Importance

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Abstract

The present invention provides a highly automated agricultural production system which comprises, as essential components: 1. A sensing subsystem comprising direct and indirect sensing means in an agricultural production area. The direct sensing means are generally ground or plant mounted. The indirect sensing means are remote from the area being sensed. The direct and indirect sensing means are adapted to jointly generate data on all important parameters in the homogeneous agricultural production area; 2. A data transmitting subsystem for forwarding data generated by the direct and indirect sensing means to computing means and for transmitting instructions from the computing means via interfacing means (controllers) to various devices (field effectors) in the agricultural area to perform various functions; 3. A computing subsystem linked by way of said data transmitting subsystem to said indirect and direct sensing means in a pattern of many feedback loops. The computing means is programmed to enable correlation of data received from the indirect and direct sensing means and to generate appropriate instructions to accomplish a substantive number of functions required for the operation of the automated agricultural production system of the present invention as will be later described in detail, including, but not limited to, the control of the following subsystems. 4. A fluid delivery subsystem which provides: means for delivering water, chemicals in liquid or gaseous form, air, and the like to various parts of the agricultural production area; and means for providing power to various peripheral devices which utilize the power of moving liquid and/or gases-for example, a water powered (hydromotor) platform. 5. A field operations subsystem which, in a highly preferred embodiment, comprises means to harvest agricultural products, convey the agricultural products, grade the agricultural products, store the agricultural products, and pack the agricultural products. In addition to the above means which are essentially concerned with presenting the agricultural products in a form amenable for marketing, additionally means are provided for plant care, e.g., pruning, thinning and the like. A field operations subsystem which accomplishes the functions of fruit harvesting, fruit conveying, fruit grading and fruit storage which, in a most preferred embodiment of the present invention, accomplishes the above functions utilizing fluid received from the fluid delivery subsystem of the present invention. It is also highly preferred that such fluid powered means be utilized in the agricultural system of the present invention for tree care, e.g., pruning of trees, thinning of trees and the like. The field operations can be accomplished, if desired, utilizing a vehicle which is powered by fluid, typically water, derived from the fluid delivery subsystem of the present invention by means of a water-to-mechanical torque converter (hereafter often called a hydromotor platform).

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First Claim