Optical method and apparatus for discriminating between crop stalks and weed stalks in a non-contact row crop harvester guidance system
US4883964A · kind A · utility
16Cited by
3References
6Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 22, 1988 |
| Grant date | Nov 28, 1989 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 22, 2008 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA01D75/00
- WIPO fieldOther special machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A row crop harvesting machine is provided with first and second infra-red transmitters and first and second infra-red receptors for sensing the infra-red beams emitted by the transmitters. The transmitters and receptors and mounted on two adjacent crop row separators of a harvesting machine header and are positioned such that the beams intersect in a region which defines the alignment of the harvesting machine relative to a row of crop stalks. The widths of the beams are chosen to be less than the width of the crop stalks being harvested but greater than the width of weed stalks which may be growing in the region of a crop row.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.