multiple agricultural operations (harvesting, sorting, quality assessment) without requiring separate specialized sensors for each function, thereby improving productivity while limiting complexity growth.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines exterior and interior attribute detection capabilities into a single integrated sensor system. By merging optical sensors that capture both surface characteristics and interior properties, the system achieves comprehensive plant assessment without the complexity of coordinating multiple separate sensor systems, enabling real-time control decisions.
4Measurement precision
If conventional sensors are deployed in field environments, then measurement precision for interior attributes is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates due to sensor size and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses inexpensive optical sensors that can be mass-produced and easily manufactured into mobile agricultural systems. These sensors replace costly, custom-built conventional sensors, allowing for standardized production and integration into various agricultural machinery platforms without complex manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the essential detection function from complex conventional sensor systems, implementing a simplified optical sensing approach that captures interior plant attributes without the bulky housing, power requirements, and manufacturing complexity of X-ray or MRI systems. This extracted functionality enables easy integration into mobile field equipment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables real-time decision-making and efficient control of agricultural operations based on interior plant attributes, improving crop management and harvest logistics with precise, cost-effective, and regulatory-compliant solutions.
Implementation Method 1
receiving one or more second input signals corresponding to penetrating radiation directed toward the at least one of the one or more plant parts
Data Source
AI summary
Interior plant part sensing and classification are provided for work machine, e.g., agricultural machine, control. First input signals (e.g., camera images) correspond to a field of view including plant parts in a traversed work area, wherein exterior attributes of plant parts are identified based on the received first input signals. Second input signals correspond to penetrating (e.g., non-ionizing) radiation directed toward the plant parts, wherein at least one interior plant part attribute is determined with respect to the plant parts, based on the received second input signals. Exemplary attributes may corresponding to identified interior silhouettes, layers, boundaries, voids, shapes, and the like. Action signals are generated corresponding to an operation in the work area, based on at least the determined at least one interior plant part attribute. Actions signals may be generated for display, crop care control, harvest machine control, harvest logistics control, and the like.