Apparatus and method for monitoring a field

• US 10,296,005 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2017
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Cantrell, Robert L., Thompson, John P., Winkle, David C., Atchley, Michael D., High, Donald R., Mattingly, Todd D., O'Brien, John J., Simon, John F., Jones, Nathan G., Taylor, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sood, Anshul
• Application Number:
  US15/697,293
• Publication Number:
  US 20180074499A1
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/00 UAVs characterised by their flight controls
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for field monitoring. A system for field monitoring comprises a plurality of types of sensor modules, an unmanned vehicle comprising a sensor system, and a control circuit configured to: receive onboard sensor data from the sensor system of the unmanned vehicle, detect an alert condition at a monitored area based on the onboard sensor data, select one or more types of sensor modules from the plurality of types of sensor modules to deploy at the monitored area based on the onboard sensor data, and cause the unmanned vehicle and/or one or more other unmanned vehicles to transport one or more sensor modules of the one or more types of sensor modules to the monitored area and deploy the one or more sensor modules by detaching from the one or more sensor modules at the monitored area.

Claims

1. A system for field monitoring with an unmanned vehicle system comprising:

an unmanned vehicle comprising a sensor system;

a plurality of types of sensor modules carried onboard the unmanned vehicle; and

a control circuit configured to;

receive onboard sensor data from the sensor system of the unmanned vehicle collected while the unmanned vehicle is traveling;

detect an alert condition at a monitored area based on the onboard sensor data;

select one or more sensor modules from the plurality of types of sensor modules carried onboard the unmanned vehicle to deploy at the monitored area based on the onboard sensor data, wherein the one or more sensor modules are selected based on matching the alert condition to capabilities of the one or more sensor modules among the plurality of types of sensor modules; and

cause the unmanned vehicle to deploy the one or more sensor modules by detaching from the one or more sensor modules at the monitored area, wherein the one or more sensor modules are configured to remain in the monitored area to collect data over time.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit comprise a control unit on the unmanned vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the unmanned vehicle comprises an unmanned ground vehicle or an unmanned aerial vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the unmanned vehicle is configured to retrieve one or more deployed sensor modules.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is further configured to determine deployment locations of the one or more sensor modules in the monitored area.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensor modules are deployed on one or more of:

the ground, a plant, a tree, a building, a structure, a container, and a vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensor modules comprises one or more of:

an optical sensor, a camera, a soil sensor, a sonic detector, a wind sensor, a moisture sensor, a temperature sensor, a chemical detector, an airborne chemical sensor, a pollen sensor, a passive sensor, a color-changing sensor, a radon sensor, a lead sensor, a bacteria sensor, a pollen counter, a biodegradable sensor, and a litmus paper.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is further configured to select one or more of additional sensor modules to deploy based on sensor data collected by the one or more sensor modules.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is further configured to select one or more new sensor module deployment locations based on sensor data collected by the one or more sensor modules.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is further configured to detect a source location of the alert condition based on sensor data collected by the one or more sensor modules.

11. A method for field monitoring with an unmanned vehicle system comprising:

receiving, at a control circuit, onboard sensor data from a sensor system of an unmanned vehicle collected while the unmanned vehicle is traveling, wherein the unmanned vehicle carries a plurality of sensor modules;

detecting, with the control circuit, an alert condition at a monitored area based on the onboard sensor data;

selecting, with the control circuit, one or more sensor modules from a plurality of types of sensor modules carried onboard the unmanned vehicle to deploy at the monitored area based on the onboard sensor data, wherein the one or more sensor modules are selected based on matching the alert condition to capabilities of the one or more sensor modules among the plurality of types of sensor modules; and

causing the unmanned vehicle to deploy the one or more sensor modules by detaching from the one or more sensor modules at the monitored area, wherein the one or more sensor modules are configured to remain in the monitored area to collect data over time.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the control circuit comprise a control unit on the unmanned vehicle.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the unmanned vehicle comprises an unmanned ground vehicle or an unmanned aerial vehicle.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the unmanned vehicle is configured to retrieve one or more deployed sensor modules.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining deployment locations of the one or more sensor modules in the monitored area.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more sensor modules are deployed on one or more of:

the ground, a plant, a tree, a building, a structure, a container, and a vehicle.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more sensor modules comprises one or more of:

an optical sensor, a camera, a soil sensor, a sonic detector, a wind sensor, a moisture sensor, a temperature sensor, a chemical detector, an airborne chemical sensor, a pollen sensor, a passive sensor, a color-changing sensor, a radon sensor, a lead sensor, a bacteria sensor, a pollen counter, a biodegradable sensor, and a litmus paper.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

selecting one or more of additional sensor modules to deploy based on sensor data collected by the one or more sensor modules.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

selecting one or more of new sensor module deployment locations based on sensor data collected by the one or more sensor modules.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

detecting a source location of the alert condition based on sensor data collected by the one or more sensor modules.

21. An apparatus for field monitoring with an unmanned vehicle system, comprising:

a non-transitory storage medium storing a set of computer readable instructions; and

a control circuit configured to execute the set of computer readable instructions which causes to the control circuit to;

receive onboard sensor data from a sensor system of an unmanned vehicle collected while the unmanned vehicle is traveling, wherein the unmanned vehicle carries a plurality of sensor modules;

detect an alert condition at a monitored area based on the onboard sensor data;

select one or more sensor modules from a plurality of types of sensor modules carried onboard the unmanned vehicle to deploy at the monitored area based on the onboard sensor data, wherein the one or more sensor modules are selected based on matching the alert condition to capabilities of the one or more sensor modules among the plurality of types of sensor modules; and

cause the unmanned vehicle to deploy the one or more sensor modules by detaching from the one or more sensor modules at the monitored area, wherein the one or more sensor modules are configured to remain in the monitored area to collect data over time.