Patent Document ID: 9928584
Application ID: 15206753
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method of operating a plant inspection system to inspect plants for contamination, the method comprising: generating a first series of images of a plant disposed along a planting bed via a camera mounted to a frame being moved along the planting bed by a harvester; identifying, via a processor associated with the camera, a region of interest displayed in the first series of images from feature boundary data defined by color regions associated with the first series of images; comparing, via the processor, a color parameter of the region of interest to a color criterion associated with a type of contamination; comparing, via the processor, a morphological parameter of the region of interest to a reference parameter associated with the type of contamination; upon determining that the color parameter meets the color criterion and that the morphological parameter sufficiently matches the reference parameter, identifying, via the processor, the region of interest as a region of contamination on a surface of the plant; in response to identifying the region of interest as the region of contamination, transmitting, via a controller that is communicably coupled to the processor, data comprising an instruction to lift a cutter of the harvester up from the planting bed to avoid harvesting the plant; and while the cutter of the harvester is being lifted up from the planting bed, generating a second series of images of an additional plant disposed along the planting bed via the camera as the frame continues to be moved along the planting bed by the harvester.