System for diagnosis of plant anomalies

• US 8,923,569 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2010
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BASF SE
• Original Assignee: BASF SE
• Inventors: Duarte, Ricardo Junqueira Franco
• Primary Examiner(s): GORADIA, SHEFALI DINESH
• Application Number:
  US13/382,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20120114187A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,639 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/110
• US Class Current: 382/110
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/70 for mining of medical data, e.g. analysing previous cases of other patients

Abstract

The present invention refers to a system for the diagnosis of plant anomalies which comprises at least: an acquisition device (1) capable of capturing images in real time of at least one sample of a plant to be diagnosed; a storage unit (2) comprised by a database of digitalized images (7) of samples of plants affected by anomalies and also comprised by a database of technical information (8) related to said anomalies; a human interface device (3) capable of displaying digitalized images of the plant samples; a human control device (4) capable of allowing for an active interaction between a user and the human interface device; and a processing unit (5) operatively associated to the acquisition device (1), to the storage unit (2), to the human interface device (3) and to the human control device (4). This processing unit (5) is configured to run a dedicated computer program (6) capable of: displaying the image of the sample of the plant to be diagnosed and the digitalized image of the sample of the plant filed in the database of images (7) from the storage unit (2) simultaneously in the human interface device (3); automatically providing information of at least, one product and/or method suitable for treating the anomaly diagnosed by means of the human interface device (3); and allowing for the graphic manipulation of the plant images shown in the human interface device (3) by means of the human control device (4).

Claims

1. A system for the diagnosis of plant anomalies comprising:

at least one acquisition device configured for capturing images in real time of at least one sample of a plant to be diagnosed;

at least one storage unit comprising a database of digitalized images of samples of plants affected by anomalies and a database of technical information related to said anomalies;

at least one human interface device configured for displaying digitalized images of plant samples from the acquisition device and the storage unit;

at least one human control device configured for allowing for an active interaction between a user and the human interface device; and

at least one processing unit operatively associated to the acquisition device, to the storage unit, to the human interface device and to the human control device, wherein the processing unit is configured to run a dedicated computer program such program configured for;

allowing access to the database of digitalized images and allowing searching in the database of digitalized images thereby allowing the display of the image of the sample of the plant to be diagnosed and an image of the digitalized images of the samples of the plant filed in the database of images from the storage unit simultaneously in the human interface device;

automatically providing information on at least one product and/or method suitable for treating an anomaly diagnosed by means of the human interface device by means of information that is stored in the database of technical information of the storage device; and

allowing for a graphic manipulation of the plant images shown on the human interface device by means of the human control device;

wherein the at least one acquisition device, the at least one human interface device, the at least one human control device, and the at least one processing unit are portable and are configured to allow a user to diagnose a plant anomaly with the system in the field.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is associated with a local network of information, and wherein the processing unit is configured to allow for sharing data contained in the storage device at the local network of information by running the dedicated computer program.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the processing unit is configured to update the database of images and the database of information from the storage unit automatically and periodically through the local network of information by running the dedicated computer program.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is associated to a world network of information, the processing unit being configured to allow for sharing data contained in the storage device at the world network of information by running the dedicated computer program.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the processing unit is configured to update the database of images and the database of information from the storage unit automatically and periodically through the world network of information by running the dedicated computer program.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphic manipulation of images is allowed by means of edition tools displayed on the human interface device and accessible by the human control device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to allow for a search in the database of images and in the database of information by means of searching filters by running the dedicated computer program.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to allow for a search in the database of images and in the database of information by means of at least a keyword by running the dedicated computer program.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the dedicated computer program is stored in the storage unit.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the plant anomalies are caused by bacteria, virus, fungi, nematodes or insects.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the acquisition device is locally associated with a microcomputer.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing unit is used on the microcomputer.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the human interface device and the human control device is locally associated with the microcomputer.