OBTAINING AND DISPLAYING AGRICULTURAL DATA

• US 20150187109A1
• Filed: 01/02/2014
• Published: 07/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Mentzer, Matt
• Granted Patent: US 10,068,354 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation

Abstract

An image of an agricultural item is captured on a mobile device. Agricultural data is received that corresponds geographically to the agricultural item. Visual indicia are displayed that are indicative of the received agricultural data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for displaying agricultural data, comprising:

displaying, on a display of a mobile device, an image of an agricultural item visible using a viewing component of the mobile device;

receiving agricultural data, corresponding geographically to the agricultural item; and

displaying visual indicia, indicative of the received agricultural data on the display.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the agricultural item comprises a piece of ground and wherein displaying the visual indicia comprises:

displaying the visual indicia on the image of the piece of ground, as the piece of ground is visible with the viewing component.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein displaying visual indicia comprises:

superimposing the visual indicia over the image of the agricultural item based on the geographic correspondence of the received agricultural data to the agricultural item.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

manipulating the mobile device to display an image of a different agricultural item that is visible using the viewing component of the mobile device; and

repeating the steps of receiving agricultural data and superimposing visual indicia over the image of the different agricultural item based on the geographic correspondence of the received agricultural data to the different agricultural item.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 further comprising:

prior to receiving the agricultural data, sending a request for a set of agricultural data, geographically corresponding to the agricultural item, to the data service.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 wherein sending the request comprises:

sending a location of the agricultural item; and

sending a data identifier identifying the set of agricultural data requested.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 further comprising:

prior to sending the location of the agricultural item, calculating the location of the agricultural item based on a location of the mobile device, an orientation of the mobile device, and a displacement of the agricultural item from the mobile device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein receiving the agricultural data comprises:

receiving the agricultural data from a remote agricultural data service.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein receiving the agricultural data comprises:

receiving the agricultural data from a cloud-based agricultural data service.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 wherein the agricultural data is indicative of a characteristic of the agricultural item at a particular geographic location, and wherein superimposing the visual indicia over the image of the piece of ground comprises:

superimposing the visual indicia over the image of the piece of ground to identify the characteristic of the piece of ground at the particular geographic location of the piece of ground.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 wherein displaying the image of the agricultural item comprises displaying a plurality of user actuatable input mechanisms, each corresponding to a different set of agricultural data and wherein sending the request comprises:

receiving user actuation of a given user actuatable input mechanism; and

sending the request for a given set of agricultural data corresponding to the given user actuatable input mechanism.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the agricultural item comprises a captured image of a plant and wherein receiving agricultural data comprises:

receiving expected plant maturity data indicative of expected plant maturity for the plant at a geographic location of the plant.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12 wherein the expected plant maturity data comprises a received image of the plant at an expected maturity, given the geographic location of the plant and wherein displaying visual indicia comprises:

displaying the received image of the plant at the expected maturity.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 wherein displaying the received image comprises:

displaying the received image of the plant at the expected maturity along with the captured image of the plant.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the image of the agricultural item comprises an image of a weed, and wherein receiving agricultural data comprises:

receiving an identity of the weed, and suggested treatment data for treating the weed.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the image of the agricultural item comprises an image of a pest, and wherein receiving agricultural data comprises:

receiving an identity of the pest, and suggested treatment data for treating the pest.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the image of the agricultural item comprises an image of a diseased plant, and wherein receiving agricultural data comprises:

receiving an identity of a disease affecting the diseased plant, and suggested treatment data for treating the diseased plant.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein receiving agricultural data comprises:

receiving the agricultural data from an agronomist.

19. A mobile device, comprising:

a viewing component;

a display device that displays a view of an agricultural item visible using the viewing component;

an agricultural application that receives a data request user input and sends a request for agricultural data, to a remote agricultural data service, based on a geographic location of the agricultural item;

a user interface component that displays visual information indicative of received agricultural data on the display device; and

a computer processor that is a functional part of the mobile device and is activated by the agricultural application and the user interface component to facilitate sending the data request and displaying the visual information.

20. The mobile device of claim 19 and further comprising:

an image capture component that captures an image visible using the viewing component, the agricultural application sending the captured image to the remote agricultural data service and receiving image analysis results from the remote agricultural data service.

21. The mobile device of claim 19 wherein the agricultural application obtains a location of the agricultural item and sends the location of the piece of land along with the request for agricultural data, and further comprising:

a motion sensor sensing movement of the mobile device, the agricultural application obtaining a new location of a new agricultural item visible using the viewing component after movement of the mobile device, and sending a new request for data along with the new location.

22. The mobile device of claim 21 wherein the user interface component superimposes visual information indicative of newly-received agricultural data on a view of the new agricultural item.

23. The mobile device of claim 19 wherein the agricultural item is a piece of land and wherein the received agricultural data is indicative of a characteristic of a particular geographic portion of the piece of land and wherein the user interface component superimposes the visual information on the view of the piece of land to visually indicate the particular geographic portion of the piece of land that has the characteristic.

24. The mobile device of claim 23 wherein the received agricultural data is location-specific farming data that corresponds to a specific geographic location, and wherein the user interface component superimposes the visual information over the geographic location on the piece of land to which the location-specific farming data corresponds.

25. A computer readable storage medium that stores computer readable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a computer-implemented method, comprising:

displaying, on a display screen of a mobile device, an image of a plant visible using a camera lens of the mobile device;

calculating a position of the plant;

sending a request for a set of agricultural data, geographically corresponding to the position of the plant, to a remote agricultural data service;

receiving the requested set of agricultural data, corresponding geographically to the plant, from the remote agricultural data service; and

displaying visual indicia indicative of the received set of agricultural data based on the geographic correspondence of the received set of agricultural data to the plant.

26. The computer readable storage medium of claim 25 wherein the received set of agricultural data comprises a received image of the plant at an expected maturity and wherein displaying comprises:

juxtaposing the received image relative to the image of the plant.

27. The computer readable storage medium of claim 25, and further comprising:

capturing an image visible through the camera lens;

sending the captured image to the remote agricultural data service;

receiving image analysis results from the remote agricultural data service, based on analysis performed on the captured image; and

displaying the analysis results on the display screen.