Systems and methods for forming graphical and/or textual elements on land for remote viewing

• US 10,104,836 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2016
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: John Paul Jamison
• Original Assignee: John Paul Jamison
• Inventors: Jamison, John Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US15/347,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20170055433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 21/005 Following a specific plan, e.g. pattern
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/008 for automated or remotely controlled operation
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/127 Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/40 for agriculture or forestry operations
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 60/50 with landing legs
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/104 involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, devices, systems, computer readable media, and other implementations, including methods to form an aerially-viewable approximation of a target image by processing of land (e.g., an agricultural field) based on land data for a land/field and the target image. In an example, a method is provided that includes obtaining field data for a plurality of field portions each associated with respective soil attributes, obtaining a target image to be aerially viewed, and determining for each of the plurality of field portions, based, in part, on the field data and on the target image, an associated respective crop, selected from a plurality of available crops, and a corresponding respective crop density, such that grown crops resulting from planting of the determined associated crop at the corresponding crop density at the each of the plurality of field portions form, when viewed aerially, an approximation of the target image.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining field data for a plurality of field portions each associated with respective soil attributes;

obtaining a target image to be aerially viewed; and

determining for each of the plurality of field portions, based, at least in part, on the field data for the plurality of the field portions that are each associated with the respective soil attributes and based on the target image, an associated respective crop, selected from a plurality of available crops, and a corresponding respective crop density, such that grown crops resulting from planting of the determined associated crop at the corresponding crop density at the each of the plurality of field portions form, when viewed aerially, an approximation of the target image, wherein determining for the each of the plurality of field portions the associated respective crop and the corresponding respective crop density comprises;

defining one or more constraints based on one or more of;

the field data for the plurality of field portions, available crops, available farming materials, or environmental conditions;

defining a further constraint that the grown crops form, when viewed aerially, the approximation of the target image;

defining one or more objectives; and

performing a linear programming procedure to achieve the defined one or more objectives subject to the defined one or more constraints.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the one or more objectives comprises defining an objective to maximize aggregate crop yield, and wherein performing the linear programming procedure to achieve the defined one or more objectives subject to the defined one or more constraints comprises:

determining for the each of the plurality of field portions the associated respective crop and the corresponding respective crop density that maximize the aggregate crop yield in the plurality of field portions, subject to a constraint that the grown crops form, when viewed aerially, the approximation of the target image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining for the each of the plurality of field portions the associated respective crop and the corresponding respective crop density comprises:

determining for the each of the plurality of field portions the respective crop density based, at least in part, on the field data; and

deriving for the each of the plurality of field portions, based, at least in part, the determined respective crop density for the each of the plurality of field portions, the associated respective crop.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

scaling the target image based on dimensions associated with the plurality of field portions and a data representative of a vantage point from which the approximation of the target image is aerially viewable.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining locations for one or more seed dispensing units; and

actuating the one or more seed dispensing units to cause dispensing of respective crop seeds held in the one or more crop dispensing units based on the determined respective crop and the corresponding respective crop density at particular ones of the plurality of field portions at which the one or more crop dispensing units are determined to be located.

6. A method comprising:

obtaining field data for a plurality of field portions each associated with respective soil attributes;

obtaining a target image to be aerially viewed; and

determining for each of the plurality of field portions, based, at least in part, on the field data for the plurality of the field portions that are each associated with the respective soil attributes and based on the target image, an associated respective crop, selected from a plurality of available crops, and a corresponding respective crop density, such that grown crops resulting from planting of the determined associated crop at the corresponding crop density at the each of the plurality of field portions form, when viewed aerially, an approximation of the target image, wherein determining for the each of the plurality of field portions the associated respective crop and the corresponding respective crop density comprises;

determining for the each of the plurality of field portions the associated respective crop and the corresponding respective crop density that maximize aggregate crop yield in the plurality of field portions, subject to a constraint that the grown crops form, when viewed aerially, the approximation of the target image, wherein determining the associated respective crop and the corresponding respective crop density includes;

defining one or more constraints based on one or more of;

the field data for the plurality of field portions, available crops, available farming materials, or environmental conditions; and

performing a linear programming procedure to achieve a maximum aggregate crop yield based on the defined one or more constraints.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining for the each of the plurality of field portions the associated respective crop and the corresponding respective crop density comprises:

determining for the each of the plurality of field portions the respective crop density based, at least in part, on the field data; and

deriving for the each of the plurality of field portions, based, at least in part, the determined respective crop density for the each of the plurality of field portions, the associated respective crop.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

scaling the target image based on dimensions associated with the plurality of field portions and data representative of a vantage point from which the approximation of the target image is aerially viewable.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining locations for one or more seed dispensing units; and

actuating the one or more seed dispensing units to cause dispensing of respective crop seeds held in the one or more crop dispensing units based on the determined respective crop and the corresponding respective crop density at particular ones of the plurality of field portions at which the one or more crop dispensing units are determined to be located.

10. A method comprising:

obtaining field data for a plurality of field portions each associated with respective soil attributes;

obtaining a target image to be aerially viewed; and

determining for each of the plurality of field portions, based, at least in part, on the field data for the plurality of the field portions that are each associated with the respective soil attributes and based on the target image, an associated respective crop, selected from a plurality of available crops, and a corresponding respective crop density, such that grown crops resulting from planting of the determined associated crop at the corresponding crop density at the each of the plurality of field portions form, when viewed aerially, an approximation of the target image, wherein determining for the each of the plurality of field portions the associated respective crop and the corresponding respective crop density comprises;

defining one or more constraints based on one or more of;

the field data for the plurality of field portions, available crops, available farming materials, or environmental conditions;

defining a further constraint that the grown crops form, when viewed aerially, the approximation of the target image;

defining one or more objectives; and

determining for the each of the plurality of field portions the associated respective crop and the corresponding respective crop density that achieve the defined one or more objectives subject to the defined one or more constraints and subject to the further constrain that the grown crops form, when viewed aerially, the approximation of the target image.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more objectives comprise at least one of:

crop yield maximization, profit maximization, cost minimization, or resource-use minimization.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein determining for the each of the plurality of field portions the associated respective crop and the corresponding respective crop density comprises:

determining for the each of the plurality of field portions the respective crop density based, at least in part, on the field data; and

deriving for the each of the plurality of field portions, based, at least in part, the determined respective crop density for the each of the plurality of field portions, the associated respective crop.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

scaling the target image based on dimensions associated with the plurality of field portions and data representative of a vantage point from which the approximation of the target image is aerially viewable.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining locations for one or more seed dispensing units; and

actuating the one or more seed dispensing units to cause dispensing of respective crop seeds held in the one or more crop dispensing units based on the determined respective crop and the corresponding respective crop density at particular ones of the plurality of field portions at which the one or more crop dispensing units are determined to be located.