Single-Camera Crop Mapping for Lower-Cost Farm Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing crop mapping systems require expensive and sophisticated sensors like stereoscopic cameras and RADAR/LiDAR, limiting their use to modern, costly equipment, and there is a need for more cost-effective solutions.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method using a single camera and a positioning system, combined with a perception model, to map crops by constructing lines of best fit and adjusting positions to create comprehensive crop maps without the need for stereoscopic cameras or other advanced sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If stereoscopic cameras and advanced sensors (RADAR, LiDAR) are used to map crops, then measurement precision and reliability are improved, but device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the complex sensor system (stereoscopic cameras, RADAR, LiDAR) from the crop mapping solution. Instead of using multiple advanced sensors, the invention uses a single camera mounted on the side of the work vehicle combined with positioning system data, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining mapping functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The single camera system is designed to perform multiple functions: capturing images of crops, providing data for position determination, and enabling comprehensive mapping over time. The positioning system integrates with the camera to provide both lateral and longitudinal positioning capabilities, making the simplified system universally effective for crop mapping
2Reliability
If stereoscopic cameras and advanced sensors are installed, then mapping reliability is improved, but the cost of equipment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive, sophisticated sensor systems with a cost-effective solution using a single standard camera and positioning system. This approach maintains reliable crop mapping capability while significantly reducing equipment cost, making the technology accessible to older or less sophisticated vehicles
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a simplified copy of the crop mapping function that achieves the same reliability without the expensive original sensor hardware. By using image data from a single camera combined with positioning information, the system produces accurate crop maps at a fraction of the cost of traditional multi-sensor systems
3Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are used to detect crops, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the complex multi-sensor arrangement and retains only the essential imaging function through a single camera. The positioning system provides the necessary spatial information that would otherwise require multiple sensors, thereby maintaining detection accuracy with simplified hardware
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/optical complexity of multiple sensors (stereoscopic cameras, RADAR, LiDAR) with a computational approach using a single camera and positioning data. The perception model processes images and combines them with positioning information to achieve accurate crop detection and mapping
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a computer-implemented method of mapping crops in a field including a plurality of rows of crops. The computer-implemented method comprises: receiving, from a positioning system, positions of a work vehicle moving along a route between the plurality of rows of crops, and, from a camera mounted to a side of the work vehicle, images of the respective rows; detecting, using a perception model, the crops from the images; determining a position of each detected crop using the positions of the work vehicle and a predetermined lateral distance from the work vehicle; and constructing a map of the detected crops using their positions.