AUTOMATED PLANT PROBLEM RESOLUTION

• US 20120046837A1
• Filed: 08/20/2010
• Published: 02/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Anderson, Noel Wayne
• Granted Patent: US 9,076,105 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models

Abstract

The illustrative embodiments provide an apparatus for performing horticultural tasks comprising a number of data storage devices, a diagnostic system, and a processor unit. The number of data storage devices includes a horticultural knowledge base, a logistics database, and a home site database. The processor unit executes the diagnostic system and accesses the horticultural knowledge base, the logistics database, and the home site database on the number of data storage devices to identify a horticultural need for a plurality of plants.

Claims

1. An apparatus for performing horticultural tasks, the apparatus comprising:

a number of data storage devices, wherein the number of storage devices includes a horticultural knowledge base, a logistics database, and a home site database;

a diagnostic system; and

a processor unit, wherein the processor unit executes the diagnostic system and accesses the horticultural knowledge base, the logistics database, and the home site database on the number of data storage devices to identify a horticultural need for a plurality of plants.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic system further comprises:

a resolution manager configured to generate an application plan to address the horticultural need identified for the plurality of plants.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor unit is located at a back office.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor unit is located on a mobile utility vehicle.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the number of data storage devices are distributed across a number of locations including a back office and a mobile utility vehicle.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor unit further executes the diagnostic system and accesses the knowledge base on the number of data storage devices to identify a plant anomaly.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor unit further executes the diagnostic system and accesses the knowledge base on the number of data storage devices to generate an application plan to address the horticultural need.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a cartridge receptor configured to receive and secure a number of cartridges.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a resource application system configured to apply a number of resources to a number of surfaces.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

an authenticator configured to authenticate at least one of a number of cartridges and an application plan.

11. A vehicle comprising:

a machine controller;

a steering system;

a propulsion system;

a link for receiving input from a number of sensors and

a diagnostic system configured to identify plant anomalies and generate application plans to address the plant anomalies identified,

wherein the machine controller is connected to the diagnostic system and wherein the machine controller uses the diagnostic system to identify a horticultural need for a plurality of plants.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the machine controller identifies the horticultural need for the plurality of plants using the diagnostic system and information obtained from the number of sensors on the vehicle.

13. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the diagnostic system further comprises a horticultural knowledge base, a logistics database, and a home site database.

14. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the machine controller receives data from a plurality of sensors for the vehicle to form received data and generates an application plan for the plurality of plants using the received data and the diagnostic system.

15. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the diagnostic system identifies at least one of a plant, a plant anomaly, an invertebrate animal, a vertebrate animal, a fungus, a single celled life form, a virus, and an environmental condition around a plant.

16. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the number of sensors comprises at least one of a global positioning system, structured light sensor, infrared camera, visible light camera, soil moisture sensor, rain sensor, temperature gauge, wind sensor, and ambient light sensor.

17. A system for managing horticultural needs, the system comprising:

a resolution manager configured to receive a number of images and analyze the number of images to identify a number of plant anomalies, a number of diagnoses, and a number of treatment options;

a horticultural knowledge base having information about a number of plants;

a logistics database having information about a number of plant treatments; and

a home site database having information about a given area.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the resolution manager processes the number of diagnoses and the number of treatment options against the logistics database to generate a number of implementation options.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the resolution manager processes the number of implementation options against the home site database to identify a subset of implementation options.

20. The system of claim 17 further comprising:

an authorizing agent, wherein the authorizing agent receives a subset of implementation options from the resolution manager and uses the subset of implementation options to generate an application plan for treatment of the plant anomalies identified.