PER PLANT CROP SENSING RESOLUTION

• US 20140230391A1
• Filed: 02/20/2013
• Published: 08/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Hendrickson, Larry L., Dybro, Niels, Anderson, Noel W.
• Granted Patent: US 10,178,828 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 56/10.2R
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/127 Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/1271 for measuring crop flow
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/1272 for measuring grain flow
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/1273 for measuring grain loss
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/141 Automatic header control
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 45/021 Cornheaders
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0098 Plants or trees wood G01N33/46

Abstract

At least one sensor carried by a mobile machine senses a sensed forage crop attribute value independent of plant population for an individual forage plant. A processing unit derives a derived forage crop attribute value based on the sensed forage crop attribute value.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one sensor carried by a mobile machine to sense a sensed forage crop attribute value independent of plant population for an individual forage plant; and

a processing unit to derive a derived forage crop attribute value based on the sensed crop attribute value.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to identify at least one condition based upon the sensed forage crop attribute value and the derived forage crop attribute value.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processing unit is further configured to generate control signals based upon the identified at least one condition.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising a display, wherein the control signals cause the display to present information regarding the condition.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the control signals adjust an operation of the mobile machine.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mobile machine comprises a crop harvesting machine.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to sense the sensed crop attribute value for a plurality of individual forage plants in a row and wherein the processing unit is configured to derive the derived forage crop attribute value for the row based on the sensed forage crop attribute value.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to sense a second sensed forage crop attribute value for the forage plant, wherein the processing unit is configured to derive the derived forage crop attribute value based upon the sensed forage crop attribute value and the second sensed forage crop attribute value.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the sensed forage crop attribute value of the forage plant comprises an attribute of a non-yield portion of the forage plant.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the sensed forage crop attribute value comprises a cornstalk height and wherein the second sensed forage crop attribute value comprises a cornstalk diameter.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the derived forage crop attribute value comprises a corn yield.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the derived forage crop attribute value comprises a yield for the forage plant and wherein the processing unit is further configured to derive a second derived forage crop attribute value comprising a non-yield mass for the forage plant.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a memory, wherein the processing unit is configured to generate a map of the derived forage crop attribute value across a field which is stored in the memory, the map having a resolution of the individual forage plant.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a memory, wherein the processing unit is configured to generate a map of the derived forage crop attribute value across a field which is stored in the memory, the map having a resolution of an individual row of forage plants.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is selected from a group of sensors consisting of:

light detection and ranging (LIDAR or LADAR) sensors, structured light or stereo camera vision sensors, strain gauges and accelerometers.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a non-transient computer-readable medium containing computer readable code configured to direct a processing unit to;

receive a sensed forage crop attribute value for an individual forage plant independent of plant population; and

derive a derived forage crop attribute value based on the sensed forage crop attribute value.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the computer readable code is further configured to direct the processing unit to sense the sensed forage crop attribute value for a plurality of individual forage plants in a row and to derive the derived forage crop attribute value for the row based on the sensed forage crop attribute value.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein computer readable code is configured to direct the processing unit to sense a second sensed forage crop attribute value for the forage plant and to derive the derived forage crop attribute value based upon the sensed forage crop attribute value and the second sensed forage crop attribute value.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the sensed forage crop attribute value of the forage plant comprises an attribute of a non-yield portion of the forage plant.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the sensed crop attribute value comprises a cornstalk height and wherein the second sensed forage crop attribute value comprises a cornstalk diameter.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the computer readable code is configured to direct the processing unit to generate a map of the derived forage crop attribute value across a field which is stored in a memory, the map having a resolution of the individual forage plant.

22. A method comprising:

receiving a sensed forage crop attribute value for an individual forage plant independent of plant population; and

deriving a derived forage crop attribute value based on the sensed forage crop attribute value.