Patent Application
20200120886
The present invention relates to automated treatment of plants in industrial agriculture, such as in green-house grown plants. Specifically, treatment of plants include, for example, targeted mechanical pollination, localized prevention and/or treatment of disease, and inhibition/control of degree of pollination and/or plant growth.
Crops need a lot of care, starting from maintaining plants health all over the plant life cycle and followed by pollinating the flowers and insuring healthy crops. With the continuous increase in population and the increased interest in healthy life while decreasing expenses, the traditional ways of agriculture are challenged every day. As known, the majority of crops we eat or use are mainly pollinated by wind or insects. However, for various reasons these natural processes do not exist or do not function optimally. For example, decrease in quantity or disappearance of insects from the farming area, or environmental conditions which limit the ability of insects to move around and pollinate. In greenhouses, for example, wind and insects cannot enter and pollinate. In addition, the growing need for food and cost reduction requires higher efficiency, which subsequently drives farmers to improve fruit set and yield beyond natural pollination.
Depending on conditions and cost, solutions range from manual pollination in various methods, to artificial introduction of insects such as honey-bee hives to farming areas, or industrially grown insects (e.g. the bombus bee). In addition, there exist mechanical solutions such as vibrating cables holding the plants, or manually vibrating individual plants, trusses or flowers in plants which can self-pollinate.
In many areas, manual pollination is prohibitive due to availability of labor and cost. Bees have several disadvantages too: they require certain environmental conditions, are sensitive to pesticides, can escape (from greenhouses) or pollinate more lucrative crops nearby. They can also transfer viruses and fungi.
US patent application 20160353661 describes a method of pollinating a plant which includes receiving, with a processing circuit, plant data regarding a plant having flowers, and controlling, by the processing circuit, operation of a robotic device to selectively pollinate a portion of the plurality of flowers based on the plant data. The robotic device includes sensors configured to acquire plant data, a pollination device configured to pollinate flowers of a plant, a collection device configured to collect pollen, and a pollination prevention device configured to prevent a flower from being pollinated.
US20180065749 describes methods and systems of pollinating crops, the systems include one or more unmanned vehicles including a pollen applicator configured to collect pollen from a flower of a first crop and to apply the pollen collected from the flower of the first crop onto a flower of a second crop and a sensor configured to detect presence of the pollen applied to the flower of the second crop by the pollen applicator to verify that the pollen collected from the flower of the first crop by the pollen applicator was successfully applied by the pollen applicator onto the flower of the second crop.
The present invention provides novel techniques for treating plants during all of the growth and fruitage cycles including, but not limited to, monitoring plant conditions such as plant health, readiness for pollination and post pollination, and intervening in each of the aforementioned conditions or stages by applying the suitable treatment in order to insure a maximum effectivity and efficiency with respect to yield.
The systems and methods of the present invention are autonomous and based on robotic treatment device(s) that can approach the specific plant or portion of the plant to monitor and treat every plant in a farming area autonomously and without human intervention.
Further, the highly effective systems and methods of the invention are resource, energy and cost efficient in that the treatment applied is targeted and local, down to the sub-plant level and down to a single flower or a specific portion of the flower.
In some aspects, the present invention provides a novel technique for plant treatment by pollinating flowers, specifically automatically pollinating flowers, e.g. for use in industrial agriculture. The system induces vibrations in one or more regions of a plant in order to selectively pollinate one or more flowers on the plant.
The one or more regions of the plant, referred to occasionally as a, portion of the plant throughout the present disclosure, can be for example a plant stem, branch, leaf stalk, leaf, a group of flowers, a flower, a portion of a flower, or a bud of a respective portion of the plant. The system can detect the flower targets, determine whether they are ready for pollination and determine whether they were not pollinated yet, in order to efficiently and quickly pollinate as much flowers as required in optimal time and energy, and by this cover large amounts of plants.
In another aspect, the present invention provides systems and methods for plant treatment that include, for example, controlling number of eventually pollinated flowers and inhibiting over pollination of flowers, in order to optimize quantity and/or quality of the fruit yield; e.g. by damaging or pruning one or more parts/portions of a plant, for example flowers, and/or “bunching” flowers present on one branch/truss.
In yet another aspect, the present invention provides systems and methods for plant treatment that includes local identification of disease and selectively treating disease.
Autonomous systems and methods, in accordance with the invention, have several important advantages, inter alia: the techniques are not limited by the availability of human labor; not sensitive to temperature and other conditions required for efficient use of bees; not sensitive to pesticides which may kill the bees or require their removal for a certain amount of time; not limited to areas where bees can be used; it does not pose any threat to employees, e.g. stinging by bees; not confined by the fact that bees cannot perform selective pollination in order to prevent over pollination requiring subsequent pruning; and not affected by the fact that bees can also damage flowers if visiting them too many times.
Thus according to a first broad aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plant treatment system comprising:
a plant treatment apparatus comprising:
one or more treatment channels and at least one plant treatment device associated with said one or more treatment channels, said at least one plant treatment device being configured and operable to controllably induce vibrations of at least a, portion of a plant, said vibrations being configured to apply treatment to said at least portion of the plant; and
a sensing system comprising one or more sensors configured and operable to provide sensing signals indicative of a condition of said at least portion of the plant, said one or more sensors comprising an optical sensor configured and operable to provide the sensing signals indicative of image data of said at least portion of the plant; and
a control system configured and operable for data communication with said plant treatment apparatus, to receive and process the sensing signals produced by the sensing system, the processing of the sensing signals comprising determining the condition of said at least portion of the plant and operating said at least one plant treatment device to induce vibrations corresponding to the treatment of said at least portion of the plant.
