Optical Yield Measurement of Standing Crops
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current yield monitoring systems in agriculture lack the ability to provide non-destructive, optical measurements of standing crops, failing to offer per plant yield data or quality data prior to harvesting, which is essential for efficient crop management.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising an electronic data processor, imaging device, and sensors that collect and process image data to estimate the size and yield of harvestable plant components, such as ears of corn or maize, using image processing techniques like color differentiation and edge detection, allowing for real-time yield estimation and quality assessment without damaging the plants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a harvester yield monitor is used to estimate yield during harvesting, then yield data can be obtained, but per plant yield data and quality data prior to harvesting cannot be provided
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical yield monitoring systems (strike plates and sensors in harvesters) with an optical imaging system. The imaging device captures images of standing crops, and image processing techniques extract per-plant yield data and quality information non-destructively, eliminating the need for mechanical harvesting measurement systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates optical copies (images) of the standing crops to measure yield and quality characteristics. By capturing and processing images of the crops in the field, the system obtains measurement data without physically harvesting or destroying the plants, thus preserving the crops while obtaining precise per-plant data.
2Measurement precision
If destructive field surveys are used to obtain yield data, then per plant yield data can be obtained, but the plants are damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces destructive mechanical measurement methods with non-destructive optical imaging. The imaging device and image processing system extract yield data from visual characteristics of the crops, eliminating the need for physical sampling or destruction of plants.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates optical replicas of the crops through imaging to measure yield characteristics. This allows complete measurement of per-plant data without touching or damaging the actual plants, as all information is extracted from the optical copies.
3Reliability
If optical imaging is used to measure standing crops, then non-destructive per plant yield data can be obtained, but complex image processing is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image processing task into distinct functional modules: image acquisition, preprocessing, feature extraction, and yield calculation. Each module handles a specific aspect of the processing pipeline, making the overall complex system more manageable and maintainable while enabling non-destructive measurement.
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 accurate, non-destructive estimation of crop yield and quality, providing per plant yield data and enabling data-driven decision-making for farmers, improving harvesting efficiency and reducing resource wastage.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor system configured to sense electromagnetic radiation reflected from the plant matter
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
An electronic data processor (120) is configured to identify the component pixels of a harvestable plant component (212a,212b,212c,212d,212e) within the obtained image data of plant pixels of the one or more target plants. An edge, boundary or outline of the component pixels is determined. The data processor (120) is configured to detect a size of the harvestable plant component based on the determined edge, boundary or outline of the identified component pixels. A user interface is configured to provide an aggregate, sectional yield, or per row yield based on a detected size of the harvestable plant component for the one or more target plants as an indicator of yield of the one or more plants or standing crop in the field.