System and method for estimating a harvest volume in a vineyard operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10672138-B2
Application number	US-201615578062-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 30, 2016
Priority date	May 29, 2015
Publication date	Jun 2, 2020
Grant date	Jun 2, 2020

Abstract

Some embodiments are related to a system for estimating a harvest volume in a vineyard operation organized into rows of vine stocks, including: a photographic device for capturing a photographic image of a set of stocks when the system passes between two rows of the vineyard operation; a device for measuring a distance between the vine stocks and the photographic device; and a calculator for detecting the berries within the photographic image, determining a number of berries in a bunch, determining a number of bunches on a stock, and determining an indicator of the volume depending on the number of berries in a bunch, the number of bunches on a stock and the diameter of the berries determined from the photographic image and the distance measurement.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for estimating a harvest volume within a vineyard operation organized by row of vine stems, the method comprising: capturing of a photographic image of a set of vine stems, by a photographic device secured to an automatic system circulating between two rows of vine stems; detecting of the berries within the photographic image; estimating of a number of berries on a cluster; estimating of a number of clusters on a stem of the set; estimating a volume on the basis of the number of berries on the cluster, of the number of clusters on the stem and of an estimated diameter of the berries which is determined on the basis of the photographic image and of a measurement of distance between the set of vine stems and the automatic system; and distinguishing berries at a stage of small buds, which is determined on the basis of the estimated diameter of the berries, which allows earlier estimation.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the detection of berries includes determining of circular shapes within the photographic image.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the estimation of the number of berries on the cluster includes using an experimental model relating the number of berries that are visible on the photographic image to the number of berries on the cluster.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the number of clusters on the stem is determined by a chart dependent on a cultivar of the stem, and a vine handling technique implemented by an operator of the vineyard operation.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the harvest volume is dependent on a geographical location.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the estimation of the number of berries on the cluster includes using an experimental model relating the number of berries that are visible on the photographic image to the number of berries on the cluster.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the number of clusters on the stem is determined by a chart dependent on a cultivar of the stem, and a vine handling technique implemented by an operator of the vineyard operation.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the harvest volume is dependent on a geographical location.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the number of clusters on the stem is determined by a chart dependent on a cultivar of the stem, and a vine handling technique implemented by an operator of the vineyard operation.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the harvest volume is dependent on a geographical location.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the harvest volume is dependent on a geographical location.

12. A system for estimating a harvest volume within a vineyard operation organized by rows of vine stems, the system comprising: a photographic device configured to capture a photographic image of a set of vine stems, when the system circulates between two rows of the vineyard operation; a device configured to measure a distance between the set of vine stems and the photographic device; and a calculator configured to detect berries within the photographic image, determine a number of berries on a cluster, determine a number of clusters on a stem of the set, determine an indicator of the volume as a function of the number of berries on the cluster, of the number of clusters on the stem and of an estimated diameter of the berries which is determined on the basis of the photographic image and of the distance measurement, and distinguish berries at a stage of small buds, which is determined on the basis of the estimated diameter of the berries, which allows earlier estimation.

13. The system as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the calculator is designed to detect the berries by determining circular shapes within the photographic image.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the calculator is designed to determine the number of berries on the cluster by using an experimental model relating the number of berries that are visible on the photographic image to the number of berries on the cluster.

15. The system as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the calculator is designed to determine the number of clusters on the stem as a function of a chart dependent on a cultivar of the stem and a vine handling technique implemented by an operator of the vineyard operation.

16. The system as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the calculator is designed to determine the number of berries on the cluster by using an experimental model relating the number of berries that are visible on the photographic image to the number of berries on the cluster.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the calculator is designed to determine the number of clusters on the stem as a function of a chart dependent on a cultivar of the stem and a vine handling technique implemented by an operator of the vineyard operation.

18. The system as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the calculator is designed to determine the number of clusters on the stem as a function of a chart dependent on a cultivar of the stem and a vine handling technique implemented by an operator of the vineyard operation.

19. The system as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising a location device configured so as to render the harvest volume dependent on a geographical location.

20. A vehicle, comprising:
the system as claimed in claim 12 .

Assignees

• Univ Bordeaux
• Inst Polytechnique Bordeaux
• Centre Nat Rech Scient
• Ecole Nat Superieure Des Sciences Agronomiques De Bordeaux Bordeaux Sciences Agro
• E Cole Nat Superie Ure Des Sciences Agrononomiques De Bordeaux Bordeaux Sciences Agro

Inventors

• Germain Christian
• Keresztes Barna
• Grenier Gilbert
• Lavialle Olivier
• Da Costa Jean-Pierre

Classifications

• G06T2207/30188

  Vegetation; Agriculture · CPC title

• G06T2207/30128

  Food products · CPC title

• G06T7/62 Primary

  of area, perimeter, diameter or volume · CPC title

• A01G17/02

  Cultivation of hops or vines · CPC title

• G06K2209/17

  Physics · mapped topic