In some embodiments, said at least one of said one or more treatment channels may be configured as a fluid flow channel. The at least one treatment device may be configured and operable to induce the vibrations by generating an air flow having a predetermined flow profile towards said at least portion of the plant via the fluid flow channel. The at least one treatment device may be configured and operable to generate the flow profile of the air flow being a directional and targeted fluid stream that can be directed towards and induces vibrations in specific one or more regions in said at least portion of the plant.
In some embodiments, said at least one plant treatment device comprises a vibrating element being configured and operable to contact said at least portion of the plant while vibrating to thereby induce said vibrations thereto.
In some embodiments, said at least one plant treatment device may be configured and operable as a plant pollination device, such that said induced vibrations are configured to cause pollination of at least one flower within said at least portion of the plant. The at least one plant treatment device may comprise a filter configured and operable to block microbes, viruses and/or other harmful objects and prevent delivering them to the at least portion of the plant with the air or fluid flow.
In some embodiments, said plant treatment apparatus further comprises an additional plant treatment device comprising a substance delivery device configured and operable to locally deliver or spray one or more treatment substances onto one or more regions of said at least portion of the plant, said treatment substances comprising one or more of the following: a, medicament for treating plant disease, a, plant hormone inducing plant growth, a pesticide that kills pests, or a plant damaging substance that prevents growth and/or pollination. The substance delivery device may be associated with said one or more treatment channels. The plant treatment device and the additional plant treatment device may be associated with said at least one fluid flow channel. The substance delivery device may be configured and operable to spray pollen towards at least one flower within said at least portion of the plant.
In some embodiments, said at least one plant treatment device comprises a vibrating element, wherein said control system is configured and operable to provide a predetermined profile of the vibrations of the vibrating element by controlling at least one of frequency, amplitude and duration of the vibration.
In some embodiments, said at least one treatment device is configured and operable to induce the vibrations by generating an air flow, wherein said control system is configured and operable to provide the predetermined profile of the air flow by controlling at least one of the following parameters: number of train pulses of air, time gap between train pulses, number of pulses in each train pulse, time gap between two pulses in each train pulse, amplitude of pressure in each pulse, duration of each pulse.
In some embodiments, the optical sensor and the fluid flow treatment channel are configured with a predetermined fixed relative orientation between axis of line of sight of the optical sensor and axis of propagation of the directional fluid stream. The predetermined fixed relative orientation may comprise an offset and/or angular difference between the axis of the line of sight of the optical sensor and the axis of propagation of the directional fluid stream. The at least portion of the plant being treated may be located within a field of view of the optical sensor. A light collecting plane of said optical sensor may be located adjacently to a fluid exit aperture of said directional fluid stream. The optical sensor and the fluid exit aperture may be fixedly attached.
In some embodiments, said plant treatment apparatus further comprises a pollen transport device configured and operable to collect pollen from a, container on vehicle or in farming area and deliver the collected pollen to a pistil of at least one flower within said at least portion of the plant. The pollen transport device may have a patterned surface configured to adhere the pollen being collected to said surface.
In some embodiments, said sensing system further comprises one or more environmental sensors configured and operable to provide the sensing signals indicative of one or more environmental conditions in a vicinity of said at least portion of the plant. The plant treatment apparatus may further comprise an additional plant treatment device comprising an environment conditioning device being configured and operable to modify at least one of temperature and humidity of a surrounding of said at least portion of the plant. The control system may be configured and operable to operate said environment conditioning device. The environment conditioning device may be associated with said one or more treatment channels. The plant treatment device, the substance delivery device and the environment conditioning device may be associated with said at least one fluid flow channel.
In some embodiments, the control system is configured and operable to process the sensing signals and, upon determining that a flower within said at least portion of the plant is to be pollinated, generate corresponding operational data for said at least one plant treatment device to induce said vibrations in the at least portion of the plant.
In some embodiments, wherein the sensing system comprises one or more environmental sensors configured and operable to provide the sensing signals indicative of one or more environmental conditions in a vicinity of said at least portion of the plant, the sensing signals may be indicative of unfavorable conditions for pollination, and the control system may generate operational data for said substance delivery system to deliver or spray a hormone that induces parthenocarpic fruit growth. The sensing signals may be indicative of a disease of said at least portion of the plant or pest in a surrounding of or on said at least portion of the plant, and the control system may generate operational data for said substance delivery system to deliver or spray a medicament or a pesticide respectively.
In some embodiments, the plant treatment system further comprises a sterilization and/or cleaning and/or disinfecting assembly configured and operable to sterilize and/or clean and/or disinfect said at least one plant treatment device. The sterilization and/or cleaning and/or disinfecting assembly may comprise at least one of the following: a hot air blower, a cleaning material applicator and a cleaning or disinfecting or sterilizing material sprayer.
