Selectively Eradicating Plants

Abstract

A plant eradication system includes a mobile chassis, a camera carried by the mobile chassis and configured to generate images of multiple plants arranged in a bed as the mobile chassis is moved in a direction along the bed, a processor configured to determine respective locations of the multiple plants from the generated images, a controller configured to select one or more target plants from among the multiple plants for eradication, and a rotary cutter carried by the mobile chassis and rotatable about an axis extending in the direction along which the mobile chassis is moved along the bed, wherein the rotary cutter is responsive to the controller to accelerate a blade of the rotary cutter to strike a selected plant as the mobile chassis is moved along the bed, and to decelerate the blade to avoid eradicating unselected plants as the mobile chassis is moved along the bed.

1 . A plant eradication system, comprising:
 a mobile chassis;   a camera carried by the mobile chassis and configured to generate images of a plurality of plants arranged in a bed as the mobile chassis is moved in a direction along the bed;   a processor configured to determine respective locations of the plurality of plants from the generated images;   a controller configured to select one or more target plants from among the plurality of plants for eradication; and   a rotary cutter carried by the mobile chassis and rotatable about an axis extending in the direction along which the mobile chassis is moved along the bed,   wherein the rotary cutter is responsive to the controller to accelerate a blade of the rotary cutter to strike a selected plant as the mobile chassis is moved along the bed, and to decelerate the blade to avoid eradicating unselected plants as the mobile chassis is moved along the bed.   
     
     
         2 . The plant eradication system of  claim 1 , wherein the axis about which the rotary cutter is rotatable extends parallel to the direction along which the mobile chassis is moved. 
     
     
         3 . The plant eradication system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to compare the respective locations of the plurality of plants to a predetermined spacing and to identify one or more plants that are positioned within the predetermined spacing as the one or more target plants. 
     
     
         4 . The plant eradication system of  claim 1 , wherein the blade of the rotatory cutter is configured to sever leaves and stems of the selected plant to eradicate the selected plant. 
     
     
         5 . The plant eradication system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to identify one or more weeds in the bed using a recognition algorithm, and wherein the rotary cutter is further responsive to the controller to cut the one or more weeds. 
     
     
         6 . The plant eradication system of  claim 1 , wherein the rotary cutter comprises arms extending from a rotational center of the rotary cutter and defining gaps therebetween, and wherein the rotary cutter comprises blades that extend from ends of the arms, respectively. 
     
     
         7 . The plant eradication system of  claim 6 , wherein the rotary cutter is responsive to the controller to position itself such that the unselected plants pass through the gaps. 
     
     
         8 . The plant eradication system of  claim 1 , wherein the rotary cutter comprises an arm extending from a rotational center of the rotary cutter, the blade extending from an end of the arm and being configured to cut the plurality of plants. 
     
     
         9 . The plant eradication system of  claim 1 , wherein the rotary cutter, responsive to the controller, is configured to be dragged by the mobile chassis to eradicate the one or more target plants. 
     
     
         10 . The plant eradication system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a floating frame by which the rotary cutter is vertically movable, the floating frame configured to move vertically as a function of a height of a surface of the bed; and   an actuator configured to translate the rotary cutter to move the rotary cutter, responsive to the controller, in a lateral direction to eradicate the one or more target plants.   
     
     
         11 . A plant eradication system, comprising:
 a vision system carried by a mobile chassis and configured to identify and locate a plurality of plants arranged in a bed as the mobile chassis is moved along the bed; and   a rotary cutter carried by the mobile chassis and responsive to a controller to accelerate a blade of the rotary cutter to strike a plant of the plurality of plants that is selected for eradication as the mobile chassis is moved along the bed, and to decelerate the blade to avoid eradicating unselected plants of the plurality of plants as the mobile chassis is moved along the bed.   
     
     
         12 . The plant eradication system of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a camera configured to generate images of the plurality of plants arranged in the bed; and   a processor configured to identify the plurality of plants in the images using a recognition algorithm.   
     
     
         13 . The plant eradication system of  claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to identify one or more weeds in the bed using the recognition algorithm, and wherein the rotary cutter is further responsive to the controller to cut the one or more weeds. 
     
     
         14 . The plant eradication system of  claim 11 , wherein the controller is configured to compare respective locations of the plurality of plants to a predetermined spacing and to identify one or more plants that are positioned within the predetermined spacing as one or more target plants to be eradicated. 
     
     
         15 . The plant eradication system of  claim 11 , wherein the blade of the rotatory cutter is configured to sever leaves and stems of the plant selected for eradication to eradicate the plant. 
     
     
         16 . The plant eradication system of  claim 11 , wherein the rotary cutter comprises arms extending from a rotational center of the rotary cutter and defining gaps therebetween, and wherein the rotary cutter comprises blades that extend from ends of the arms, respectively. 
     
     
         17 . The plant eradication system of  claim 11 , wherein the rotary cutter is responsive to the controller to position itself such that the unselected plants pass through the gaps. 
     
     
         18 . The plant eradication system of  claim 11 , wherein the rotary cutter comprises an arm extending from a rotational center of the rotary cutter, the blade extending from an end of the arm and being configured to cut the plurality of plants. 
     
     
         19 . The plant eradication system of  claim 11 , wherein the rotary cutter, responsive to the controller, is configured to be dragged by the mobile chassis to eradicate one or more target plants selected from among the plurality of plants for eradication. 
     
     
         20 . The plant eradication system of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a floating frame by which the rotary cutter is vertically movable, the floating frame configured to move vertically as a function of a height of a surface of the bed; and   an actuator configured to translate the rotary cutter to move the rotary cutter, responsive to the controller, in a lateral direction to eradicate the plant selected for eradication.