Vegetation Imaging for Environmental Stress Discrimination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods are inadequate for accurately and efficiently monitoring the internal state of plants and specifying environmental stresses in outdoor environments where multiple stresses occur simultaneously, particularly in agricultural settings, making it difficult to optimize irrigation and fertilizer usage.
Innovation Solution
An information generation method and apparatus that acquire vegetation information through imaging signals, calculate differences between stressed and non-stressed reference districts, and generate specific environmental stress information, allowing for precise discrimination and management of environmental stresses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If spectroscopic measurement of plants is performed to monitor environmental stress, then measurement cost is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates because multiple environmental stresses cannot be discriminated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the farm field into a measurement district and a reference district, allowing separate analysis of stress responses. By dividing the study area, the system can isolate the effects of different environmental stresses on vegetation in the measurement district while using the reference district for comparison, thereby enabling discrimination between multiple stresses without requiring complex expensive sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a reference district as an intermediary element that does not experience the same environmental stresses as the measurement district. This reference district serves as a control that allows the system to distinguish between stress-induced vegetation changes and natural variations, enabling precise stress identification using simple imaging equipment.
2Measurement precision
If soil moisture sensors are used to measure soil moisture content, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces physical soil moisture sensors with optical imaging measurement. By using imaging apparatus to capture vegetation characteristics and analyzing changes in reflectance patterns, the system substitutes mechanical/electrical sensing with optical measurement, eliminating the need for complex sensor installations while maintaining measurement capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses vegetation as an intermediary to indirectly measure soil moisture conditions. Instead of directly sensing soil moisture, the system measures vegetation responses (such as water stress indicators) that correlate with soil moisture levels, allowing inference of soil conditions through optical measurements rather than direct physical sensing.
3Ease of operation
If imaging is performed to monitor vegetation state, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to indirect measurement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the analysis into comparing measurement district vegetation with reference district vegetation. By dividing the field into stressed and non-stressed zones, the system enhances the diagnostic capability of imaging measurements, allowing precise identification of stress causes while maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes a feedback mechanism by continuously comparing vegetation information from the measurement district with reference vegetation information. This comparative feedback allows the system to identify stress conditions and their causes with high precision while maintaining easy operation through automated image analysis and comparison processes.
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 the effective identification and management of specific environmental stresses in complex outdoor environments, optimizing crop management and reducing resource usage by accurately determining the causes and effects of environmental stresses on vegetation.
Implementation Method 1
an imaging apparatus 250 for imaging the plant 10 and acquiring captured images
Data Source
AI summary
A specific environmental stress on vegetation is calculated highly accurately and relatively easily. For generation of environmental stress information, vegetation information is obtained first using an imaging signal of vegetation. Furthermore, reference vegetation information associated with vegetation information in a state of being free of, for example, a specific environmental stress is obtained. Moreover, as information associated with an environmental stress on the vegetation, difference information between vegetation information acquired from an imaging signal of vegetation in a state of being likely to have the specific environmental stress and the reference vegetation information is obtained.