In some embodiments, the plant treatment apparatus comprises a, navigation and tracking assembly configured and operable to bring the plant treatment apparatus or device to a vicinity of said at least portion of the plant to thereby enable treating said at least portion of the plant by the plant treatment system. The navigation and tracking assembly may comprise a robotic arm carrying said plant treatment assembly, and the control system may be configured and operable to controllably move the robotic arm in three dimensions. The navigation and tracking assembly may comprise a ground vehicle configured and operable to controllably transport the plant treatment apparatus to the vicinity of said at least portion of the plant. The navigation and tracking assembly may comprise at least one of the following: one or more optical sensors, and a positioning sensor. The navigation and tracking assembly may comprise an inertial moment unit configured and operable to determine spatial movement path of the robotic arm to thereby optimize plant treatment process time and energy. The navigation and tracking assembly may comprise a telescopic structure comprising at its distal side a pivot configured and operable to hold the at least one plant treatment device and enable angular movement of the plant treatment device with respect to the telescopic structure, the telescopic structure is configured and operable to extend and retract to bring the plant treatment device to the vicinity of said at least portion of the plant, said sensing system comprising at least two optical sensors, a first optical sensor of the at least two optical sensors has a fixed field of view with respect to said telescopic structure and a second optical sensor of the at least two optical sensors has a fixed field of view with respect to said plant treatment device.
In some embodiments, the control system is configured and operable to determine, based on said sensing signals, whether at least one flower on said portion of the plant is ready for pollination, by comparing said sensing signals with reference data comprising images of flowers ready for pollination, and/or by processing said image data to identify presence of a flower in the image(s) and identify readiness of the flower(s) for pollination by identifying flower parameters indicative of existence or absence of pollination, and/or by utilizing trained artificial intelligence.
In some embodiments, the control system is configured and operable to analyze the sensing signals from at least the optical sensor and determine a condition of said at least portion of the plant while being treated and after the treatment, and generate corresponding feedback data, enabling decision making about modification of at least one parameter of the treatment affecting the vibrations induced in the at least portion of the plant.
In some embodiments, the plant treatment apparatus further comprises a pollination inhibiting device configured and operable to prevent pollination to occur to one or more flowers and/or prevent growth and blossoming of additional flowers within said at least portion of the plant, while minimizing damage to nearby parts of the plant. The pollination inhibiting device may comprise a laser device configured and operable to irradiate said at least portion of the plant with predetermined laser parameters to thereby damage said at least portion of the plant.
In some embodiments, the at least one treatment device is configured and operable as a pollination inhibiting device configured and operable to generate said fluid stream with a predetermined high temperature, while maintaining the fluid stream directionality by controlling size of fluid stream exit, to burn one or more regions of said at least portion of the plant and prevent pollination to occur to one or more flowers and/or prevent growth and blossoming of additional flowers within said at least portion of the plant, while minimizing damage to nearby parts of the plant.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a plant treatment apparatus, comprising:
one or more treatment channels and at least one plant treatment device associated with said one or more treatment channel, said at least one plant treatment device being configured and operable to controllably induce vibrations of at least a portion of a plant, said vibrations being configured to apply treatment to said at least portion of the plant;
a sensing system comprising one or more sensors configured and operable to provide sensing signals indicative of a condition of said at least portion of the plant, said one or more sensors comprising an optical sensor configured and operable to provide the sensing signals indicative of image data of said at least portion of the plant; and
a communication utility for data communication with a control system to transmit the sensing signals to the control system and receive from the control system operational data for said at least one plant treatment device to induce vibrations corresponding to the treatment for said at least portion of the plant.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a plant treatment apparatus comprising:
one or more fluid treatment channels and at least one plant treatment device associated with said one or more fluid treatment channels and with one or more substance reservoirs, said at least one plant treatment device being configured and operable to deliver or spray at least a portion of a plant with a substance selected from the group consisting of: medicament, pesticide, hormone and/or hot air;
a sensing system comprising one or more sensors configured and operable to provide sensing signals indicative of a condition of said at least portion of the plant, said one or more sensors comprising an optical sensor configured and operable to provide the sensing signals indicative of image data of said at least portion of the plant, and one or more environment sensors configured and operable to provide the sensing signals indicative of one or more environmental conditions in a vicinity of said at least portion of the plant; and
a communication utility for data communication with a control system to transmit the sensing signals to the control system and receive from the control system operational data for said at least one plant treatment device to deliver or spray one or more of said substances based respectively on following one or more conditions of said at least portion of the plant: disease, pest existence in the vicinity of the plant, environmental conditions in the vicinity of the plant.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a plant treatment apparatus comprising:
one or more treatment channels and at least one plant treatment device associated with said one or more treatment channels, said at least one plant treatment device being configured and operable to cause targeted damage to at least a portion of a plant;
a sensing system comprising one or more sensors configured and operable to provide sensing signals indicative of a condition of said at least portion of the plant, said one or more sensors comprising an optical sensor configured and operable to provide the sensing signals indicative of image data of said at least portion of the plant; and
a communication utility for data communication with a control system to transmit the sensing signals to the control system and receive from the control system operational data for said at least one plant treatment device to cause damage to said at least portion of the plant based on following one or more conditions of said at least portion of the plant: disease in said portion of the plant, pest on said portion of the plant, predetermined number of overall flowers that should exist on said portion of the plant, predetermined number of flowers or flower buds that have been already pollinated on said portion of the plant, and unwanted shoot or branch or a part thereof on said portion of the plant, thereby optimizing at least one of quantity or quality of yield on said plant.
