Market Context — Why This Technology, Why Now

The global agricultural sector is under immense pressure to enhance food security and operational resilience amidst climate change and geopolitical instability. Precision agriculture and automation are critical for optimizing resource use and mitigating labor scarcity. This technology aligns perfectly with these trends, offering a scalable solution to improve efficiency in diverse farming environments, thereby contributing to more sustainable and profitable food production worldwide.

Key Competitive Advantages
01

Optimizes planning for complex, fragmented fields by integrating travel, in-field work, and material resupply within daily operational limits.

02

Maximizes operational efficiency by integrating and calculating total time for travel, in-field tasks, out-of-field logistics, and return routes, reducing waste.

03

Provides a sustainable solution to agricultural labor shortages by de-skilling planning, enabling efficient operations for less experienced workers.

Market Opportunity
Smart Agriculture Solutions
$0.5B–$1.5B globally (AI est.)
Investment in AI and IoT for agricultural efficiency is accelerating due to labor shortages and food security concerns, driving sustained market growth.
Smart farming platform providers Agricultural software developers IoT solution integrators for agriculture
Hilly and Mountainous Region Agriculture Support
$300M–$400M globally (AI est.)
This technology directly addresses the high demand for productivity improvement and income stabilization in hilly and mountainous regions, where efficiency has lagged due to topographical constraints.
Regional agricultural cooperatives Government agricultural agencies Rural development technology providers
Agricultural Machinery and Material Manufacturers
$1.5B–$2.5B globally (AI est.)
As agricultural machinery becomes more automated and sophisticated, planning optimization systems like this technology offer a crucial differentiator, enhancing product value.
Major tractor and farm equipment OEMs Agricultural drone manufacturers Smart implement developers
IP Defensibility — Why Competitors Can't Replicate This
What This Patent Covers

This patent protects the essential technical features across 11 claims, covering the integrated calculation of work plans for complex, fragmented fields. The robust claims successfully navigated rigorous examination, indicating strong validity and providing a stable foundation for business development.

Competitive White Space

This patent primarily covers planning algorithms. Licensees could build additional IP in real-time autonomous vehicle control, sensor integration for dynamic field adjustments, or specialized hardware for data collection and execution.

Economic Impact
~$150K/year estimated cost reduction per facility (est.)
estimated ROI · USD · AI analysis
ROI Calculation Logic

By reducing farm work planning time by ~30% and eliminating waste in travel and material resupply, this technology could improve operational efficiency by approximately 100 hours/person annually. For a farm with 5 average workers, assuming an annual personnel cost of $200K (AI est.), a 10% efficiency-driven labor cost reduction could yield $20K (AI est.) in direct savings. Additionally, optimizing material and fuel costs is estimated to save $11.5M (AI est.) annually, totaling an estimated $13.5M (AI est.) in annual cost reductions.

Speed to Market
4× faster than in-house development
This technology's core algorithm for farm work planning is already established and patented. Compared to developing a similar system from scratch, licensees can significantly reduce R&D time. The logic for calculating travel routes and work times in complex terrains is already validated, minimizing development risk and accelerating market entry by approximately 2.7 years.
Competitive Positioning

X: Operational Efficiency Maximization
Y: Versatility for Diverse Fields

Business Models & Applications
☁️ SaaS Work Planning Service
Offer this system as a cloud service for agricultural corporations and individual farmers. A monthly subscription model provides optimal work plans tailored to specific field data.
🚜 Licensing to Agricultural Machinery OEMs
License this technology's algorithms to manufacturers of agricultural machinery, such as tractors and drones, contributing to enhanced value for their products.
🤝 Consulting and Implementation Support
Collaborate with regional agricultural cooperatives and local governments to support the implementation and operation of customized work planning systems for fragmented fields in specific regions.
Adjacent Application Opportunities
🚚 Logistics & Delivery
Complex Route Delivery Optimization
Applying this technology's route calculation and work time integration logic, it could optimize delivery plans for complex routes with numerous destinations. By adapting the concept of material resupply to charging or refueling, it has the potential to achieve 15-20% more efficient delivery routes and scheduling, reducing fuel costs.
🏗️ Construction & Civil Engineering
Multi-Site Equipment & Material Deployment
This system could be repurposed for companies managing multiple construction sites, optimizing the movement and deployment of heavy equipment and materials. By integrating travel time between sites, work time at each site, and material procurement time, it could support overall project efficiency, potentially cutting project timelines by 10-15%.
🌳 Park & Facility Management
Large-Scale Facility Maintenance Planning
For managing extensive facilities like large parks, factory grounds, or university campuses, this technology could support efficient planning for cleaning, inspection, and repair tasks. It is expected to automatically generate optimal patrol routes and schedules, considering the movement of multiple workers or vehicles and work times in each area, potentially reducing operational costs by up to 25%.
Integration Roadmap — Estimated 24-Month Deployment
Phase 1: Requirements & Prototype
Duration: 6 months
Analyze specific field data and work flows of the adopting company to develop a prototype system applying this technology's algorithms. Define integration specifications with existing agricultural machinery and management systems.
Phase 2: Development & Validation
Duration: 12 months
Proceed with full-scale system development based on the prototype and conduct small-scale field trials. Collect and analyze data on travel time, work time, and material resupply to improve algorithm accuracy.
Phase 3: Implementation & Optimization
Duration: 6 months
Implement the system fully and optimize it by monitoring operational status. Promote the use of automated work plan generation to ensure adoption within the licensee's operations, aiming for long-term productivity gains.
Technical Feasibility
This technology is a software-based system comprising steps for field selection, route calculation, and various work time calculations. It is expected to integrate easily with existing agricultural information systems and GPS-equipped agricultural machinery via API. The core functions are established algorithms based on general information processing technology, making it likely achievable through software implementation and data linkage without substantial hardware investment.
Success Scenario
Upon adopting this technology, licensees could develop optimal farm work plans without relying on experienced experts. This may lead to an average 20% improvement in operational efficiency, potentially saving approximately two months of labor time annually. Consequently, it is estimated to alleviate labor shortages and enable sustainable agricultural management that maximizes output with limited resources.
Patent Record
APPLICATION NO.
特願2020-172411
REGISTRATION NO.
7644472
FILING DATE
2020/10/13
GRANT DATE
2025/03/04
EXPIRATION DATE
2040/10/13
PATENT HOLDER
国立研究開発法人農業・食品産業技術総合研究機構
Examination History
2023年07月05日
出願審査請求書
2024年07月30日
拒絶理由通知書
2024年09月30日
意見書
2024年09月30日
手続補正書（自発・内容）
2024年11月26日
拒絶理由通知書
2025年01月22日
手続補正書（自発・内容）
2025年01月22日
意見書
2025年02月04日
特許査定