Monocular Camera Plant Locating System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Customized care and management of individual plants in fields, orchards, or vineyards is challenging, especially when carried out in an automated fashion, due to the difficulty in accurately locating and mapping each plant and row end.
Innovation Solution
A plant locating system that uses a monocular camera and GPS antenna to acquire images of plants, identify specific features, determine distances, and calculate geographic locations, enabling automated customized care and management, even when GPS signals are unavailable.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automated plant care and management is implemented, then productivity and efficiency are improved, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring individual plant locations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system consisting of a camera, GPS antenna, and processing unit that mediates between the automated vehicle and the plants. This intermediary captures images, determines geographic locations, and provides positioning information, thereby resolving the difficulty of detecting individual plant locations while enabling automated care operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical location detection with an optical and electronic system. Instead of physically locating plants through manual means, the system uses a camera to capture images and GPS technology to determine geographic locations, substituting mechanical detection with optical and electronic measurement methods.
2Manufacturing precision
If individual plant mapping is performed to enable customized care, then manufacturing precision of treatment is improved, but the complexity of the device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a multi-functional system where the camera serves multiple purposes: capturing plant images for location mapping, identifying plant features, and providing visual data for treatment decisions. The GPS antenna and processing unit similarly perform multiple functions including location determination, coordinate calculation, and data integration, thereby reducing the need for separate dedicated components for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a digital copy or map of the physical plant locations and characteristics. By capturing images and determining geographic locations, the system creates a digital representation that can be used for planning and executing customized treatments without requiring direct physical measurement or intervention at each plant location.
3Measurement precision
If GPS antenna is used for location determination, then measurement precision of geographic location is improved, but the system becomes vulnerable to GPS signal unavailability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent prepares for potential GPS signal failure by having alternative location determination methods ready. The camera captures images that can be used to identify plants and determine their locations through image analysis, providing a backup method that cushions against GPS unavailability and ensures continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera acts as an intermediary that can determine plant locations through image analysis when GPS signals are unavailable. This intermediary provides an alternative path for location determination, reducing the system's vulnerability to GPS denial and ensuring reliable operation under various conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
A plant locating system may include a vehicle supporting a Global Positioning System (GPS) antenna and a monocular camera. The system may further include a plant locating unit comprising a processing unit and a non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions to direct the processing unit to: acquire a sample image of a plant of interest captured at a time with the monocular camera at an unknown distance from the plant of interest (POI); determine a geographic location estimate of the GPS antenna at the time; identify a selected portion of the sample image comprising the POI; determine a distance between the POI and the monocular camera based upon the selected portion; and determine a geographic location estimate of the POI based on the geographic location estimate of the GPS antenna at the time and the determined distance between the monocular camera and the POI.