In some embodiments, the one or more treatment channels comprise at least one of the following: laser of predetermined parameters of intensity and/or wavelength, air of predetermined high temperature and flow profile, and substance delivery.
According to another broad aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for plant treatment comprising:
In some embodiments, the acquiring and analyzing of sensing data, further comprising acquiring and analyzing environmental data indicative of environmental conditions in a surrounding of said at least portion of the plant, and determining whether said environmental conditions do not allow pollination, enabling modifying said environmental conditions before pollination. Modifying said environmental conditions before pollination may be as follows:
According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for plant treatment comprising:
In some embodiments, inhibiting pollination is achieved by one or more of the following:
In some embodiments, the at least part of said at least portion of the plant comprises a single flower or a region in a single flower.
In order to better understand the subject matter that is disclosed herein and to exemplify how it may be carried out in practice, embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Reference is made to
Accordingly, the plant treatment system 100 is configured and operable to monitor the plant during all of its growth stages, including the stage of flower blossoming, pollination and fruitage, by the sensing system 104 and once a predetermined condition of the plant, relating to one or more of the plant growth stages, is identified, the plant treatment system 100 is configured and operable to apply a corresponding treatment by the at least one plant treatment device 103 associated with one or more treatment channels 104. For example, the plant treatment system 100 identifies, by suitable sensor(s) of the sensing system 104, a condition related to pollination, e.g. whether one or more flowers on the plant are ready to be pollinated and as a result, the plant treatment system 100 operates the at least one plant treatment device 103 in order to pollinate the one or more flowers. In some embodiments, and as will be further detailed below, the plant treatment system 100 can monitor the health of the plant, by suitable sensor(s) of the sensing system 104, and upon identifying that the plant suffers from a specific disease, the plant treatment system operates the at least one treatment device 103 to apply a corresponding treatment to the diseased plant, such as by delivering a suitable drug or medicament. In some embodiments, as will also be further detailed below, the plant treatment system 100 can optimize the yield of fruit by monitoring the number and/or condition (state, such as pollinated or non-pollinated) of the flowers on an inflorescence of the plant, by suitable sensor(s) of the sensing system 104, and operating the at least one treatment device 103 to control the number and/or condition of flowers, e.g. by destroying any flower that exceeds a predefined number of pollinated flowers.
As described, the sensing system 104 monitors, by its one or more sensors 105, a condition of the plant, generates a corresponding sensing data and sends the sensing data to the control system 107. The control system 107 receives the sensing data, via the data line 107a, and processes the sensing signals to determine the condition of at least portion of the plant, then operates the at least one plant treatment device 103, by generating operational data and sending it via the control line 107b, to apply a corresponding treatment to the at least portion of the plant.
It should be noted that while, in this specific example, the illustration shows that the control system 107 is a separate element, it can be configured in other ways too. For example, the control system 107 can be an integral part of either the sensing system 104 or the at least one treatment device 103, or can be distributed there between. In that case, the data and control lines are merged into one transmission/communication line. Further, it is noted that the control system 107 may be located inside or outside the plant treatment apparatus 102. For example, the control system 107 can run on an external server that communicates with the other system's elements via network, whether wired or wireless network.
The at least one treatment device 103 is configured and operable to apply treatment to the at least one portion of the plant by controllably inducing a vibration pattern in the at least one portion of the plant. The vibration pattern is costumed to the desired kind of treatment to be applied, by controlling the parameters of the profile of the vibration pattern. The at least one treatment device 103 can be configured to apply the vibration pattern to one or more regions in the at least one portion of the plant to thereby achieve the required treatment in the minimum energy and/or time. The vibration pattern, induced in the one or more regions of the at least one portion of the plant, can be applied by the plant treatment device 103 in a contact or contactless manner, as will be further described below.
As mentioned above, the plant treatment apparatus 102 includes one or more treatment channels 106 which the at least one treatment device is associated with one or more of them. The one or more treatment channels include channel(s) that the plant treatment device 103 uses/requires in order to apply the treatment to the plant. The treatment channel(s) 106 can form an internal part of the plant treatment system or in some cases can be external to it. The treatment channel(s) 106 can be an entry, an intermediate or an exit part with respect to the one or more plant treatment devices 103. It should be noted that, in some embodiments, more than one plant treatment device can be associated with a single, common, treatment channel. In some embodiments, a single plant treatment device can be associated with more than one treatment channel. For example, the treatment channels can include a fluid flow channel configured and operable to provide a flow of fluid, either in gas or liquid or aerosol phase, that the plant treatment device utilizes to apply the treatment. In one specific example, the fluid flow channel is utilized by the plant treatment device in order to generate an air-flow and to blow air towards one or more regions of the at least portion of the plant.
