Patent ID: 9064173
Filing Date: 2015-06-23
Classification: A01B,A01D,A01G,A01M,G06K,G06T

Abstract:
1. A method of real-time plant selection and necrosis inducement with a machine as the machine travels in a first direction along a plant field, the machine including a camera having a fixed angle of view and a plant removal mechanism statically coupled a distance away from the camera, the method comprising: capturing a first image of a first section of the plant field with the camera as the machine travels along the plant field; segmenting the first image into regions indicative of individual plants within the first section with the machine; selecting regions from the first image for the first section through a utility function maximization based on parameters of a plurality of previously treated plants with the machine; and sending instructions to the plant removal mechanism thereby causing the removal of the plants corresponding to the unselected regions of the first image from the first section before the machine travels a distance along the plant field equal to the distance between the camera and the plant removal mechanism.