Automated plant problem resolution

• US 9,076,105 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2010
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Anderson, Noel Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Champagne, Luna
• Application Number:
  US12/859,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20120046837A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,782 Days
• Field of Search: 701/50, 707/769, 707/E17.014, 382/100
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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. A system for managing horticultural needs, the system comprising:

a diagnostic system comprising an image analyzer configured to autonomously process a number of images against a horticultural knowledge base comprising information about a plurality of plants to identify at least one plant anomaly for the plurality of plants;

a processor unit, wherein the processor unit executes the diagnostic system and accesses the horticultural knowledge base, a logistics database comprising information about a number of plant treatments, and a home site database comprising information about a given area to identify a horticultural need for the plurality of plants based at least in part on the identified at least one plant anomaly for the plurality of plants;

a resolution manager configured to generate an application plan to address the horticultural need identified for the plurality of plants based at least in part on the identified at least one plant anomaly for the plurality of plants; and

a mobile utility vehicle configured to execute the application plan, wherein the mobile utility vehicle comprises (i) a cartridge receptor configured to receive and secure a number of cartridges and (ii) a resource application system configured to apply a number of resources provided by the cartridge receptor to a number of surfaces of the plurality of plants.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor unit is located at a back office that is configured to receive image data from the mobile utility vehicle configured to execute the application plan received by the mobile utility vehicle from the back office.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor unit is located on the mobile utility vehicle configured to execute the application plan generated by the resolution manager.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the horticultural knowledge base, the logistics database and the home site database are distributed across a number of locations including a back office and the mobile utility vehicle configured to execute the application plan received by the mobile utility vehicle from the back office.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor unit further executes the diagnostic system to send the application plan to the mobile vehicle device configured to execute the application plan received from the processor unit.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic system includes the resolution manager, and wherein the processor unit further executes the diagnostic system and accesses the horticultural knowledge base to generate the application plan to at least partially address the horticultural need.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

an authenticator configured to access an authentication database and authenticate (i) the application plan generated by the resolution manager and (ii) the number of cartridges pursuant to resources identified in the application plan.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the authentication database comprises information about (i) a type of cartridge receptor associated with the mobile utility vehicle and at least one corresponding cartridge that is compatible with the type of cartridge receptor, and (ii) at least authoritative source authorized to generate the application plan for the mobile utility vehicle.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of plants are identified using the horticultural knowledge base, and the at least one plant anomaly is identified by the diagnostic system using the logistics database.

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

a data processor and a memory;

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

a horticultural knowledge base maintained in at least one storage device of the system and comprising information about a number of plants;

a logistics database maintained in the at least one storage device and comprising information about a number of plant treatments;

a home site database maintained in the at least one storage device and comprising information about a given area, wherein the resolution manager processes the number of diagnoses and the number of horticultural treatment options against the logistics database to generate a number of implementation options; and

a mobile utility vehicle comprising (i) a cartridge receptor configured to receive and secure a number of cartridges and (ii) a resource application system configured to apply a number of resources provided by the cartridge receptor to a number of surfaces of the number of plants.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the resolution manager processes the number of implementation options against the home site database to identify a subset of the number of implementation options that is identified as applicable to the given area using the home site database.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the number of plant anomalies are identified by the resolution manager using the logistics database, and plants associated with the number of plant anomalies are identified using the horticultural knowledge base.

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

a data processor and a memory;

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

a horticultural knowledge base maintained in at least one storage device of the system and comprising information about a number of plants;

a logistics database maintained in the at least one storage device and comprising information about a number of plant treatments;

a home site database maintained in the at least one storage device and comprising information about a given area, wherein the resolution manager processes the number of diagnoses and the number of horticultural treatment options against the logistics database to generate a number of implementation options; and

an authorizing agent, wherein the authorizing agent receives the 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, wherein the resolution manager processes the number of implementation options against the home site database to identify a subset of the number of implementation options that is identified as applicable to the given area using the home site database.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the authorizing agent is configured to send the application plan to a mobile utility vehicle configured to execute the application plan.