The one or more sensors 105 of the sensing system 104, capable of sensing signals indicative of a condition of the portion of the plant under examination, include at least an optical sensor 105a configured and operable to provide the sensing signals indicative of image data of the at least portion of the plant. The optical sensor 105a can be configured as any optical sensor known in the art. Specifically, the optical sensor 105a can be a camera pointing directly towards the portion of the plant under examination, or can have or be associated with an aperture pointing towards the portion of the plant (e.g. by utilizing an optical fiber while the sensor itself has no direct line of sight with the portion of the plant), or can have a field of view that includes the portion of the plant, etc. The image data can be indicative of a variety of conditions of the portion of the plant that their identification invites a respective treatment by a suitable treatment device. For example, the image data can teach about diseases of the plant, readiness of one or more flowers to pollination, existence of already pollinated flowers, etc.
Air compressor 201 can compress air to the maximum value that the device is planned to use, and by controlling regulator 208 and valves 206, each fluid flow applicator 203 can receive an independently set pressure. The air compressor 201 can be equipped with a microbial filter or other filter (not shown) in order to prevent delivering microbes/viruses or other harmful objects through applicator to plants or portions of plants.
Tubes 205 can be flexible, in order to allow movement of applicators 203 in order to direct air delivery onto required part of plant, by mounting applicators 203 on movable mounts 204, also controlled by controller 211 through control lines 212.
Fluid flow applicators 203 can provide a predetermined profile of air flow adjusted to provide the required treatment to the at least portion of the plant. The predetermined profile of air flow can be a sequence of air pulses by intermittently opening and closing valves 206 at required timings, controlled by controller 211, and by changing air pressure by regulator 208. In another example, the predetermined profile of air flow can have a, constant velocity and/or directionality for a predetermined time period. The constant air flow profile can be used, for example, to cause damage to a portion of the plant, e.g. a flower, when subjected to the air flow having a predetermined temperature, usually suitably high temperature, as will be further described below.
The contact applicator 301's length may vary depending on the plant treated. The length may be changed manually by extending or retracting the contact applicator on its holding element attaching it to the vibrating element 302. It can also be controlled by a motor 304 which can vary its length upon commands from a controller 305 that can be configured similarly to controller 211 as described above. The contact applicator 301's rigidity/stiffness can vary depending on target plant. The contact applicator 301 may be rigid if target plant portion to be vibrated is thick/stiff/large/hard to vibrate, or more flexible if portion of plant to be vibrated is small or gentle.
Vibrating element 302 can be constantly vibrating, or can be operated by controller 305 for example upon signal from proximity sensor or force gauge (not shown) placed on the holding element of applicator 301. Vibration amplitude and frequency may also be changed by controlling vibrating element through controller 305.
In order to deliver fluids to a portion of the plant, valve 403 is operated such that it allows both pressurized air to flow from tank 202 and fluid from reservoir 401. Together, the mixture of air and fluid are delivered through tubes 205 to fluid flow applicators/apertures 203 by opening valves 206. In some embodiments, reservoir 401 can contain a powder, which is delivered to a portion of the plant in the same manner as the fluid.
Another non-limiting embodiment of the fluid delivery treatment device 103c is described in
Both non-limiting embodiments described in
In another embodiment, shown in
In yet another embodiment, shown in
This is another example of the ability of the plant treatment system to control the air flow at the output such that the air reaches only the targeted/treated plant portion with the correct temperature, air flow speed and duration.
The non-limiting depicted example describes a plant treatment system for controlling the yield quantity and quality by providing the ability for damaging, or pruning, unwanted flowers or other portions of the plant such as part of a branch/shoot/truss, at the right timing. For example, damaging or pruning one or more flowers or fruit exceeding a predetermined number to determine the quantity and quality of the fruit on each truss or branch, damaging unwanted branches/shoots/trusses or parts thereof, or controllably damaging or pruning the first flower on a branch/truss in order to shorten time of blossoming and/or pollination between the rest of the flowers on the specific branch/truss resulting in a more homogenous yield.
As shown, and specifically described below, the plant treatment device includes a hot directional air flow applicator pivotally mounted on a distal side of a telescopic arm with extension and retraction abilities to reach specific regions on a plant, a first imaging sensor attached with a predetermined, e.g. fixed, orientation with respect to the telescopic arm such that it defines a general spatial direction in which the hot directional air flow applicator can point, and a second imaging sensor having a predetermined orientation, e.g. fixedly attached, with respect to the hot directional air flow applicator such that it defines the specific spatial orientation of the hot directional air flow applicator and air flow direction generated therefrom with respect to the general spatial direction provided by the first imaging sensor.
Specifically, the non-limiting depicted plant treatment device is a combination of the device 103a as described in
The mount 204 can be mounted on a post (such as 801 in
At the distal side (close to the plant), the plant treatment device has a valve 1401, that controls the hot air flow output and is located close to the air flow outlet aperture 708 (alternatively adjustable opening 501 can be fitted), thereby preventing temporal or spatial broadening of the hot air flow and by this achieving optimal plant damaging while saving energy. It should be understood that the distance from the valve or the output aperture, whichever controls the air flow, to the at least portion of the plant being treated should be short enough to minimize spatial broadening of the hot air flow before reaching the treated portion of the plant, thereby saving energy, and preventing damage to nearby portions of the plant which should not be damaged. To this end, in some embodiments, the valve is located proximally adjacent to the aperture enabling the distal side of the aperture to be farther away from the plant. In some other embodiments, the valve is located at a specific proximal distance to the aperture, thereby requiring bringing the distal side of the aperture closer to the plant. The valve 1401 is operated to prevent the air pulse from broadening in time before reaching the plant portion. The valve 1401 can be operated together with the aperture or by itself if its aperture is suitable.
