Agricultural observation and treatment systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025139965-A1
Application number	US-202519011431-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 6, 2025
Priority date	Oct 16, 2020
Publication date	May 1, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

Various embodiments of an apparatus, methods, systems and computer program products described herein are directed to an agricultural observation and treatment system and method of operation. The agricultural treatment system may determine a first real-world geo-spatial location of the treatment system. The system can receive captured images depicting real-world agricultural objects of a geographic scene. The system can associate captured images with the determined geo-spatial location of the treatment system. The treatment system can identify, from a group of mapped and indexed images, images having a second real-word geo-spatial location that is proximate with the first real-world geo-spatial location. The treatment system can compare at least a portion of the identified images with at least a portion of the captured images. The treatment system can determine a target object and emit a fluid projectile at the target object using a treatment device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An agricultural treatment system, the system comprising:
a treatment unit configured to apply agricultural treatments; and one or more processors, memory, and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium including hardware, wherein the one or more processors are configured to control the system to perform operations that include:
receiving image data,
detecting an agricultural object in the received image data, wherein the agricultural object includes a first sub-object and a second sub-object,
identifying a stage of growth associated with each of the first sub-object and the second sub-object,
determining one or more treatment parameters for each of the first sub-object and the second sub-object based on the identified stages of growth,
determining a location for each of the first sub-object and the second sub-object based on the received image data,
orienting the treatment unit to target each of the first sub-object and the second sub-object based on the determined locations, and
activating the treatment unit to emit one or more fluid projectiles at each of the first sub-object and the second sub-object.

2 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
one or more image sensors configured to obtain imagery of agricultural objects.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further include:
assigning a label of the stage of growth for each of the first sub-object and the second sub-object, wherein the one or more treatment parameters are based on the assigned labels.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further include:
receiving instructions for the treatment unit to receive a fluid mixture from a chemical selector to prepare a treatment.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein determining a location for each of the first sub-object and the second sub-object includes determining a current physical location based on a pixel position in an image from the received image data.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein activating the treatment unit includes emitting a first fluid projectile at a surface of the first sub-object and emitting a second fluid projectile at a surface of the second sub-object.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more fluid projectiles are based on the one or more determined treatment parameters.

8 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a chemical selector configured to prepare chemical mixtures in real time.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the operations further include:
activating the chemical selector to create the one or more fluid projectiles based on the one or more determined treatment parameters, and delivering the one or more fluid projectiles from the chemical selector to the treatment unit.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further include:
labeling a portion of the agricultural object that requires a treatment and labeling other portions of the agricultural object that should not be treated.

11 . An automated method performed by an agricultural observation and treatment system having a treatment unit and one or more processors, the method comprising:
receiving image data; detecting an agricultural object in the received image data, wherein the agricultural object includes a first sub-object and a second sub-object; identifying a stage of growth associated with each of the first sub-object and the second sub-object; determining one or more treatment parameters for each of the first sub-object and the second sub-object based on the identified stages of growth; determining a location for each of the first sub-object and the second sub-object based on the received image data; orienting the treatment unit to target each of the first sub-object and the second sub-object based on the determined locations; and activating the treatment unit to emit one or more fluid projectiles at each of the first sub-object and the second sub-object.

12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
assigning a label of the stage of growth for each of the first sub-object and the second sub-object, wherein the one or more treatment parameters are based on the assigned labels.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein determining a location for each of the first sub-object and the second sub-object includes determining a current physical location based on a pixel position in an image from the received image data.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein activating the treatment unit includes emitting a first fluid projectile at a surface of the first sub-object and emitting a second fluid projectile at a surface of the second sub-object.

15 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
activating a chemical selector to create the one or more fluid projectiles based on the one or more determined treatment parameters; and delivering the one or more fluid projectiles from the chemical selector to the treatment unit.

16 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
labeling a portion of the agricultural object that requires a treatment and labeling other portions of the agricultural object that should not be treated.

17 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
determining a distance between the treatment unit and each of the first sub-object and the second sub-object, wherein orienting the treatment unit is based on the determined distances.

18 . An agricultural observation and treatment system, the system comprising:
one or more image sensors configured to obtain imagery of agricultural objects; multiple treatment units configured to apply agricultural treatments, wherein each of the multiple treatment units includes a moveable head configured to emit a fluid projectile and one or more motors configured to orient the moveable head; and one or more processors, memory, and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium including hardware, wherein the one or more processors are configured to control the system to perform operations that include:
accessing sensor data captured by the one or more image sensors,
detecting an agricultural object from the accessed sensor data,
determining that the agricultural object is to be treated,
determining a distance between a selected treatment unit of the multiple treatment units and the agricultural object,
orienting a movable head of the selected treatment unit to target the agricultural object based on the determined distance, and
activating the selected treatment unit to treat the agricultural object.

19 . The system of claim 18 , wherein the operations further include:
giving the agricultural object a classification, wherein the classification indicates that the agricultural object is at a growth stage that is to be treated, identifying one or more treatment parameters for the agricultural object based on the classification, and determining that the agricultural object is a target object based on the classification.

20 . The system of claim 18 , wherein orienting the movable head includes controlling the one or more motors of the selected treatment unit such that a fluid projectile emitted from the movable head would impact the agricultural object.

Assignees

• Verdant Robotics Inc

Inventors

• Sibley Gabriel Thurston
• Ibarria Lorenzo
• Garner Curtis Dale
• Leger Patrick Christopher
• Michelin Andre Robert Daniel
• Hurliman Ii John Phillip
• Jirattigalachote Wisit
• Tafish Hasan

Classifications

• G05D1/2435

  Extracting 3D information · CPC title

• G06F18/24

  Classification techniques · CPC title

• G06T7/74

  involving reference images or patches · CPC title

• A01B79/02

  combined with other agricultural processing, e.g. fertilising, planting · CPC title

• G06Q50/02 Primary

  Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining · CPC title