Method of determining and treating the health of a crop

• US 20010036295A1
• Filed: 12/01/2000
• Published: 11/01/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Leaf IP Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.), CNH Industrial America LLC (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Case Corporation (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Han, Shufeng, Hendrickson, Larry L., Dickson, Monte A.
• Granted Patent: US 6,529,615 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/110
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/2803 using photoelectric array detector
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/2823 Imaging spectrometer
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10036 Multispectral image; Hyperspectral image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30188 Vegetation; Agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0004 Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/90 Determination of colour characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/13 Satellite images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths

Abstract

A process for determining the health of crops in a field and for correcting deficiencies in the health of the crops is disclosed. The process includes georeferencing aerial photographs of at least a portion of the field, the aerial photographs having a particular spatial resolution; determining the green plane in the aerial photographs thus taken; preparing a relative greenness map of the field based upon the nitrogen reference area, the relative greenness map providing crop status information having spatial resolution equivalent to the spatial resolution of the aerial photographs; converting the relative greenness map to a nitrogen recommendation map having spatial resolution equivalent to the spatial resolution of the photographs; and applying nitrogen to the field according to the nitrogen recommendation map, whereby the nitrogen is applied to the field without loss of spatial information. A process for treating crops is also disclosed. The process includes establishing, in a field to be treated, at least one predetermined area of high nitrogen reference; photographing from the air, georeferenced portions of the field, using a particular spatial resolution; differentiating soil and crops, in the photographs thus obtained by segmenting images to select crop pixels; preparing a relative greenness map of the field from green plane based upon the high nitrogen reference area, the relative greenness map providing crop information having spatial resolution equivalent to the particular spatial resolution; and treating the crops in the field in accordance with the relative greenness map.

Claims

1. A process for determining the health of crops in a field and for correcting deficiencies in the health of the crops, comprising the steps of:

georeferencing aerial photographs of at least a portion of said field, said aerial photographs having a particular spatial resolution;

preparing a relative greenness map of the field providing crop status information having spatial resolution equivalent to the spatial resolution of said aerial photographs;

converting said relative greenness map to a nitrogen recommendation map having spatial resolution equivalent to the spatial resolution of said photographs; and

applying nitrogen to said field according to said nitrogen recommendation map, whereby said nitrogen is applied to said field without loss of spatial information.

2. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 1

, including the step of establishing, in a field in which the health of the crops is to be determined, at least one predetermined reference area of crops having a determined nitrogen content.

3. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 2

, wherein the steps of establishing a nitrogen reference area includes the step of applying a predetermined quantity of nitrogen to crops in said reference area.

4. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 3

, wherein said determining the green plane in said photograph includes the step of differentiating soil and green plants, in the photograph thus obtained.

5. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 4

, wherein the step of differentiating soil and green plants includes the step of segmenting images to select crop pixels while discarding soil pixels.

6. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 1

, wherein the step of determining the green plane in said photographs includes differentiating soil and green plants by segmenting images to select crop pixels while discarding soil pixels.

7. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 6

, including the steps of segmenting red and near infrared planes to determine the overall coverage of crop in the field.

8. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 1

, including the steps of taking aerial photographs of the field and basing said relative greenness map upon greenness values relative to said reference.

9. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 8

, wherein said aerial photographing step includes taking a plurality of pictures in sequence, and piecing said photographs together to form a composite of the field.

10. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 9

, including the step of establishing reference points in said field to improve GPS accuracy.

11. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 9

, including establishing reference points to facilitate the formation of a composite photographic representation of said field.

12. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 1

, wherein the step of applying nitrogen includes applying nitrogen to said field in accordance with said greenness application map in georeferenced areas of nitrogen deficiency.

13. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 1

including the step of photographing from the air using a particular spatial resolution.

14. A process for determining the health of crops in a field comprising the steps of:

georeferencing aerial photographs of at least a portion of said field, said aerial photographs having a particular spatial resolution; and

preparing a relative greenness map of the field based upon a nitrogen reference area, said relative greenness map including relative greenness values and having a spatial resolution equivalent to the spatial resolution of said aerial photographs.

15. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 14

, including the step of establishing, in a field in which the health of the crops is to be determined, converting said relative greeness map directly to a nitrogen recommendation map based upon the relative greeness values.

16. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 14

, including the step of establishing, in a field in which the health of the crops is to be determined, applying nitrogen to said field according to said nitrogen recommendation map.

17. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 16

, including the step of establishing, in a field in which the health of the crops is to be determined, at least one predetermined reference area of crops having a determined nitrogen content.

18. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 17

, wherein the steps of establishing a nitrogen reference area includes the step of applying a predetermined quantity of nitrogen to crops in said reference area.

19. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 14

, including the steps of taking aerial photographs of the field and basing said relative greenness map upon greenness values relative to said reference.

20. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 19

, wherein said aerial photographing step includes taking a plurality of pictures in sequence, and piecing said photographs together to form a composite of the field.

21. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 20

, including the step of establishing reference points in said field to improve GPS accuracy.

22. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 20

, including establishing reference points to facilitate the formation of a composite photographic representation of said field.

23. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 14

, wherein the step of applying nitrogen includes applying nitrogen to said field in accordance with said greenness application map in georeferenced areas of nitrogen deficiency.

24. The process for treating crops in accordance with

claim 14

, including the step of photographing from the air, georeferenced portions of said field, using a particular spatial resolution.

25. A process for determining the health of crops in a field comprising the steps of:

georeferencing aerial photographs of at least a portion of said field, said aerial photographs having a particular spatial resolution;

preparing a relative greenness map of the field based upon a nutrient reference area, said relative greenness map including relative greenness values and having spatial resolution equivalent to the particular spatial resolution; and

converting said relative greenness map directly to a nutrient recommendation map based upon the relative greenness values.

26. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 25

, including the step of applying, in a field in which the health of the crops is to be determined, nutrient to said field according to said nutrient recommendation map.

27. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 26

, including the step of establishing, in a field in which the health of the crops is to be determined, at least one predetermined reference area of crops having a determined nutrient content.

28. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 27

, wherein the steps of establishing a nutrient reference area includes the step of applying a predetermined quantity of nutrient to crops in said reference area.

29. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 28

, wherein the step of differentiating soil and green plants includes the step of segmenting images to select crop pixels while discarding soil pixels.

30. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 25

, including the step of taking aerial photographs of the field and basing said relative greenness map upon greenness values relative to said reference.

31. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 30

, wherein said aerial photographing step includes taking a plurality of pictures in sequence, and piecing said photographs together to form a composite of the field.

32. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 30

, including the step of establishing reference points in said field to facilitate global positioning accuracy of photographed areas of the field.

33. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 30

, including the step of establishing reference points in said field to facilitate the formation of a composite photographic representation of said field.

34. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 33

, including the steps of applying nutrient to said field in accordance with said greenness application map in georeferenced areas of nutrient deficiency.

35. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 30

, including the steps of segmenting red and near infrared planes to determine the overall coverage of crop in the field.

36. The process for determining the health of crops in accordance with

claim 25

, including the step of photographing from the air, georeferenced portions of said field, using a particular spatial resolution.