Carnegie Mellon University

Elliot Allen Cuzzillo

James Andrew Bagnell

Christopher Chandler Fromme

Herman Herman

David LaRose

Neil Stegall

L Douglas Baker

Joan Campoy

Michael Knoll Sergi-Curfman

Richard Pantaleo

Jaime W Bourne

David Jonathan Stager

Jeffrey David McMahill

Neil Frederick Stegall

Richard D Pantaleo

David Arthur Larose

A self-guided blossom picker uses a vision system to identify and locate blossoms or inflorescence growing on a plant. The device can be towed by a tractor or it can be self-propelled. Image data captured by the vision system is sent to an machine vision module, which interprets the data and identifies a location of blossom. A controller uses the location data to command a picker to the proper location. A cutter on the picker is actuated to remove the blossom.

Self-guided blossom picking device

The present invention encompasses software that brings together computer vision and machine learning algorithms that can evaluate and sort plants into desired categories. While one embodiment of the present invention is directed toward strawberry plants, the software engine described is not specifically designed for strawberry plants but can be used for many different types of plants that require sophisticated quality sorting. The present invention is a sequence of software operations that can be applied to various crops (or other objects besides plants) in a re-usable fashion.

Computer vision and machine learning software for grading and sorting plants

Growing community of inventors

Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America

Elliot Allen Cuzzillo