Plant Growth Monitoring With Multi-Rate Imaging and Scheduling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current agricultural systems lack an efficient method for monitoring plant growth and generating a plant grow schedule, leading to suboptimal growth conditions and reduced crop quality.

Innovation Solution

A method involving the collection of images and ambient data using fixed and mobile sensors, which are then used to generate a grow schedule based on relationships between ambient conditions and plant outcomes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If traditional manual monitoring methods are used for plant growth, then operational simplicity is maintained, but measurement precision and productivity are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveplant growth monitoring precisionVSAvoidmonitoring system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system integrates multiple sensor types (imaging sensors, environmental sensors, moisture sensors) into a single multi-functional monitoring platform that simultaneously tracks plant growth, environmental conditions, and soil moisture levels, eliminating the need for separate manual monitoring systems

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

Manual visual inspection and physical measurement methods are replaced with automated electronic sensing systems including cameras for growth monitoring and electronic sensors for environmental parameter detection, significantly improving measurement precision while reducing human labor

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Measurement precision

If continuous high-rate data collection is implemented for all plants, then measurement precision is improved, but energy consumption and data processing load increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegrowth data accuracyVSAvoidsensor system energy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts sampling rates based on plant growth stage, environmental conditions, and detected anomalies. During rapid growth phases or when stress conditions are detected, monitoring intensity increases automatically, while during stable periods, sampling rate decreases to conserve energy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

Different monitoring intensities are applied to different plant zones based on their specific needs. Plants showing signs of stress or those in critical growth stages receive higher monitoring frequency, while healthy plants in stable conditions are monitored at lower intensity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Measurement precision

If detailed individual plant monitoring is performed, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and data processing requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveindividual plant growth accuracyVSAvoiddata processing efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The monitoring system divides the greenhouse into discrete plant zones and modules, with each plant or group of plants tracked as separate units. This segmentation allows parallel processing of individual plant data while maintaining overall system coordination through centralized control

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

4Productivity

If real-time monitoring and scheduling is implemented, then productivity is improved, but device complexity and computational requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecrop yield optimizationVSAvoidcontrol system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system continuously collects real-time data on plant growth, environmental conditions, and resource usage, then feeds this information back to automatically adjust irrigation schedules, nutrient delivery, and environmental controls. This closed-loop feedback system optimizes productivity while managing complexity through automated decision-making algorithms

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS12302807B2Method for monitoring growth of plants and generating a plant grow schedule

Publication Date: 2025.05.20 INEVITABLE TECH INC

AI summary

One variation of a method for monitoring growth of plants within a facility includes: aggregating global ambient data recorded by a suite of fixed sensors, arranged proximal a grow area within the facility, at a first frequency during a grow period; extracting intermediate outcomes of a set of plants, occupying a module in the grow area, from module-level images recorded by a mover at a second frequency less than the first frequency while interfacing with the module during the period of time; dispatching the mover to autonomously deliver the module to a transfer station; extracting intermediate outcomes of the set of plants from plant-level images recorded by the transfer station while sequentially transferring plants out of the module at the conclusion of the grow period; and deriving relationships between ambient conditions, intermediate outcomes, and final outcomes from a corpus of plant records associated with plants grown in the facility.