Systems and methods for deactivating plant material outside of a growing region

• US 9,510,586 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2014
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hyde, Roderick A., Kare, Jordin T., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAIGE, TYLER D
• Application Number:
  US14/448,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20160029612A1
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 701/28, 172/720, 250/222.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 22/00 Cultivation of specific crops or plants not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 7/00 Botany in general
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 21/02 Apparatus for mechanical destruction hand-tools for uprooting weeds A01B1/16; machines for working soil and for weeding A01B39/18; harvesting machines A01D; cutting implements A01G3/00
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 21/04 Apparatus for destruction by steam, chemicals, burning, or electricity apparatus for burning A01M15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 21/043 by chemicals
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 7/0042 Field sprayers, e.g. self-propelled, drawn or tractor-mounted
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 7/0089 Regulating or controlling systems the delivery being related to the movement of a vehicle B05B9/06
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0098 Plants or trees wood G01N33/46
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle

Abstract

A system for deactivating plant material outside of a growing region to prevent propagation of designated plant material outside of the growing region includes an imaging sensor configured to remotely detect plant material outside of the growing region, a vehicle including a sampling implement configured to collect a sample of plant material, a plant sensor configured to analyze the sample of plant material, a deactivation device configured to deactivate plant material, and a controller configured to direct the vehicle to the plant material detected by the imaging sensor, cause the sampling implement to collect the sample from the detected plant material, cause the plant sensor to analyze the sample, and, when the sample is determined to be designated for deactivation, cause the deactivation device to deactivate the detected plant material.

Claims

1. A system for deactivating plant material outside of a growing region to prevent propagation of designated plant material outside of the growing region, comprising:

an imaging sensor configured to remotely detect plant material outside of the growing region;

a vehicle including a sampling implement configured to collect a sample of plant material;

a plant sensor configured to analyze the sample of plant material;

a deactivation device configured to deactivate plant material; and

a controller configured to direct the vehicle to the plant material detected by the imaging sensor, cause the sampling implement to collect the sample from the detected plant material, cause the plant sensor to analyze the sample, and, when the sample is determined to be designated for deactivation, cause the deactivation device to deactivate the detected plant material;

wherein the deactivation device comprises an emitter device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plant material comprises a plant.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plant material comprises a reproductive component of a plant.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the plant material comprises transgenic plant material.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the emitter device comprises a movable beamed energy emitter.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the emitter device comprises a movable high temperature emitter.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the deactivation device comprises a deactivation implement.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the deactivation implement is configured to physically destroy the plant material.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the deactivation implement is configured to physically collect and remove the plant material.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the deactivation device is separate from the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the deactivation device is mounted to the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the imaging sensor is configured to detect plant material responsive to nonvisible light.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the imaging sensor is configured to detect plant material responsive to visible light.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to detect an expression of a genetic marker of the plant material.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a ground vehicle.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an air vehicle.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the air vehicle is an unmanned air vehicle.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the plant sensor is mounted to the vehicle.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the plant sensor is separate from the vehicle.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the imaging sensor is mounted to the vehicle.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the imaging sensor is separate from the vehicle.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is a component of the vehicle.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is separate from the vehicle.

24. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a mapping device, wherein the controller is further configured to receive data from the mapping device and plot the growing region.

25. A method of deactivating plant material to prevent propagation of designated plant material outside of a growing region, comprising:

establishing a boundary separating a growing region from an exclusion region;

designating a type of plant material to be deactivated by a deactivation device comprising an emitter device, the deactivation device configured to deactivate the plant material;

remotely detecting plant material in the exclusion region;

collecting a sample of the detected plant material;

analyzing the sample of the detected plant material;

determining if the sample is the designated plant material; and

when sample is determined to be the designated plant material, deactivating the plant material from which the sample was collected.

26. A system for deactivating plant material outside of a growing region to prevent propagation of designated plant material outside of the growing region, comprising:

an imaging sensor configured to remotely detect plant material outside of the growing region;

a vehicle including a sampling implement configured to collect a sample of plant material;

a plant sensor configured to analyze the sample of plant material;

an emitter device configured to deactivate plant material; and

a controller configured to direct the vehicle to the plant material detected by the imaging sensor, cause the sampling implement to collect the sample from the detected plant material, cause the plant sensor to analyze the sample, and, when the sample is determined to be designated for deactivation, cause the emitter device to deactivate the detected plant material;

wherein the emitter device comprises a movable beamed energy emitter.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the plant material comprises a plant.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the plant material comprises a reproductive component of a plant.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the plant material comprises transgenic plant material.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein the emitter device comprises a movable chemical emitter.

31. The system of claim 26, wherein the emitter device comprises a movable high temperature emitter.

32. The system of claim 26, wherein the emitter device is mounted to the vehicle.