The hot air flow applicator is mounted on a second mount 2041 located at the distal side of the telescopic structure, the mount 2041 can be configured with a pivot allowing angular movement in at least two-dimensional movement, or in 3600 movement over half a, spherical surface, and control of the orientation of the aperture 708 and consequently of the output hot air flow with respect to the telescopic structure axis, thereby enabling accurate approach and focused damaging of a specific plant portion, e.g. a single flower, while preventing damage to other portions of the plant, either to the side, in front of or behind the portion of plant being damaged.
The heating element 707 behind the aperture can be adjusted, as well as the aperture itself, to control the hot air flow characteristics, in order to create the required damage according to the parameters of portion of the plant to be damaged, e.g. for thicker branch a hotter air flow may be required.
Air flow temperature and duration of air flow application can be predetermined or controlled by a feedback received from the sensing system (sensing data from the sensing system, e.g. image data, can be analyzed by the control system 107 that can be located locally or remotely). For example, the sensing system can detect the damage caused to the plant portion by detecting the change in color or change in position of the damaged plant portion. In case the feedback analysis teaches that no or not enough damage has been caused, the control system generates operational data, including treatment parameters, to further operate the pruning device and achieve the desired damage.
A telescopic structure 1403 (containing at least two telescopically connected arms) is fitted between aperture 203 and mount 2041. The telescopic structure 1403 can be extended or retracted in order to place the most distal side of the plant treatment device (e.g. the distal side of the aperture 708) at the right distance from the plant part. A stopper arm 1404 can be placed on a linear actuator 1405 that positions the stopper 1404 at the right extension. The telescopic structure can retract automatically by a spring or by moving the stopper 1404 with actuator 1405 back to its retracted position. It is important to retract the distal side of the aperture 708 to decrease chances of undesirable contact with plants while moving the plant treatment device between plants. The air flow exits the aperture close to the desired plant part, minimizing the expansion of the flow. A fixed aperture distance from plant part is not optimal since the air flow expands both in time and in space, therefore the distance from plant should be adjusted in each case, and since each inflorescence that needs to be treated is structured differently a feedback mechanism, provided by the sensing system 104, is necessary for optimal treatment. The control of the characteristics of the hot air flow (speed, volume, temperature, . . . ) can be adjusted in real-time following feedback from the sensing system 104 that monitors treatment and detects treatment results.
The telescopic structure has an important advantage, in comparison to other solutions such as a robotic arm, since it can be assured that the extending telescope has minimum or no contact with portions of the plant in the trajectory of the telescope, preventing damage and/or disease/virus from spreading. Additionally, in comparison to other solutions, it requires less complicated sensing and control systems. Thus the aperture can be aimed at the portion of the plant to be damaged, and according to the distance, the aperture can be moved close to the plant portion.
As the hot air flow can damage portions of plant that are behind/near the portion being damaged, the air flow should be aimed at the portion of plant in such a way that what is behind/near is not damaged. In one example, mount 204 and/or 2041 can be moved up/down and left/right to re-aim the aperture 708 until nothing is observed directly behind the aperture. This can be time consuming especially in dense plants. Additionally or alternatively, the aperture can be adjusted (when using an aperture with adjustable air flow output) in order to create a diverging air flow such that immediately behind the plant portion the air is cooler and does not cause damage. This requires positioning the aperture very close to the plant portion of interest. Yet, in another example, the added mount 1401 at the distal tip of the apparatus is utilized such that the telescopic arm moves the aperture close to target plant portion but with some offset and performs final adjustment in direction using mount 1401 in order to direct air flow such that it will not damage something behind/near the target. Optimal targeting of the target can be enhanced if there is knowledge about the general structure of the plant and portions of it to be damaged, for example of specific growth angles and distances from other parts of the plant.
As shown in this example, the sensing system 104 includes at least two imaging sensors (optical sensors) 810 and 812. The imaging sensor 810 provides images of the general direction/axis along which the telescopic structure 1403 moves, and the imaging sensor 812 provides images of the specific direction that the hot air flow propagates. Accordingly, the imaging sensor 810 has a predetermined, e.g. fixed, field of view (e.g., is attached coaxially) with respect to the telescopic arm, and the imaging sensor 812 has a predetermined, e.g. fixed, field of view (e.g., is attached coaxially) with respect to the plant treatment device, i.e. aperture 708. Firstly, images from the imaging sensor 810 are used, by the controller 211 or control system 107, to direct the plant treatment device towards a general location of the target plant part, by moving the post 801, or moving arm 801a or 801b, or robotic arm 901, and the telescopic structure 1403, while avoiding plant parts along the way to the general location of the target plant portion. Secondly, images from the imaging sensor 812 are used, by the controller 211 or control system 107, to direct the aperture 708 directly at the target plant portion whether it is a truss, a flower or any other plant part or a portion thereof. Real-time imaging can be performed as long as the treatment is taking place. Feedback images are also obtained, specifically by the imaging sensor 812, after or during application of treatment, and are analyzed by the control system 107 in order to determine if more treatment is required or if the goal has been achieved, and the plant treatment device can be moved to the next target plant portion.
