Patent ID: 11915366
Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
Field: Computer technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G  A | IPC G

Claim 10:
11. An apparatus, comprising:
at least one device configured for creating 3D models of an orchard with multiple plants in the form of a densified point cloud using oblique aerial RGB imaging and photogrammetry;
at least one device configured for identifying and segmenting individual plants of the orchard from the 3D models;
at least one device configured for simulating sunlight radiation of each plant in the 3D models;
at least one device configured for determining a shading effect of branches and neighboring plants on each individual plant at any time of the day;
at least one device configured for determining canopy light interception of each plant;
at least one device configured for analyzing canopy geometry of each plant in the 3D models;
at least one device configured for forecasting potential yield of each plant based on the measured canopy light interception;
at least one device configured for calculating nitrogen and water requirements of each plant based on the potential yield and other predetermined field, environmental and climate factors; and
at least one device configured for validating the yield forecasting model using canopy light interception data by measuring the actual yield for each plant.