Sensor device for plants

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018299327-A1
Application number	US-201615569493-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 20, 2016
Priority date	Apr 30, 2015
Publication date	Oct 18, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

To provide a plant sensor device capable of obtaining a parameter to determine a growth status other than a spectroscopy vegetation index without increasing its configuration. The plant sensor device includes a light emission part for emitting a measurement light to irradiate a target plant, a light receiving part for receiving a reflected light from the target plant, and a control section for controlling the light emission part and light receiving part. The control section determines a spectroscopy vegetation index of the target plant by obtaining a reflection rate of the target plant based on the measurement light and reflected light. The control section calculates a distance from the target plant to the light emission part in accordance with the measurement light and reflected light, and determines a plant height of the target plant based on the distance.

First claim

1 . A plant sensor device comprising:
a light emission part for emitting a measurement light to irradiate a target plant; a light receiving part for receiving the measurement light reflected on the target plant as a reflected light; and a control section for controlling the light emission part and the light receiving part, wherein the control section is configured to determine a spectroscopy vegetation index of the target plant by determining a reflection rate of the target plant in accordance with the measurement light and the reflected light, and the control section is configured to calculate a distance from the light emission part to the target plant based on the measurement light and the reflected light, and to determine a plant height of the target plant in accordance with the distance.

2 . The plant sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein the control section is configured to determine the plant height in accordance with the distance, a height position of the light emission part, and an irradiation direction of the light emission part.

3 . The plant sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein the control section is configured to calculate the distance in accordance with a light-flying time of the measurement light and the reflected light.

4 . The plant sensor device according to claim 3 , wherein the control section is configured to determine the light-flying time of the measurement light and the reflected light based on a time difference between a time point at which the measurement light is emitted and a time point at which the reflected light is received.

5 . The plant sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein
the light emission part comprises a first light emission part for emitting a first measurement light having a first wavelength to irradiate the target plant and a second light emission part for emitting a second measurement light having a second wavelength different from the first wavelength to irradiate the target plant, the control section is configured to control emission from the first light emission part and emission from the second light emission part at different timings from each other, the control section is configured to determine a light-flying time of the first measurement light and the reflected light based on a time difference between a time point at which the first measurement light is emitted and a time point at which the reflected light is received, and to calculate the distance in accordance with the light-flying time; while the control section is configured to determine a light-flying time of the second measurement light and the reflected light based on a time difference between a time point at which the second measurement light is emitted and a time point at which the reflected light is received, and to calculate the distance in accordance with the light-flying time, and the control section is configured to determine the plant height based on said calculated distances.

6 . The plant sensor device according to claim 5 , wherein
the control section is configured to calculate the distance in accordance with the light-flying time of the first measurement light and the reflected light, and speed of the light having the first wavelength, the control section is configured to calculate the distance in accordance with the light-flying time of the second measurement light and the reflected light together, and speed of the light having the second wavelength, and the control section is configured to determine the plant height based on said calculated distances.

7 . The plant sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein the control section is configured to calculate the distance in accordance with a positional relationship between the light emission part and the light receiving part, and a light receiving position on the light receiving part.

8 . A fertilization system comprising:
a plant sensor device according to claim 1 , and a fertilizer spreader for spreading fertilizer, wherein the fertilizer spreader adjusts a spreading amount of the fertilizer based on a spectroscopy vegetation index and a plant height acquired by the plant sensor device.

Assignees

• Topcon Corp

Inventors

• Zhao Peng
• Akiyama Shugo
• HANYA Issei

Classifications

• G01B11/02 Primary

  for measuring length, width or thickness (G01B11/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01J3/0205

  Optical elements not provided otherwise, e.g. optical manifolds, diffusers, windows · CPC title

• A01C21/007

  Determining fertilization requirements · CPC title

• G01J3/427 Primary

  Dual wavelengths spectrometry · CPC title

• G01J3/0218

  using optical fibers · CPC title