In one example, using the plant treatment device described above, the following can be performed: detecting flower/shoot/truss (or bud thereof) to damage or prune, aiming aperture 708 slightly above flower/shoot/truss (or bud thereof) by extending/retracting telescopic structure 1403 until aperture 708 is close and above flower/shoot/truss (or bud thereof), and pointing the aperture downwards to accurately find flower/shoot/truss (or bud thereof) to damage or prune, and aim aperture and activate the damaging function (e.g. hot air/laser).
It is noted that, while not specifically shown, instead of hot air applicator a laser applicator, such as that described in
The arm's length and degrees of freedom, determined by the number and lengths of arm sections, joints and their respective degrees of freedom, should be such to enable reaching by contact all required portions of the plant which are planned to be treated, including but not limited to highest and lowest parts of the plant. In addition, the overall reach of the manipulator arm can be such as to allow reaching portions of plant from different angles of approach, for example reaching a leaf from underneath, or reaching a stem from one or more sides. The purpose is both to be able to contact portions of plant at different angles of approach and prevent damage to other plant portions when approaching, or to allow imaging portions of plant from various angles when configuring distal tip with one or more imaging devices.
Also shown in
As also shown in the figure, the plant treatment apparatus 102a includes a navigation and tracking assembly 1000 configured and operable to bring the plant treatment apparatus to a vicinity of the at least portion of the plant to thereby enable treating the at least portion of the plant by the plant treatment system. The navigation and tracking assembly includes a movable platform 1001, e.g. a ground vehicle, that can carry the treatment apparatus adjacent to plants to be treated. Vehicle 1001 can be a robotic vehicle, with wheels 1002, operated by motors within vehicle 1001 body. Robotic vehicle can approach plants autonomously using navigation and tracking sensors. For example, robotic vehicle can be equipped with imaging sensors 1014 at front and sides, radar (either MW based or laser based) 1015, and other peripheral sensors as required.
Movement of the robotic vehicle 1001 can be controlled by a dedicated processing unit 1016 and/or by the control system 107. Processing unit 1016 can include wireless communication, an inertial moment unit and GPS, with their respective antennas 1018. The processing unit 1016 collects data from cameras, sensors, inertial moment unit and GPS to guide vehicle 1001 along plants in farmed area. The processing unit controls the motors that operate the wheels 1002 as well as the treatment devices. Wireless communication may be used to communicate with other vehicles to coordinate coverage of farming area or with a central computer. Processing unit 1016 can replace controller 211, or vice versa, to control the treatment apparatus components, namely motors, mounts, valves, imaging sensors, manipulator arms, compressors, and regulators, all described in previous figures, and partially shown in
While some of the components mentioned are not displayed in
On each carrying vehicle more than one holding post can be placed in order to treat several plants in parallel, for example one post on each side (to treat plants on both side of row) and/or more than one post one every side of the vehicle to treat two or more consecutive plants simultaneously.
As appreciated, the plant treatment apparatus/system can be a mobile system that can move in a farming area and carry the treatment devices/apparatus adjacent to every plant. The transport/navigation system can be based on wheels, as shown in
The vibration of flowers in order to release pollen can be induced by air pressure bursts. This is a contact-less induction/generation of vibration of the flower(s) and/or flower truss or inflorescence in general, in order to induce pollination. Contact-less pollination can reduce chances of disease and virus transfer, and can reduce chances of damage to plant by improper contact. In contrast to non-directional air flow such as air blowers, the invention provides several advantages. Blowers are much more energy consuming, non-pulsed so vibration frequency cannot be controlled, and pressure cannot be adjusted accurately. Due to the large air flow and non-directed and non-localized flow, air blowers can increase chances of spreading diseases, viruses and pests.
The amount of air, the burst numbers, duration and angle relative to the flowers should match the crop being pollinated, whether by user defined parameters or by pre-defined parameters following automatic detection of flower types, e.g. by vision and applied algorithm in the processing unit.
The air pulse sequence should have the following properties: 1) the full sequence should not be more than several seconds long in order to enable treatment of enough plants; 2) pulse length and distance/gap between pulses should enable vibration of flowers at required range of frequencies and amplitudes/magnitude; 3) pulse pressure and air flow rate should be kept to a, minimum in order to conserve energy and/or pressure in tank; 4) aperture diameter/opening should not be too small that causes air to diverge and not reach flowers, or too large causing to deplete air too quickly. Valve releasing air to apertures should not be too far from apertures in order to conserve shape of pulse train, and not cause pulses to broaden before exiting aperture. Flow parameters should also be optimized in order not to damage the flowers and/or plant portion.
