Fruit growth monitoring system and fruit growth monitoring method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11255822-B2
Application number	US-201816637637-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 19, 2018
Priority date	Aug 10, 2017
Publication date	Feb 22, 2022
Grant date	Feb 22, 2022

Abstract

A system for monitoring fruit growth including: a vibration exciter that imparts predetermined vibration to a stem or a branch between a fruit and a stalk growing on a plant; a vibration sensor that detects vibration of the stem or the branch caused by the vibration imparted by the vibration exciter; and a detector that detects a weight or weight change of the fruit based on a frequency of the vibration detected by the vibration sensor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fruit growth monitoring system comprising:
a vibration exciter configured to impart a predetermined vibration to a stem or a branch between a fruit and a stalk growing on a plant;
a vibration sensor configured to detect vibration of the stem or the branch caused by the predetermined vibration imparted from the vibration exciter; and
a detector configured to detect a weight or weight change of the fruit based on a frequency of the vibration detected by the vibration sensor.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein
the vibration detected by the vibration sensor is detected two or more times, and based on an amount of change among respective frequencies of the vibration, a weight change is detected.

3. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a growth status determination section configured to determine that a shift from an enlarging step to a maturing step of the fruit is made, when an amount of frequency change per unit time of the vibration detected by the vibration sensor becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein
the vibration exciter and the vibration sensor are fixed to a unit member, and are attached to the stem or the branch with interposition of the unit member.

5. A fruit growth monitoring method comprising the steps of:
imparting, with a vibration exciter, a predetermined vibration to a stem or a branch between a fruit and a stalk growing on a plant;
detecting, with a vibration sensor, vibration of the stem or the branch caused by the vibration imparted by the vibration exciter; and
detecting a weight or weight change of the fruit based on a frequency of the vibration detected by the vibration sensor.

Assignees

• Yanmar Co Ltd
• Yanmar Power Technology Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takemoto Toru
• Ishii Akio

Classifications

• A01G7/00

  Botany in general · CPC title

• G01N29/045

  by imparting shocks to the workpiece and detecting the vibrations or the acoustic waves caused by the shocks (measuring resonant frequency G01H13/00; measuring strength properties by application of mechanical stress G01N3/00) · CPC title

• G01H3/06

  by electric means · CPC title

• G01N29/46

  by spectral analysis, e.g. Fourier analysis {or wavelet analysis (spectral signal processing per se G06F17/14)} · CPC title

• G01N29/22

  Details {, e.g. general constructional or apparatus details} · CPC title