Patent application EP22174179A (EP), filed 2022-05-18
Publication number: EP4095643A1
Title: CROP ROW GUIDANCE SYSTEMS
Abstract: [0001]    Described herein are technologies for guiding an agricultural vehicle (1..N) through crop rows using a camera (116, 118, 119) and signal processing to locate the crop row or centers of the crop row. The signal processing uses a filter to filter data from images captured by the camera and locates the row or the centers based on the filtered data. The filter is generated based on a signal processing transform and an initial image of the crop row captured by the camera. The filter is applied to subsequent images of the crop row captured by the camera. In some embodiments, the camera includes one lens. For example, monocular computer vision is used in some embodiments. Also, in some embodiments, a central processing (102) unit generates the filter based on the transform and the initial image of the crop row and applies the generated filter to the subsequent images of the row.
IPC codes: G05D   1/    02            A I
G06V  20/    00            A I
Claims: number: 1
text: An apparatus, comprising:
number: 2
text: The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to attach to an agricultural vehicle, an agricultural implement, or an agricultural boom.
number: 3
text: The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the determined attribute of the crop row is a crop row center line and wherein the monocular computer vision system uses the crop row center line to provide crop row guidance.
number: 4
text: The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the camera is configured to:
number: 5
text: The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the CPU is configured to generate the signal processing filter based on a signal processing transform and initial image data associated with an initial image in the captured plurality of images.
number: 6
text: The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the CPU is configured to:
number: 7
text: The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the signal processing transform comprises:
number: 8
text: The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the signal processing filter comprises a bandpass filter, and wherein the CPU is configured to:
number: 9
text: The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the CPU is configured to apply the signal processing filter to subsequent image data associated with subsequent images in the captured plurality of images to locate the crop row center line, wherein the subsequent images are captured by the camera after the initial image is captured by the camera.
number: 10
text: The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus is attached to an agricultural vehicle and wherein the CPU is configured to estimate a direction of the agricultural vehicle with respect to a direction of the located crop row center line based on the located crop row center line and a signal sent from a sensor that senses a physical quality related to the direction of the agricultural vehicle when the agricultural vehicle is moving.
number: 11
text: The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the CPU is configured to transmit the estimated direction of the agricultural vehicle to a controller of the agricultural vehicle to steer the agricultural vehicle according to the estimated direction of the agricultural vehicle with respect to the direction of the crop row center line.
number: 12
text: The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus is attached to an agricultural vehicle and wherein the CPU is configured to:
number: 13
text: The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the CPU is configured to transmit the determined vehicle heading error to a controller of the agricultural vehicle to steer the agricultural vehicle according to the determined vehicle heading error.
number: 14
text: A method, comprising:
number: 15
text: A system, comprising:
Office action: search_report, dated 2022-11-30
Rejection reasons: novelty_epc_54
Prior art cited: ref_id: US2017084039A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: - HAGUE T ET AL: "A bandpass filter-based approach to crop row location and tracking", MECHATRONICS, PERGAMON PRESS, OXFORD, GB, vol. 11, no. 1, 19 January 2001 (2001-01-19), pages 1 - 12, XP004201724, ISSN: 0957-4158, DOI: 10.1016/S0957-4158(00)00003-9
ref_type: npl
severity: background
ref_id: - GEE ET AL: "Crop/weed discrimination in perspective agronomic images", COMPUTERS AND ELECTRONICS IN AGRICULTURE, ELSEVIER, AMSTERDAM, NL, vol. 60, no. 1, 10 December 2007 (2007-12-10), pages 49 - 59, XP022384158, ISSN: 0168-1699, DOI: 10.1016/J.COMPAG.2007.06.003
ref_type: npl
severity: background
ref_id: US2017084039
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: - HAGUE T ET AL, "A bandpass filter-based approach to crop row location and tracking", MECHATRONICS, PERGAMON PRESS, OXFORD, GB, (20010119), vol. 11, no. 1, doi:10.1016/S0957-4158(00)00003-9, ISSN 0957-4158, pages 1 - 12, XP004201724 [X] 1-15 * the whole document *
ref_type: npl
severity: novelty_destroying
ref_id: - GEE ET AL, "Crop/weed discrimination in perspective agronomic images", COMPUTERS AND ELECTRONICS IN AGRICULTURE, ELSEVIER, AMSTERDAM, NL, (20071210), vol. 60, no. 1, doi:10.1016/J.COMPAG.2007.06.003, ISSN 0168-1699, pages 49 - 59, XP022384158 [A] 1-15 * the whole document *
ref_type: npl
severity: background
Final disposition: pending (2022-11-30)