The plant treatment system/apparatus shown in
1. Bringing vehicle 1001 adjacent to plant by methods described above;
2. View plant with imaging device 803;
3. Analyze images by processing unit 1016 or control system 107 to determine whether at least one flower on portion of plant viewed is ready for pollination. This can be done by a) comparing said image data with reference data showing development stage or growth phase indicative of pollination status of one or more flowers, e.g. a dataset with images of flowers ready for pollination, or b) by processing the image data to identify presence of a flower in the image(s) and readiness for pollination by identifying flower parameters indicative of existence or absence of pollination, such as colour and shape of one or more parts of the flower(s) or c) by utilizing trained artificial intelligence techniques (systems and/or methods);
4. Adjust position of applicator/apertures 203 to point at the required portion of plant by controlling mounts 204 as described above with regards to
5. Set vibration parameters (pressure, number and amplitude of pulses, each pulse duration and gaps between them) according to portion of plant to be vibrated as viewed by imaging devices and/or according to predefined values defined per portion of plant and/or distance to portion of plant and/or other parameters;
6. Release air pulse sequence to controllably vibrate the portion of plant.
In addition to the pollination method described above, once the air pulse sequence was delivered, the imaging device/camera can detect the flower vibration and if not meeting expected amplitude and/or frequency the vibration pattern can be adjusted in one of the following: pressure can be increased/decreased by controlling regulator, pulse duration and time gap between pulses can be changed in a train pulse, or the pulse number in a train pulse or the train pulse number, in order to change quantity, frequency and amplitude of vibrations. Pulse direction can also be changed. Instead of pointing to main inflorescence axis (rachis) or larger stem of plant in the aim of vibrating several inflorescences together and to vibrate all flowers together, pulses can be directed to individual flowers.
In order to prevent the need for pruning, the plant treatment system can include communication with an operator (by wireless communication or direct interface to the system) in order to predefine the exact plant being pollinated and focus the algorithm and improve its detection of targets as well as determine the amount of flowers that should be pollinated in each inflorescence or the total in each plant. Additionally, the system can be programmed to detect the plant by itself and have predefined parameters for the number of flowers to pollinate.
The plant treatment system/apparatus can use GPS or visual cues to record (from the set of cameras) the exact position of each visited plant and its flower status for later reference and reporting to farmer. The apparatus can also utilize signs/marks placed in the greenhouse (e.g. barcode sign per plant or row). The cameras can be hyperspectral or any type of camera, e.g. IR, and can have additional illumination in various wavelengths to enhance visibility and detection ability.
As described, the plant treatment system can be equipped with temperature, humidity and light sensors (
When the plant treatment system/apparatus is equipped with environmental sensors providing environmental data about the plant surrounding, a method for pollinating inflorescences based on environmental data can include the following steps:
1. Collect environmental data from farming area;
2. if conditions fit vibration induced pollination then system can use treatment device(s) that utilizes air pulses;
3. if conditions do not fit such vibration induced pollination, plant microenvironment can be preconditioned:
3a. if conditions are too dry, air can be humidified by the plant treatment device described in
3b. If conditions are too humid, relative humidity can be reduced by heating air applied to portion of plant treated by employing a heating element (as described in
4. if conditions do not allow release of pollen by vibration, and preconditioning components are not available, but pollen can attach to female organ, pollen can be locally and directionally applied by the treatment device described in
5. if conditions do not allow pollen to attach to female organ, a treatment device such as described in
The plant treatment system described can selectively pollinate flowers or prune flowers or other plant parts. By visual cues from a set of imaging devices, or a combination of cameras and location determination by GPS or other method, the system will identify flowers on each plant, determine whether each flower is ready for pollination or was pollinated, determine whether a predefined number of flowers was already pollinated on the specific inflorescence. The system will then determine whether to pollinate a specific flower. Depending on the pollination method, the system will target only the flowers to be pollinated. If the pollination device utilizes vibration, as in
In one embodiment of the plant treatment apparatus, described in
Another embodiment of a plant treatment apparatus for pollinating flowers can be based on a brush that is placed on a distal tip of a, manipulator arm (
Referring back to
One more non-limiting example of a method for managing plants and yield by utilizing at least some of the above described plant treatment devices, is described. Controlling the yield quantity and consequently the yield quality can be achieved by “bunching” that means to shorten the time between pollination of the first and last flowers, this effects the ripening time of the fruit, thus shortening the time between the first and last fruit, so that the truss of fruit is more uniform in color, size and ripening time, ultimately increasing shelf life.
Utilizing any of the above-described pollination-inhibiting or pruning devices, bunching can be done in one or more of the following methods:
1. Damaging first flower: in some crops, such as tomatoes, the time between the development of the first flower and the second may be longer than between the 2nd and 3rd flower. In addition, the first flower is different and many times requires different pollination conditions and develops differently. By removing/damaging the first flower, the truss is made up from more uniform and higher quality/size fruit.
2. Postponing the pollination of the first flower and maybe even the second flower in order to shorten the time to the nth flower. Each flower is ripe for at least m days, so in principle the time between first and last fruit can be shortened.
Bunching can be performed by utilizing inputs from the sensing system and analysis by the control system, including detection of: blossoming of a first flower on a truss and counting the number of flowers on the truss; then activating the suitable plant treatment device in order to damage at least the first flower, and any subsequent flower, based on apriori knowledge with respect to the specific plant. For example, in tomatoes it is known that there are typically more flowers on the truss than the number of tomatoes that should be grown. Therefore, one or more flowers/flower buds, or a suitable part of a branch/shoot/truss (or bud thereof), are damaged or pruned to insure that the required number of fruit are grown on the specific portion of the plant and no extra/unwanted branches grow.
With multiple cameras existing on the various mounts and posts, each plant can be viewed from many angles and heights up close. This enables detecting pest or diseases. The tank 401 described above (shown in
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62501393 | May 2017 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/IL2018/050487 | May 2018 | US |
| Child | 16672785 | US |
